News Releases

Why poor sleep quality can be a matter of life and death for migrant roofers

Migrant roofers in the U.S. helping communities rebuild from natural disasters often struggle with poor quality of sleep, according to new research from Rice University. The issue can be a matter of life and death for these individuals, who are working in environments where a sleepy misstep can literally end their life or permanently injure them.

Art history scholar to discuss architectural heritage linking Sunnis and Shi’is

In a departure from the prevailing narrative that frames modern conflicts in the Middle East solely through sectarian lines, the research of Stephennie Mulder, associate professor of Islamic art and architecture at the University of Texas at Austin, examines the architecture of medieval Syria to reveal a more complex interaction between Sunni and Shi’i communities.

Rice study shows cash assistance for groceries provides low-income families more flexibility than food distributions

A Rice University study of food aid programs during the pandemic found that cash assistance provided low-income mothers with greater flexibility to feed their families than food distributions.

Rice Biotech Launch Pad adds pharmaceuticals pioneer Robert Ruffolo to external advisory board

Rice University today announced the addition of Robert Ruffolo Jr. to its external advisory board for the Rice Biotech Launch Pad, a Houston-based accelerator focused on expediting the translation of the university’s health and medical technology discoveries into cures.

Dreaming of justice: Rice to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day with lecture by Ohio State’s Treva Lindsey

On Jan. 16, Treva Lindsey, professor of women’s, gender and sexuality studies at Ohio State University and co-founder of Black Feminist Night School at Zora’s House, will deliver a lecture titled “Until Justice Rolls Down Like Water: The Enduring Power of Black Freedom Dreams.”

Rice psychology, immigration expert at the border, available for interviews

Luz Garcini, a Rice University expert who focuses on the psychological impacts of migration on refugees and immigrants, will be at the Texas-Mexico border this week with the American Psychological Association’s Presidential Task Force on Immigration.

Rice bioengineering curriculum cultivates human-centered approach to medical design

A five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will support the development of an innovative undergraduate bioengineering curriculum component intended to cultivate inclusive design principles for Rice students contemplating a career as medical practitioners or medical technology innovators.

’Tis the season of giving . . . and engineering

The holiday season kicked off early this year for a Rice staff member who received a welcome and much-needed gift from a team of freshman engineering students.

Molecular jackhammers’ ‘good vibrations’ eradicate cancer cells

Rice scientists and collaborators at Texas A&M University and University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have found a new way to kill cancer cells by using near-infrared light to make a small dye molecule attached to their membrane vibrate strongly. It is the first time this kind of mechanical molecular action has been used as a potential therapy.

Chris Stipes joins Rice as executive director of news and media relations

Chris Stipes, a public relations leader and Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist, has been appointed executive director of news and media relations in Rice University’s Office of Public Affairs.

For this emergent class of materials, ‘solutions are the problem’

Rice materials scientists developed a fast, low-cost, scalable method to make covalent organic frameworks (COFs), a class of crystalline polymers whose tunable molecular structure, large surface area and porosity could be useful in energy applications, semiconductor devices, sensors, filtration systems and drug delivery.

Electronic pathways may enhance collective atomic vibrations’ magnetism

A new study from Rice’s RAMBO laboratory and collaborators suggests the magnetism of phonons, collective atomic vibrations, is enhanced by electronic pathways.

Rice student-athlete Ahalya Lettenberger named Marshall Scholar

Rice swimmer and recent graduate Ahalya Lettenberger is one of 51 students nationwide selected for a 2024 Marshall Scholarship, it was announced Dec. 11.

Working women feel unsupported by Christian congregations — even more progressive ones

As church membership declines across the United States, a new study from Rice University’s Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance finds that working women do not feel supported by their clergy and churches, regardless of whether they’re involved with a more conservative or liberal congregation.

Rice MBA ranks among top 20 business degrees in the US, according to Poets&Quants

The full-time on-campus Master of Business Administration program from Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business ranks No. 18 in the country, according to new 2024 rankings from Poets&Quants. The school rose 11 spots since 2023. This latest ranking makes Rice Business the No. 1 business school in Texas, according to Poets and Quants.