The Committee on Engaged Learning is pleased to announce $58,659.43 in Odyssey funding to 10 projects. These projects range from artistic explorations in weaving,
murals, museums and galleries, poetry, music, fashion, and public art installation to exploring the connections between environmental and human wellness and more.
Since 2005, the Committee on Engaged Learning has awarded more than five million dollars - $ 5,087,907.51 to be exact – in competitive Odyssey grants to support
1,547 projects by Hendrix students and faculty.
Artistic Creativity Projects
Alyssa Chaffin ‘25 And Savannah Loving ‘26
A Change of Scenery: A Mural Project
Supervisor: Matthew Lopas
During Winter Break, Alyssa and Savannah will draw, digitally design, and paint a mural in the Art Department’s painting studio, under the direction of Professor Lopas; an unveiling will take place when campus re-opens for the spring semester.
Global Awareness Projects
Faustine Neema ’26 and Jaden Wilber ‘25
A Expression through Artistry (with an emphasis on Poetry, Fashion, and Music)
Supervisor: Karisa McAlister
Neema and Jaden will explore how artists in Kigali, Rwanda, express themselves through spoken word poetry, streetwear fashion, and popular music, investigating how the three areas are interconnected.
Jennifer Penner
Returning to Nature: Nature, Identity, and Human & Environment Well-Being in Costa Rica
In May 2024, Dr. Jennifer Penner and a group of students from various disciplines will spend nearly two weeks exploring the intersection of nature, identity, conservation, and human well-being in the Bellbird Biological Corridor of Costa Rica.
Service to the World Projects
Gaelle Agahozo ’24, Ketsia Dusenge ’25, Jean Claude Ntambara ‘24
Career Development Boot Camp
Supervisor: Anne Goldberg
Over Winter Break, Gaelle, Ketsia, and Jean Claude will work with the Born2Serve nonprofit organization to support a four-week professional readiness and mentorship program for secondary students in Rwanda.
Special Projects
Isabel Bieligk ‘24
Carceral State: Cops and Lawyers
Supervisor: Delphia Shanks
Isabel will further explore her interest in police reform through select readings and meetings with staff from the American Civil Liberties Union and police departments in Little Rock, New Orleans, and Washington, D.C.
Avery Cagle ’26, James McQuiston ’26, Lathan Smalley ‘26
Joint Mathematics Meeting
Supervisor: Lars Seme
In early January, Mathematics majors Avery, James, and Lathan will explore how math research is done at the professional level by attending presentations at the Joint Mathematics Meeting, one of the two major national mathematics conferences.
Melissa Gill
ARTS 497 Practicum: Studio NYC Research Trip
In February, Professor Gill and senior Art majors, Nic Curtis and Kobi Greer, will visit galleries and museums in New York City to gain a contextual understanding of contemporary and historical artworks which will contribute to the students’ research capstone projects and senior art exhibition on campus.
Melissa Gill
Big Paste Prints Public Art Installation
In the spring semester, Professor Gill and her Intermediate Printmaking students will participate in a national print exchange program culminating in the installation of a public exhibition in downtown Conway.
Chaney Goggans ‘25
Weaving New Threads of Understanding
Supervisor: Andy Huss
Using a loom recently gifted to the College, Chaney will explore the craft of weaving and the life of a professional artist under the mentorship of a renowned Arkansas weaver, work to catalog loom dressing information and prepare samples that will be useful to future Hendrix weaving students, and create four, gallery ready, woven sculptures.
Undergraduate Research Projects
Jonathan Hancock
Digital Arkansas History: Mapping Civil War Violence and Locating Slavery's Legacies
Dr. Hancock and three students will engage in substantive historical research and technical training to contribute to two major digital history projects.