News and relevant information about Rhodes students, faculty, and staff making the most of living in Memphis.

Five Rhodes students—Seongjoon Hwang ’21, Meredith Bacue ’21, Aaron Weist ’21, Joe Hernandez ’21, and Khanh Ton ’23—won awards for their geographic information system research projects presented as part of Memphis Area Geographic Information Council’s virtual event held this spring.

Rhodes College is one of “50 Best Colleges in Big Cities,” as compiled by Stacker and featured by Newsweek. Stacker considered colleges in cities with populations of more than 300,000. “Rhodes is one of the few liberal arts colleges in a major city, providing opportunities for students to explore passions and professional pathways through internships, fellowships, and community engagement before graduation,” says Vice President for Student Life Meghan Harte Weyant.

Becca Risman '21 has used her passion for community engagement in Memphis as an Urban Fellow; studied urban planning in Sevilla, Spain; and will soon serve as a Work First Fellow in New York City with America Works, a nonprofit that seeks to alleviate poverty in major cities.

Rhodes’ liberal arts curriculum encourages students to choose courses across academic disciplines, whatever their major or career goals. Emma Thames '21, who is pursuing a degree in English literature while preparing for medical school, combines skills and perspectives learned in all of her courses as she strengthens her ideas of how to be the best possible physician.

Clarence Day Scholar Russ Palmer ’21 earned the title of Battalion Commander in the ROTC program by the start of his senior year and was named cadet of the month last October, a national recognition that acknowledges the outstanding performance of an individual both in the classroom and in training.

For the past decade, students in Dr. Sarah Boyle’s Animal Behavior course have been granted access to the Memphis Zoo to design behavioral research projects in collaboration with the zoo. These research projects have addressed many topics, but 10 independent studies on 16 species have focused on the impact of zoo visitors on animal behavior. Now the research has been published in the journal Animals for its special issue on evidence-based practice in zoo animal management.

A remote semester at Rhodes has offered new challenges, but also opportunities for students to get creative. Seniors Harrison Rozman, Katie Gordon, and Ellie Schreiner have used this time to pursue entrepreneurial ventures.

Dr. Dana Horgen’s dual passions for running and chemistry have defined her personal and professional trajectories. In addition to teaching and directing chemistry lab studies, the assistant professor of chemistry is captaining Team Rhodes, which participates in the annual St. Jude Memphis Marathon.

Dr. Kiren Khan, assistant professor of psychology, has been supervising a team of Rhodes students on research related to the Summer Success kindergarten readiness program she co-developed with researchers at The Ohio State University and implemented in Memphis across the previous two summers. Four psychology majors who are members of Khan’s Language and Literacy Lab were involved in summer 2020 research. They are Taylor Duncan ’21, Eraine Leland ’21, Meredith Schoel ’21, and Leticia Rosas ’22.

Dr. Trimiko Melancon, associate professor of English and Africana studies, and Karl Erickson, assistant professor of art and art history, will have their films featured at the annual Indie Memphis Film Festival to be held Oct. 21-29. In its new form, the film festival will feature virtual screenings and outdoor screenings.