CENTERS
THAT MATTER
THE AVENTINUS MINOR PROJECT
The Aventinus Minor Project (AMP) is a community archaeological excavation project focusing on one of the rare unexcavated areas in Rome in the Aventine neighborhood, between the Circus Maximus and the Baths of Caracalla.
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Preliminary research suggests that the field has never been systematically excavated using modern methodology and technologies. Because of this limited exploration, which is exceedingly rare in the dense topography of urban Rome, there may be an intact stratigraphy sequence of 2,700 years, from the modern period back to Rome’s foundation in the 8th century BCE. Early cartographic and topography work indicates that the area contains a portion of the Republican Servian Wall and an Imperial house belonging to Lucius Fabius Cilo, consul in 203 CE.
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Envisaged as a multi-year project, AMP has been made possible only through the friendly cooperation of The American University of Rome, St. Stephen’s School in Rome, and the Istituto Santa Margherita with the support of the Ministero della cultura and the enthusiastic collaboration of the Soprintendenza Speciale Archaeologia Belle Arti e Paessaggio di Roma who has been directly involved in the two years of planning and development behind the launch of this unique undertaking.
THE CENTER FOR DESIGN & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
The career market is becoming increasingly competitive and subject to rapid change and employers are seeking graduates who are able to adapt and undertake flexible roles. They are looking for employees who combine deep subject knowledge with an agile, creative, and entrepreneurial mindset - our Center for Design & Entrepreneurship (CDE) is designed to enhance those qualities in all of our students.
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The AUR CDE serves as an open space for students and scholars to learn, connect and work with international companies, start-ups, industry experts, and professional entrepreneurs in a collaborative, hands-on environment. 
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The Center offers curricular and co-curricular programs and initiatives to help students develop critical-thinking and problem-solving abilities, gaining the necessary confidence and competence to build upon their creative ideas and transform those ideas into innovative, high-impact projects.  
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The overall vision of AUR’s CDE aligns with the University’s mission to prepare students to live and work across cultures as skilled and knowledgeable citizens of an interconnected and rapidly changing world. 
THE CENTER FOR FOOD STUDIES
The Center for Food Studies at The American University of Rome is the institutional home for the promotion of research and both academic and cultural activities involving AUR faculty, students, and alumni interested in and working on food-related subjects.​
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Rome is the food hub of the world; the center for the critical issues of worldwide scope surrounding food, sustainability of the natural resource base, and global food security with its three U.N. agencies (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, International Fund for Agricultural Development and World Food Programme) and with Bioversity International, a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. (CGIAR). Furthermore, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is located in Parma, not far from Rome.
The aims of the Center are
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To provide a forum in English for an intercultural understanding of food, from production to consumption.
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To promote and share research in food-related topics within the University and with other institutions in Italy, including the Rome-based U.N. and CGIAR international organizations, the European Food Safety Authority, and the active civic food networks.
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To foster internships with non-profit organizations involved in food.
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To promote and share teaching and experiential learning in the interdisciplinary topic of food.