Faces of DePauw

Impacting a Community

Paul Remmler ’23 spent the summer as an intern at the Putnam County Museum conducting community-based research and at the Putnam County Library assisting with training and program development.

Remmler, from Shelbyville, Indiana, began working at the museum as a DePauw Stone Scholar, a program for first-year students that focuses on civic leadership. He continued his work through the Bonner Scholar Program, a community service-based scholarship program. 

During Remmler’s sophomore year, he helped the museum staff research and design a small exhibit on nitroglycerin and its role in rail transport. “As part of the research, I also looked at crime in the county in relation to nitroglycerin transport, the rail systems, the role it played as well as if there were any accidents related to its transport,” he said.

“The information was so interesting, and I loved putting it together. There’s a very passionate community in the area for railroad history.

“My work with the DePauw Gaming Club led to me exploring the beneficial social contributions that gaming can provide, inspiring my work with the Putnam County Library, while my love for the people of the community and museum staff inspires me to continue working with them.”

Remmler founded the nonprofit Putnam County Gaming Initiative, through which he hopes to learn how to effectively manage community programming efforts that positively affect a community. His goal? To gain valuable entrepreneurial skills so he can open and operate his own businesses one day.

Remmler credits his success at DePauw to the faculty members he has worked closely with. “Professor Hiroko Chiba has been incredibly understanding, flexible and supportive of me exploring areas of interest while still providing a gentle hand to ensure I stay on track,” he said. “Professor Harry Brown has relentlessly supported my interests, particularly in the area of game design, and helped me find ways to explore those interests in an academic context.”

Remmler said his post-graduation plans are open to opportunity but may include continuing his work in Greencastle, particularly with the gaming initiative and DePauw.

Major: Asian Studies