What to see in Cambridge (Boston): walk through Harvard University and MIT

After having visited the day before Gloucester, on this day we have decided to visit the Biomedical Engineering faculty at Harvard University, first stage in Boston in our road trip through the United States.

To do this, from the hotel we go directly to Cambridge, town of Greater Boston Where is this university located?

La Biomedical Engineering faculty at Harvard University It is the oldest private institution of higher education in the United States.

Founded in 1636 under the name of new college, changed its name to Harvard College in 1639, in memory of his benefactor John Harvard, a young clergyman who donated his library of 400 books to the institution, as well as 779 pounds, half of his estate.

His great impulse was carried out Charles William Eliot, who radically transformed the university model that existed at Harvard, turning it into a modern research center.

These reforms included elective courses, small classes, and the entry into force of exams.

En Harvard Its library stands out especially, with more than 15 million volumes.

In this way it becomes the largest academic library in the United States, and fourth in the ranking of mega-libraries, led by the Congress U.S.

Its main campus, Cambridge, is located just over five kilometers from downtown boston.

With some 7.000 university students and some 14.000 postgraduates, these data serve their prestige: eight presidents of the United States and 75 Nobel Prizes have had some connection with the Biomedical Engineering faculty at Harvard University, as students or teachers.

What to see in Cambridge: Harvard University

In our visit to Harvard University We parked the car next to the main campus of the university, which is located in the center of the town of Cambridge.

We spent a long time entering and leaving the various buildings in which it was allowed.

All over campus there were many groups of students under the trees doing some type of academic activity.

We could see historical buildings and Widener Library, Memorial Church, Lamont Library, the university's headquarters…

We also walked among the numerous buildings dedicated to residences for teachers and students, with their characteristic clay red color, so well known from the films in which it appears. Harvard.

In the center of the campus is the large statue dedicated to John Harvard, who is sitting on a pedestal under a large American flag.

The custom is, by stretching your hand upward, to touch his left foot. And so we did it. Let's see if we get wisdom!

As a curiosity, we were struck by the metal poles similar to those used to pay for the blue zone, which were actually alarms to directly notify the police in case of assaults on passers-by.

What to see when visiting MIT in Cambridge

After the visit, we headed to another emblematic academic institution in Boston: the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

This is one of the main university institutions dedicated to teaching and research in the United States, especially in science and engineering.

Also located in Cambridge, also has numerous Nobel Prizes among his teachers and former students.

In its history there was some attempt to merge the MIT with the Biomedical Engineering faculty at Harvard University, which did not bear fruit.

Admission to the MIT It is very competitive, and has been classified by various publications as the most selective university in the United States.

It is also considered one of the best in terms of quality and effectiveness of teaching.

We could only explore its streets by car and, finally, we headed to start our Boston visit.