Rice Magazine | Summer 2023

Page 13

SALLYPORT

BEHIND THE SCENES

High Maintenance Timothy Gilheart manages 150 highly sophisticated instruments across campus.

AS DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS for the Shared Equipment Authority, Timothy Gilheart ’08 keeps the lenses polished and gears greased — sort of. The Shared Equipment Authority, established in 2001, is literally a SEA of equipment maintained by dedicated research scientists and staff, many of whom have advanced degrees, are experts in their fields and possess 20-plus years of experience. At the apex of the organization is Gilheart, the keeper of 150 specialized, sophisticated instruments distributed in 12 locations across campus and the BioScience Research

Collaborative. Gilheart first came to Rice from Trinity as an undergraduate in 2001 for a summer of research, then returned as a graduate student in 2002, making him an early user of the resources he now manages. How did your early exposure to Rice influence your decision to come back? As [a student in the Research Experiences for Undergraduates program], I designed components for improving signal-to-noise in quantum-limited electron-detection experiments in the lab of Alexander Rimberg. That experience directly impacted my decision to attend Rice as part of the applied physics program and Alex’s team. When the Rimberg Lab moved to Dartmouth in 2004, I transferred and finished my Ph.D. there in 2008. I returned to Rice as an instructor in the physics and astronomy department, where I co-taught physics classes. In 2011, I became the Shared Equipment Authority’s clean room manager/research scientist and managed the old facility in

Timothy Gilheart outside the nanofabrication facility. See Page 24 for a look inside the “clean room.”

P HO T O B Y G U S TAVO R A SKO SK Y

Given how our core labs are geographically distributed across Rice, I am often on location with other staff members, being “eyes on” and “hands on,” providing technical leadership for timely issues. Abercrombie Lab, now demolished. As someone who has been an undergrad and grad student and held faculty and staff positions, I am very grateful for the many long-term collegial and mentoring relationships I have enjoyed throughout my time at Rice. Is there such a thing as a typical day for you? There is a lot of variation. In my basement office in the Space Sciences Building, I will triage the most urgent items before plugging in to the day’s planned tasks. Given how our core labs are geographically distributed across Rice, I am often on location with other staff members, being “eyes on” and “hands on,” providing technical leadership for timely issues. Do peer institutions have similar offices? Any university engaged in engineering and science research will have one or more core lab facilities, [which usually operate] independently. Our office’s distinctive quality is that we are an umbrella organization for most of Rice’s core labs. Being centrally positioned under the Office of Research, our organizational structure helps us more effectively leverage limited resources. Many larger institutions are surprised at how much Rice accomplishes in science and engineering research given its enrollment. We work relentlessly to help Rice punch above its weight class.

— INTERVIEW BY TRACEY RHOADES

MAGA ZINE.RICE.EDU

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Envisioning New Paths to Progress

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page 51

Now Reading

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pages 48-50

Fusion Futures

3min
pages 46-47

Better Diagnostics

2min
pages 45-46

Environmental Awakening

8min
pages 41-45

Two Steps Ahead

1min
pages 39-40

A Remedy for Fall Risk

1min
page 38

At a Touch

1min
page 37

A Cargo-Carrying Catamaran

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page 36

Pectus Reparatum!

1min
page 35

Inventive Minds

0
page 34

EARLY CAREER AWARDS Awards in the Humanities

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page 33

Federal Funders

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page 32

Sources of Research Funding 8

0
page 31

THE YEAR IN RESEARCH

1min
pages 30-31

Now Reading

4min
pages 28-29

Bite This!

1min
page 27

MARTIN TO LEAD NEW INSTITUTE

1min
pages 26-27

One Wild World BIOSCIENCES

0
page 26

The Clean Room

1min
pages 24-25

COVID-19, Compounded

1min
page 23

The Strategist

4min
pages 21-23

Fossil Fishing

2min
pages 20-21

The Explainer

2min
page 19

Hands for Houston

7min
pages 14-18

High Maintenance

1min
pages 13-14

The New Environmentalists

1min
pages 12-13

Across, Down and Forward

2min
pages 11-12

BIOSCIENCES In Hot Water

1min
pages 9-10

HERE’S TO “FORMALIZED CURIOSITY”

2min
page 8

PROTOTYPE NO. 2

1min
pages 7-8

Envisioning New Paths to Progress

0
page 51

Now Reading

4min
pages 48-50

Fusion Futures

3min
pages 46-47

Better Diagnostics

2min
pages 45-46

Environmental Awakening

8min
pages 41-45

Two Steps Ahead

1min
pages 39-40

A Remedy for Fall Risk

1min
page 38

At a Touch

1min
page 37

A Cargo-Carrying Catamaran

0
page 36

Pectus Reparatum!

1min
page 35

Inventive Minds

0
page 34

EARLY CAREER AWARDS Awards in the Humanities

0
page 33

Federal Funders

0
page 32

Sources of Research Funding 8

0
page 31

THE YEAR IN RESEARCH

1min
pages 30-31

Now Reading

4min
pages 28-29

Bite This!

1min
page 27

MARTIN TO LEAD NEW INSTITUTE

1min
pages 26-27

One Wild World BIOSCIENCES

0
page 26

The Clean Room

1min
pages 24-25

COVID-19, Compounded

1min
page 23

The Strategist

4min
pages 21-23

Fossil Fishing

2min
pages 20-21

The Explainer

2min
page 19

Hands for Houston

7min
pages 14-18

High Maintenance

1min
pages 13-14

The New Environmentalists

1min
pages 12-13

Across, Down and Forward

2min
pages 11-12

BIOSCIENCES In Hot Water

1min
pages 9-10

HERE’S TO “FORMALIZED CURIOSITY”

2min
page 8

PROTOTYPE NO. 2

1min
pages 7-8

Envisioning New Paths to Progress

0
page 51

Now Reading

4min
pages 48-50

Fusion Futures

3min
pages 46-47

Better Diagnostics

2min
pages 45-46

Environmental Awakening

8min
pages 41-45

Two Steps Ahead

1min
pages 39-40

A Remedy for Fall Risk

1min
page 38

At a Touch

1min
page 37

A Cargo-Carrying Catamaran

0
page 36

Pectus Reparatum!

1min
page 35

Inventive Minds

0
page 34

EARLY CAREER AWARDS Awards in the Humanities

0
page 33

Federal Funders

0
page 32

Sources of Research Funding 8

0
page 31

THE YEAR IN RESEARCH

1min
pages 30-31

Now Reading

4min
pages 28-29

Bite This!

1min
page 27

MARTIN TO LEAD NEW INSTITUTE

1min
pages 26-27

One Wild World BIOSCIENCES

0
page 26

The Clean Room

1min
pages 24-25

COVID-19, Compounded

1min
page 23

The Strategist

4min
pages 21-23

Fossil Fishing

2min
pages 20-21

The Explainer

2min
page 19

Hands for Houston

7min
pages 14-18

High Maintenance

1min
pages 13-14

The New Environmentalists

1min
pages 12-13

Across, Down and Forward

2min
pages 11-12

BIOSCIENCES In Hot Water

1min
pages 9-10

HERE’S TO “FORMALIZED CURIOSITY”

2min
page 8

PROTOTYPE NO. 2

1min
pages 7-8
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