January 2024 News

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!


Academy Senior Elise Adams Receives Harvard Interview

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

As part of Harvard University’s admissions process for prospective applicants under consideration, the university recently invited Academy senior Elise Adams to participate in an initial first round interview with a Harvard alumni member! “This is really exciting news for Elise, her family, and the entire Academy community,” remarks Dr. Joel Olufowote, Director of Academic Affairs. “Harvard has a lengthy, rigorous admissions process and while we know the Alumni interview does not guarantee admission, we also recognize these interviews are restricted to institutions Harvard regards as highly prestigious and reserved for candidates like Elise with strong, competitive applications.”

Congratulations to Elise!


Experiential Study at the Indiana Academy

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

Several of our students this semester are participating in a variety of activity outside of the typical classroom centered at the intersection of academic research, investigation, and college/career exploration. Check out some of the stories below and contact Dr. Olufowote, Director of Academic Affairs, to find out more and get involved!

“I applied to the two-month Chemistry Immersion Summer Program (CRISP) at Ball State University…[and] was partnered with Dr. Robert Sammelson, the department chair of the department of chemistry and a professor of chemistry at Ball State University. I learned various research techniques and got an introduction to organic chemistry…[as] the only high school student among many undergraduate students. I am very grateful that I was accepted into the program and that I have been given the opportunity to continue working on research. This allows me to be introduced to techniques I will be utilizing in my future, as I pursue a career in healthcare.”

-Alesya Rathinasamy
CRISP Summer Immersion Program

“This experience so far has taught me so many lessons. Getting attached to a dog like Pumpkin has taught me that you have to think of the best situation for the animal, no matter how close you got to them. I feel like going through experiences like this early on will train my mind for the huge tragedies that I will have to encounter being a real vet. Also, I am very thankful for the vet that I’m able to be trained by because she is so supportive of my mess-ups, and she pushes me to my full potential.”

-Sylvia Rodriquez
Intern at Riverview Animal Hospital

“This was an interesting week because I was able to learn from a PHD student and get a different perspective on our work. I also got to learn about the work he is doing in his own lab and how different it is from the work he was doing at Ball State. It helps me better understand the depth and variety of the field of organic chemistry research which is helpful since I am interested in going into it in college. It was also helpful to have time to study some of the different reasons behind the work we do, as it helps me better understand my research and makes it a more valuable experience in my opinion.”

-Felix Griffin-Little
Lab Science Apprenticeship at BSU

“I think they might try and get me in to shadow one of the ultrasound techs at some point, but next on the list was the lab. Of all the places I had the most experience seeing from the position of a SPA employee, it was the lab, as it is conveniently located by the front and I can watch as people are called in to get their blood drawn or give a urine sample. Most days there are two phlebotomists, but on Thursday they had three. On a non-job-related note, I’ve really appreciated the office dynamics that I have observed so far. All of the people I’ve seen seem to get along really well.”

-Guin Robertson
Intern at Ball Memorial Hospital