Rice rises 26 spots in ranking of top 100 US universities for utility patents
Rice is now ranked 68th on the Top 100 U.S. Universities Granted Utility Patents in 2024, a list published by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) — a leap of 26 spots from last year’s list. Rice ranked 94th in 2023 with 14 granted patents; this year, Rice brought in 30 new patents, leading to its sharp increase in ranking.
Empowering educators, transforming outcomes: AP Summer Institute boosts classroom success
At Rice's Advanced Placement Summer Institute offered through the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies, educators from across the globe gather each year to strengthen their instruction, build community and prepare students for success in college and beyond.
Rice Business student opens smoothie, acai shop in downtown Houston
A new concept shop in downtown Houston features healthy smoothies, acai bowls, parfaits and more — and it’s owned and operated by a Rice sophomore.
James F. Young, professor emeritus of electrical and computer engineering, dies at 81
James F. Young, professor emeritus of electrical and computer engineering at Rice, died May 18 in Hawaii. He was 81.
This year’s Summer Jam welcomed more than 1,900 people as they explored the Moody’s exhibitions “Figurative Histories” and “Collective Memories.”
AI tools aren’t a creativity machine on their own, Rice expert says
Can generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools that create text, images and other content truly enhance employee creativity? A new paper published in the Journal of Applied Psychology and co-authored by Jing Zhou, Rice’s Mary Gibbs Jones Professor of Management, finds that generative AI doesn’t enhance creativity equally for everyone. Instead, its impact depends on how well people manage their own thinking while using it.
Internships and impact: How Rice students are shaping the world
Across the country and globe, Rice students are seizing hands-on roles with real stakes by interning in fields as diverse as offshore energy, arts education, global sports marketing and refugee housing.
HISD student data shows decline in alcohol use, increase in illicit drugs
Recent data shows that substance use of alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana, is declining among students in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) – yet there's still concern around the use of other or illicit drugs, according to a new paper from Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
Rice SSPEED Center’s FIRST system provides critical flood warnings in real time
In the aftermath of the devastating July 2025 floods in the Texas Hill Country, the need for reliable, real-time flood warning systems has never been more urgent.
Rice mourns loss of Bob Stein, renowned political scientist and civic leader
Robert “Bob” M. Stein, the influential political scientist who shaped civic life at Rice and across Texas, died after a brief battle with cancer.
From pool to coastline: Rice alum leads nationwide ocean safety campaign with student-athletes
When Rice alumnus and former swimmer Bruckner Chase ’90 first dove into open-water swimming, he couldn’t have imagined it would one day bring him back to campus — not as an athlete but as the driving force behind a national ocean safety campaign now poised to reach millions.
Romanticism in real time: Rice students take on ruins, race, revolution in Paris
Held over three weeks this summer, the class was grounded in literature, philosophy and art history but used Paris itself as the primary teaching tool.
The RISING Center at Rice, a partnership accelerating U.S.-India collaboration in advanced materials and defense-related technologies, held a one-year review meeting on campus last month.
Leading the science of teamwork: Salas earns national recognition for group psychology breakthroughs
Eduardo Salas named the 2025 Group Psychologist of the Year by APA’s Division 49, a national honor celebrating pioneering contributions to the science and practice of group psychology.
Rice scientists discover way to engineer stronger soft devices through smarter silicone bonding
In a step forward for soft robotics and biomedical devices, Rice engineers have uncovered a powerful new way to boost the strength and durability of silicone-based soft devices without changing the materials themselves.
