Isolated from the outside world, the scientists continued their work, disregarding the mayhem and destruction occurring outside of its grounds. The Institute was formally founded by the children of the original survivors, who dug into the earth and built increasingly sophisticated residential facilities and laboratories, starting an ongoing process of infrastructure expansion. While the college itself laid in ruins for more than two centuries, at the time of the Great War, those present took refuge underground. The Institute was built upon what was once known as the Commonwealth Institute of Technology, or C.I.T. The Institute's seal with its founding date and the motto 'Mankind Redefined' 7 Interactions with the player character.