Engineering

​​​​​​​Rice Biotech Launch Pad accelerator aims to rapidly turn medical and health discoveries into cures

Rice University today introduced the Rice Biotech Launch Pad, a Houston-based accelerator focused on expediting the translation of the university’s health and medical technology discoveries into cures.

Ralph S. O’Connor building dedication ceremony to be held Sept. 14

On Thursday, Sept.14, Rice inaugurates a new, state-of-the-art engineering and science research facility with a dedication ceremony to Ralph S. O’Connor.

You can leave your gloves on: Rice-developed material burns viruses, safe for skin

A new material that packs deadly heat for viruses on its outer surface while staying cool on the reverse side could be used to make sustainable, multiuse personal protective equipment. Marquise Bell, a Rice graduate student who is the lead author of the research, was also part of this year’s NextProf Nexus workshop, a national, competitive faculty development program for engineering students from underrepresented groups.

Rice helps lead national quantum computing research efforts

A team of Rice University researchers have won a 4-year, $1.2 million grant from the Department of Energy to evaluate the strengths and limitations of different physical systems used to build quantum computers and inform strategies for achieving near-term advances in quantum computing.

Smart fabrics’ informed touch can tell you where to go

Rice U. engineers developed a lightweight, wearable textile-based device that can deliver complex haptic cues, enabling a user to perform open-world navigation tasks. The device is resilient to regular daily use, withstanding multiple cycles of washing and other damage and repair without loss of function.

Michael King, Cynthia Reinhart-King to join Rice engineering faculty

Two leading experts in the biomedical engineering field, Michael King and Cynthia Reinhart-King, whose research programs have advanced the understanding and treatment of cancer and other diseases, will join the Rice University faculty next year.

Rice welcomes delegation from India

In order to deepen and broaden the partnership between Rice University and the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK), Rice Global recently welcomed a delegation from the institute to the university for a day-long meeting.

Protective particles allow engineered probiotics to report gut disease

Rice U. bioengineers developed a platform that enhances survival and function of probiotics engineered to diagnose inflammatory bowel disease in animals. The technology holds promise for minimally invasive disease monitoring and advanced smart therapeutics.

Rice establishes 3-year partnership with Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur

Rice University and the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur have taken an important next step in their strategic research and education partnership with the announcement of the first recipients of the Rice-IITK Strategic Collaboration Award program. 

Gold buckyballs, oft-used nanoparticle ‘seeds’ are one and the same

Rice chemists have discovered that tiny gold “seed” particles, a key ingredient in one of the most common nanoparticle recipes, are one and the same as gold buckyballs, 32-atom spheres that are cousins of the Nobel Prize-winning carbon buckyballs discovered at Rice in 1985.

Weaker transcription factors are better when they work together

Rice bioengineer Caleb Bashor and colleagues have developed a generalizable method to address “off-target” gene activation, a significant problem in the field of synthetic biology. Taking a cue from nature, the researchers showed they could all but eliminate the activation of off-target genes by designing weak transcription factors that cooperatively assemble.

Cost-effective jaundice testing developed for low-resource hospitals

The Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies has validated the accuracy of its latest testing technology for newborn jaundice. BiliDx addresses a critical gap in the availability of accurate, affordable, point-of-care jaundice testing in low-resource hospitals.

Tiny, flexible spinal probe system could lead to better therapies

A $6.25 million National Institutes of Health grant supports Rice U. engineers optimizing a neural probe array that can record the activity of spinal cord neurons as bodies move and behave. Scientists would also develop an integrated data-processing and stimulation-feedback system.

Rice lab’s boron nitride composite could be useful for advanced technology applications

Rice University scientists have found that a boron nitride nanocomposite interacts with light and heat in unexpected ways that could be useful for advanced technology applications.

Rice U. experts available to discuss new report on job loss predictions in major cities around US due to AI

Las Vegas; Miami; Louisville, Kentucky; Orlando, Florida; and Grand Rapids, Michigan top the list of cities at greatest risk of losing jobs to artificial intelligence (AI), according to a report from the Chamber of Commerce, a business research company.