Luminescing Pigment

undergraduate researcher in Multiscale Characterization & Materials Design Lab,

MIT Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

participant and T.A. for Materials in Art, Archaeology, and Architecture (One-MA3)

Rome, Pompeii, & Turin, Italy

Cambridge, MA
June 2017-July 2019

hieroglyphics painted in Egyptian blue

I signed up for One-MA3 when I heard about the opportunity to spend a summer in Italy, conducting fieldwork and studying cultural heritage.

I cleaned and restored mosaics in Priverno

I created 3D models of cultural heritage to create augmented reality experiences

I visited the archives and conservation labs under the Vatican

I imaged ancient luminescing pigments in Aramengo

I assessed the risk of free-standing columns in Pompei collapsing from an earthquake

I studied Baroque architecture in Turin

Inspired by my fieldwork, back at MIT I formed a research project with two other students to study Egyptian blue, an ancient pigment. I wrote a paper and made this video about our work:

Wanting to dig deeper, I formed an independent research project in my professor's lab. I spent the next two years studying the composition and luminescent properties of ancient Egyptian blue samples and establishing a new method of material characterization. Our group has published a peer-reviewed paper in PLOS ONE. I also returned to Italy as a teaching assistant on One-MA3, developing a field guide, mentoring students, and presenting my research to Italian colleagues.

Janille Maragh

talk at Egyptian Museum, Turin

Rome, Pompeii, & Turin, Italy

Cambridge, MA June 2017-July 2019

Cambridge, MA
June 2017-July 2019