“Three, two, one … go.” The clock started ticking on the School of Social Sciences’ latest Research Relay, giving each new Rice University faculty member just four minutes to share their research with a packed room of students, staff and peers Sept. 22.
“Computer simulations can show us how electoral rules reshape political behavior,” said Guillermo Rosas, the Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science, as he launched into a rapid tour of electoral systems. Rosas uses modeling to understand why politicians behave so differently across democracies — from Brazil’s sprawling Congress with more than 20 political parties to the United States’ entrenched two-party system. His work asks how the rules embedded in electoral systems shape incentives and what happens when those rules change.
Linguist Bryce McCleary took the audience in an entirely different direction — into the cultural world of drag performance, where language is constantly being reinvented. He studies how words like “very” and phrases like “boots the house down” migrate from queer communities of practice to mainstream culture. “This is a cool example of the social life of language variation and change,” McCleary said, noting how such expressions spread across communities while shifting meaning along the way.
The sharp contrasts between presentations are exactly what make Research Relays such a draw. Designed as a rapid-fire showcase, the series highlights the extraordinary range of research happening across the school. “Research Relays are such a great way to learn what your colleagues are working on in a fun and informal setting,” Dean Rachel Kimbro said.
Erin Standen, assistant professor of psychological sciences, shifted the focus to health and wellness. She studies weight stigma and why traditional weight-loss programs so often fail. “One reason interventions fail is that they inadvertently make people feel shame or threat when they’re just trying to be healthy,” she said. Standen’s work explores strategies that encourage lasting habits — like eating more vegetables, managing stress and exercising — without shaming people into them.
The event closed with political scientist Taylor Damann, whose research examines the role of civilians in armed conflict. Using new datasets from the war in Ukraine, she found that organized civilian resistance can shorten battles by an average of three weeks. “For the first time, we’re seeing evidence that local civilian action has a tangible impact on the battlefield,” Damann said. Her findings also highlight the outsized role of women, who make up much of this grassroots organizing force.
By the end, the audience lingered in the room, clustering around the presenters with questions and ideas. For Patricia DeLucia, associate dean for research in the School of Social Sciences and professor of psychological sciences, that ripple effect is what makes Research Relays so valuable. “Spotlighting new faculty in this format not only introduces their exciting work, it also helps spark collaborations across the school,” DeLucia said.