Dr. Onarae Rice ’96, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at Furman University, was back on Wofford’s campus twice this fall.
In September, he was recognized by the Spartanburg Housing Authority with the Dr. John C. Bull Award of Achievement in Science and Medicine. The commemorative award was presented to Rice during the organization’s 80th anniversary dinner and awards, held in the Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts. The event honored the accomplishments of past residents to showcase the housing authority’s positive impact on the community.
During his acceptance speech, Rice talked about the importance of developing resilience and perseverance in the face of challenge. “Don’t look at that as a hindrance but as an opportunity to develop skills that most of us wish we had in the workplace,” said Rice.
A few weeks later, Rice was back on campus to talk with students, faculty and staff about the transformative power of undergraduate research. The event was part of the college’s “The Pedagogy and Power of Undergraduate Research Luncheon Series,” sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Research and the Center for Innovation and Learning.
As a student at Wofford, Rice interned at Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island, N.Y. After graduation he returned to the laboratory to work in the medical department before earning master’s and doctoral degrees in biopsychology at Stony Brook University.
Rice continues to share with Furman undergraduates his research on the underlying brain mechanisms involved in the rewarding properties of drugs of abuse.