Classics Major Plans Archeological Career

How does classics major, Erin Warford '09, go from "tray-sledding" in the Knox Bowl to unearthing an ancient Roman villa in Britain using high-tech geographic information systems?

For Warford, such a journey begins with a liberal arts education at Knox and takes you, among other places, to Houston Texas for an internship with L.J.A. Engineering and Surveying. It also takes you to the top of your field, and Warford developed a knack for using the GIS application. "I decided to do a project at Knox where I collected data showing a site where a group of Roman villas existed in Britain. I plotted it out with roads, town and mostly compiled info about the villas," she says.

Studying the classics has always had the same excitement of going on an archaeological dig. You can usually count on a dramatic find, and Warford says she was a classics major from the get-go. "It is very interesting learning about ancient cultures, the languages and the literature. I'm hoping to go into archeology."

A junior at Knox, Warford's work involved using high-tech GIS software to analyze maps and provide important geographical data that is used for transportation and utilities. "A lot of industries use it such as archeology, forestry, conservation industries, oil and gas industries," she says. "I'm hoping it will be a good career skill when I go into archeology."

While at Knox, Warford had no idea she would one day be doing such work. "My time at Knox was spent studying the classics, writing/editing for The Knox Student, making some very close friends, and basically becoming a stronger, more confident person," she recalls. "To be honest, I thought I would be a Latin teacher, and then I started finding out about archeology and taking classes about human origin and classical culture and that switched my direction."

Warford also works as the mosaic editor for The Knox Student, Knox's weekly student produced campus newspaper, is a member of the Classics Club and the Interfaith Club.

In the final analysis, Warford believes the greatest contribution her Knox education provides is a very simple, but critical one needed by scientist and classicist alike: "My Knox education has given me something essential -- the ability to solve problems. Knox helped me to discover that part of me."