Father-daughter fencers and Bio Sci alums, John and Jaime Rice

Choosing to attend Ohio State was not a difficult decision for Jaime Rice. Both of her parents are alumni, and had brought her to campus since she was a young child. When it came time to decide how to spend her time here at OSU, family tradition led her to follow in the steps of her father, John Rice, through both work and play. Both John and Jaime are alumni of the College of Biological Sciences, and both are former members of the university's fencing team.

John Rice, Ph.D., microbiology, 1976, is not surprised by his daughter's choice to follow his lead.

"Jaime was always going to be a physician and I was always going to be a scientist, so we converged on biological sciences. Fencing was fortuitous for me and a legacy for Jaime. I think we both enjoyed the team camaraderie and being part of the Ohio State athletic tradition."

Jaime, M.S., molecular genetics, 2001, says her passion for science was cultivated at a young age. Born to a teacher and a scientist, she remembers receiving telescopes, microscopes and chemistry sets every Christmas. She took an interest in fencing when she got too tall to further pursue gymnastics, a sport in which she had excelled in high school. After seeing her father's Big Ten Championship photograph on the wall at St. John's Arena, she decided to take a stab at fencing.

"My dad's love of fencing became infectious," she said. "I saw that fencing had a much more enduring nature than gymnastics, but yet the same grace and coordination, and I was hooked."

John was introduced to the sport when he signed up for beginning fencing as a freshman in 1967. He was eventually asked by his instructor and OSU Men's Fencing Coach, Charles Simonian, to come out for the men's fencing team. His career in fencing eventually led to a Big Ten Championship in 1970.

Like her father, Jaime is also a credit to the university's fencing program, as a three-time Academic All Big Ten fencer.

John retired from national competition just two years ago, and Jaime, now in her second year as a MD/MS student at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, says she still practices fencing when time allows. "To relieve stress from the rigors of med school, nothing feels better than wielding a sharp, pointy object-which could explain why I'm driven to become a surgeon."

-Megan Lalumondier