Rice Business to unveil Virani Hall with Sept. 10 ribbon-cutting ceremony
Rice Business will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony Sept. 10 to celebrate the opening of Asha and Farid Virani Hall, a 112,000-square-foot building next to McNair Hall.
Shrinking population causes and consequences topic of upcoming Baker Institute conference
Population decline has quietly emerged as one of the defining demographic shifts of the 21st century, and many countries are now confronting shrinking populations and the economic, social and infrastructure challenges that accompany the shifts.
Rice, OU energy conference examines future of resilient US energy system
The third annual energy conference, hosted by the Center for Energy Studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy in partnership with the University of Oklahoma’s Energy Institute, brought together academic, industry and policy perspectives to examine the challenges facing the nation’s energy system and the infrastructure needed to support future economic growth.
25 years later, a historian reflects on 9/11 and its lasting legacy
For Nathan Citino, the Barbara Kirkland Chiles Professor of History at Rice, the 25th anniversary offers an opportunity to look beyond the attacks themselves and consider how the past quarter-century has reshaped American politics, foreign policy and society.
Interactive map shows what’s driving data center growth across the US
The U.S. Data Centers and Infrastructure map was developed by Kenneth B. Medlock III, Miaomiao Rimmer, Anmol Mital and Beck Edwards.
Building Texas’ grid for the future: Experts to examine proposed transmission network
Hosted in partnership with the Center for Tax and Budget Policy and Center for Energy Studies at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, the town hall will explore the opportunities, challenges and policy tradeoffs surrounding the proposed transmission expansion and what it could mean for Texas’ energy future.
Why governments need science advice: Lessons from UK’s chief science adviser
Professor Dame Angela McLean, the U.K. government’s chief science adviser, discussed the role of science advice in government during an armchair discussion at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, hosted by the Science and Technology Policy Program as part of its Civic Scientist Lecture Series.
The Baker Institute’s fall 2026 calendar will bring prominent policymakers, scientists, business leaders and scholars to Houston this fall for a series of public conversations on energy and grid resilience, artificial intelligence and health, global affairs, demographics, science policy and the future of Texas.
Rice student startups take the stage at Lilie’s Summer Venture Studio Preview Day
Seven student startups showcased their ventures at the Summer Venture Studio Preview Day hosted by Rice University’s Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The three-month intensive program is meant to provide equity-free funding and individualized support.
Global energy demand hits record high, raising new questions for energy policy
Global energy use reached an unprecedented milestone in 2025, highlighting both advances in clean energy and the continued dominance of fossil fuels, according to the 75th annual Statistical Review of World Energy. Experts at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy hosted a conversation the Review’s producer, the Energy Institute, July 29 to provide context and discuss the projected future of energy consumption.
To build lifelong AI, teach it to forget
A new monograph published in Foundations and Trends in Machine Learning, Yueyang Liu, assistant professor of operations management at Rice Business, and co-authors at Stanford University argue that forgetting is not simply a bug for AI. In real-world settings, these systems face hard constraints on memory and computing power. They cannot, and should not, try to remember everything.
Uncertainty and the future of North American trade discussed by international experts
The Claudio X. González Center for the United States and Mexico at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy convened leading trade experts to examine the implications of the U.S. decision not to renew the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) on July 1, and what the prolonged negotiations could mean for North American businesses.
The secret to continuous creativity with gen AI
Published in the journal Information Systems Research and co-authored by Jing Zhou, the Mary Gibbs Jones Professor of Management at Rice Business, the paper explores “augmented learning,” a process in which people and AI actively adjust to each other across creative tasks, gradually improving what they can produce together.
New research shows the hidden challenges facing religious scientists
A recent study from Rice’s Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance titled “Religious Representation in Science: How Scientists in the United States, Mexico and South Africa Respond” explores the aspect of religious representation in science.
Rice entrepreneurship’s Summer Venture Studio selects nine ventures for 2026 cohort
Rice’s Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship has selected nine student-led ventures for the 2026 Summer Venture Studio, its flagship venture-building experience designed to help ambitious founders transform breakthrough ideas into venture-scale companies. The selected teams represent industries ranging from health care and artificial intelligence to advanced manufacturing, robotics, agriculture and defense technology.