Editor’s Note

By Lynn Gosnell

We’re so fortunate in this issue to feature the writing, photography, research and artistic skills of several Rice alumni and staff from across the university. Who better to bring to light groundbreaking (or, in the case of our cover story, icebreaking) research and Rice’s unique commitment to residential life than these “insiders”?

Linda Welzenbach (“An Antarctic Journey”), the science communications specialist in Rice’s Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, pulled double duty for the magazine by contributing both photographs and journal entries documenting a two-month research expedition to Antarctica. A geologist by training, Linda helmed public outreach efforts during the Thwaites Glacier Offshore Research cruise in early 2019. This was an exciting story we just had to extend online — go to magazine.rice.edu to learn more about the Thwaites Glacier’s critical role in studying global sea level rise.

What’s it like to live with a few hundred undergrads? Our former colleague, Jenny West Rozelle ’00 (“Where Students Become Family”), knows all about residential life at Rice. During her eight years on staff in the Office of Public Affairs, where she wrote for and edited Rice Magazine, she and her husband, Joe Rozelle ’99, also served as RAs at Brown College. Their five-year stint as key members of the Rice residential college system, where they formed lasting relationships with countless students, is evident in Jenny’s authentic portrait of RA life. (In addition to being a talented writer, Jenny also proofreads every single issue of this magazine.)

What’s it like to live with a few hundred undergrads? Our former colleague, Jenny West Rozelle ’00 (“Where Students Become Family”), knows all about residential life at Rice. During her eight years on staff in the Office of Public Affairs, where she wrote for and edited Rice Magazine, she and her husband, Joe Rozelle ’99, also served as RAs at Brown College.

We are thrilled to feature the work of science illustrator Daisy Chung ’14 in this issue (“Rewiring Hearts With Nanotubes”). At Rice, Daisy double majored in biological sciences and visual arts before earning a graduate certificate in science illustration from California State University. Last year, she visited Rice as a guest lecturer and showed slides of her artful and informative science visualizations. Soon after, we started looking for Rice research news that called for a more visual explanation. We found just the story in the lab of chemical and biomolecular engineer Matteo Pasquali, whose pioneering work with carbon nanotube fibers may one day result in new ways to repair damaged heart tissues.

We’re thankful for these and so many more talented Owls who inspire us in every issue. Please send letters or comments about this issue to lynn.gosnell@rice.edu.