Allison Emmerson, associate professor of classical studies at Tulane University, is the director of the Pompeii I.14 Project, Tulane’s very own archaeological site at Pompeii in Italy’s Campania region. In the field of archaeology, the project is a part of a movement pioneering new research technologies, and Emmerson herself is one of the few female archaeologists in the field to hold a coveted project director position. 

But when looking back on the moment she decided to become an archaeologist, Emmerson recalled simply saying “Oh, I’ll do that.”  “I think I just pulled it out of the air,” Emmerson said. However, Emmerson also remembers an early interest in the ancient Greeks and Romans, as well as foraging for rocks and other treasures in her backyard. Archaeology was the perfect combination.