From the Prof

218days until
Math In Rome 2010 Begins!

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Hema

I remember being really worried about signing up for this program, but my dad pushed me to go through with it, telling me that it would be a once in a lifetime experience. I’m glad I took his advice because my five weeks in Rome is the highlight of my college experience. Everything there was amazing: the people, the sights, the history, the culture, and especially the food.

It was nice that the students in the class weren’t all the same year or the same major because we got to meet people we would not normally have met and I quickly made 15 lifelong friendships. Professor Pasquale was one of the best professors I had in my time at UCSD. The small class size made it easier for interaction with the professor and you could tell that Professor Pasquale genuinely cared for his students. There was a lot of hands-on learning and site visits, so not all of your time is spent in a classroom.  

The site visits were especially useful because it is not very often that I get to see what I learned in class applied to real life. I had learned a lot about some of the sites we studied through Art History classes in the past, but this class taught me the mathematical principles behind the structures, and I found myself having a better appreciation for the builders. While doing the homework assignments, you see how hard it must have actually been for the designers, planning out buildings with nothing more than a straight-edge and a compass.

I know that the price of the program may be a deciding factor for some of you, but don’t let it be. The program was worth every penny and I wouldn’t have traded the experience for anything in the world.  I’m already trying to save money so I that can go back!

Hema graduated from UCSD (Muir College) in 2009 with a degree in bioengineering. She participated in Math in Rome 08.