News Releases

Rice engineers tackle hard-to-map class of materials

Rice materials scientist Yimo Han and collaborators mapped the structural features of a 2D ferroelectric material made of tin and selenium atoms using a new technique that can be applied to other 2D van der Waals ferroelectrics, unlocking their potential for use in electronics and other applications.

Leaders from US, French space industries to discuss future of spaceflight at Rice Global Paris Center

Key leaders from the Houston and French space industries will discuss the future of spaceflight at a conference at the Rice Global Paris Center Dec. 4-6.

Newest OpenStax textbook provides essential workplace skills to students

OpenStax’s newest textbook, “Workplace Software and Skills,” addresses the evolving needs of college and university students preparing for their careers with free, customizable resources. Just like the other 65 textbooks freely available in Rice University’s OpenStax library, this textbook is openly licensed and peer-reviewed. 

Disc around star observed in another galaxy for the first time

Astronomers have uncovered evidence of an extragalactic accretion disk for the first time.

Kavli Exploration Award backs Rice-led sustainable carbon materials research

An international team of scientists led by Rice’s Matteo Pasquali has won a $4.1 million grant to optimize carbon nanotube synthesis. The award is a joint effort by The Kavli Foundation, with a $1.9 million Exploration Award in Nanoscience for Sustainability, and Rice’s Carbon Hub, which contributed an additional $2.2 million.

Rice Business online MBA ranks No. 6 nationally, according to Poets&Quants

Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business ranks No. 6 nationally for its online Master of Business Administration program, according to Poets&Quants rankings released today. MBA@Rice is the fastest-growing program at the business school since its launch in 2018.

‘Strange metal’ is strangely quiet in noise experiment

Rice experiments have provided the first direct evidence that electricity seems to flow through “strange metals” in an unusual liquid-like form. The first “shot noise” experiments on a strange metal from the Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien) are detailed this week in Science by physicists from both universities.

Rice receives $2.5M grant to support inclusive STEM education

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute awarded Rice University with $2.5 million spanning over five years as part of its Driving Change initiative designed to connect research universities that are working to build inclusive learning environments for students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. 

Symphony concert, annual ‘Spirit of the Season’ and more on tap as Rice Shepherd School wraps up fall events

As the holiday season approaches, Rice’s Shepherd School of Music has a number of events on tap for concertgoers to enjoy.

Grant backs research on teaching networks to make better decisions

Rice’s Santiago Segarra and Ashutosh Sabharwal have won a grant from the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory to develop a machine learning framework that improves military communication networks’ decision-making processes. The research could also help inform applications such as self-driving vehicles and cyber intrusion detection.

Numerous Rice Owls up for Grammy gold

A number of Rice University Shepherd School of Music alumni will be up for Grammy gold at the 66th annual Grammy Awards ceremony Feb. 4 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Rice research: DACA uncertainty leads to psychological stress for recipients

After former President Donald Trump announced the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in 2017, beneficiaries of it experienced significantly higher levels of distress and post-traumatic stress diagnoses than their non-DACA counterparts, according to a new study from Rice University.

Study sheds light on how Earth cycles fossil carbon

Rice’s Mark Torres and collaborators used rhenium as a proxy for fossil carbon in order to quantify the rate at which Earth naturally releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and found that high rates of carbon breakdown persist across the different geographical profiles of a river basin.

Fluorine catch-and-attach process could boost drug efficiency

Rice scientists have developed a new low-cost, safe and effective process to free up and reattach fluorine to chemical compounds. In pharmaceuticals, fluorine can expand lifetime, increase absorption and minimize side effects.

Atomic dance gives rise to a magnet

Rice researchers turned a paramagnetic material into a magnet by manipulating electrons’ spin via atomic motion.