Maccolades for April 2025: An avalanche of awards 

Maccolades is a monthly round-up of the most recent accolades and accomplishments earned by members of the Macalester community. Below are highlights from April 2025.

Best psychology teacher in the state 

Dr. Steve Guglielmo, associate professor of psychology, received this year’s Walter D. Mink Outstanding Undergraduate Teacher Award. The Minnesota Psychological Association selects one professor statewide to receive this award, which recognizes a teacher who brings a special quality or commitment to undergraduate teaching in psychology. 

Shaping tomorrow at the World Bank 

Two Macalester students were selected for leadership roles at the World Bank Group Youth Summit 2025. With a theme of “New Horizons: Youth-Led Innovation for a Livable Planet,” the event invites young people to engage with pressing issues, while bringing together thousands of participants from across the globe. 

Zhijun He ’26, selected as the lead of Team China, has assisted in organizing and participated in the summit for four years. Zonglin Zheng ’28 will serve as a national delegate for China/Mexico.

“I’m most excited about representing youth voices,” Zheng said. “Being selected as an in-person delegate is a tremendous honor that will allow me to collaborate with global changemakers on crucial issues like digital transformation, green agriculture, and creative industries.”

The hybrid summit will take place online and at the World Bank headquarters in Washington, D.C. in May. 

Food for thought — and action

Aimed at advancing the praxis of higher education’s role in squaring up to ongoing challenges facing the world, a new book, “Gleanings from the Field: Food Security, Resilience, and Experiential Learning,” was co-edited by Dr. Dan Trudeau, professor and chair of geography; Dr. Bill Moseley, DeWitt Wallace Professor of Geography; and Dr. Paul Schadewald, senior project manager for the national initiative Bringing Theory to Practice and former associate director of the Civic Engagement Center. The book looks at addressing the food security crisis through experiential learning in the classroom and beyond.

“The volume moves forward the conversation about how to better prepare the next generation for tackling the tough predicaments and global challenges humanity continues to face, like food insecurity,” Dr. Trudeau said. 

Several Macalester faculty contributed to the book. Thomas Smucker, geography professor at Ohio University, calls it, “A must-read for anyone committed to making education a force for meaningful change.”

$200k to study the energy transition 

Macalester graduate Jessica Smith ’03, was named a 2025 Andrew Carnegie Fellow. The Carnegie is the most generous fellowship for book projects in the social sciences and humanities.

As one of just 26 fellows nationwide, Smith will use the $200,000 award to examine how the energy transition is reshaping the political landscape for working Americans. Her project focuses on the lived experiences of communities in Gillette, Wyoming, and Pueblo, Colorado — two towns connected through the coal industry and the shifting future of energy.

Smith is a professor of anthropology in the Engineering, Design and Society Department and Dean’s Fellow of Earth and Society Programs at the Colorado School of Mines. 

Breaking new ground in women’s health 

Macalester graduate Zoe Kross ’22 received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship to investigate if there is a relationship between progestin-only hormonal contraceptives, brain structure, and mood during mid-to-late adolescence.

“No previous work has examined if adolescent hormonal contraceptive use plays a role in how the brain develops,” Kross said. “Adolescent women are at a higher risk for developing affective disorders, such as depression and anxiety, and progestin-only hormonal contraceptives may be an important part of this story.” 

The award will fund the first three years of her psychology PhD program at Northeastern University. 

“I am excited that my research proposal was funded,” Kross said. “A lot of scientific funding has been slashed at the federal level, and knowing the NSF still decided to fund an award on women’s health gives me hope that other women’s health research can be funded too.” 

Reimagining farming with the Watson Fellowship

Macalester student Meira Smit ’25 was awarded a 2025 Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. Fellowship recipients are graduating seniors nominated by one of 41 partner institutions. They receive a $40,000 stipend, student loan assistance, and health care for a one-year project outside the United States.

Smit, an environmental studies major with an education minor, will travel to five countries for her project, titled “Reviving the Land, Reimagining Farming.” She plans to connect with local farmers, policy makers, and NGOs to learn more about sustainable, ancestral agricultural practices and how those practices help advance generational succession, which is the passing down of a business to the next generation.

The fellowship will take Smit to Canada, Ecuador, Germany, India, and Kenya. A main focus of her inquiry will be to investigate how small-scale farms in each of these countries are responding to the increasing threats posed by global climate change.

Mapping the eureka moments 

Frances McConnell ’26 received the Barry Goldwater Scholarship, which provides up to $7,500 per academic year for eligible undergraduate expenses, including tuition, fees, books, and room and board, for sophomores and juniors pursuing research careers in natural sciences, mathematics or engineering fields. 

“This affirms my commitment to a future in research and connects me to a community of scholars equally passionate about advancing scientific knowledge,” McConnell said. “It’s an incredible opportunity to grow as a researcher and contribute meaningfully to my field.”

