Faculty of the Week: Anne Rankin
Instructor in Biology Anne Rankin smiles with her advisees. Owen Dudley / The Exonian
By IZYAAN BURNEY and HEMANI STALLARD
A gem in the Academy’s Biology Department and broader Exeter community, Instructor in Science and Student Council adviser Anne Rankin can always be seen in the Phelps Science Building’s fourth-floor science labs with her genetics class students. From meiosis to pedigrees, gene regulation to inverse PCR, and target sequences to Drosophila lines, each of Rankin’s classes is conducted with nothing short of immense enthusiasm and passion for her subject.
Rankin, from the class of 1992 at Exeter, graduated with a master’s degree in ecology from University of California Irvine and has been a member of the faculty since 1999.
“When I think back on the happiest moments in my life, I think about being in an Exeter biology classroom, figuring something out for myself, and feeling so excited and proud,” Rankin said. “I thought to myself, ‘What did it feel like to be on the other side of that? To not be the kid in that situation, but the adult? Was there [just] as much joy in that?’ So I left graduate school, came here for a year to see what it felt like, and I’m still here.”
When asked about her favorite part about teaching at Exeter, Rankin said, “I love sitting with the kids who think they can’t do it and then helping them realize that they actually can. I love when kids come into a bio[logy] class thinking they really hate bio[logy] and leave thinking that they might have a passion for it.”
At the Academy, Rankin teaches the BIO486: Introduction to Genetics course and BIO586: Molecular Genetics course with fellow Instructor in Science, Summer Morrill. “We work together on designing different projects and different assessments and I feel like we got to know each other really well that way,” Morrill said.
“She is creative and loves biology,” Morril said of Rankin. “I’ve never met someone who stays so up to date on all the latest technologies and she tries to bring all those things into her courses and to her students.”
Rankin has also worked with Instructor in Science Townley Chisholm, a long-time faculty member of the Biology Department, who has shaped many generations of students at Exeter. “Ms. Rankin finds delight in spending time with students and cooking up elegant genetics questions that will stretch the minds of students and colleagues equally,” Chisholm said.
Currently, Rankin and Chisholm co-teach the BIO670: Biology Research course at the Academy. “Ms. Rankin and I have taught the fly course together for about 11 years and have spent countless quality hours sorting flies together and washing gross fly vials — real bonding moments,” Chisholm continued.
Another colleague, Instructor in Science Tanea Hibler, noted the importance of Rankin’s coursework. “She teaches a lot of innovative research based classes, and she helps provide opportunities to get real life experiences outside the school.”
Her students, too, recall moments with Rankin as valuable and nothing short of dynamic. “No one is as passionate in the science department as Ms. Rankin is about genetics. The genetics sequence is one of the best-taught courses at Exeter, and it is because of Ms. Rankin,” senior Ella Kim said.
Upper Valentina Zhanng and Charles Potjer both agreed that “Ms. Rankin fosters students’ curiosity in the classroom. Rather than sticking to the curriculum, she encourages students to pursue aspects of biology and genetics that they are interested in.”
Senior Riley Jones described similar experiences in the classroom. “It was really, really hard, but she was one of the best teachers I’ve ever had, and I really liked getting to know her,” Jones said. “Even if my work wasn’t completely accurate, she found what was good in it and she pulled that out. She showed me that there are different ways to learn material, there are different ways to be a scientist, and that everyone can do it.”
“She’s very approachable, [so] it’s very easy to go up and ask for help or just to go and talk with her,” upper Alexander Luna said, echoing other students’ sentiment. “I’ve gotten to meet with her several times before to ask questions, and I’ve come out of each of those meetings understanding the topic so much better.”
Describing a touching moment of encouragement, Luna said, “She told me to figure out the things that you love, and keep on loving them without losing sight of what made you love them in the first place.”
In terms of an ideal classroom for her students, Rankin described how she hopes to “have created something, whether that’s a lab or set of questions or an activity, that actually encourages [students] to talk to each other a lot.”
“In a perfect world, I would say very little,” Rankin said.
“I love being in the classroom with kids,” Rankin added. “I think there’s this idea that teachers really like the kids that understand [the] material. Actually, I really love the kids who have to work at it. Then I’m super happy weirdly when they grasp [the] material.”
