Outsmart the madness: Rice professor offers edge for your basketball bracket
If you are hoping to outsmart the madness, a Rice professor may have a tiny mathematical edge for you.
From classroom to combine champion: Rice student wins NFL analytics title
Lucca Ferraz won the 2026 NFL Big Data Bowl, the league’s premier annual sports analytics competition, during combine week in Indianapolis.
About 1 in 7 Houston-area residents say they know someone detained and potentially deported in 2025. There has also been a corresponding shift in attitude away from mass deportation with most Houston-area residents saying they prefer expanded pathways to citizenship over mass deportation, according to new data from Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research.
‘Transformative’ Rice course challenges students to reinvestigate wrongful convictions
Undergraduates at Rice are digging into real, possible wrongful conviction cases this semester, examining evidence to bring renewed attention to individuals who maintain they were wrongfully convicted. The work is part of a new experiential program called Making an Exoneree.
Melting glaciers are drawing more visitors: What that says about climate change
As glaciers around the world continue to shrink and disappear, they are drawing more visitors than ever, not only for their beauty but for what they have come to represent in an era of climate change. A new study examines this phenomenon, showing how melting glaciers have become powerful destinations for tourism,
Why Houston’s most financially vulnerable residents turn to high-cost loans
New research from Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research finds that nearly 1 in 5 Houston-area residents used at least one high-cost lending product in the past year, far exceeding the national rate.
Why misunderstood hand signals put cyclists at risk
As more Americans turn to biking for commuting, exercise and recreation, the roads are growing more crowded and more dangerous as cyclist fatalities have risen sharply nationwide. While crashes are often attributed to speeding, distracted driving or inadequate infrastructure, new research from Rice University suggests another factor may quietly increase risk: Drivers and cyclists are not always communicating as clearly as they think.
Texas school vouchers opening Feb. 4. What the rollout means
Texas will be able to apply for the state’s new education savings account (ESA) program, a form of school voucher that represents a major shift in how public education dollars can be used.
Super Bowl LX: Betting, economics and analytics behind biggest game of year
The Super Bowl has never been just a football game. It’s a cultural event drawing massive audiences, billions in advertising dollars and now the single largest day for legal sports betting in the country.
Rice faculty earn national recognition for research improving life at work
Two Rice faculty members have been recognized with national awards highlighting the university’s impact on research that shapes understanding of work, well-being and organizational life.
Experts available to discuss economic, health, policymaking in partial US government shutdown
With a partial U.S. government shutdown increasingly possible by the end of the week, Rice experts can provide insight into what is at stake, how a shutdown could happen and the likely effects on the economy, public health and federal policymaking.
Inside marathon weekend: Rice students support Houston’s biggest single day sporting event
For Rice students, marathon weekend is more than checking off a volunteer or community service commitment. It is an opportunity to step inside the preparation, coordination and shared effort required to transform Houston into a global stage for distance running and to see firsthand the collaboration required to make race day possible.
From Houston to Jerusalem: Rice faculty fellow embarks on immersive academic journey
Senior lecturer in sociology at Rice, recently returned from Israel after participating in the Jewish National Fund-USA Faculty Fellowship, a nearly two-week program that brings American academics together with Israeli scholars, civic leaders and cultural institutions.
Kinder Institute releases comprehensive study of one of Houston area’s fastest-growing populations
Rice’s Kinder Institute is examining the experiences, beliefs and attitudes of Asian residents in the greater Houston area.
Why staying focused is harder than ever and what science can tell us about it
From phone notifications and flashing alerts to crowded screens and busy workspaces, modern life is full of visual distractions competing for our attention. A Rice psychologist is investigating how irrelevant visual information interferes with our ability to stay on task and why certain distractions slow us down more than others.