Sparking Success

By Samuel X. Cicci '15

For Rhodes professors, instruction doesn’t finish when the students file out the door at the end of class. All over campus, you’ll find them engaged with students who are looking to try something new, flex their academic muscles on side projects, or simply want an extra hobby. From physics to business to medicine, Rhodes faculty and alumni will always have opportunities open for students in Memphis and beyond. Read on for a look at several members of the Lynx community who go above and beyond for students.

Every October for almost three decades, students, staff, and faculty have eagerly gathered outside the Peyton Nalle Rhodes Tower to await the sound of a satisfying “splat.” It might seem strange to outsiders that the sight of a large orange gourd plummeting to the ground could enrapture so many, but the annual Pumpkin Drop has become a quintessential part of Rhodes College lore. The Halloween spectacle always draws a crowd. But behind the party atmosphere lies a scientific curiosity. “There’s been this physics rumor that triboluminescence (light produced while striking or rubbing two pieces of a special material together) would occur if you freeze a pumpkin and then shatter it,” says professor of physics Dr. Brent Hoffmeister P’25. 

“So early on, some students gathered some liquid nitrogen and some pumpkins, and said ‘let’s see what happens.’”

Unfortunately, nobody saw anything. But the prospect of freezing things and dropping them from high places became a time-honored tradition, with the Pumpkin Drop providing a well-attended venue for physics majors to show off some of their other ideas and experiments.

The Pumpkin Drop is just one of numerous projects under the umbrella of the campus branch of the Society of Physics Students (SPS), led by faculty advisor Hoffmeister. Since joining the faculty in 1996, Hoffmeister has consistently striven to provide both club and individual mentorship for students. “One strong motivation for doing these projects with students is that it’s fun,” he says. “I enjoy doing these projects. Then they get to learn as they go, and it’s just a net positive for everyone. Thinking specifically in the context of physics, students see that what we work on is more than just a formalism. This is knowledge that they can actually use, can leverage to execute a project, or accomplish certain practical or even impractical goals.”

“Dr. Charles Robertson ’65 first approached us about starting this program,” says Hoffmeister, “and there’s a ton of excitement around this new solar cell technology. There have been very few attempts to test it so far, so there’s not much data. Our students are working on this really exciting project that has a lot of money invested in it, and a lot of big players are watching our progress to see what we find out.” Students involved in the CubeSat project during their time at Rhodes have also been scouted by satellite companies after graduation. Hoffmeister cites Ben Wilson ’22 and Olivia Kaufman ’23, who earned jobs at Boeing’s Millenium Space Systems and CesiumAstro, respectively. 

And some of the efforts that students are involved in could have far-reaching implications. In 2021, Rhodes became one of 14 universities, and the only liberal arts college, to be selected as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The project aims to launch a satellite into space to test novel photovoltaic cells based on perovskite technology, and see how they fare in the harsh environment of space. Shepherded by faculty advisors Hoffmeister, Drs. Ann Viano and Bentley Burnham (physics), and Dr. Phil Kirlin (computer science), Rhodes students have been conducting trailblazing research and will soon reap the rewards: The satellite is set to launch in summer 2025 for a resupply mission to the International Space Station.

Whether it’s high-level space research or a simple experiment, Hoffmeister can’t imagine conducting research without student input. He has directly supervised more than 60 students on research projects involving his specialty, medical ultrasound, and has students credited as coauthors on 25 published articles. “Most faculty here would probably say they came to an institution like Rhodes so they could have those close interactions with students through their work,” he says. “They’ve always been a vital part of my research process.”

That research is always continuing. As SPS advisor, Hoffmeister constantly helps coordinate myriad campus and community events. In 2021, he also took on the role of advisor for the All Engineering Club (AEC). On campus, the AEC has worked on some memorable creations, such as a custom t-shirt cannon that President Jennifer Collins fired at the Homecoming football game and a fire-extinguisher-propelled leaf blower hovercraft. 

Last fall, the club crafted a high-altitude balloon that carried a Lynx plushie equipped with a GoPro up to 96,000 feet. Projects like that have garnered attention from various Memphis organizations, too. “After we posted the balloon project, the Memphis Zoo approached us about building a GoPro enclosure that can withstand getting battered by large animals,” says Hoffmeister. “That’s another really fun project with practical applications, and one the students were really eager to do.

“There are so many faculty members that are excited about providing mentorship on really exciting projects like that,” he continues. “It’s something that I always talk with prospective students about and reinforce through that process. And it’s really something that Rhodes excels at.”

Dr. Jade Planchon ’05 remembers several of her professors lending a helping hand when she was making her way through undergraduate studies. Now a professor of finance, she strives to provide a supportive foundation of her own.

“People did that for me, so when I came back to teach at Rhodes, it just felt natural to have that same support for my students,” says Planchon. “Connecting with students is why I want to come to work every day.”

With a background in investment banking at Morgan Keegan & Co. [now Raymond James Morgan Keegan], Planchon offers pre-professional advising for students interested in the finance sector. “It can be tricky deciding if you want to immediately start a career or go get your Master’s or a Ph.D,” she says. “I’ve realized the best approach is to just sit and listen to students for a long time before we start unpacking their thoughts and asking questions. And Rhodes does a great job of making sure that, outside of teaching and other commitments, professors have the time to give personalized attention to students who turn to us for guidance and advice.”

During the process, Planchon urges students to keep an open mind about job opportunities. If they’re already interested in a certain field, they may have preconceptions about what a certain job pathway looks like. “I always remind them to open as many doors as possible when thinking about next steps. Then you can decide which one to walk through, and it might be an opportunity you didn’t even realize was available.”

