November 14, 2025 – The Hendrix College Committee on
Engaged Learning is pleased to announce $20,617.23 in Odyssey Program funding
awarded to 10 projects. These projects involve a range of academic,
professional, and personal explorations of art, justice, and religion to volunteer
endeavors near and far, and much more. Since 2005, the Committee on Engaged
Learning has awarded more than $5 million — $5,432,629.03 to be exact — in
competitive Odyssey grants to support 1,647 projects by Hendrix students,
faculty, and staff.
Global Awareness
Harry Lance '26
“Indistinctness is
my forte”: J.M.W. Turner and his Influence on Modern Aesthetics
Supervisor: Rod
Miller
Harry will travel
to London, UK, for two weeks over Winter Break to study artwork by British
painter, Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851) and research how Turner
developed his characteristically "indistinct" style and how it
influenced Impressionist and Modern art and aesthetics.
Emma McGuire ‘26
Protest and Perseverance: Immersing in Ireland’s History to
Understand the Global Fight for Justice
Supervisor: Sarah
Irons
In January 2026,
Emma will spend 10 days traveling throughout both the Republic of Ireland and
Northern Ireland to study how its long struggle for independence and equality
continues to shape its people and culture. Through cultural immersion and
visits to historic sites, museums, and community art spaces, this project will
explore how language, storytelling, and art have served as enduring tools of
resistance and social justice in Ireland.
Professional and
Leadership Development
Natalie Hays ‘26
Dental Assisting
Certification Program for Pre-Dentistry
Supervisor: Andrew
Schurko
Nat will attend
the Accelerated Academy for Dental Assisting at Conway Family Dental for 10
weeks to become a certified and registered Dental Assistant. This project will
provide dental and clinical experience which will be beneficial for attending
dental school after graduation.
Special Projects
Sarah Donaghy
Becoming You: Exploring Values and Vocation
Using the recently
released Becoming You: The Proven Method for Crafting Your Authentic Life
and Career by Suzy Welch, this group SP project will help students identify
their values, consider their aptitudes, and move from asking, "What should
I do with my life?" to saying, "This is where I am going with my
life."
Rowan McCollum ‘26,
Rebekah Caffey ‘27, Neil Dogra ‘27, Adhi Satish Kumar ‘27, Sofia Syed ‘27
Hendrix Day of
Science: Hendrix College’s First Internally Hosted Research Symposium
Supervisor: Andrew
Schurko
The Hendrix Day of
Science is Hendrix's first internally hosted undergraduate research symposium.
Students will be invited from across the College to showcase and present their
research, bringing lively discussion to campus, and highlighting the work done
by Hendrix students.
Service to the World
Ellen Alston
Iceland: Planting Seed for Resilience and Renewal
Over Spring Break, eight Hendrix students and two
faculty/staff will travel to Iceland to participate in activities that address
response to changing climate, such as reforestation and beach cleanup, and to
connect with the wonder and insights from the culture and context of this
arctic island.
Sarah Donaghy
Connection and Community through Service
Using Your Brain on Altruism: The Power of Connection and
Community during Times of Crisis by Nicole Karlis, this group SW project
will explore the individual and collective benefits of volunteerism. In
addition to reading and discussing the book, participants will volunteer as a
group and individually with area nonprofits.
Undergraduate Research
Kendra Baldwin ‘26
Minority Representation in Christian Spaces and Its Impacts
on Students
Supervisor: Jericka Battle
Kendra will study the impacts of racial and ethnic
representation on belonging for American Christian college students. She will
gather data at the Urbana InterVarsity Christian Fellowship Conference and
Hendrix College to understand how the level of representation in religious
spaces cultivate spaces of community and how it relates to student well-being.
Jenn Dearolf
Validation of new methods to quantify muscle histochemistry
in odontocetes
During the spring semester, Dr. Dearolf and students, Logan
Dodson ‘26, Marlene Lange ‘26, and Lilly Lewis ‘27, will be testing new
techniques to determine the fiber-type profiles (percentages of slow- and
fast-twitch fibers) in the locomotor muscles of spinner dolphins and
melon-headed whales. This work will prepare them for studies to compare the
fiber-type profiles of the muscles of melon-headed whale neonates and adults
which they will undertake in the summer.
Maxton Miller ‘26
Fate and Anxiety: An Analysis of Religiosity’s
Subcomponents
Supervisor: Sarah Root
In psychology,
religiosity is positively correlated with happiness and reduced depression, but
its relation to anxiety has been mixed. Maxton will further explore this
understudied topic by investigating whether the commonly held religious beliefs
of fate, destiny, and sovereignty correlate with lower levels of anxiety and
depression in the general population.
About
Hendrix College
Founded in 1876, Hendrix College is
featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 45 Schools That Will Change the Way You
Think About Colleges and celebrated among the country’s leading liberal arts
colleges for academic quality, engaged learning opportunities and career
preparation, vibrant campus life, and value. The Hendrix College Warriors
compete in 21 NCAA Division III sports. Hendrix has been affiliated with the
United Methodist Church since 1884. Learn more at www.hendrix.edu.
“… Through engagement that links the
classroom with the world, and a commitment to diversity, inclusion, justice,
and sustainable living, the Hendrix community inspires students to lead lives
of accomplishment, integrity, service, and joy.” –Hendrix College Statement of
Purpose