Friday, August 18, 2006

Writer: Philip Lee Williams, 706/542-8501, phil@franklin.uga.edu
Contacts: Wyatt Anderson, 706/542-7001, wyatt@uga.edu; David Puett, 706/542-0004, puett@bmb.uga.edu; Rick Johnson, rnj@uga.edu; Ed Larson, edlarson@uga.edu

University of Georgia’s new “Science Maymester” at Cortona brings students in contact with research near the cradle of science and medicine in Italy

Athens, Ga. – Since 1970, University of Georgia art students have flourished in a studies abroad program set in the quiet, walled town of Cortona in Italy’s gorgeous Tuscany region. This year, however, three of the University’s most-honored professors brought a new formula to Cortona: the study of science.

Now, the new Science Maymester program will become a permanent part of the curriculum in this city begun by the Etruscans. The first class of 30 gave rave reviews for the classes, taught by Wyatt Anderson, Alumni Foundation Distinguished Professor of Genetics; David Puett, Regents Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; and Pulitzer-Prize-winning historian Edward Larson, who is Richard B. Russell Professor of American History and Talmadge Professor of Law. (Photo: Students in the Science Maymester in Cortona listen as Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Edward Larson explains a point.)

At first it may seem incongruous to offer these courses in the remote Tuscan hill town of Cortona.

“The Italian Renaissance artists themselves were aware of the need to understand human anatomy as evidenced by their breathtaking two- and three-dimensional works,” said Puett. “The students responded very positively and enthusiastically to the demands placed by two three-hour courses in a three-week period. Particularly attractive features of the session were the small class size and the small discussion groups, in which students participated actively in the learning process.”

The students took two courses: the biology of medicine and the history of medicine and also went on tours of Rome, Florence, Bologna and Venice, where they delved more deeply into the history of medicine. The teaching schedule consisted of lectures to the students by two faculty members each day, as well as three small discussion sessions with 10 students for each faculty member every day.

“The program was such a startling success that plans are underway to make it an annual May semester program with as many as 40 students,” said Rick Johnson, director of the Cortona program in the Lamar Dodd School of Art. “It was gratifying to see that a program set up as an art and design center could also work for our sister programs in the sciences.”

Larson taught the history of medicine, and he said that many of the students found the small size of the program ideal.

“So many of them said that this was the first time at UGA that they had had this close of a contact with their professors,” he noted. “There was an intense level of interaction between us, and they responded to that.”

Anderson, Puett and Larson were joined by their wives Margaret, Susan and Lucy who played important roles in getting this new program off the ground.

“The students were bright and hard-working, and I especially enjoyed an opportunity to spend more time with them in small discussion sections than I am usually able to arrange,” Anderson said. “The interchange with students in small groups made the teaching experience at Cortona a real pleasure. Margaret and I ate dinner with the students on weekday evenings, and we took several trips with them, so we were able to get to know them personally. I look forward to teaching it again in May 2007.”

Johnson noted that Cortona’s proximity to Florence and Bologna was also seen as a valuable resource because the history and biology of medicine could be explored in special museums and collections in those cities.

“Cortona’s new John D. Kehoe Center was the perfect place to house this type of seminar class as there was a 100-seat auditorium where the entire group could meet for the two daily general lectures,” said Johnson. “Technology was up to date, and thus PowerPoint could be used to organize the lectures. The groups also scattered along the 4.5 acre campus for breakout sessions.”

Puett noted that the course was perfect for science majors.

“With the University of Georgia rightly stressing international experiences as a vital part of its educational mission, the Cortona Science Maymester fills a need, particularly for those interested in a career in the health professions,” he said. “Teaching a group of bright and motivated students with Professors Wyatt Anderson and Edward Larson in this unique setting was both enjoyable and memorable.”

Student comments about the course echoed what the professor say.

“I realized that things today developed differently from how I thought they did,” said one student. “Now I want to know what really happened in the past.”

Another student praised Larson’s handling of science history.

“Science majors rarely get an opportunity to talk about how their commonly accepted theories and methods were discovered,” the student said. “The discussion portion was equally beneficial because we were able to debate very serious, real issues that physicians constantly face.”

Students in Cortona have classroom and dormitory facilities in a converted and renovated church and convent that was begun in the 1200s. The history and beauty of Cortona, which appears now much as it did in the medieval period, offer a special setting for study. Its rich history and remnants from the earlier inhabitants, Umbrians, Etruscans, and Romans, are still visible in the walls, streets and buildings.

The tours in the area enabled the students to view many of the major works of the artists and to better appreciate the period when clear distinctions were not made between scientists and artists. Seeing the intrinsic beauty of Galileo’s telescopes and instruments used in his physics experiments and the grand architectural, engineering and building skills of someone like Renaissance sculptor and architect Filippo Brunelleschi brought the history of science into the modern world for the students.  

Since Italy was the home of many early universities and spawned much of the world’s knowledge in science and medicine, the UGA Science Maymester is well on its way to becoming a permanent part of the studies abroad programs in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.

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(Note: Anderson, Johnson and Larson can be reached most easily through e-mail.)