Planchon also makes use of her extended network when it comes to helping students take that next step. Many of her former colleagues are willing to lend an ear, and the Rhodes alumni network is always ready to spring into action. “When I’m meeting with a student one-on-one, I’ll say ‘Let’s get on LinkedIn and see who might be able to help.’ So many Rhodes alumni are willing to listen and give their time and expertise if they know a student is searching for opportunities in the workforce.”

Her extended network is a vital component for one of Planchon’s favorite programs at Rhodes. She oversees the Rhodes branch of the Charter Financial Analyst (CFA) Research Challenge, which tasks students to conduct in-depth research and analysis on a publicly traded company and make a recommendation about buying, selling, or holding its stock. The students must then present their finding to a panel of experts. “We typically have five students participate,” says Planchon. “The process starts in the fall semester and culminates in the spring with the presentation. We typically follow the stock for about six months before we begin putting the presentation together.”

The challenge, organized by the Mid-South CFA Society, usually brings in a local company to be judged, and Rhodes competes against other schools. This year’s company is local paper corporation Sylvamo. Recent years have also seen heavy hitters like FedEx, AutoZone, ServiceMaster, and Tyson Foods. “It’s really exciting to work with students on this,” says Planchon. “It gives them real-world experience and is a chance to connect them with high-level executives. It’s also a really hands-on way for them to do the work and see if this is an industry they might want to go into.”

It can be daunting getting on stage in front of judges who occupy executive positions at large companies, but Planchon carefully coaches students through the process. “The judges can ask some pretty tough questions,” she says. “So we make sure students are prepared to overcome these hurdles, to think fast and think critically.” Those skills pay off when it’s time to enter the workforce. And having a few extra connections doesn’t hurt.

“When planning out a career path, I always have to stress the importance of networking,” says Planchon. 

“That’s a big part of navigating the workforce, and it’s crucial that students understand the networking component and how to approach that.” Cultivating strong connections in undergrad, she adds, is the perfect place to start. “I’ll have students from 10 years ago who I coached through the CFA Challenge stay in touch. They either offer to judge, or are a resource I can refer to one of my students. And as that circle continues to grow, it just keeps opening more opportunities.”

Mentorship and the advancement of health equity have always been passions of Dr. Ryan Mire ’93, P’23. So it was perhaps no surprise that, upon the conclusion of his term as president of the American College of Physicians (ACP), the organization decided to honor his efforts through a new and innovative summer internship program. Heading into its fourth round in summer 2025, the Ryan Mire, MD Summer Internship program aims to foster health equity within the field of internal medicine.

“This internship was a joint effort by ACP leadership to invest in our future physicians and our future healthcare leaders as it relates to health equity,” says Mire, who currently practices internal medicine at Heritage Medical Associates in Nashville. “And the goal is to provide an opportunity for students who have a vested interest in health equity to get the support, advice, and career guidance they need for experiences outside of the exam room.”

Most internships, says Mire, will see a pre-med student follow a physician through his or her medical practice. But this eight-week summer program takes a different approach. “It allows the students to consider how to design solutions through the lens of equitable healthcare for all patients in the evolution of science, and also care delivery,” he says. “And so it’s a unique opportunity to give them exposure to other career paths in healthcare that are outside of the exam room. We focus on departments such as advocacy, medical education, publishing, or clinical guidelines, just to name a few.”

When Mire began growing the program in 2022, he thought back to his time at Rhodes and thought it would be great to have a participant from his alma mater go through the program. He reached out to the Rhodes director of health professions advising, Jessica Kelso, and she eventually recommended neuroscience major Julian McMillian ’25 to participate in the summer 2024 cohort.

In a positive twist of fate, both McMillian and Mire call the Nashville area home, affording the two the opportunity to meet in person ahead of the program. “Dr. Mire actually reached out to me ahead of time to discuss the program and what it would entail,” says McMillian. “We stayed in contact throughout, and he’s been a great resource as I plan for medical school. I know that if I have a question or need advice, he’s happy to answer it.”

Over the summer, interns develop their own unique projects. McMillian studied the changing dynamics of the internal medicine physicians workforce, but also toured the country with the rest of the cohort to visit doctors and high-level executives at various Medical Center, Christiana Care Health System, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the American Board of Internal Medicine, and Deloitte Health Equity Institute. 

“The experience really provided a different perspective,” says McMillian. “We dove into the history of medicine as a whole from an underrepresented perspective, whether that was race, gender, or any minority. And it just really affirms that in medicine, everyone is unique. It made me think about how I could change my approach to better serve patients in the future.” 

Mire still maintains a strong connection to Rhodes; he is a former member of the board of trustees and celebrated his daughter’s graduation from the Master’s in Accounting program last summer. And he hopes to continue sharing his expertise with the Rhodes community going forward. “It would make my day if we continue to see Rhodes students being represented in the program. I loved my experiences at Rhodes. Those were very formative years for me, so I’ve always wanted to give back. Not just through the annual fund or donations, but with my time.”

On a visit to campus in 2019 for an executive alumni board meeting, Mire decided to stroll over to Robertson Hall during a break to see what students had been researching. He struck up a conversation with Candace Hayes ’19, and at the end of the discussion, she asked if she could shadow Mire at his practice in Nashville over the summer. “She spent time at the office and then went on to medical school at Temple University in Philadelphia,” says Mire. “We’ve been in touch since the moment I looked at her research poster. I connected her with one of my own personal mentors when she was in Philadelphia, and now she’s starting her internship in family medicine at Rush University in Chicago. 

“That’s the reward of seeing the professional development of students as they work through their own careers,” he adds. “And it’s the gift that just keeps on giving, and they can give it back to someone else.”