Natural Sciences

Three from Rice elected fellows of the American Physical Society

Rice University faculty members Sibani Lisa Biswal , Kaden Hazzard and Andriy Nevidomskyy have been elected fellows of the American Physical Society.

Rice researcher scans tropical forest with mixed-reality device

Rice University scientists incorporated a Microsoft HoloLens mixed-reality headset with custom-built open-source software to record and store mammal habitat data in the Udzungwa Mountains National Park in Tanzania, showing that there was greater biodiversity where more vegetation was measured.

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.

Climate catastrophe produced instantaneous evolutionary change

A unique experiment by Rice University biologists in the wake of 2017’s Hurricane Harvey that revealed species can instantly evolve when they move in response to a climate catastrophe.

Rice, Houston Methodist to unveil state-of-the-art Center for Human Performance Oct. 10

Rice University and Houston Methodist will unveil the Houston Methodist-Rice University Center for Human Performance in an Oct. 10 kickoff event featuring demonstrations of the center’s state-of-the-art capabilities.

Rice alum Louis Brus awarded Nobel Prize in chemistry

Rice alumnus Louis Brus (’65) has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry alongside Moungi Bawendi and Alexei Ekimov for the “discovery and development of quantum dots.”

It's easier to get valuable metals from battery waste if you ‘flash’ it

A battery recycling process developed by Rice scientists can retrieve valuable metals from mixed cathode and anode waste with a yield exceeding 98% in less time than normal using low-concentration acid, reducing both the cost and negative environmental impact.

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.

Ralph S. O’Connor Building for Engineering and Science official opening marks ‘beginning of new era at Rice’

The Ralph S. O’Connor building for Engineering and Science was officially inaugurated yesterday with a ceremony commemorating the late Rice University trustee whose generosity helped make it a reality.

Making hydrogen from waste plastic could pay for itself

Rice University researchers have found a way to harvest hydrogen from plastic waste using a low-emissions method that generates graphene as a by-product, which could help offset production costs.

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.

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.

When D turns to F, quantum matter is A-plus

In a potential boon for quantum computing, Rice physicists have shown that topologically protected quantum states can be entangled with other, highly manipulable quantum states in some electronic materials.

Rice researchers earn prestigious Defense Department grants

Rice professors Qimiao Si and Jeffrey Tabor are recipients of prestigious 2023 Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowships from the Department of Defense.