News Releases

A trillion turns of light nets terahertz polarized bytes

Nanophotonics researchers at Rice University, the Polytechnic University of Milan and the Italian Institute of Technology have demonstrated a novel technique for modulating light at terahertz frequencies with plasmonic metasurfaces.

RUPD accreditation commission seeks public comments

HOUSTON -- (Oct. 19, 2020) -- A public forum for community comments about the Rice University Police Department will be held during a virtual visit to campus conducted by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

Bisexual adults less likely to enjoy health benefits of education

HOUSTON – (Oct. 15, 2020) – Education has long been linked to health — the more schooling people have, the healthier they are likely to be. But a new study from Rice University sociologists found that the health benefits of a good education are less evident among well-educated bisexual adults.

Haotian Wang wins Packard Fellowship

Haotian Wang has been honored with a Packard Fellowship, one of 20 researchers in the nation to do so this year.

NSF renews Rice-based NEWT Center for water treatment

The National Science Foundation renews the Rice-based Nanotechnology Enabled Water Treatment Center for five years. The Engineering Research Center is dedicated to enabling access to clean water around the world.

Election security expert to address voting issues in Rice webinar

Dan Wallach, a Rice University professor of computer science and of electrical and computer engineering, will hold a Zoom webinar on “Adventures in Voting Security Research” Oct. 15 at 4 p.m.

U.S. sanctions in Europe may hurt global energy industry

HOUSTON – (Oct. 15, 2020) – Imposing sanctions is not the most effective way to secure Europe’s natural gas supply against external coercion, according to a new study  from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. Instead, the authors recommend  investing more in the continent’s natural gas infrastructure.

High turnout, more early voting expected in Harris County

HOUSTON – (Oct. 13, 2020) – Rice University researchers are expecting high election turnout in Harris County, with a majority of voters heading to the polls during early voting, more ballots cast by mail and a significant decline in the number of voters going to the polls on Election Day.

Study: Darwin's theory about coral reef atolls is fatally flawed

Rice marine geologist and oceanographer André Droxler knows Charles Darwin's theory about atoll formation is incorrect, and Droxler and former Rice postdoc Stéphan Jorry are hoping to set the record straight with a comprehensive new paper about the subject.

Literal rise of the internet enables new climate science

Collaborative National Science Foundation grants will use data from internet balloons to study atmospheric gravity waves and their influence on the weather and climate.

The Ion awarded $1.4M to launch Aerospace Innovation Hub

HOUSTON – (Oct. 8, 2020) – The Ion has been awarded $1.4 million in federal funding for a partnership with NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) and DivInc to create its Aerospace Innovation Hub (ASCI-Hub) – which will support and develop regional minority business enterprises (MBEs) that address aerospace-related challenges.

Rice Public Art transforms temporary classrooms into public art destinations

HOUSTON – (Oct. 6, 2020) – The tent-like structures serving as temporary classroom spaces at Rice University during the pandemic could have been left as they were built: tall, steel-framed, silvery-white facilities tucked behind a row of live oak trees near Hanszen College at the corner of College Way and Alumni Drive.

Deep learning gives drug design a boost

A computational tool created at Rice University may help pharmaceutical companies expand their ability to investigate the safety of drugs.

Gemini South's high-def version of 'A Star is Born'

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is still more than a year from launching, but the Gemini South telescope in Chile has provided astronomers from Rice University and Dublin City University a glimpse of what the orbiting observatory should deliver.

Musicians may need more than social distancing to stay safe on stage

Keeping musicians safe while they're on stage during the pandemic may require more than just social distancing, according to a study of exhaled aerosols conducted by Rice University engineers and musicians from Rice's Shepherd School of Music and the Houston Symphony.