Current News

Ultimate field trip will be out of this world

While it may be virtual, the Rice Space Institute (RSI) has organized the ultimate spring trip for grade school students.

People, papers and presentations - March 29

Rice University Police Chief Clemente Rodriguez has been elected secretary of the board of the Houston Area Police Chiefs Association, which includes city, county, state, school district, federal, university and transit police departments.

Cathy Park Hong on the ‘Asian American Reckoning’

The right-wing conspiracy movement QAnon reportedly has started peddling anti-Chinese rhetoric. It’s the latest in a troubling trend of anti-Asian sentiment, on the rise across America, as addressed by Rice President David Leebron in a recent message to the Rice community.

Owls topple Longhorns on volleyball court a second straight time

The 10-25, 25-16, 25-23, 14-25, 15-13 triumph was the second in a row for the Owls (14-4) against the Longhorns (20-1).

Tires turned into graphene that makes stronger concrete

Rice scientists optimize a process to turn rubber from discarded tires into soluble graphene.

Rice captures Women's NIT championship for first time

The Rice women's basketball team won its first Women's National Invitation Tournament championship and the second postseason title in program history Sunday by defeating the University of Mississippi 71-58 in the final in Memphis, Tennessee.

Debate teams Zoom to national championships

Hosting meetings and giving presentations via Zoom during the pandemic has been tough enough for many of us. But Rice students in the George R. Brown Forensics Society have now won national debate competitions over Zoom — and in three different categories.

‘Personal experiences of joy’: Baker College senior Pikus wins Watson Fellowship

“I feel grateful having come to Rice, because I feel like it allowed me to go with the flow, have fun, learn things and follow my passion.”

Back for round 2

Rice students, faculty and staff who received COVID-19 vaccines given to the university for distribution during the February winter storm because a power outage at Harris County Public Health put the shots at risk of spoiling get their second dose March 22 at Grand Hall.

Acclaimed author, alumnus Larry McMurtry dies at 84

Larry McMurtry ’60, who launched his writing career as a student at Rice University — a place he considered his “intellectual home”— and became famous for such memorable novels as “Lonesome Dove,” “The Last Picture Show” and “Terms of Endearment” among his dozens of other books and screenplays, has died. He was 84.

Does selfishness evolve? Ask a cannibal

Biologists have used one of nature's most prolific cannibals to show how social structure affects the evolution of selfish behavior. Researchers showed they could drive the evolution of less selfish behavior in Indian meal moths with habitat changes that forced larval caterpillars to interact more often with siblings.

Post-pandemic economic recovery depends on state investing in urban areas

As policymakers look to accelerate the Texas economy and manage growth challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic, investment in Texas cities is a must, including support for talent, innovation and partnerships, according to a new statewide policy agenda from researchers at Rice University's Kinder Institute for Urban Research, the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin and the George W. Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative in Dallas.

Corals may need their predators' poop

Fish that dine on corals may pay it forward with poop. Rice University marine biologists found high concentrations of living symbiotic algae in the feces of coral predators on reefs in Mo'orea, French Polynesia.

Baker Institute survey highlights illicit medical pot use in Texas, law shortcomings

With the passage of the Compassionate Use Act in 2015, the state of Texas officially recognized cannabis as medicine.

Unconventional students at Rice 2021: Nia Prince wants to impact the world

Nia Prince ’21 had an idea of what she wanted out of her Rice education, but really didn’t know how to get there.