Engenharia Itália: Fundamentos de Engenharia na Cidade Eterna

This program integrates a unique international experience into the UW engineering curriculum. Intended for second-year engineering students, this program offers engineering and math courses that will allow students to stay on track with curriculum requirements for several engineering degrees while spending a quarter in Rome. The program curriculum aligns with the course requirements for students interested in studying Aeronautics & Astronautics, Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Industrial & Systems Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering, though students interested in any engineering major are welcome to participate. The program also leverages ancient and modern Rome as a site for exploring engineering topics. Site visits and tours to ancient structures and modern engineering facilities will help understand the history and context of engineering from Ancient Rome to the present day. Students will explore an engineering topic of interest in Rome and create a research project on it. The program will also offer an introductory Italian language class. Students will learn at the UW Rome Center, a modern academic facility housed in a 15th century palazzo in the heart of Rome. Accommodations will be provided in nearby apartments.

We are extremely fortunate to be housed in the historic 15th century Palazzo Pio, in the heart of Rome’s Centro Storico. Palazzo Pio was built literally on top of the ancient theater complex where Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC. The location and the historical context are absolutely unique.

What began in 1970 as a small architecture study abroad program by Professor Emerita Astra Zarina grew into the official seat of the UW in Rome by 1985. In 2018, we will host nearly 400 UW students from a range of disciplines including, of course, architecture and classics, but also engineering, mathematics, cinema studies, art history, anthropology, literature, and more.

And we want that number to be higher. We are actively working to expand opportunities for more UW students to experience their own transformations abroad, developing global awareness, appreciation for other cultures, self-confidence, and independence. Research tells us that college students who study abroad are more likely to graduate and more engaged in their entire educational experience. The UW Rome Center is the ideal setting for immersion and transformation in a city with more than 2000 years of history.

To better serve a greater number of students and programs, the UW Rome Center is embarking on a major renovation of our space in the Palazzo Pio. We aim to ensure the long-term continuation of the transformative experience of study abroad, research, and international collaboration. We also envision opening our doors more to the community, inviting them to join us in learning from our expert faculty and guest lecturers who frequent the UW Rome Center in our grand conference room and new exhibit space. This will be a place where UW programs and the broader community will come to share in the creation and delivery of knowledge, expanding all of our cultural boundaries.