Thirteen students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University's architectural and landscape programs participated in a Study Abroad Educational Tour of Italy and Greece this summer. The event was sponsored by A&T Professor Ronnie Bailey of the Architectural Engineering Program.

The students participating in the program were Walter Smith, Erin Watts, Nicole Williams, Dane Kendall, Ashanti Hepburn, Chonteau Jackson-Johnson, Richard James, Jeremy Young, Ursula Richardson, Phillip Moten, Eric Jordan, Lashanda Jones and Linley Love. Bailey, Barry Williams, Terry Bailey and Cynthia Williams accompanied the students.

"The purpose of the educational tour was to help educate students about the importance of architecture from difference cultures," said Bailey who teaches courses in architectural design, graphics and CAD.

The students had an opportunity to study the historical and modern buildings and landscapes of Italy and Greece. In Rome, they visited and studied the construction of the Roman Colosseum and the Pantheon along with other famous historical sites. They traveled to Vatican City, Florence, Sorrento, Capri and Pompeii. In Greece students, they saw the Delphi home of the mystical Oracle and the many temples constructed.

They also traveled to Athens, where they climbed the Acropolis and viewed the Parthenon. Their transportation was by transcontinental airlines, by bus, modern European trains and a night ferry which is similar to a cruise ship that transported people along with large and small vehicles. The students observed how the Europeans used smaller cars, solar energy for hot water heating and wind turbines for electricity to conserve energy.