Earth Environmental and Planetary Sciences

Rice's new ‘forward-thinking’ art installation highlights climate change through voices of activists, scholars and scientists

Rice’s O’Connor Building for Engineering and Science now houses an immersive public art installation titled “Climate Parliament,” a thought-provoking work by Mexican-Canadian artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer.

Rice Sustainability Institute and Chevron partner to empower next-gen sustainable energy leaders

The Rice Sustainability Institute announces the inaugural recipients of the newly created Rice Chevron Energy Graduate Fellowship.

Researchers unveil mysteries of ancient Earth

A research team led by Rice’s Duncan Keller and Cin-Ty Lee studied massif-type anorthosites to test ideas about the magmas that formed them.

Rice’s Sylvia Dee working to improve projections of extreme droughts, floods

Rice climate scientist Sylvia Dee has won a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the agency’s most prestigious early career honor.

Exploring climate change through wine

Among the courses recently offered at the Rice Global Paris Center was “Climate Change, Economics and the Wine Industry,” which brought students to Paris for three weeks in May.

Rice and Houston ISD partner to launch planetary science education program for K-12 students and teachers

Rice University and the Houston Independent School District (HISD) will collaborate on a space and planetary science pilot program to inspire the next generation of Earth, planetary and space enthusiasts and professionals.

Faculty, staff, students honored for excellence in teaching, mentoring, service

Each year, Rice honors members of the university community who have served students through outstanding teaching, dedication and service.

Rice to offer new master’s in energy transition and sustainability

Rice University will launch a Master of Energy Transition and Sustainability (METS) program this fall designed to equip students with the tools needed to thrive in the evolving energy industry landscape.

Rice’s Mark Torres wins NSF CAREER Award to examine river water chemistry

Mark Torres, assistant professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences at Rice University, has won a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award to unlock new insights in river water chemistry, including its implications for addressing environmental concerns.

Study sheds light on how Earth cycles fossil carbon

Rice’s Mark Torres and collaborators used rhenium as a proxy for fossil carbon in order to quantify the rate at which Earth naturally releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and found that high rates of carbon breakdown persist across the different geographical profiles of a river basin.

Global temperature variations impact the planet’s water cycle

A new study by Rice climate scientist Sylvia Dee and an international team of collaborators sheds light on the impact that global temperature variation over the past 2,000 years has had on the planet’s hydrological cycle.

Fenglin Niu named fellow of the American Geophysical Union

Rice University seismologist Fenglin Niu has been elected a fellow of the American Geophysical Union in honor of his leading-edge research in high-resolution seismic imaging.

Decontamination method zaps pollutants from soil

A rapid, high-heat electrothermal soil remediation process developed by Rice scientists and collaborators at the United States Army Engineer Research and Development Center flushes out both organic pollutants and heavy metals in seconds without damaging soil fertility.

DOE backs Rice study of how soils store carbon

Two Rice University scientists have won a 3-year grant from the Department of Energy to study clay mineral formation processes in a watershed in order to develop a model of how soils store carbon as organic matter.

Asteroid named for Rice planetary scientist

An asteroid has been named for Rice planetary scientist André Izidoro, a newly appointed assistant professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences.