News Releases

Oil demand likely to grow despite pandemic, study says

HOUSTON – (July 10, 2021) – The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected both consumer and commercial transportation, but global oil demand will probably continue to grow through 2030, according to a new study.

Rice, Rutgers developing inhalable COVID-19 vaccine spray

Scientists at Rice and Rutgers developing two COVID-19 vaccine strategies that do not require cold storage, one of which can be inhaled.

Soft shell makes hard ceramic less likely to shatter

Coating ceramic schwarzites, 3D-printed lattices, with a thin polymer helps keep them from shattering under pressure.

NIH grant will help streamline chemical synthesis

Rice University chemist Julian West has won a five-year, $1.8 million National Institutes of Health grant to advance his lab’s efforts to simplify the synthesis of organic chemicals.

Rice sociologist Rachel Tolbert Kimbro named dean of School of Social Sciences

HOUSTON – (March 24, 2021) – Rachel Tolbert Kimbro, an award-winning educator and prolific researcher in the field of children's health, has been named the newest dean of Rice University's School of Social Sciences effective July 1.

Flood relocation programs more disruptive to those who don’t live in white or affluent neighborhoods

HOUSTON – (June 29, 2021) – A government policy that removes homeowners from flood-prone areas disproportionately disrupts the lives of residents from less white and affluent neighborhoods, according to new research from sociologists at Rice University and Temple University.

Fungi embrace fundamental economic theory as they engage in trading

HOUSTON – (June 29, 2021) – When you think about trade and market relationships, you might think about brokers yelling at each other on the floor of a stock exchange on Wall Street. But it seems one of the basic functions of a free market is quietly practiced by fungi.

Reversal speeds creation of important molecule

A Rice lab’s reverse approach to making halichondrin B is the shortest route to a “rather complex and important molecule."

Keck backs Rice bid to ‘build a brain’

A $1 million Keck Foundation grant will support work by Jacob Robinson to understand neural pathways.

RAMBO speeds searches on huge DNA databases

Rice computer scientists are sending RAMBO to rescue genomic researchers who sometimes wait days or weeks for search results from enormous DNA databases.

Bioengineering department adds single-cell expert via CPRIT grant

The little things of life mean a great deal to Julea Vlassakis, who will bring her study of protein complexes and their role in cancer proliferation to Rice University this year.

Quantum dots keep atoms spaced to boost catalysis

Rice engineers use graphene quantum dots to trap transition metals for high atom loading in single atom catalysis.

Housing in Houston: Tough times for tenants, would-be homeowners

HOUSTON – (June 22, 2021) – Houston's share of homeowners is dropping, and a growing number of renters interested in buying a home find themselves shut out of the market, according to a new report from Rice University's Kinder Institute for Urban Research.

Nightside radio could help reveal exoplanet details

Rice scientists enhance models that could be used to detect magnetosphere activity on exoplanets. The Rice model adds data from nightside activity that could increase signals by at least an order of magnitude.

Study examines how breast implant surfaces affect immune response

Rice University bioengineers collaborated on a six-year study that systematically analyzed how the surface architecture of silicone breast implants influences adverse side effects.