The MSU Department of Anthropology took six of the 10 prestigious Fulbright Fellowship awards given to university students this year.

Jessica Vernieri, one of the winners, was researching in Florida while awaiting news on the award. Starved for new information, she was making everyone in the International Studies and Programs department want to retire early by her persistent calls.

"When I finally got the e-mail, I jumped up and down so much I think I almost stepped on my dog," she said. "Then, I basically called everyone I knew and jumped up and down some more."

The fellowship gives funding to graduate students pursuing their dissertation research abroad. Vernieri plans to use the award to continue her research on a national tourism development plan to encourage sustainable tourism in Mexico's Yucat?n Peninsula. Others winners include graduate students Kari Bergstrom, Jennifer Brewer, Natalie Bourdon, Holly Dygert and 2003 graduate Erick Houle.

A self-professed anthropology aficionado, Vernieri has been interested in the subject ever since her father took her to a museum of natural history when she was five years old. As an undergraduate, she was the editor of the Humanities and Social Sciences Net. Since then, her graduate research has taken her to study the indigenous cultures of Mexico.

Although Vernieri said she could finish her dissertation research without the Fulbright, her connections with Mexican universities and research centers would not have been possible without it.

"The Fulbright adds an air of professionalism and collaborative fever that has already been extremely helpful in my endeavors," Vernieri said.

"I also would not have been able to afford the research without putting myself in debtor's prison, so I am grateful for Fulbright's generous funding."