Current News

Pristine quantum criticality found

U.S. and Austrian physicists searching for evidence of quantum criticality in topological materials have found one of the most pristine examples yet observed.

Rice Shepherd School student, alum winners of Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions

Rice Shepherd School student Emily Treigle and alum Duke Kim '18 were named grand finals winners of the 2021 Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition.

Rice Business expands operations management, recruits top scholar

Grande-Allen named fellow of medical and biological engineering academy

Bioengineer Jane Grande-Allen has been named one of 26 fellows of the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering for 2021.

Thin is now in to turn terahertz polarization

Rice lab’s discovery of ‘magic angle’ builds on its ultrathin, highly aligned nanotube films

Moshe Vardi wins Knuth Prize

Rice's Moshe Vardi has won the 2021 Donald E. Knuth Prize, one of theoretical computer science's most prestigious annual awards.

Body chemistry can predict severity of depression after death of spouse

A new study from researchers at Rice University has found that bodily inflammation after the death of a spouse can predict future depression.

There’s never been a better time to pursue an English degree at Rice

Creative writing program offers unique opportunity to learn from America’s foremost writers and scholars.

Igor Marjanović named dean of Rice Architecture

Marjanović comes to Rice from Washington University in St. Louis, where he is the JoAnne Stolaroff Cotsen Professor and chair of undergraduate architecture in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts.

Valhalla, I am coming

Following a morning commencement ceremony that combined advanced degree and doctoral candidates of the Classes of 2020 and 2021, freshly minted Ph.D.s headed to the Graduate Commons outside Valhalla for the traditional hoodings by their advisers.

Abercrombie coming down

Demolition of Rice’s historic Abercrombie Engineering Laboratory began on May 17 with the first ceremonial bites taken out of the building’s north face by Rice President David Leebron, Provost Reginald DesRoches and engineering professor Michael Wong.

Prestigious fellowship will send Rice graduate student to Morocco to study

Rice University graduate student Angel Smith will get some extra help mastering Arabic thanks to a coveted scholarship from the Department of State and the prestigious Boren Fellowship.

People, papers and presentations - May 17

The plan for creating Galveston Bay Park, a 10,000-acre public park on a chain of man-made islands that would protect Houston from a devastating hurricane, was selected for honorable mention in the urban design category of Fast Company's 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards.

Senior Sidizens

Members of Sid Richardson College’s A-Team — including resident advisor (RA) Cam Yearty; college coordinator Lisa Galloy; RA Kasey Leigh Yearty, the Wiess Instructor of Chemistry; and RA William Edmond — escorted their Class of 2020 graduates through the Sallyport ahead of the May 15 commencement in Rice Stadium. (Photo by Jeff Fitlow)

Sending a message

With their mortarboards visible from the stadium stands above, many graduates took the opportunity to both decorate and coordinate them with face masks. (Photos by Jeff Fitlow)