People, papers and presentations

Rice University Shepherd School of Music graduate students Lindsay Kate Brown (mezzo-soprano), Dorothy Gal (soprano) and Geoffrey Hahn (baritone) will join Thomas Glass ’16 (baritone) as 2018-19 Houston Grand Opera Studio Artists, one of the most prestigious young artist programs in the country. HGO Studio Artists are invited to serve an HGO residency of up to three years, during which they will receive customized training from an expert team while gaining performance experience. Studio artists are often selected from the contestants in the HGO’s Concert of Arias, an annual concert that serves as the finals for the HGO’s Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers. Brown placed third and Gal placed second in the competition held this year.

William Farrell, a graduate student in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, has been appointed the first student councilor-at-large of the Texas Section of the American Institute of Professional Geologists. Farrell will provide a student perspective in the Institute’s Texas Section, especially for the recently formed Virtual Student Chapter, which provides assistance to approximately 30 Texas university and college geology and geoscience programs.

Rice QuestBridge Scholars, an organization that provides community, networking opportunities and resources to low-income and first-generation Owls, is one of 12 finalists in the national Students with Drive competition sponsored by Zipcar and Ford. The competition spotlights volunteer student groups’ off-campus work. The winners, who will be announced May 4, receive $10,000 for their organization, $10,000 for their school’s scholarship fund and $5,000 worth of Zipcar drives.