Rachel Fowler
Job: Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers
ACES member since: 2022
Why ACES: I joined ACES to learn more tips and tricks related to editing. I also joined to connect with other great editors!
ACES involvement: I have attended all ACES in-person conferences since 2018. I've also attended the virtual conferences. I'm on the ACES Communications and Publications Committee.
What you like about editing: I like seeing my edits and decisions published in both print and digital versions. I feel like I’m making a difference in the content and helping make the writing better. I work on TLT, the monthly magazine for the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE). It’s satisfying seeing each monthly issue published. I also love communicating with the writers and STLE members who contribute to TLT on a regular basis. You can tell they are proud of their articles. I learn something new every day about tribology and lubrication as well.
How you knew you were an editor: When I was a child, I had no clue what I wanted to be when I grew up. In college—at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign — I majored in English since I like to read. I eventually decided to double major in English and rhetoric, which involved more creative writing. I realized I liked editing my classmates’ writing more than I liked the writing part of my classes. Once I had this realization, I became a copy editor for the college newspaper, got an editorial internship with a magazine in Chicago, and, after college, became an assistant (eventually managing) editor for a physical activity and health book publisher. Then I moved to my role with STLE.
When you're not editing: I love photography and am one of the few people who still carry around a big Canon camera. I also enjoy traveling to new places and trying new restaurants.