GIF- Bridging Between Academics and Activities Beyond the Classroom

 

 

During the academic year, 2015-2016, Gonzaga-in-Florence fortified the linguistic, cultural and experiential learning aspects of the program, in an effort to strengthen the bridge between academics and activities beyond the classroom. Professors from various disciplines were encouraged to incorporate both Florentine and Italian reality into their courses and many added field trips to sites directly related to the material covered in class. Engineering professor, Marzena Ciszak, wrote about a field trip she organized for her Dynamics class:

Visit to a museum FirST (Firenze Scienza e Tecnica) – the Physics Cabinet.

The museum collection includes more than 3000 instruments, machinery, models and models of machinery used by scientists in the 19th century. The guide showed us many interesting instruments constructed for the first experimental demonstrations of various physical phenomena and used for didactical purposes in those times. At the end of the guided tour, students participated in the presentation of the lecture entitled, “Work, Steam and Energy” about the first realization of a steam engine. A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine was a key component of the Industrial Revolution, allowing factories to locate where water power was unavailable. During the presentation, students viewed videos demonstrating various machines at work, e.g. the piston steam engines, and the staff explained how they function. Moreover, students had an opportunity to participate actively in the experiment (one student performed the experiment while others observed) demonstrating the effects of temperature on pressure by making water rise against gravity (due to a second law of thermodynamics).

During the lecture: how the Italian “caffettiera” works in terms of thermodynamic laws