Chris Stipes

Rice Innovation awards third cycle of One Small Step Grants

Rice Innovation announced its most recent awardee of the One Small Step Grant, marking a significant milestone in accelerating the transition from lab to market for these Rice-developed technologies. Launched in September 2023, the One Small Step Grant program aims to support lab-stage projects across the Rice campus, providing crucial capital for projects to spin out of the university and successfully attract investment from angel investors and venture capital.

Rice partners with Texas House during SXSW

Rice served as the educational partner for the inaugural Texas House during the annual South by Southwest conference in Austin.

Wade Adams, nanotechnology research leader and advocate, served Rice as ‘dynamic force’ while paving way for Smalley-Curl Institute

Wade Adams, former director of the Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology at Rice, passed away Feb. 12 at the age of 78. A self-described “technical optimist,” Adams was not only an experienced researcher and educator but also an enthusiastic advocate of nanotechnology, which he defined as “making small stuff do big things” and viewed as offering potential solutions to pressing challenges, particularly in energy but also in clean water and medicine.

Houston Area Women’s Center sheds light on domestic violence, how to get help

Domestic violence affects many with 1 in 5 college students and 1 in 4 women experiencing abuse in their lifetime. Since 1977, the Houston Area Women’s Center, a community partner of Rice, has been a vital resource for those affected by domestic and sexual violence.

Veterans Business Battle returns to Rice March 13-14

Rice Business is hosting its 11th annual Veterans Business Battle — a forum for veterans to connect with investors, advisers and resources. Each year, the event gives military veterans an opportunity to pitch business ideas for a chance to raise capital.

Rice Biotech Launch Pad and RBL LLC launch Rice Venture Creation Fellowship

The Rice Biotech Launch Pad is launching a Rice Venture Creation Fellowship, a program providing recent doctoral graduates passionate about innovation and startup development with training and resources.

Rice names longtime leader, alumnus John Lawrence chief investment officer

Following a nationwide search, Rice has named alumnus John Lawrence as its new chief investment officer and president of Rice Management Co., effective immediately.

Protecting science, technology policy can unleash American potential, report says

The Science and Technology Action Committee (STAC), a blue ribbon panel of leaders in science policy, launched “Vision for American Science and Technology (VAST),” a brief, nonpartisan document that offers a vision of a future in which American science and technology can continue to serve the country. Neal Lane, senior fellow in science and technology policy at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is one of 25 members serving on the STAC panel.

Rice energy expertise to be featured at CERAWeek

A number of experts from Rice will appear at CERAWeek to present their research and industry expertise March 10-14. Faculty and university leaders will contribute to key discussions at the week’s Executive Conference, Innovation Agora and Partner Programs, addressing the most pressing challenges in the energy sector such as decarbonization, artificial intelligence and scaling.

Rice to break ground on Moody Center Complex for Student Life

Rice will break ground on the new Moody Center Complex for Student Life later this spring, marking a transformative moment for the university’s commitment to student engagement, development and success.

Drug policy expert available to explain current Texas Senate bills, future of cannabis regulation

The Texas Senate State Affairs Committee is currently hearing two cannabis bills. Katharine Neill Harris, the Alfred C. Glassell III Fellow in Drug Policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is available to explain the bills and the future of cannabis regulation.

Nobel laureate Whittingham engages with Rice researchers, leaders on battery research and innovation during campus visit

Nobel laureate M. Stanley Whittingham shared insights from his pioneering work on lithium-ion batteries and addressed the future of energy storage during the Adams-Hauge Fund Smalley Lecture in Materials Science and Nanoengineering delivered at Rice.

Luay Nakhleh reappointed as dean of Rice’s George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing

Luay Nakhleh was reappointed as dean of Rice’s George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing.

Rice researchers harness gravity to create low-cost device for rapid cell analysis

A team of researchers at Rice has developed an innovative AI-enabled, low-cost device that will make flow cytometry ⎯ a technique used to analyze cells or particles in a fluid using a laser beam ⎯ affordable and accessible.

Shining light on brain function: New optogenetics protocol poised to advance neuroscience

Rice neuroscientist Valentin Dragoi and Ariana Andrei from the Houston Methodist Research Institute developed a detailed, step-by-step guide for deploying optogenetics in nonhuman primates, providing critical guidance for researchers working to advance understanding of the brain’s complex networks and their relationship with behavior.