A new beginning

Rachel Fowler, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief | TLT Publisher's Pen June 2020

When one door closes, another door always opens.

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I find myself looking at things in everyday life and relating them to tribology and lubrication.

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In the February issue, TLT publisher and editor-in-chief Tom Astrene wrote his final column. He helped start TLT (the successor to STLE’s Lubrication Engineering magazine) with its first issue in October 2003. I’ve been with STLE for five years now, and it felt like the end of an era when Tom shared his retirement news. During my tenure as TLT managing editor, I’ve learned a lot from him about the publishing and non-profit industries. Thank you, Tom, for all you taught me and for the laughs these past five years.

I didn’t really know anything about tribology before joining the STLE staff in 2014. My educational background is on the English and grammar side. Before STLE, I worked for a fitness and exercise book publisher in central Illinois. I worked on some scientific books there but never any on tribology or lubrication. I never heard the term tribology in college, at this former job or anywhere else.

I remember doing a little research on the subject before my interview with STLE and explaining it to family members before I stepped foot inside STLE’s headquarters building. When I bring up the term in normal conversation, most of the responses are, “Oh, the study of tribes?” I am proud to say I can easily explain tribology to the public now when people ask what I do for a living. The subject still raises eyebrows when I talk about it, but it is a good conversation starter! I’m sure many STLE members share this experience.

Since I’ve read and edited many articles in TLT, I now find myself looking at things in everyday life and relating them to tribology and lubrication somehow: while driving my car, cooking dinner, playing the flute, etc. In 2015, my grandpa told me about his experiences lubricating locomotives in Chicago tunnels in the 1940s, and it compelled me to write a column about it.¹ Tribology really is everywhere, and it’s an important subject to learn.

Part of working on TLT is having the privilege of communicating with STLE members and other lubrication experts. They are incredibly smart people, and I’ve learned a lot from them in just a few short years. STLE members and volunteers are important to TLT, so I hope everyone continues to help out in the future! As part of the STLE staff, I find myself utilizing our Connect, Learn, Achieve motto just by editing TLT articles and communicating with members and writers. I really enjoy having discussions in person with our members at STLE annual meetings as well.

With Tom’s retirement, I now have the privilege of becoming TLT’s second publisher/editor-in-chief. I’m excited about this opportunity and the chance to bring new ideas to the table. Most important, I plan to maintain the same high quality and high-level information geared toward the technical professional. I’m honored to be in this new role.

Thank you for your continued interest in TLT, and please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with ideas, comments and questions.

You can reach TLT publisher/editor-in-chief Rachel Fowler at rfowler@stle.org.