Rice News Archive - 2020

New Nobel laureate has Rice on resume Oct. 6, 2020

Mathematician Sir Roger Penrose is now a Nobel laureate, but once upon a time, he was Rice's Edgar Odell Lovett Professor of Mathematics.

There’s a reason bacteria stay in shape Oct. 6, 2020

A primal mechanism in bacteria that keeps them in their personal Goldilocks zones -- that is, just right -- appears to depend on two random means of regulation, growth and division, that cancel each other out. The same mechanism may give researchers a new perspective on disease, including cancer.

Earth grows fine gems in minutes Oct. 6, 2020

Aquamarine, emerald, garnet, zircon and topaz are but a few of the crystalline minerals found mostly in pegmatites, veinlike formations that commonly contain both large crystals and hard-to-find elements like tantalum and niobium. Another common find is lithium, a vital component of electric car batteries.

Rice Public Art transforms temporary classrooms into public art destinations Oct. 6, 2020

HOUSTON – (Oct. 6, 2020) – The tent-like structures serving as temporary classroom spaces at Rice University during the pandemic could have been left as they were built: tall, steel-framed, silvery-white facilities tucked behind a row of live oak trees near Hanszen College at the corner of College Way and Alumni Drive.

People, papers and presentations October 5, 2020 Oct. 5, 2020

Rice alumnae Elisa Arango, Susannah Dittmar, Lauren Payne and Sanika Rane are finalists in the Collegiate Inventors Competition sponsored by the National Inventors Hall of Fame for their Universally Friendly Obturator, a customizable device developed at the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen that simplifies radiation therapy for patients with cervical cancer.

Deep learning gives drug design a boost Oct. 5, 2020

A computational tool created at Rice University may help pharmaceutical companies expand their ability to investigate the safety of drugs.

Gemini South's high-def version of 'A Star is Born' Oct. 5, 2020

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is still more than a year from launching, but the Gemini South telescope in Chile has provided astronomers from Rice University and Dublin City University a glimpse of what the orbiting observatory should deliver.

Baker Institute, American Academy of Arts and Sciences: US innovation edge in peril Oct. 5, 2020

A sweeping new report urges significant policy and funding action to ensure the United States does not lose the preeminent position in discovery and innovation it has built since the end of World War II.

Dateline Rice for Oct. 5, 2020 (Weekend Edition) Oct. 5, 2020

COVID-19 PANDEMIC Urban planning experts share 3 characteristics of an ideal neighborhood to live in during a pandemic An article cites a March article authored by Bill Fulton, director of Rice's Kinder Institute for Urban Research, about the future of cities after the pandemic.  MSN (This Insider article also appeared in 10 other media outlets.) http://dateline.rice/oct-5-fulton

Musicians may need more than social distancing to stay safe on stage Oct. 5, 2020

Keeping musicians safe while they're on stage during the pandemic may require more than just social distancing, according to a study of exhaled aerosols conducted by Rice University engineers and musicians from Rice's Shepherd School of Music and the Houston Symphony.

Rice political scientist available to discuss impact of Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis Oct. 2, 2020

HOUSTON – (Oct. 2, 2020) – With the announcement that President Donald Trump has tested positive for COVID-19 and is showing mild symptoms, Rice University political scientist Paul Brace is available to discuss what it means for the election a month away.

Dateline Rice for Oct. 2, 2020 Oct. 2, 2020

COVID-19 PANDEMIC 'Live at Five' A broadcast features Rice's plan to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which includes conducting tests, requiring face masks and holding some classes outdoors in semipermanent structures. Jerusha Kasch, director of institutional crisis management, is interviewed. KTRK-TV (Houston) http://dateline.rice/oct-2-kasch (This segment aired twice.)

Dateline Rice for Oct. 1, 2020 Oct. 1, 2020

COVID-19 PANDEMIC Despite delayed start, Rice football 'in a good place' Several articles and broadcasts mention that Rice postponed its football games through mid-October. Head coach Mike Bloomgren is quoted and interviewed. Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Oct. 1 print edition and yesterday's Dateline.) http://dateline.rice/oct-1-bloomgren

Flu shots — including drive-up options — available on campus Oct. 1, 2020

Rice faculty and staff will have an opportunity to get a flu shot on campus starting this week.

New technology TA positions empower students to partner with professors Oct. 1, 2020

These student jobs are about more than just troubleshooting Zoom calls.