Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
STEM
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
STEM

Contrasting Construction in Bulgaria

Thursday, January 12, 2017, By Matt Wheeler
Share
College of Engineering and Computer ScienceinternationalStudents

Students in the new course “Construction Management Practices in Eastern Europe” began their studies early last summer in the heart of Bulgaria, spending two weeks examining historic and modern construction sites throughout the country.

Bulgaria

Engineering students spent two weeks visiting historic and modern building sites in Bulgaria last summer.

The trip began with a visit to the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy in the capital city of Sofia, where students participated in a colloquium with engineering students and faculty focused on engineering education in Bulgaria and United States. They visited nine construction sites with active infrastructure, commercial, residential development and industrial projects. Students met with engineers, architects, developers, construction managers, superintendents and construction safety officers. They also explored three historic sites and the evolution of construction from Trachian, Roman and Byzantine times to today.

Arthur Qiming Wang ’18, a participating civil engineering student, says, “Unlike in lectures, we were able to use all of our senses to observe, to feel and to understand the real engineering practice. It helped us to link everything we have learned so far and try to apply it in the real world.

“Students gained perspective of engineering and construction practices, as well as construction materials availability and project delivery methods,” says Professor of Practice Svetoslava Todorova. For example, in the U.S., steel is the preferred material for commercial construction of multistory structures. In Bulgaria, and throughout Europe, the first choice is reinforced concrete. “They see that there can be different practices, different materials, different regulations, and still they produce a building that is high quality,” Todorova says.

While students studied contrasts in construction techniques, they were also intrigued by similarities. A retaining wall from a Trachian site dating to the 12th century BCE was created with a locking system in which two stones were carved in order to make an opening, which was then filled with melted iron, with lead poured over the top to prevent rust.“A similar construction technique was used for the stone walls of the Erie Canal,” Todorova says.

Todorova considers learning about practices of another part of the world a valuable experience for students. “I think it opens their minds about how things can be done differently,” she says. “It gives them an opportunity to think creatively.”

  • Author

Matt Wheeler

  • Recent
  • Eight New Recruits Begin Campus Peace Officer Academy
    Thursday, May 19, 2022, By Christine Weber
  • Media Tip Sheet: Consequences of China Lockdown
    Thursday, May 19, 2022, By Vanessa Marquette
  • Dean Rajiv ‘Raj’ Dewan to Step Down as Dean of the School of Information Studies
    Thursday, May 19, 2022, By News Staff
  • 2022 Graduates Reflect on Service as Academic Coaches
    Thursday, May 19, 2022, By Ellen de Graffenreid
  • Funding Expands for Newhouse Professors’ Work on Technology to Combat Fake News
    Wednesday, May 18, 2022, By Wendy S. Loughlin

More In STEM

Dean Rajiv ‘Raj’ Dewan to Step Down as Dean of the School of Information Studies

Rajiv “Raj” Dewan, dean of the School of Information Studies, has announced he will conclude his deanship on June 30, 2022. Dewan plans to return to full-time faculty duties while continuing his research. David Seaman, dean of Syracuse University Libraries…

Biology and Earth and Environmental Sciences Departments Come Together on Diversity and Engagement Initiatives

In 1948, Professor James Hope Birnie became Syracuse University’s first African American faculty member in biology, teaching here until 1951. He was also one of its first biology faculty members to be supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)….

Black Hole Image Shows Einstein Was Right, Once Again

Today a team of astronomers announced they successfully captured the first direct image of the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Duncan Brown is the Charles Brightman Endowed Professor of Physics at Syracuse University’s College of…

Biomedical and Chemical Engineering Professor’s Research Team Receives Multiple Awards at Society for Biomaterials Conference

Biomedical and chemical engineering Professor Mary Beth Monroe attended the Society for Biomaterials (SFB) 2022 meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, with Ph.D. students Anand Vakil, Henry Beaman, Changling Du and Maryam Ramezani, master’s student Natalie Petryk ’21, G’22 and undergraduate students Caitlyn…

Viewing a Microcosm Through a Physics Lens

“What can physics offer biology?” This was how Alison Patteson, assistant professor in the College of Arts and Sciences’ physics department and a faculty member in the BioInspired Institute, began the explanation of why her physics lab was studying bacteria. In…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2022 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.