Meet The Wayne Grad Studying Ancient DNA In Europe

WAYNE, NJ — A Rutgers student has taken his fascinations and studies overseas, to Germany, specifically, to learn more about ancient cultures and sciences.

Joe Mezza, a 23-year-old Rutgers graduate, is seeking to earn his Master’s degree overseas thanks to a Fulbright grant through Rutgers University.

Mezza earned his bachelor’s degree in anthropology and history at Rutgers while interning as an assistant and tour guide at the Rutgers Geology Museum.

He is now in Tübingen, Germany, pursuing a two-year master’s degree in archaeological science.

“I’ve found archaeology fascinating for as long as I can remember, but I didn’t decide to pursue it academically until my second year at Rutgers after I started working in an archaeological lab through the Aresty Research Center’s Research Assistant Program,” Mezza said. “That lab internship led me to major in anthropology, excavate at archaeological sites in Portugal and Spain, work as an archaeologist in the U.S. for a year after graduation from Rutgers, and, eventually, to study in Germany.”

Mezza specializes in geoarchaeology, the application of Earth science methods to the study of the archaeological record, he says. He intends to study the preservation of ancient DNA in European cave sediments for his Master’s Thesis.

He’s visited several museums and archaeological excavation sites as he continues his education.

When Mezza isn’t studying or working, he spends his time in Germany volunteering, practicing his German, and hiking in the Swabian Alb, a mountain range surrounding Tübingen.

“Until this past October, I’d never been outside of New Jersey for longer than one month at a time, so this experience has been an incredible opportunity to live somewhere new,” he said. “Tübingen is a beautiful old university town, and I’ve been fortunate enough to make friends here from around the world.”

When his study abroad is finished, Mezza intends to begin a Ph.D. program and pursue a career in academia.

The Rutgers alum was given the cultural opportunity thanks to a grant from Fulbright, a U.S. student program that “expands perspectives through academic and professional advancement and cross-cultural dialogue.”

Another NJ resident who recently went abroad on a Fulbright grant was Jay Schroepfer, of Long Valley, who earned the opportunity to study in Argentina.