Mississippi State’s Cobb Institute of Archaeology is celebrating its 50th anniversary Oct. 16-18 with a weekend of special events highlighting a half-century of groundbreaking research, student engagement and community outreach.

For Mississippi State University graduate Alijah Jones, the road to a Fulbright Scholarship began in the stillness of the pandemic. Feeling a lack of connection, Jones said he “indulged” in internet browsing, happening upon a YouTube video––“Dinner with my Italian Host Family.” Stepping outside the loneliness of isolation, he found not just a glimpse into another culture, but a spark that would one day take him across the world.

Mississippi State’s Lourdes Cardozo-Gaibisso, an assistant professor specializing in teaching English to speakers of other languages and linguistics, will help Magnolia State elementary students learn about environmental issues and their impact on communities.