South Dakotan among students chosen as Rhodes Scholars

YANKTON, S.D. (AP) - A South Dakotan who graduated from the University of South Dakota in 2017 is among the latest group of U.S. Rhodes scholars.

Joshua Arens of Yankton is among 32 men and women chosen for post-graduate studies at Oxford University in England.

Arens graduated from USD with an undergraduate degree in chemistry and a 4.0 grade point average. An advocate for science-based policymaking, Arens researches a wide range of environmental problems and solutions, including the role of automobiles in society. He led a campaign to name the university in Vermillion a sanctuary campus.

Arens also is a Truman Scholar and a Fulbright Scholar. The fifth-generation South Dakotan grew up on a cattle and crop farm. While at Oxford he plans to pursue an advanced research degree in environmental change and management.