University of Mary engineering students discover why Rome wasn’t built in a day

Innovative Engineering in Ancient Rome course transforms the Eternal City into a living laboratory where students study the world's most enduring feats of design, construction, and infrastructure

BISMARCK, N.D. - As Colton Ruud approached the Colosseum for the first time, he experienced something unexpected.

The University of Mary construction management student from Bismarck had spent an entire semester researching the ancient Roman landmark. He knew its history, its engineering, and the remarkable system of tunnels and lifts hidden beneath its arena floor.

Then he saw it in person.

"I had gotten to see the site I was researching for the whole semester prior and when I saw it, I forgot everything I had learned for a moment," Ruud said. "It was so impressive - the scale and the shape it was in."

That moment captures the purpose behind the University of Mary's innovative Engineering in Ancient Rome course, a unique experience in the Hamm School of Engineering that combines classroom study with a two-week immersion in one of the world's greatest engineering classrooms.

Developed by Michael Douglas, chair of construction management, and Dr. Terry Pilling, dean of the Hamm School of Engineering, the course allows students to explore how ancient Roman engineers designed, built, and maintained infrastructure that continues to inspire modern engineers nearly 2,000 years later.

During the inaugural course, Ruud and his classmates lived and studied at the University of Mary's Rome Campus while exploring some of the world's most significant engineering and architectural landmarks.

"The course began as an effort to turn a study-abroad trip into a serious engineering course in which Rome itself becomes the textbook," Douglas said.

Throughout the semester, students research a specific Roman engineering site before becoming tour guides for classmates at the very sites they spent months studying.

For Ruud, that meant becoming an expert on the Colosseum, including the hypogeum - the sophisticated network of tunnels and lifts beneath the arena floor that allowed for dramatic entrances and elaborate spectacles.

"Teaching my fellow students about my site allowed me to have a deeper understanding," Ruud said. "Once I got to the site, it was easy to apply what I had learned because it was all directly in front of me."

Rome offers students an unparalleled opportunity to see multiple engineering disciplines working together in a single city, from roads and bridges to aqueducts, amphitheaters, and public infrastructure.

"Ancient Rome is almost a laboratory course on infrastructure at the scale of civilization," Douglas said. "Students can study the Pantheon as a structural and materials achievement, aqueducts as hydraulic and surveying achievements, roads as transportation systems, and amphitheaters as examples of construction planning, logistics, and durability."

The Pantheon, home to the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome, made a lasting impression on Ruud. The experience changed how Ruud views construction and engineering today.

Mechanical engineering student Madison Campbell of Winsted, MN, returned to Rome after previously studying there through the University of Mary's Rome program. This time, her focus was on the city's engineering achievements, including the ancient aqueducts, which allowed her to view the Eternal City through an entirely new lens.

"This time, I wasn't just looking at what the Romans built, but I was asking how they built it," Campbell said. "Places I had visited before suddenly revealed engineering details that I had never noticed. It felt like I was discovering an entirely different side of the city."

"The trip inspired me to want to build something in the future in the style of early Roman architecture," he said. "Every time I do concrete work now, I think about the trip and how long some of these structures have stood."

Douglas said that perspective is precisely what the course hopes to cultivate.

"Engineering is a deeply human activity," he said. "It shapes cities, serves communities, expresses culture, and can endure long after the original builders are gone."

The experience also resonated with students on a deeper level as Ruud reflected on the relationship between architecture, beauty, and faith while visiting Rome's churches and basilicas.

"Every single church was so impressive," he said. "The scale and style of the architecture brought me directly into focus and awe."

Campbell said the experience also strengthened her understanding of how engineering, faith, and vocation can work together.

"Seeing these churches that glorify God but are also engineering masterpieces is seeing it all come together," she said. "It was a reminder and a call to have my work glorify God too."

Five, 10, or even 20 years from now, Douglas hopes students will remember a lesson first demonstrated by the Romans: that engineering decisions can outlast the engineer.

"The Romans built infrastructure that shaped human life for centuries," Douglas said. "I hope the course gives students a larger imagination for their profession and a desire to build things that are worthy of the people who will use them."

The University of Mary's Hamm School of Engineering offers a range of engineering, computer science, and construction programs, including ABET-accredited bachelor's degrees in civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering, along with a construction management program that prepares students for leadership careers in the construction industry.

To learn more about the University of Mary's Hamm School of Engineering and its innovative hands-on learning opportunities, including Engineering in Ancient Rome, visit umary.edu/engineering.