Rice University served as the educational partner for the inaugural Texas House during this week’s South by Southwest (SXSW) conference in Austin. A first-of-its-kind unofficial, off-site activation, Texas House brought together thousands of attendees to celebrate “Texcellence” — showcasing the bold ideas, pioneering spirit and world-class collaborations that define Texas’ forward-thinking vision.
As a key sponsor, Rice experts led dynamic panel discussions on topics including global partnerships, innovation in Texas, national security and supply chain connectivity, the development of collaborative life science centers and Texas’ role in the emerging brain economy.
Power of global partnerships
Caroline Levander, Rice’s vice president for global, discussed the power of global partnerships in a conversation with KXAN news reporter Avery Travis. Levander has spearheaded the establishment of the Rice Global Paris Center and recently launched Rice Global India in Bengaluru, India.
She noted that the world’s biggest problems are not confined by borders. While they may have geographic manifestations, issues like climate change, ethical artificial intelligence and the future of cities are concerns that every community around the globe is facing, she said.
“I think it’s really important as we look at the challenges that we all face that we bring the best minds together and tackle it as a team, not thinking in terms of nations but thinking in terms of shared interests,” she said. “We all know that glacial melt in Iceland raises shorelines around the world.”
Levander co-founded Our Americas Archive with Canada and Mexico. The digital platform aims to showcase the full complexity of the Americas’ history, highlighting key documents that explore political and cultural relationships across Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America from colonization to the present. She also led the development of Rice Online Learning, which provides online courses to millions of learners worldwide.
“Change is not the work of a moment, it’s the work of many years,” Levander said.
Brain health and the global economy
Harris Eyre, senior fellow in brain health at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and lead of its Neuro-Policy Program, highlighted Texas’ pivotal role in shaping the future of the global brain economy. He emphasized the growing impact of neurodegenerative and mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, brain injuries and Alzheimer’s disease, which are taking an immense toll on both individual well-being and the broader U.S. economy. Eyre noted that brain health issues are costing the global economy $3.5 trillion annually in lost productivity, with this figure increasing by 5% each year.
“I personally got interested in the brain economy because I see the size and scale of global brain issues as so massive,” Eyre said. “This requires systems change, something big, something akin to the energy transition that we know so well in Texas. That’s what this is, this brain transition. And so I spend all my time now with Rice at the Baker Institute thinking about the brain economy transition. How do we explain it, tell the story, and how do we actually do it?”
Texas legislators, led by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, have been advocating for the creation of a dementia research fund in the state, modeled after the highly successful $6 billion Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). State Rep. Greg Bonnen, R-Friendswood, a neurosurgeon, kicked off the discussion by underscoring the significant benefits such research could bring.
“We’re in a good place when the debate is not whether or not we’re going to do it, the debate is precisely how we’re going to do it,” Bonnen said. “Everybody’s in agreement that this is a priority that needs to get done.”
Houston’s life science ecosystem
Omid Veiseh, professor and CPRIT Scholar in the departments of bioengineering and chemical and biomolecular engineering, led a discussion highlighting world-renowned research and partnerships with the Texas Medical Center at Helix Park, including the new Rice BioTech Launch Pad , JLabs and architecture firm Perkins&Will. The panelists shared lessons learned about building and operating these spaces to fit the needs of various constituents and the community.
Veiseh emphasized that the TMC, the largest medical complex in the world with over 120,000 employees located next door to Rice, is one of the premier global hubs for testing new medicines on human patients, giving Houston a distinct advantage in health innovation.
“Our unfair advantage when it comes to medicine is really the unique insights that these clinicians possess, which doesn’t really exist anywhere else just because the sheer volume and the numbers of clinicians that are practicing,” Veiseh said. “I think this is why we’re starting to see Houston emerge as one of the top places.”
In other Texas House panel discussions, Adrian Trömel, associate vice president for strategy and investments in Rice’s Office of Innovation, highlighted the Ion District and new Rice Nexus innovation factory and how such districts can achieve success. Vinod Veedu, assistant vice president in the Rice Office of Research, led two timely lightning talks on the role of academia in shaping the future of the Department of Defense and the role of supply chain connectivity in securing national interests.
Since its founding in 1987, SXSW has become a premier event for creatives from around the world. The annual gathering in Austin includes a diverse array of sessions, music and comedy showcases, film and television screenings, exhibitions, professional development opportunities, tech competitions and much more.