Maccolades for March 2025: Bold climate action, student leadership, and more

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

Sketching a more inclusive world

Professor Megan Vossler, chair of Art and Art History, received a $10,000 grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. Professor Vossler will work on “Figure Drawing for Every Body,” an open educational resource for artists. With gender-expansive text and representation of a wide range of bodies, it will introduce figure drawing via inclusivity, accessibility, and diversity.

Brainstorming a better democracy

Macalester student Fabian Flores Solano ’28 was selected to participate in the International Youth Think Tank Conference in April at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. Chosen from a competitive pool of 227 applicants, Flores Solano is one of 24 young leaders selected. The conference will bring together students from 13 countries, all studying at universities across the U.S., to develop visionary proposals on democracy renewal, peacekeeping, and governance. Participants will engage with executive professionals and research scholars, culminating in a final report and presentation.

Flores Solano sees the experience as an opportunity to explore global democratic practices and advocate for reforms both at Macalester and in Mexico, his home country. “I strive to provide a social perspective where ideologies intersect with the realities of the world,” he said.

Emmy-winning film about war heroes

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences awarded Macalester graduate James Silberstein ’85 an Emmy for historical documentary in the Central Great Lakes chapter. Silberstein served as executive and supervising producer of “OVER THERE Hoosier Heroes of the Great War,”a PBS documentary profiling seven heroes from Indiana who served in World War I. The film aired on all eight PBS stations in Indiana and is now available on YouTube. 

“The film features six soldiers and one nurse who served heroically in the war,” Silberstein said. “With the momentum from this film, we are now working on a World War II film.” 

Improving cancer detection

A team of three Macalester students — William Acosta Lora ’27, Thomas Malecha ’26, and Laura Neal ’27 — presented project recommendations to SentryDX, an early-stage cancer diagnostic company affiliated with Medical Alley in Minneapolis, as part of the Innovation Scholars Program. SentryDX has developed a technology for accurately diagnosing cancer recurrence from a blood draw, called a liquid biopsy.

Over four months, the students worked at the intersection of science, healthcare, and entrepreneurship, tackling a challenging biomedical project using next-generation sequencing to identify residual cancer in liquid biopsies from patients following cancer treatment.  

Their work was guided by campus mentors Elena Tonc, Felix Friedt, Bridgit Jordan, Kathryn Splan, and Liz Jansen, with leadership from Augsburg University MBA student Matt Bolin. Innovation Scholars is a nationally recognized experiential learning program that engages liberal arts students in the complex processes of translational medicine. Project partners include the Mayo Clinic and NASA. 

A step toward equity in New Jersey

Dr. Walter Greason, Dewitt Wallace Professor of History, helped develop a public report on the racial wealth gap in New Jersey. Partnering with the Office of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor, he helped create a historical timeline that informed an executive order to examine structural disparities affecting Black and Latino families. Over two years, hundreds of participants contributed to the research and analysis of a wide range of data. Dr. Greason focused on disparities in housing, education, and discrimination law, tracing inequities back to the state’s colonial roots. 

Since 2022, more than 30 Macalester students have participated in related research projects. The report marks a major step toward justice and reflects Macalester’s commitment to civic engagement and the power of humanities research.

Minnesota’s new chief judge

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz designated Macalester graduate Jennifer Frisch ’92 as Chief Judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals

“Judge Frisch is a remarkable leader who has the wisdom and compassion to guide the Minnesota Court of Appeals through the challenges ahead,” said Governor Walz in a press release. “She has a proven track record of leading through consensus, which is essential when guiding a court that is as diverse and talented as the Court of Appeals. She will be great in this position.”

A new lens on Bhutan

Macalester graduate Dechen Roder ’02 directed and produced a film, “I, The Song,” that will be shown at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival. The heartwarming and thought-provoking film introduces viewers to another side of Bhutan.

A sociology nod from Stanford

Dr. Christina Hughes, assistant professor of sociology, received a prestigious fellowship from the Stanford Humanities Center for the 2025-26 academic year for her proposal, “Bad Refugees: Manufacturing Statelessness at the Margins of Global Northern Citizenship.” This competitive fellowship will support Dr. Hughes during her sabbatical, allowing her to dedicate time to scholarly research and intellectual pursuits. The selection highlights the exceptional quality and significance of her work to interdisciplinary social science and humanities scholarship. 

Bike-friendly honors

Macalester ranks 16th among the most bike-friendly campuses in the U.S., according to buycycle, a leading marketplace for premium pre-owned bicycles. The ranking, based on an analysis of over 200 universities, highlights Macalester’s outstanding biking infrastructure, dedicated bike lanes, and commitment to sustainable transportation. Macalester also offers free bike safety workshops and fosters a strong cycling community.

Prize-winning look at population policy

Xinyi Zheng ’26, a sociology major, earned the top prize in the Marianna McJimsey Student Essay Award at the ASIANetwork annual meeting in San Antonio. Her award-winning paper, “Managing Fertility: A Historical Comparative Study on Population Policy in Singapore and China,” finds that while international discourse set a model for development that emphasized population control, countries such as Singapore and China interpreted the model differently and applied it based on distinct domestic political priorities. Once implemented, the interaction between the policies and the population further influenced the final outcomes of these policies. 

A poetry slam dunk

The Metro Regional Arts Council awarded Macalester graduate Ollie Schminkey ’16 a 2025 Arts Impact for Individuals grant. The grant supports artists, creatives, collaborators, conveners, and organizers who expand art opportunities in the region. It provides up to $5,000 for individual-led artistic projects in Minnesota. Schminkey will use the grant to organize a national poetry slam tournament supporting Minnesota poets and bringing community members together through the art of spoken word.

Untangling health inequities

Macalester graduate Michael Curry ’91 will deliver the 2025 Hubie Jones Lecture in Urban Health, “Our Moment to Address the ‘Taint of Race’ in Health,” at Boston University’s School of Social Work. Curry, president and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, will discuss health inequities, their origins, efforts in Massachusetts to address them, and the impact of recent federal policy changes. With more than 35 years of experience in civil rights advocacy and health reform, Curry co-founded the Health Equity Compact, a collection of over 85 C-suite leaders of color working to advance health equity in Massachusetts.

Clearing the air on carbon

Second Nature, a leading organization advancing climate action in higher education, selected Macalester as one of seven institutions to receive pro bono consulting services valued at $25,000 each. This initiative provides technical support to accelerate campus climate action efforts. 

The consulting firm Brailsford & Dunlavey will assist Macalester’s Sustainability Office in drafting a climate action plan that outlines a technically and financially feasible roadmap toward an equitable, carbon-free future aligned with Macalester’s education and research mission.

“We look forward to outlining an ambitious and innovative new plan that engages campus stakeholders, reflects Macalester College’s core values, and outlines a path towards decarbonization and climate resilience,” said Megan Butler, Sustainability Director.

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.