August 12, 2025

Nichole Ayers, MA '13:
On August 9, NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers returned to earth after ending a 148-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS) as a member of SpaceX Crew-10.  It was her first spaceflight.  She earned a master’s degree in computational and applied mathematics from Rice in 2013.  Read more.

SSPEED Center:

August 4, 2025

Olivia Trotto (2000-2025):
On July 25, Olivia Trotto passed away unexpectedly in her sleep.  Raised in Pennsylvania, she earned a BA in Cognitive Sciences from Rice in 2022.  After working as an Emergency Room Technician, she was currently attending the Drexel University College of Medicine.  “Olivia loved family, friends, children, animals, travel, languages, music and art, and lived so much life in her 25 years”. Click here for the obituary.