Outside of the biology space, Rankin is also the advisor to the Student Council. “I love Student Council, which is another big part of my job, which sounds kind of weird, but I love being in a really casual space with kids that kids are in charge of,” Rankin said. “I love listening to them talk about things at the school. Often their conversations really impress me. They’re thinking carefully about their experience here.”
“She’s really, really dedicated to learning more, figuring out what’s going on, and just being available to students,” senior and former Elections Committee co-chair Tucker Gibbs noted.
“The advisors have a very important role,” Gibbs continued. “They’re the only institutional members of the Student Council because there are turnovers every year. They are there to remember, ‘Oh, 10 years ago, there was this exact same situation… Here’s what we did.’ That sort of knowledge is really, really crucial in the operation of any sort of governmental system.”
Upper and current Student Council President Kevin Treehan remarked similarly on Rankin’s presence in the council. “She really does look out for everybody that she knows…[she’s] genuinely, a great person,” Treehan said.
Discussing his most memorable experience with Rankin, Gibbs said, “I’ve been rewriting the [Student Council] constitution, and that really came to a head this winter…Ms. Rankin was really passionate about understanding what each bit of the constitution was going to do. I was just amazed by how willing she was to learn and ask questions and how passionate she was about Student Council… She’s changed a lot of things for the better.”
Additionally, Rankin is also involved in many student initiative programs. Rankin has led the Bates-Russell Fellowship for two years now, a program that creates internships for rising seniors through a network of alumni and Exeter parents. “We’ve worked closely together this year on her Bates-Russell Fellowship project,” Director of Global Initiatives Patricia Burke-Hickey said. “She’s always so excited when she talks about this growing pool of internships, and [she’s] very thorough and thoughtful of how to create equitable opportunities for students.”
When asked about this program, Rankin said, “It’s a way for a student to have real life work experience with a mentor that’s really passionate about whatever it is they’re doing. I think some kids learn better by doing rather than talking, therefore I think it’s a way that we can expand what an Exeter education means, to take passion outside of the Harkness classroom and put it in a real life experience.”
Rankin’s caring and kind nature is evident to her students and advisees. “She is so personable and caring, and she truly has every student’s best interest in mind,” advisee and lower Chloe Richards said.
Advisee and senior Aruli Pillai described Rankin as “formidably smart, deeply invested, very intentional with her words.”
“Her handwriting is unnervingly teacher-y,” Pillai added. “[She’s] very consistent, rational, [and] gentle even when she might not see things the same way at all.”
“Ms. Rankin is perhaps one of the most understanding and non-judgmental faculty here at Exeter,” advisee and senior Aiden Sanchez echoed in agreement. “She listens without immediately trying to resolve your issues. Having someone that allowed me to just vent has truly made me feel heard.”
Richards offered similar experiences. “She’s never too busy to help you with homework or listen if you need a friend to talk to. I’m so grateful for her and the relationship she builds with every student.”
Rankin’s advisees expressed overwhelming appreciation for her. “She’s really awesome, really sweet. She’s like a second mother,” advisee and lower Rayna Nakadi said. “Ms. Rankin has given me a lot of confidence in my abilities, especially academically, and she has been a very supportive figure. I appreciate her so much.”
“Ms. Rankin has been a huge role model for me throughout my time here, and I’ve never hesitated to ask her for help,” advisee and upper Audrey Zhang said. “I admire her ability to make everyone around her feel seen through her gentle demeanor and support. She is a person who exhibits genuine kindness and compassionately handles every situation she comes across. She accepts me for who I am in all stages of my growth, and I am a better person because of her.”
Pillai offered similar insights on their advisor. “I think I can be an emotional person sometimes, and Ms. Rankin always manages to respect that while being calm, cool, and collected herself. She somehow asks the right questions to help me feel sure of what I want to do in tricky situations, and once I’ve decided, she has my back one-hundred-percent,” Pillai said.
In terms of life at the Academy, Rankin offered her words of wisdom for students: “Try to slow down and ask yourself the right questions about what is making you happy with what makes you feel joy and what things you choose to do.”
“One thing that’s confusing for kids at Exeter is sometimes you’re good at a lot of different things and being good at something and having a passion that actually makes you happy are not always the same. Slow down and allow yourself to course correct if you’re on a path that is not making you happy,” Rankin concluded.
