News Releases

Climate catastrophe produced instantaneous evolutionary change

A unique experiment by Rice University biologists in the wake of 2017’s Hurricane Harvey that revealed species can instantly evolve when they move in response to a climate catastrophe.

Rice, Houston Methodist to unveil state-of-the-art Center for Human Performance Oct. 10

Rice University and Houston Methodist will unveil the Houston Methodist-Rice University Center for Human Performance in an Oct. 10 kickoff event featuring demonstrations of the center’s state-of-the-art capabilities.

NSF-funded Rice study to examine how collaborative community design can mitigate severe storm impacts

A new National Science Foundation-funded study by Rice University will examine whether design strategies aimed at improving civic engagement in stormwater infrastructure could help reduce catastrophic flooding.

DREAM tool for gene therapies uses ‘locally sourced’ components

Rice bioengineers developed a tool that activates silent or insufficiently expressed genes using human-derived building blocks and a CRISPR-based genome-targeting platform.

Rice announces final report from university’s Task Force on Slavery, Segregation and Racial Injustice

The Rice University Board of Trustees and Rice President Reginald DesRoches announced the release of the final report from the university’s Task Force on Slavery, Segregation and Racial Injustice in a message to the university community Oct. 6.

Robotic cup helps wheelchair users stay hydrated

Rice undergraduate engineering students Thomas Kutcher and Rafe Neathery designed a robotic device that enables people with limited mobility to stay hydrated without caretaker help.

Rice’s Medical Humanities Research Institute has transformational agenda for health care

Rice University has launched its Medical Humanities Research Institute, the only institute in the United States and one of few in the world solely dedicated to advancing translational research on human experiences of health and illness. 

Consequences of 1973 oil embargo on current energy climate to be examined at Rice’s Baker Institute Oct. 17

Energy and foreign policy experts will examine the lessons learned from the 1973 oil embargo and their renewed relevance for today’s energy crises — triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the risks presented by climate change — for countries, policymakers, companies and the public on Oct. 17 at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Interdisciplinary Rice team tackles the future of semiconductors

An interdisciplinary team of Rice University scientists has won a $1.9 million National Science Foundation grant for research on materials that could serve as the basis for next-generation energy-efficient computing devices.

Rice alum Louis Brus awarded Nobel Prize in chemistry

Rice alumnus Louis Brus (’65) has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry alongside Moungi Bawendi and Alexei Ekimov for the “discovery and development of quantum dots.”

Rice Biotech Launch Pad introduces external advisory board

Rice University today announced its external advisory board for the Rice Biotech Launch Pad, the new accelerator focused on expediting the translation of the university’s health and medical technology discoveries into cures.

Two Rice bioengineers win NIH Director’s New Innovator awards

Rice bioengineers Jerzy Szablowski and Julea Vlassakis received the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award for their respective research projects. Szablowski’s work seeks to develop a noninvasive method of mapping gene expression, while Vlassakis is studying complex, single-cell level processes and interactions in pediatric bone cancer.

Houston residents willing to pay more for city parks, Rice Kinder Institute survey shows

Despite having one of the largest urban park systems in the country and one of the highest levels of philanthropic support of parks, Houston falls behind other major cities in funding them — and a majority of residents say they are willing to spend more to elevate the city’s investment, a new study by the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University has found.

Rice sociologist elected president of Religious Research Association

Elaine Howard Ecklund, the Herbert S. Autrey Chair in Social Sciences and director of Rice University’s Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance, has been elected president of the Religious Research Association (RRA) for 2023-24.

Secretary of State Blinken to join foreign policy discussion at Rice’s Baker Institute Oct. 3

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will join Rice University Baker Institute for Public Policy Director David Satterfield and Honorary Chair James A. Baker III to discuss the country’s foreign policy strategy at an event at Rice Oct. 3.