News Releases

Protective particles allow engineered probiotics to report gut disease

Rice U. bioengineers developed a platform that enhances survival and function of probiotics engineered to diagnose inflammatory bowel disease in animals. The technology holds promise for minimally invasive disease monitoring and advanced smart therapeutics.

OpenStax to launch open access organic chemistry textbook

The first 12 chapters of the textbook Organic Chemistry: A Tenth Edition are now freely accessible to students through OpenStax, an educational initiative of Rice University. On Sept. 12, students and faculty will have free access online to the full version of this historically costly textbook that is a required material for organic chemistry courses nationwide.

Gold buckyballs, oft-used nanoparticle ‘seeds’ are one and the same

Rice chemists have discovered that tiny gold “seed” particles, a key ingredient in one of the most common nanoparticle recipes, are one and the same as gold buckyballs, 32-atom spheres that are cousins of the Nobel Prize-winning carbon buckyballs discovered at Rice in 1985.

Weaker transcription factors are better when they work together

Rice bioengineer Caleb Bashor and colleagues have developed a generalizable method to address “off-target” gene activation, a significant problem in the field of synthetic biology. Taking a cue from nature, the researchers showed they could all but eliminate the activation of off-target genes by designing weak transcription factors that cooperatively assemble.

Rice’s Jing Chen receives early career award from American Psychological Association

Jing Chen, an assistant professor of psychological sciences at Rice University specializing in human factors and human-computer interaction, has received the Earl Alluisi Early Career Achievement Award from the American Psychological Association (APA), the world’s largest association of psychologists.

New Rice University students move to campus Aug. 13

Rice University will kick off its annual O-Week tradition Aug. 13, welcoming the incoming Class of 2027 with a weeklong orientation program to familiarize incoming students with their new campus, residential colleges and classmates.

Education program tackles race-based cancer health disparities

Rice U.’s Carolyn Nichol has won a competitive 5-year, $1,038,544 NIH Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) award to address race-based cancer health disparities by increasing underrepresented minority student populations’ engagement and participation in biosciences education.

Kissinger, Clinton and Baker to headline anniversary gala at Rice’s Baker Institute

Three former U.S. Secretaries of State will join a moderated discussion on geopolitics, foreign affairs and public service at the 30th anniversary gala celebrating Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy Oct. 26.

Price increases to blame for rising hospital emergency room costs

Price increases were the largest source of spending per visit in emergency rooms over the past decade in four of five states studied, according to a new report from researchers at Rice University and UTHealth Houston School of Public Health.

Tiny, flexible spinal probe system could lead to better therapies

A $6.25 million National Institutes of Health grant supports Rice U. engineers optimizing a neural probe array that can record the activity of spinal cord neurons as bodies move and behave. Scientists would also develop an integrated data-processing and stimulation-feedback system.

Rice lab’s boron nitride composite could be useful for advanced technology applications

Rice University scientists have found that a boron nitride nanocomposite interacts with light and heat in unexpected ways that could be useful for advanced technology applications.

Rice study: Children are usually the poorest members of refugee communities

Violent conflicts around the world have driven more people from their home countries than ever before. As these individuals and families seek safe havens, new research from Rice University has found that refugee children are up to three times more likely to be poor than adults – even within their own families.

Rice University political expert available to discuss how impeached Texas attorney general, ‘thorn in side of Biden Administration,’ hopes to avoid removal from office

Rice University political expert available to discuss how impeached Texas attorney general, ‘thorn in side of Biden Administration,’ hopes to avoid removal from office

When D turns to F, quantum matter is A-plus

In a potential boon for quantum computing, Rice physicists have shown that topologically protected quantum states can be entangled with other, highly manipulable quantum states in some electronic materials.

Melinda Spaulding Chevalier named VP for public affairs at Rice

Melinda Spaulding Chevalier, an Emmy Award-winning communicator, brand strategist, crisis management expert and community affairs leader, has been named Rice University’s next vice president for public affairs.