Digging into the past

Editor's note: Every year, hundreds of undergraduates at the University of Delaware pursue research under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Such experiences provided by UD - a nationally recognized research university - can be life-changing, introducing young scholars to a new field, perhaps even the path to a future career, as they uncover new knowledge. These spotlights offer a glimpse into their world.

Transylvania. You're not alone if the word brings to mind vampires, bats and foreboding stone castles on a dark and stormy night.

For University of Delaware senior Sophia Margiotta, the infamous home of Count Dracula was anything but scary. The wooded mountains and small towns provided a place where she learned the skills and confidence to follow her dream of becoming a forensic scientist.

The honors biology and anthropology double major spent five weeks this summer excavating human remains, analyzing bones and studying cultural history through the Transylvania Bioarchaeology project in Jucu, Romania. The program brings together students from around the world each summer to work uncovering two medieval cemeteries - one from the seventh through ninth centuries, the other from the 11th through 12th centuries - located adjacent to a Roman villa from the second century.