Franklin Miller Awards

"Taylor’s steadfast dedication to her coursework along with her incredibly inclusive and collaborative nature has strengthened the academic environment at Kenyon. She tackles challenging problems with a productive and focused optimism. Her bold willingness to ask questions and throw out ideas in front of her peers (both in class and in office hours) creates an environment where other students feel safe expressing their own ideas and areas of confusion. She is professional and a great role model for other students, always starting her work early and persisting until she has completed the task. However, she doesn’t just lead by example; she also engages her classmates directly, recognizing the power of collaboration when constructing solutions to difficult problems. Taylor's contributions have strengthened the student ethos of productive struggle and collaboration in the Mathematics and Statistics Department, and we find her to be extremely deserving of the Franklin Miller Award."

— Assistant Professor of Statistics Erin Leatherman, Professors of Mathematics Judy Holdener, Carol Schumacher and Noah Aydin, Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics Rebecca Black

"I have come to know Salome most during her time as an undergraduate researcher to my lab. Undoubtedly, she has made significant contributions to the lab’s research direction and culture. She is innately curious and enthusiastic about her work, an attitude that has inspired her peers and made the lab a fun and exciting space to be. She is eager and persistent with her research. More than any other student I have worked with, Salome thinks towards the next step. She is always troubleshooting experiments or designing new ones. These traits are readily being passed down to other members of my lab group. She has been a wonderful mentor, generous with her time and rapidly developing expertise. Most notably, Salome has not shied away from difficult questions or tasks. She has been a model for grappling with a problem until a resolution is found. In the two years that she has been in my lab, she has set the tone for collegiality, hard work and enthusiasm for research (and biology more generally).

"Salome’s most recent contributions to the department has been especially exciting. In summer 2021, she developed an idea to share the beauty and intrigue of biology research at Kenyon through art. This is in contrast to the very professional scientific posters currently portrayed along the walls of Higley and Fischman. Salome gathered photos/images of science from student researchers and their faculty mentors. She arranged these pieces of data with an artistic eye, identified companies that could print them, secured funding to have them printed and oversaw their installation in the building. As of yesterday, all pieces were hung throughout the biology buildings and have garnered attention for students and visitors alike. As a graduating senior, this contribution to our department and work spaces will be a great part of her Kenyon legacy.

"Salome is a talented student that embodies the liberal arts. She brings a curiosity, creativity and a quiet confidence to anything she does. She has strongly influenced the culture of my lab in positive ways and will leave the Biology Department with a beautiful gift. I highly recommend her for this award."

— Assistant Professor of Biology Arianna Smith