Heartbeat HERoes win Rice’s 2024 Engineering Design Showcase
Team Heartbeat HERoes claimed victory at Rice University’s Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen’s (OEDK) annual Huff OEDK Engineering Design Showcase last month. The team secured the 2024 Woods-Leazar Innovation Award along with a $5,000 cash prize for its project in medical engineering.
Underwater robot pioneers new energy-efficient buoyancy control
A remotely operated underwater robot built by a team of Rice University engineering students pioneers a new way to control buoyancy via water-splitting fuel cells.
Rice students build low-cost cold spray metal 3D printer prototype
A team of Rice University students has developed a cold spray metal 3D printing device that relies on pressure and velocity rather than temperature to create a metal part.
Rice engineering students’ device could make intubation safer for young babies
TinyTrach, a team of interdisciplinary engineering students from Rice, created an innovative pediatric endotracheal tube integrated with a camera and anchoring system that could make intubation procedures safer for babies 1 month and older by ensuring precise placement, stable anchoring and visibility access for up to 14 days.
Rice engineering students convert old truck into an electrical vehicle
Four teams of Rice engineering students converted a 1997 Chevy P30 delivery van into a fully electric vehicle in less than a year, using a combination of parts scavenged from out-of-use vehicles, custom-built elements and off-the-shelf items.
Rice team brings home top prize in 2024 Ethics in Engineering Case Competition
A team of Rice engineering students have won this year’s national Ethics in Engineering Case Competition hosted by Lockheed Martin.
Rice research could advance soft robotics manufacturing, design
Rice engineers propose a new quantitative framework to account for and predict the impact of temperature on the curing speed of platinum-catalyzed silicone elastomers. The findings could maximize throughput and minimize waste in the manufacturing of components for soft robotics and wearables.
Faster and simpler point-of-care malaria test developed by Rice researchers
Rice University researchers have developed a rapid, accurate test for diagnosing malaria that is significantly faster and easier to use than traditional tests. The advancement has the potential to improve patient outcomes, especially in rural regions with limited health care resources.
Houston Methodist, Rice launch Center for Neural Systems Restoration
Houston Methodist and Rice recently launched the Center for Neural Systems Restoration, a joint interdisciplinary center for neuroscience research and treatment innovation that aims to advance care for neurological conditions by bringing together scientists, clinicians, engineers and surgeons to tackle medical challenges like stroke recovery and spinal cord injury.
Rice study shows coal-based product could replace sand in concrete
A new study by Rice researchers found that graphene derived from metallurgical coke, a coal-based product, through flash Joule heating could serve not only as a reinforcing additive in cement but also as a replacement for sand in concrete.
Rice announces partnership with Tecnológico de Monterrey
Rice University has announced an agreement with Tecnológico de Monterrey, which will include concurrent doctoral degrees, dual master’s programs and a partnership to expand access to continuing and professional education.
Rice expert available to comment on FDA decision on sickle cell disease therapy
Rice University’s Gang Bao is available to comment on today’s decision by the FDA on whether or not to approve a CRISPR-based therapy for sickle cell disease.
Robotic cup helps wheelchair users stay hydrated
Rice undergraduate engineering students Thomas Kutcher and Rafe Neathery designed a robotic device that enables people with limited mobility to stay hydrated without caretaker help.
Preston, four others win Ig Nobel Prize for ‘necrobotic’ spider study
Mechanical Engineering’s Daniel Preston, three graduate students and a postdoctoral fellow have won a 2023 Ig Nobel Prize for their “necrobotic” robot arm that incorporated a dead spider.
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.
