News Releases

Rice students chart a new course for autonomous sailboat fleets

In a corner of Rice’s Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen (OEDK), a group of students is tackling a big idea: revolutionizing maritime transport with swarms of smart, self-sailing boats.

Rice students drive real-world change through research with Houston nonprofits

Community partners across Houston are seeing meaningful results from a unique research partnership with Rice University students.

Rice-led research team develop super material that could change electronics

A research team led by physicists Ming Yi and Emilia Morosan has developed a new material with unique electronic properties that could enable more powerful and energy-efficient electronic devices.

Rice anthropologists spotlight human toll of glacier loss

Rice University anthropologists examine the societal consequences of global glacier loss in a commentary published in Science.

Rice-led forum tackles critical water-energy nexus in Washington, D.C.

In a time of escalating climate risks, crumbling infrastructure and ballooning industrial demand, understanding how water and energy intertwine has never been more urgent. That was the resounding message from experts who convened May 19 in Washington, D.C., for “The Intersection of Water and Energy, 2025-2030,” a forum hosted by Rice and Arizona State University.

‘Unwavering determination’: Rice Wind Energy takes second place at national Collegiate Wind Competition

Rice’s student-led Rice Wind Energy team soared to new heights this year, clinching second place overall at the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2025 Collegiate Wind Competition.

2025 Kinder Houston Area Survey finds Houstonians proud, united and looking ahead

Nearly 1,000 people gathered to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research and the release of its 2025 Kinder Houston Area Survey.

12 startups selected to join Class 5 of the Rice Alliance Clean Energy Accelerator

The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship has announced the 12 startups chosen for Class 5 of its Clean Energy Accelerator, a program designed to propel early stage ventures advancing the global energy transition. These companies from both the Houston-region and across the U.S. and Canada are addressing carbon management, energy storage, materials, energy efficiency, wind and hydrogen.

Rice researchers lay groundwork for designer hybrid 2D materials

An international team of researchers led by Rice materials scientists has succeeded in creating a genuine 2D hybrid material called glaphene.

Rice to partner with ISE on naming rights for Rice Stadium

Rice Athletics announced that it will partner with Independent Sports and Entertainment to identify a potential naming rights partner for Rice Stadium, the iconic home of Rice Football and countless other major sporting and entertainment events over the past eight decades.

New leash on life: Rice students design haptic vest for blind dogs

A team of engineering students at Rice designed an innovative wearable vest that helps blind dogs safely navigate their surroundings.

Rice’s SSPEED Center unveils Galveston Bay Park Plan: A comprehensive solution to hurricane storm surge threats

The Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center at Rice, in collaboration with a team of experts, has developed the Galveston Bay Park Plan, an in-bay barrier and park system designed to provide enhanced storm surge protection and navigation and environmental benefits for the highly vulnerable west side of Galveston Bay.

‘Pinballs in a cosmic arcade’: New study suggests how wide-orbit planets form, supporting existence of Planet Nine

In a new study published in Nature Astronomy, researchers from Rice and the Planetary Science Institute used complex simulations to show that wide-orbit planets are not anomalies but rather natural by-products of a chaotic early phase in planetary system development.

Rice geophysicist Ajo-Franklin wins Reginald Fessenden Award for pioneering work in fiber optic sensing

Jonathan Ajo-Franklin, a leading mind in applied geophysics and Trustee Professor of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences at Rice, has been awarded the 2025 Reginald Fessenden Award by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

Rice method refines ultrapure diamond film fabrication for quantum and electronic applications

Rice researchers have developed a simpler and more effective technique to make ultrapure diamond films for quantum and electronic applications.