January 2024 News

Dr. Joel Olufowote Selected as Discussant at Midwest Conference

Monday, January 29, 2024

Congratulations to Dr. Joel Olufowote, Director of Academic Affairs, on being selected as a discussant for the Midwest Political Science Association Conference in Chicago, IL this April. Alongside co-presenting original research with Academy senior Daniel Yoo, Dr. Olufowote will be the primary discussant for the research panels, “Democratic Backslidings and Coercive Challenges” and “Mental Health and Sports Policies in Educational Contexts,” while at the conference.


Dr. Tom Arnold Receives Lilly Grant

Monday, January 29, 2024

Congratulations to Dr. Tom Arnold, Associate Teaching Professor of History, for receiving a $15,000 Lilly Grant! According to Dr. Arnold, the grant, “In Search of Sustainability: An Exploration and Comparison of Ancient and Modern Southeast Asia,” is an independent forty-day travel experience of discovery – and self-discovery – in Southeast Asia, focusing on four locations: ancient Angkor and Sukothai, and modern-day Bangkok and Singapore. The connecting, comparative question will be that of sustainability: how do we better build and maintain healthy, just, and resilient human communities?”

According to the Lilly Endowment Inc., The Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program (TCFP) is one of the Endowment’s longest standing programs, launched in 1987 to help Indiana public school teachers renew their commitment to teaching. Today, this program continues to support Indiana educators by providing resources for them to take time for meaningful renewal. The Endowment believes that through new experiences, exploration and reflection educators can generate renewed energy in their careers, innovative approaches to teaching and educational leadership, and thoughtful ways to encourage students’ creative thinking.

“Dr. Arnold has a passion for bringing the world into the Academy classroom and I can think of no better way to continue this practice than through this Lilly grant,” remarks Dr. Olufowote, Director of Academic Affairs. I’m so happy for Tom and excited for the students that will be enriched further through his research activity.”


Academy Faculty Recognized by Alumni’s Colleges

Monday, January 29, 2024

Congratulations to Dr. Tom Arnold, Associate Teaching Professor of History, and Professor Susie Cunningham, Associate Lecturer of Computer Science, on being recognized by the University of Chicago and Rochester Institute of Technology respectively! Both Dr. Arnold and Professor Cunnigham were identified by Academy alumni who attend each institution for the difference they each made in the lives of the nominating students. Dr. Arnold will visit U Chicago this February and Professor Cunningham will visit RIT this March, both on fully expense paid visits sponsored by each institution. “As an academic faculty, we are all so proud of the accomplishments of Susie and Tom,” remarks Dr. Olufowote, Director of Academic Affairs. He continues to say, “Our faculty work tirelessly on the behalf of students to prepare them for success at the next level and it is heartwarming to see them recognized for their excellence in the classroom and commitments to student success.”


Fall 2023 Director’s Lists

Friday, January 12, 2024

Congratulations to the following students for a stellar Fall performance!

Fall 2023 All A's Director's list
Fall 2023 All A’s Director’s List
Fall 2023 A/B Director's list
Fall 2023 A/B Director’s List

Assistant Lecturer of Life Science Position Available

Wednesday, January 3, 2024

The Indiana Academy currently has an opening for Assistant Lecturer of Life Science. Details about the position can be found at the link below.

Assistant Lecturer of Life Science


Assistant Lecturer of English Position Available

Wednesday, January 3, 2024

The Indiana Academy currently has an opening for Assistant Lecturer of English. Details about the position can be found at the link below.

Assistant Lecturer of English


Academy Senior Daniel Yoo Selected to Present Research at National Conference

Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Congratulations to senior Daniel Yoo, whose research project “School type and perceptions of well-being among South Korean Students,” has been selected for presentation at the 81st annual Midwest Political Science Association Conference in Chicago, IL this April! “I thought academic research was something only upperclassmen in college could participate in and the Academy has proven me wrong!” Daniel goes on to mention that, “Under the guidance of Dr. Olufowote, I was able to dive into a novel educational sociology project where we became investigators, researchers, and colleagues in the realm of research within social science. I’m extremely excited to present these findings at MPSA.” According to Dr. Olufowote, “I knew from the quality of Daniel’s research that presenting and publishing were imminent realities and I’m so proud of him for getting his work out there. MPSA is generally a space reserved for the dissemination of original research of professional social scientists, graduate students, and burgeoning researchers so Daniel’s acceptance as a high school senior is outright impressive. Daniel will be off to Vanderbilt next Fall and I’m confident his experience at the Academy will prepare him well as he transitions.”


Junior Hunter Dunnuck to Present at Notre Dame’s Cancer Research Day

Thursday, December 14, 2023

Congratulations to Academy junior, Hunter Dunnuck, for being invited to present his research on protein sequence and structural analysis, at Notre Dame University’s Harper Cancer Research Institution for their annual Cancer Research Day on April 15th, 2024! Hunter’s research is centered on computationally analyzing protein structure and creating a database of specific RNA binding domains.


Student Research at The Academy

Tuesday, November 28, 2023

As part of the Research Science curriculum at the Academy, senior Daniel Yoo and junior Jackson Bales are conducting original research to be presented next semester at local and/or state research conferences. Under supervision of Dr. Olufowote, Director of Academic Affairs, Daniel’s research, “School type and perceptions of well-being among South Korean Students,” investigates the impact of conventional or vocational secondary education in South Korea on student mental health, while Jackson’s study under the supervision of Dr. Donald Winslow, Assistant Teaching Professor of Life Sciences, investigates how factors such as temperature, time of day, weather, the presence of people/animals affect the presence of chipmunks and their efficiency in collecting food to store for the winter.


Spell “Perfection”

Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Academy junior Alesya Rathinasamy and senior Carson Gull competed in the Individual Spell Bowl State Finals on November 15th. Both did fantastic, and Alesya won Gold by having a perfect score at Area Team competition, State Team competition, and Individual State Competition. This means she spelled all 75 words in Individual State Competition correctly, as well as all 9 words for Area and all 9 words for State correctly.

Congratulations!