News Releases

Immigrant amnesty could increase their wages and US economy, according to Baker Institute report

Granting undocumented immigrants amnesty and legal status would improve the U.S. labor market, argues a new report from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Rice celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month

Rice University is celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, by spotlighting the history, contributions and achievements of Latino communities, especially as they relate to the campus community.

Rice helps lead national quantum computing research efforts

A team of Rice University researchers have won a 4-year, $1.2 million grant from the Department of Energy to evaluate the strengths and limitations of different physical systems used to build quantum computers and inform strategies for achieving near-term advances in quantum computing.

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

As Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial beginsvtoday, Rice University political scientist Mark Jones is available to discuss how the state’s chief law enforcement officer hopes to avoid conviction and removal from office.

Energy Tech Venture Forum set for Sept. 21 at Rice

The 20th Annual Rice Alliance Energy Tech Venture Forum will see industry leaders showcase energy tech innovations for the shift toward a more sustainable, reliable and lower carbon future on Sept. 21 at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business.

Rice’s Shepherd School of Music announces 2023-24 season 

HOUSTON – (Aug. 31, 2023) – For the first time in the Shepherd School of Music’s history, a comprehensive listing of key performances is being announced today to coincide with the release of a new season brochure and redesigned events website. The Shepherd School has collected guest artists from around the globe to perform and teach this season, joining the existing ranks of renowned artists already among the faculty.

Smart fabrics’ informed touch can tell you where to go

Rice U. engineers developed a lightweight, wearable textile-based device that can deliver complex haptic cues, enabling a user to perform open-world navigation tasks. The device is resilient to regular daily use, withstanding multiple cycles of washing and other damage and repair without loss of function.

Women are just as corrupt as men in Mexican politics

Women are just as corrupt as men in Mexican municipal politics, according to a new study from Rice University.

Experts to discuss new Texas laws affecting child health at Baker Institute event

Texas lawmakers introduced hundreds of new laws during the 2023 legislative session that will impact the health and safety of children across the state. Experts will discuss what the new laws mean for both care providers and children in an event from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. 

Varied regional culture may affect individual expression of religion in US

Religious expression in the workplace — from wearing symbols of one’s beliefs to discussing faith at work — varies from geographic location to location, with Christians more likely to express their faith in the South, Jews most likely in the Northeast and Muslims most likely to do so out West, according to a new paper from researchers at Rice University’s Boniuk Institute and its Religion and Public Life Program, Purdue University, West Virginia University and Wheaton College.

Adrian Trömel joins Rice Office of Innovation as assistant vice president for strategy, investments

Rice University’s Office of Innovation has named Adrian Trömel as assistant vice president for strategy and investments.

Second annual renewable energy leadership conference convenes at Rice Aug. 22

The Renewable Energy Alliance – Houston (REAL) will present its Second Annual Renewable Energy Leadership Conference at Rice University to explore the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) signed one year ago.

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.