News Releases

Two Rice University professors elected AAAS fellows

Rice University professors Thomas Killian and Marek Kimmel are elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a distinction that honors scientists, engineers and innovators whose efforts on behalf of science and its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished.

Persistence is crucial in the classroom, new reports from Kinder Institute’s HERC show

Possessing lots of persistence leads to better academic outcomes for Houston Independent School District students, according to a newly released series of reports from the Houston Education Research Consortium (HERC), a research center within Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research.

Rice lab uncovers dynamics behind protein crucial in breast cancer

Just as a puppeteer moves a puppet by manipulating its strings, estrogen receptors, which play a crucial role in breast cancer, work in similar ways when they facilitate the interaction between hormones and DNA, according to Rice scientists.

Chinese prefer Europeans to Americans, but the feeling isn’t mutual

People in China have more favorable opinions of Europeans than Americans, but the feeling is not mutual, according to a new study from researchers at Rice University, the National University of Singapore and the University of British Columbia.

Balancing spousal loss and career is a one-two punch for health of widowed individuals

Coping with the loss of a spouse while dealing with the 9-to-5 grind can take a serious toll on the health of widows or widowers, according to new research from the Biobehavioral Mechanisms Explaining Disparities Lab (BMED) at Rice University.

Kory Evans wins NSF CAREER Award

Kory Evans, an assistant professor of biosciences at Rice University, has won a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award to study shape change in the skull of spiny ray-fin fishes across their evolutionary history.

Researchers can ‘see’ crystals perform their dance moves

Rice University researchers already knew the atoms in perovskites react favorably to light. Now they’ve seen precisely how the atoms move when the 2D materials are excited with light. Their study this week in Nature Physics details the first direct measurement of structural dynamics under light-induced excitation in 2D perovskites.

Volcano-like rupture could have caused magnetar slowdown

In October 2020, a highly magnetic neutron star called SGR 1935+2154 abruptly began spinning more slowly. In a Nature Astronomy study this month, Rice University astrophysicist Matthew Baring and colleagues showed the magnetar’s rotational slowdown could have been caused by a volcano-like rupture near its magnetic pole.

Rice scientists’ discovery could lead to new Alzheimer’s therapies

A new approach to the study of amyloid-beta, a peptide associated with Alzheimer’s disease, has led Rice University scientists to findings that could have a significant impact on the understanding and potential treatment of the disease.

Rice Business’ online MBA program rises in US News rankings

MBA@Rice, the online program at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business, climbed higher in four categories in the latest edition of U.S News & World Report’s Best Online Programs rankings out today.

Naomi Halas named University Professor

Rice University has promoted nanotechnology pioneer Naomi Halas to its highest academic rank, University Professor. Halas, a 33-year member of Rice’s faculty, becomes only the 10th person and second woman to earn the title in Rice’s 111-year history.

Can you judge trustworthiness based on looks? Rice research says no

How many times have you heard someone say, “He looks trustworthy”? As it turns out, you can’t trust appearances..

Andrew Grams to lead Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra as major ensembles kick off spring semester

Andrew Grams, former music director of Elgin Symphony Orchestra, will lead the Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra as the school’s major orchestra ensembles kick off their spring semester performances Feb. 3 and 4. Both performances are free to the public and will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Alice Pratt Brown Hall’s Stude Concert Hall on the campus of Rice University.

Experts to discuss Pakistan’s energy and water security challenges at Baker Institute event

How can Pakistan ensure its energy and water security while facing geopolitical turmoil and the ravages of climate change? Experts will discuss these and other critical issues in the country during a Jan. 26 event from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

New enzyme could mean better drugs

Biomolecular engineers at Rice University identified a new enzyme that catalyzes the Nobel Prize-winning Diels-Alder reaction.