McConnell studies the “science of science” with Macalester Professor Lori Ziegelmeier, University of Minnesota Professor Russell Funk, and Gavin Engelstad ’25. The researchers use topological data analysis to map the evolution of research over time. By building networks of scientific concepts, the team can identify gaps in existing knowledge and offer insight into how science progresses and where future breakthroughs may emerge.

Blowing away the competition

The Macalester College Pipe Band won the top contested band events at the inaugural Manitoba Scottish Festival, while Pipe Sergeant Andrew Lewis won the top contested solo events. The festival was organized by the Prairie Pipe Band Association of Manitoba and occurred at Red River College Polytechnic in Winnipeg. 

Legal legends 

Three Macalester graduates were featured in a new book by Jeff Hassan, The Black Lawyer in Minnesota: 1973 to 2023, a 50-year retrospective anthology on the achievements of Black lawyers in Minnesota. 

“It features three Macalester alums who have gone on to do outstanding work in the community locally, statewide, and nationally — Judge Michael Davis ’69, B. Todd Jones ’79, and Bobby Joe Champion ’87,” Hassan said.

The book also includes Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson, whose father Don Hudson coached football at Macalester, and Judge Tanya Bransford, whose father Jim Bransford was a Macalester graduate.

Digging into global change

Macalester student Zhijun He ’26 received the Global Rural Changemaker Research Fellowship funded by the European Union. He will research and implement sustainable solutions to challenges facing rural communities, focusing on economic development, environmental conservation, and social equity.

“I’m most excited about the opportunity to connect with like-minded researchers from around the world who are passionate about rural and international development,” he said. “The chance to collaborate, share ideas, and learn from diverse perspectives while being supported by the European Union’s resources will help amplify the impact of my work in rural communities.”

Composing her next big move

Dr. Geli Li, visiting assistant professor of music, was awarded the prestigious Henri Lazarof International Commission Prize from Brandeis University — an international honor recognizing outstanding contributions to contemporary classical music. The prize is awarded annually to a composer of exceptional promise, selected through a competitive anonymous international process.

Dr. Li was chosen as the winner of the 2025 prize by a distinguished panel of composers, selected from a global pool of applicants. Commissioned for the Henri Lazarof Living Legacy at Brandeis University, her new work for violin and piano will receive its world premiere at the university’s Slosberg Recital Hall on May 3, 2026. The commission includes a $15,000 award to support the creation of the piece. This award highlights Dr. Li’s continuing international recognition as a bold and sensitive voice in contemporary music.

Uncovering forgotten truths about slavery

Macalester graduate Larry Alexander ’73 will speak at a roundtable forum at the Association for the Study of African Life and History’s annual conference in September in Atlanta. 

The roundtable is titled “Something Old, Something New: The Criminal Enslavement of the 500,000 Black Englishmen after the American Revolution and Afrofuturism in the 21st Century.” Alexander will be joined by distinguished scholars Dr. Walter Greason, Dewitt Wallace Professor of History; Macalester graduate Dr. Timothy McKeown ’73, professor emeritus of political science at University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill; and other academics. 

“Our research is challenging U.S. slave practices and America’s white ethno-national movement by highlighting rediscovered facts,” Alexander said. “The historical facts we have rediscovered regarding the extralegal origins of slavery in the British American colonies hold the potential to create a sea change — not just in academia but throughout America as a whole.” 

Bridging beliefs  

Macalester graduate Elinor (Ellie) Pierce ’88, research director of the Pluralism Project at Harvard University, is one of the creators of Abraham’s Bridge, a documentary highlighting the Tri-Faith Initiative in Omaha, Nebraska, where a mosque, synagogue, church, and interfaith center share a campus and garden and are connected by a symbolic footpath bridge. Pierce studied anthropology and religious studies at Macalester and earned a master’s degree in theological studies from Harvard Divinity School. The film is part of a series focused on dialogue and collaboration across religious and cultural divides, co-sponsored by several colleges, universities, and multifaith/arts organizations in St. Paul.

Claiming space

Macalester graduate R.J. Millhouse ’13 published “Get Yo’ Life: Black Queer Placemaking,” a book exploring Black queer public life and culture in the U.S. since the 1960s. Through case studies of two Brooklyn nightclubs, Millhouse examines how patrons fought to preserve their spaces and community in the face of gentrification. 

“I am most excited about this book adding to the histories of Black queer public legacies in the U.S.,” Millhouse said. 

His work involved interviewing Black queer public figures in New York City to understand resistance, protest, carework, and kinship in the Black queer community. One reviewer called it “an important contribution to Black studies, spatial justice studies, and the study of New York City’s queer history.” 

