Construction workers are busy replacing the windows and floors in Ellingson Hall, marking the beginning of a series of planned upgrades to St. Olaf residence halls.

Members of the Class of 1961 presented St. Olaf with a $10.1 million class gift in honor of their 50th reunion this summer — the second-largest class gift in the college's history.

Cecilia Noecker '12 is spending eight weeks this summer participating in the highly competitive Research Experience for Undergraduates program at the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis.

The Hong Kierkegaard Library: A Crown Jewel of St. Olaf College, a new book by Professor Emeritus of Political Science Jack Schwandt, details the unique aspects and users of the library.

A year after Professor of Chemistry Robert Hanson created an interactive display for Disney World that allows visitors to investigate various types of molecules, data show that more than 150,000 people have given it a try.

Natalie Davis '12 beat out 20 other contestants from around the state June 18 to be named this year’s Miss Minnesota.

Associate Professor of Music Justin Merritt recently received a $25,000 fellowship from the McKnight Foundation's Arts Program, which he'll use to work on a new opera.

Alexandra Garrett '12 will travel to New York City for a week to explore her interests in American history as part of the Gilder Lehrman History Scholars Program. She was one of 30 students nationwide selected for the program.

St. Olaf seniors Steven Braun, Madeline Buck, Jonathan Christensen, Anna Coffey, Bogdan Conrad, Sara Padula, Lydia Pfotenhauer, Erin Seybold, and Annika Tohlen have been named Fulbright fellows for 2011–12.

St. Olaf Assistant Professor of Biology and Chemistry Laura Listenberger will use the $35,000 Cottrell College Science Award to fund her research on fat and obesity.

St. Olaf students logged 61,479 hours of community service this year, earning the college a place on the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

Three books by Professor of Philosophy Charles Taliaferro have recently hit the shelves: Aesthetics: A Beginner's Guide; A Brief History of the Soul; and Turning Images in Philosophy, Science, and Religion: A New Book of Nature.

Benjamin Hughes '12 was taken in the 10th round by the Colorado Rockies Tuesday in the Major League Baseball draft, becoming the highest pick in school history and the third St. Olaf player since 2003 to be taken.

Students in Kathy Tegtmeyer Pak's Immigration and Citizenship class ended the semester with a presentation to residents of Faribault, Minnesota, where they had interviewed community leaders and compiled data on immigration and integration. This summer two students will put together a written report on what they learned.

Geoff Delperdang '12 hopes to call attention to the urgency of climate change by biking from Minneapolis to Washington, D.C., this summer and volunteering with environmental organizations along the way.