News Releases

Study: ‘Multiplicity of impact’ from natural disasters affects Black people most

The many personal, physical and social impacts of natural disasters disproportionately affect Black people, and such events can have political consequences for local governments regardless of constituents’ political ideology, according to new research from Rice University.

Rice U. chemist leverages heterogeneity for insight into catalysis, cancer initiation

Rice U. chemist Anatoly Kolomeisky has won a National Science Foundation award to study the role of heterogeneity in chemical and biological processes.

Homeowners in mostly white communities prefer to risk repeat flooding rather than move to more diverse neighborhoods on safer ground

Even after suffering flood damage, homeowners in mostly white communities prefer to accept higher risk of disaster repeating itself than relocate to areas with more racial diversity and less flood risk, according to new research from Rice University.

Shepherd School’s Xayvion Davidson wins first place, audience favorite at inaugural Cynthia Woods Mitchell-Ima Hogg Young Artist Competition

Xayvion Davidson, a rising sophomore studying bassoon at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, won first place and audience favorite at the inaugural Cynthia Woods Mitchell-Ima Hogg Young Artist Competition June 11.

Religious calling to a job can motivate employees but might result in mistreatment going unaddressed

Feeling a religious or spiritual calling to a job can be a huge motivator, but it can also potentially result in employee mistreatment and exploitation going unaddressed, according to new research from Rice University’s Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance and the Religion and Public Life Program.

Immigrants without documentation face mental health trauma even after arriving in US

Immigrants migrating to the U.S. face all kinds of hurdles, but after arriving stateside, the hardships continue, which can result in additional psychological distress, according to new research from Rice University.

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.