Trying: Deconstructing "Success" Inhale. My diaphragm contracts to introduce negative pressure in my lungs, pulling air through my trachea, bronchi, and bronchioles to fill my alveoli. Oxygen gas diffuses through delicate capillary endothelium to enter my bloodstream, binding cooperatively to four iron ions within haem cofactors on each hemoglobin molecule. Responding to partial pressure differentials, oxygen is released, powering my cells by exchanging electrons to store energy as adenosine triphosphate through oxidative phosphorylation. Exhale. Carbon dioxide bound to hemoglobin is...

At 5:30 on an August morning, Penn Station isn't a very busy place. A businessman here, a few traveling tourists there. Most are returning from late plane flights or raucous nights of partying. Some -- the brave ones -- are heading out, resisting the seduction of a warm bed to face the day at sunrise. And in front of the train schedule display board, decked out in jeans, a polo shirt, and a Stony Brook University I.D., armed with a...

Rice University is a part of my history. My mother, an Argentinian immigrant, knew Rice very differently from the way I know it now. Vulnerable, alone in a foreign place, my mother turned to Rice as a foothold in the midst of overwhelming uncertainty. Rice granted my mother the opportunity to strengthen her English and gain the confidence to follow her passions. The language skills she learned at Rice enabled her to become a successful American physician; I've always known...

1. Course Name: Domestic Abuse: Human Perspectives Course Synopsis: Open discussion of abusive situations is difficult, frightening, unknown. But it shouldn’t be. To combat the societal stigmas surrounding domestic abuse, dialogue must be established among various key players in communities worldwide. By breaking down walls of guarded uncertainty, victims of domestic abuse can be identified and removed from unsafe homes. Domestic Abuse: Human Perspectives introduces students to the multifaceted physical, emotional, and psychological impacts of domestic abuse. This intensive course...

See essays -- I think they speak for themselves!

I am fascinated with life. In sixth grade, my science research teacher handed out research topics to the class, expecting a short research summary the next week. My topic -- the origins of life on Earth -- awoke within me a previously undiscovered passion. As I researched, I realized that no short summary...