News Releases

NIH grant backs study focused on Alzheimer’s in women

Rice University postdoctoral fellow Hannah Ballard has won a three-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate the link between the transition to menopause and Alzheimer’s disease.

Rice U. celebrates Juneteenth with two days of programming

Rice’s annual Juneteenth recognition and celebration will bring together professors from across the university and the country to explore ideas and questions central to the meaning and promise of the important holiday.

Testing and isolation may be more effective than lockdowns during pandemics, new model finds

As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, government officials around the world were forced to make decisions that either prioritized human health or the economy, which highlighted the dire need for a more coordinated response to dangerous pathogens that may emerge in the future.

Rice’s Jing Chen named to National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine committee on nearsightedness

Jing Chen, an assistant professor of psychological sciences in Rice’s School of Social Sciences, has been selected as a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s Committee on Focus on Myopia – Pathogenesis and Rising Incidence.

ARPA-E Director Evelyn Wang to make June 8 announcement at Rice

On June 8, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Director Evelyn N. Wang will visit Rice to make a commercialization announcement and host “ARPA-E on the Road: Houston” to spotlight local ARPA-E awardees and share information about work underway at ARPA-E.

Order in chaos: Atmosphere’s Antarctic oscillation has natural cycle

Rice researchers have discovered a natural cycle that repeats every 150 days in the north-south oscillation of the Southern Hemisphere’s prevailing westerly winds.

Nonprofit hospitals use proceeds to boost cash reserves rather than provide more charity care, new report shows

Using the National Academy of State Health Policy Hospital Cost Tool, authors Vivian Ho, the James A. Baker Chair in Health Economics at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, and Derek Jenkins, postdoctoral scholar in health economics at the Baker Institute, compared changes in nonprofit hospitals’ proceeds with changes in their charity care and cash reserves between 2012 and 2019.

Ancient viruses discovered in coral symbionts’ DNA

Rice bioscientists have discovered fragments of ancient RNA viruses in the genomes of the symbiotic organisms that live inside corals and provide them with their dramatic colors.

Rice U. grad student wins DOE research award

Winnie Shi, a Rice University chemical and biomolecular engineering graduate student, has been selected to participate in the Office of Science Graduate Student Research Program at the U.S. Department of Energy.

Flexible nanoelectrodes can provide fine-grained brain stimulation

Rice University engineers have developed ultraflexible implantable nanoelectrodes that can administer long-term, fine-grained brain stimulation.

New report examines gun violence ‘hot spots’ in Houston area

A new report by Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy sheds light on the reality of gun violence in the Houston area.

Iron-rich rocks unlock new insights into Earth’s planetary history

A new study by Rice University scientists suggests iron-rich ancient sediments may have helped cause some of the largest volcanic events in the planet’s history.

Stock buyback taxes could do more harm than good, argue Baker Institute experts

The idea that stock buybacks are a manipulation by executives to benefit themselves at the expense of shareholders may be true for a small number of firms but not the vast majority, therefore implementing buyback taxes in an attempt to curb such profits are no replacement for broader tax reform, according to a new report from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. 

Rice University welcomes three new trustees

Rice University has announced the addition of three new Board of Trustees members — Josh Earnest, Jennifer Kneale and Vinay Pai — who will serve four-year terms beginning July 1.

Rice U. announces latest cohort of Innovation Fellows

The Innovation Fellows program at Rice University has announced its latest cohort of talented researchers.