Led by students who took the first-year seminar, the presentation featured various aspects of the popular American edifices that were destroyed by a terrorist attack on Sept. 11.
The students tackled the development of the trade center project in the 1960s and 1970s, the building's architecture and construction components, and the structure's impact on the city of New York.
Seminar Professor Emil Malizia introduced the presentation, which took place in 39 Graham Hall. He described how the course was adapted from its original plan after Sept. 11.
Students kept the original content of downtown revitalization but switched the attention from their hometowns to New York City. They began to study the trade center's construction and the impact of the popular American icon on New York City.
Malizia, who attributes the course's success to student efforts, said he saw light bulbs go off over the heads of his class of freshmen Sept. 13 when he mentioned the possibility of studying the towers.
The students were then split into three groups of four students each. Class convened only about twice a month and became more of an independent study, students said.
"The entire class thought (studying the trade center) would be a great idea, since it does involve city planning," said class member Colin Scott. "Oddly enough, we were in class when it all happened."
The visual highlight of the presentation was a 3-D model of the towers, standing about 5 feet tall. On his own initiative, one student constructed it as part of the engineering component of the project.
Jeremy Irwin, the model's maker, said he built the towers and the base using various materials such as plywood, black vinyl and mesh fencing. He said he worked from late September to mid-January and is actually still adding finishing touches. "It was so tedious," Irwin said.
