With Tom Petty providing their soundtrack, about 110 University of Florida students explored the intersection of engineering and art in Europe this summer.
Amid the masterpieces, class work and cuisine, students in two engineering and arts study-abroad programs — UF in Lille and UF in Brno — relied on a beloved Gainesville tradition.
“We would come together to sing ‘I Won’t Back Down’ by Tom Petty whenever we got the chance,” said Franco Chaluja, an industrial engineering sophomore who traveled with the first Brno program, a spin-off of the popular UF in Lille, France.
Recorded by Gainesville-bred Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the song is a beloved football tradition in The Swamp on gamedays.
Those Gator-soaked sing-alongs were among many highlights from the eight-week study-abroad program based in Lille, France, and its new Brno program in the Czech Republic. The programs bring Gator engineers into museums and other cultural corners in Europe, bridging both sides of the brain and encouraging them to think visually.
The program started in 2021 at the University of Pavia in Italy with 10 students.