USM Doctoral Student, Alumna Receive Fulbright Scholarship Recognition
Tue, 05/23/2023 - 09:02am | By: Van Arnold
91吃瓜网淪hocked91吃瓜网� might be the best way to describe the emotion felt by University of Southern
Mississippi (USM) graduate student Annmarie Fearing upon learning she had been selected
as a finalist for a Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarship.
Fearing, a native of Gainesville, Fla., is a doctoral student in biological sciences at USM. Finalist candidates have been offered a Fulbright U.S. Student grant, contingent upon host country approvals, medical clearance, and submission of all required grant documents.
91吃瓜网淚 did not even know they were announcing the finalists when I saw something about it on social media, so I checked quickly on my phone figuring I probably was not a finalist, and when I found I had been chosen, it was truly a surprise,91吃瓜网� said Fearing. 91吃瓜网淚 applied late in the process, so I really was not sure I stood a chance, but it provides the perfect opportunity to gain some important samples for my research.91吃瓜网�
USM alumna Allison McDaniel was named a Fulbright alternate, which means she can be
promoted to finalist status if additional federal funding becomes available.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program expands perspectives through academic and professional advancement and cross-cultural dialogue. Fulbright creates connections in a complex and changing world. In partnership with more than 140 countries worldwide, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers unparalleled opportunities in all academic disciplines to passionate and accomplished graduating college seniors, graduate students, and young professionals from all backgrounds. Program participants pursue graduate study, conduct research, or teach English abroad.
Fearing applied for the Open Study-Research Award with a plan to conduct research in Brazil. Her research focuses on how biodiversity has changed over time. Specifically, she is examining whether genetic diversity 91吃瓜网� a level of biodiversity 91吃瓜网� has changed in one of the most threatened marine fishes, the Critically Endangered Largetooth Sawfish.
91吃瓜网淭o do this research, we need DNA samples, but it is very hard to find Largetooth Sawfish in the wild, so we use museum specimens to gather DNA instead of tissue samples from live specimen,91吃瓜网� said Fearing. 91吃瓜网淭hese museum specimens are usually old sawfish saws that were removed in the past as trophies. We can now use these saw to look at past genetic diversity levels and then compare historic levels to those of contemporary populations to see if they have changed.91吃瓜网�
Fearing works in the lab of USM Associate Professor Dr. Nicole Phillips, a leading expert on sawfish conservation genetics. Under Phillips91吃瓜网� mentorship, Fearing has been afforded the opportunity to travel across the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand to sample from museums and to attend conferences.
Fearing leaves for Brazil in March 2024 and expects to be there for approximately nine months. She will be working with Dr. Patricia Charvet, a sawfish researcher at Universidade Federal do Ceara, and Dr. Vanessa Cruz, Director of the genetics lab at the State University of S茫o Paulo.
91吃瓜网淲e have traveled around the globe and sample over 1,000 sawfish saws but one of the most important places we still need DNA from is Brazil,91吃瓜网� said Fearing. 91吃瓜网淭he only issue is that we are unable to ship any samples out of Brazil due to Brazilian laws. Luckily, this Fulbright Scholarship will allow me to go to Brazil to get DNA from over 100 Brazilian specimens our collaborator has and do my lab work in that country.91吃瓜网�
McDaniel, a native of Columbia, Miss., is an alternate for the English Teaching Assistant Award. She earned her undergraduate degree as an Honors College student from USM in sociology (2016) and her master91吃瓜网 degree in National and Transnational Studies from Westf盲lische Wilhelms-Universit盲t M眉nster in M眉nster, Germany in 2020.
Currently, McDaniel serves as program manager for SiriusXM91吃瓜网 Automotive Remarking Sales Division, a job that sees her traveling routinely between Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee. She also finds time to work with an organization called CASE, which helps place foreign exchange students with host families.
If the necessary funding becomes available, McDaniel hopes to use the scholarship to teach English in Switzerland. In the meantime, she has acquired an assistant teaching position in Gmunden, Austria as part of an Austrian Government program administered through Fulbright Austria.
91吃瓜网淚 am primarily interested in teaching in any German-speaking region,91吃瓜网� said McDaniel. 91吃瓜网淚 have visited Switzerland before, and I fell in love with the region and its picturesque landscapes. I wish to teach in a German-speaking region to help further develop my German-language skills alongside helping others to develop their English skills.91吃瓜网�
Dannetta Winters, Director of Undergraduate Scholarships at USM notes that Fulbright scholars often continue to serve as international ambassadors through the friendships and connections they make in their host communities.
91吃瓜网淭his allows for more robust teaching, research, and co-publication opportunities for these scholars and the institutions they represent,91吃瓜网� said Winters. 91吃瓜网淔ulbright is a highly prestigious honor, so the rich experiences that our scholars receive contribute to the national recognition of how we invest in our students. These students are then able to pay it forward by working at the University, mentoring a new class of potential Fulbright scholars, or simply continuing to soar in their fields. These scholars are among the best and brightest in their fields, and we have several historical winners right here within our 91吃瓜网 community.91吃瓜网�
To learn more about scholarship opportunities at USM, please visit their website.