Storytelling funded 

New York University’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute named Katie Thornton, a visiting instructor in Macalester’s Media and Cultural Studies Department, as runner-up for the Matthew Power Literary Reporting Award. This award provides early-career journalists with funding to research an important story that illuminates the human condition. As runner-up, Thornton receives a stipend of $8,000. Thornton is a print and audio journalist who covers media, infrastructure, and history. She will use the grant to write a story about language and politics.

Thornton currently teaches a podcasting course at Macalester. In 2022, she made a Peabody-winning podcast in her closet. “The Divided Dial,” with WNYC’s On The Media, dove into the history, politics, and economics of conservative talk radio.

A well-orchestrated award

The Symphony Orchestra of the Minnesota Youth Symphonies, conducted by Mark Mandarano, music department chair, professor, and director of instrumental activities at Macalester, was awarded first place in the American Prize for youth orchestras. 

“This is a competitive, national award, and it’s very gratifying to see the outstanding musicianship and hard work of these young people receive this recognition,” Mandarano said. 

The Symphony Orchestra performs concerts at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. Programs have included a broad range of repertoire from standards like Bach, Verdi, Brahms, and Elgar to underrepresented composers such as Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Ethel Smyth, and Amy Beach.

Capital gains, environmental losses 

Dr. Sheharyar Imran, assistant professor of political science, earned Best Paper Award (Pre-PhD) from the Theory Section of the International Studies Association — the preeminent international academic organization for international studies. This award honors Dr. Imran’s current scholarship, which builds on his doctoral research, for advancing cutting-edge theoretical research in international studies and political science. 

“It is a great honor to be recognized by leading theorists in the field,” he said. 

Prof. Imran’s research explores the relationship between environmental harm and capitalism. Challenging conventional views that understand environmental destruction as a consequence of modern consumerism, he traces its origins to early capitalist institutions such as private property. Drawing on John Locke’s writings, he examines how these ideas affected the environment in Indigenous America and India during the 17th and 18th centuries.

A rockstar in rural health 

Macalester graduate Amanda (Mandy) Achterman ’03 was awarded “Rural Health Practitioner of the Year” from the National Rural Health Association. The Rural Health Awards are given each year to individuals and organizations in the field of rural health who have dedicated their time and talents to improving the health and well-being of others.

A primary care physician in Elma, Washington, Dr. Achterman is one of fewer than 20 family doctors, and among the very few fluent Spanish-speaking and obstetrics providers for more than 70,000 residents in Grays Harbor County. 

“She goes above and beyond for her patients, and her leadership has also enhanced faculty development and improved quality of prenatal care,” the association noted in a press release.

The physics of great teaching 

Professor James Doyle, chair of the Physics and Astronomy Department, was awarded the 2025 Jack and Marty Rossmann Excellence in Teaching Award that recognizes “a faculty member who has been identified by colleagues and students as exemplifying the teaching goals of Macalester College.” Macalester Executive Vice President and Provost Lisa Anderson-Levy announced the award. Below is an excerpt from the citation:

“Your work spans the entire physics curriculum—you’ve taught every required course in the major. At every level, students and colleagues marvel at your ability to guide an entire class toward understanding complex concepts. You are both inspiring and approachable, committed to creating an inclusive learning environment, and providing individualized support.”

Rooted in radical joy

Hana Dinku, director of the Lealtad-Suzuki Center for Social Justice, was awarded the 2025 Staff Outstanding Service Award. Macalester Vice President of Administration and Finance Patricia Langer announced the award. Below is an excerpt from the citation:

“In your role as director of the Lealtad-Suzuki Center for Social Justice, your work centers radical joy and liberation education. . . Perhaps above all, you are driven by an incredible dedication to students and their growth. As one nominator writes, “Hana pours a tremendous amount of her time, energy, and presence into relationships with students . . . She invites students to wrestle with the complexity of our world and the ways in which we might make it better, and helps create an environment where they can begin to embody the change they want to see.”

A classical approach 

Dr. Beth Severy-Hoven, professor of the Classical Mediterranean and Middle East, received the 2025 Thomas Jefferson Award. The award honors members of the Macalester community who exemplify the principles and ideals of the third president of the United States. An acclaimed Roman historian, Dr. Severy-Hoven is working to develop new approaches to the first-year experience, and, in collaboration with other colleagues, she is developing campus-wide curricular reforms for 2030 and beyond. 

“Beyond being an exceptional scholar and an inspirational teacher and advisor, Beth is an intellectual leader on campus,” said Dr. Tom Halverson, dean of the faculty. “And in all of Beth’s work, she manages to keep the student experience at the center.”

How to be considered for future Maccolades

If you or someone you know recently earned an award, fellowship, or honor and would like it to be considered for inclusion in next month’s Maccolades, please let Communications & Marketing know by filling out this Maccolades form. For recent book publications, please use this book publication form.