Rice planetary scientists link Jupiter’s birth to Earth’s formation zone
New research from Rice suggests that the giant planet Jupiter reshaped the early solar system in dramatic ways, carving out rings and gaps that ultimately explain one of the longest-standing puzzles in planetary science: why many primitive meteorites formed millions of years after the first solid bodies.
Rice’s Dee earns AGU Nanne Weber Early Career Award
Rice climatologist Sylvia Dee has been awarded the 2025 Nanne Weber Early Career Award from the American Geophysical Union’s Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology Section.
Rice geophysicist Gordon awarded AGU’s Walter H. Bucher Medal
Richard Gordon, the W.M. Keck Foundation Professor of Geophysics in Rice’s Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, has been awarded the 2025 Walter H. Bucher Medal by the American Geophysical Union.
Rice’s Masiello elected fellow of American Geophysical Union
Carrie Masiello, the W. Maurice Ewing Professor of Biogeochemistry at Rice, has been elected a fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the world’s largest Earth and space science association.
New Mars research reveals multiple episodes of habitability in Jezero Crater
New research using NASA’s Perseverance rover has uncovered strong evidence that Mars’ Jezero Crater experienced multiple episodes of fluid activity — each with conditions that could have supported life.
New climate models to reveal secret life of water
A project led by Rice and the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research will build a new and improved version of the Community Earth System Model, which can trace water across the entire planet from the clouds in the sky to the thick ice sheets deep underground.
Teaching in Paris: Rice faculty reflect on the Global experience
Set in the heart of the city, the Rice Global Paris Center offers more than a space to teach. It’s a framework for courses that draw directly from Paris itself.
Rice scientists launch powerful new online tool to streamline mineral identification
A team of researchers at Rice has developed MIST — Mineral Identification by Stoichiometry — the first online tool capable of automatically identifying hundreds of different mineral species from their chemical composition using a carefully designed rules-based algorithm.
Rice geoscientist honored with Geological Society of America’s Woollard Award
Richard Gordon, the W.M. Keck Foundation Professor of Geophysics, Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences at Rice, has been named the 2025 recipient of the George P. Woollard Award from the Geological Society of America.
Vanishing shores: Coastal geologist issues urgent call to save the Gulf Coast
For John B. Anderson, the W. Maurice Ewing Professor Emeritus of Oceanography at Rice, the Gulf Coast is personal.
In a new study published in Nature Astronomy, researchers from Rice and the Planetary Science Institute used complex simulations to show that wide-orbit planets are not anomalies but rather natural by-products of a chaotic early phase in planetary system development.
Jonathan Ajo-Franklin, a leading mind in applied geophysics and Trustee Professor of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences at Rice, has been awarded the 2025 Reginald Fessenden Award by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists.
Rice helps youth explore Earth and space sciences at ‘first-of-its-kind’ event
Nearly 1,000 Earth and planetary explorers from the greater Houston area attended Rice’s K-12 Earth and planetary open house at Rice Memorial Center’s Grand Hall May 3. The event was held by the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, the Rice Space Institute’s Center for Planetary Origins to Habitability and the Office of STEM Engagement in partnership with Houston Independent School District and NASA.
Rice experts can address severe weather and flooding risks caused by current omega block
Rice experts can address severe weather and flooding risks caused by current omega block.
A team of researchers from Rice, University of New Mexico, University of Utah and the University of Texas at Dallas have discovered a sharp, volatile-rich cap just 3.8 kilometers beneath Yellowstone’s surface.
