Houston native Siddhant Patil first learned about Rice University when he was in sixth grade. It was then that a close friend of his family announced he was going to Rice.
“Every time we went to their house or they came to our house, his parents asked him, ‘How was college? How was Rice?'” Patil said. Ta. “He always had great things to say about it.”
A few years later, when that friend’s younger brother chose to go to Rice, Patil and his parents became even more interested in what the university had to offer.
“(Our friends) loved it. They loved all the opportunities and the close connections,” the Elkins High School graduate said. “When I started my senior year, I knew I wanted to go to Rice University. I made an early decision and was lucky to get accepted.”
Now a third-year pre-med student at Rice University, Patil is busy double majoring in kinesiology and religion.
“I grew up Hindu and wanted to do something related to religion, but my parents also sent me to Christian schools most of my life,” Patil said. “So, five days a week, I would go to the chapel in the morning for an hour to study the Bible, and then every Sunday I would go to the temple.”
Patil, who came to Rice University with the intention of pursuing something related to medicine, described the balance of both faiths throughout her life as filled with love, support, and community. Patil said he found his way at Rice when OWeek advisor Adarsh Suresh discovered he was double majoring in religion and kinesiology before his medical training.
“It was just an incredible stroke of luck,” Patil said. “I asked him if I should take an introductory level class or an advanced level class as my first religion class. I liked it. The next semester, I declared it as my major.”
Patil has been immersed in a variety of religious studies courses, delving into the complex interactions between religious beliefs, rituals, and cultural landscapes in medical contexts.
“Siddhant is a rare human being,” said William Parsons, the Harry and Hazel Chavannes Professor of Christianity at Rice University. “Aside from his excellence as a student, what is important the more I get to know him is his deep humanity. Looking back 20 years from now, I realize that he left a huge mark on the evolution of humanity and culture. I look forward to following his career.”
Meanwhile, Patil’s passion for scientific exploration led him to actively contribute as an undergraduate research assistant in the Xue Gao Lab. He identifies a new Diels-alderase, an enzyme that catalyzes the Diels-Alder reaction, a widely used method for synthesizing critical materials and medicines, from raw materials for plastics and fuels to synthetic steroids. I was part of the research team that did this.
“We are very impressed with Siddhant’s positive energy, which has greatly improved our laboratory environment since September 2021,” said Ted N. Lowe Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and , said Gao, who is also an assistant professor of bioengineering and chemistry. “Working on cutting-edge research, his enthusiasm for tackling difficult scientific investigations is invaluable, especially when delving into complex scientific questions.” Siddhant is just a month into his freshman year at Rice University. Later, he joined my laboratory as an undergraduate researcher. Despite his demanding academic schedule, he devoted his spare time during the semester and summer break to contributing to our project. His As a result of his dedicated efforts, Siddhant co-authored two papers in prestigious chemistry journals, Nature Chemistry and Journal of the American Chemical Society.”
Selected for the Elizabeth Lee Moody Undergraduate Research Fellowship in the Humanities and Arts, Patil will reflect on the nuanced role of spirituality in the healing process and the diverse approaches to health and well-being found in different faith traditions. I was able to. He traveled to Sierra Leone in West Africa with Rice alumnus Tom Lewis and was able to observe the work being done by the Southern Eye Institute.
“It was really interesting to see how religion actually plays a big role in people’s lives in the context of a rural clinic in this village,” Patil said. Told.
Although the majority of Sierra Leone’s population is Muslim, the Serab community is split almost evenly between Islam and Christianity.
“It was great to see how religion played a role in their lives,” Patil said, adding that she was part of a mixed Muslim-Christian family, including a church pastor with a Muslim father. He added that he had met several people with . “This is an example that even though he had two different religions, it didn’t matter. Everybody was trying to come together and build the country.”
Ms Patil admitted she was initially nervous about Southern Eye’s affiliation with a Catholic mission and worried that people of other faiths would not be allowed to receive treatment. .
“When I asked Tom, he looked at me like I was crazy and said, ‘What do you mean? No, it’s free for everyone. It doesn’t matter,” Patil said. “I saw it firsthand because the majority of people who come to the clinic are Muslim and regardless of their religion, they receive free, high-quality care.”
One of the things Patil cherishes most about his time at Rice University is also the community aspect he has observed in religion.
“If you need help with any problem or question or anything, someone is there to help you right away,” Patil said. “When I actually saw that, I started thinking, “Wow, everyone is really here for each other.”
