Research

Extreme price variation at Houston hospitals continues, expert says

Houston hospitals show significant pricing differences in their procedures, according to a new brief from Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. The research revisits the websites of the four largest Texas Medical Center (TMC) hospitals to assess whether they have followed federal hospital price transparency laws. The analysis focuses on the listed prices from Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center, Houston Methodist Hospital and Memorial Hermann-TMC.

Rice launches ‘Policy Playbook’ with expert nonpartisan insights on key issues before the election

Nonpartisan data and insights on the top issues of the upcoming election such as the southern border, energy sustainability and resilient communities are available in ”Election 2024: Policy Playbook,” a new series of policy briefs presented jointly by Rice and the Baker Institute for Public Policy. The series offers critical context, analysis and recommendations to equip policy leaders governing the U.S. and Texas in 2025.

Rice research could make weird AI images a thing of the past

Rice computer scientists have developed a way to improve the performance of artificial intelligence diffusion models.

Rice experts available to discuss Tropical Storm Francine’s impact on Gulf Coast

Rice University experts Dominic Boyer and James Elliott, co-directors of the recently launched Center for Coastal Futures and Adaptive Resilience, are available to discuss the vulnerabilities of the Gulf Coast to major storms.

Rice’s Boniuk Institute launches new Religion and Public Life Center

Rice’s Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance hosted a celebration at Cohen House Aug. 28 to launch the new Religion and Public Life Center (RPLC). The center’s goal is to use research on religion to build common ground for the common good.

Rice addressing ‘one of the most pressing issues of our time’: The brain’s role in America’s future

Neuroscience experts from government, medicine, business and academia came together at Rice’s Bioscience Research Collaborative (BRC) Aug. 27 to discuss the American “brain economy transition.” The role of the human brain in the wider economy is drawing increased attention, and brain capital is becoming a priority for business and individuals. 

‘What connects us most’: Rice’s Humanities Research Center embraces the power, challenges of repair

For Graham Bader, director of Rice's Humanities Research Center, the COVID-19 pandemic revealed the critical role of humanists in addressing the world’s pressing concerns.

Rice’s Philip Kortum recognized by Human Factors and Ergonomics Society for excellence in education, training of students

The highly prestigious and competitive award was established in 1968.

Rice lab develops protein assembly road map for gas vesicles

Rice bioengineers developed a road map for the protein-protein interactions that give rise to gas vesicles, naturally occurring nanobubbles with potential use in biomedical applications.

New Rice research center takes on challenge to break down, replace ‘forever chemicals’

Rice inaugurated a new research center dedicated to ‘forever chemicals’ on Wednesday during a visit to campus by representatives of the United States Army Engineer Research and Development Center.

Thermochromic material could make indoor temperature control more energy-efficient

Rice engineers have developed a smart material that could significantly enhance energy efficiency for indoor space cooling. The new thermochromic polymer blend has an estimated lifespan of 60 years and is lower cost than existing thermochromics.

Rice’s Baker Institute Center for Energy Studies unveils first annual Energy Insights

Texas’ energy reliability and the future of global energy supply chains are just a few of the topics addressed in the first annual Energy Insights – a collection of articles from fellows and scholars at the Center for Energy Studies (CES) from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy that provides expert data and analysis on some of the most pressing policy issues affecting national and global energy markets.

New Rice center to address impact of climate change on coastal economic powerhouses

Globally, 800 million people living in hundreds of urban areas will face grave social and economic risks from sea level rise and routine coastal flooding by 2050.

Rice bioengineers develop lotus leaf-inspired system to advance study of cancer cell clusters

Rice bioengineers have harnessed the lotus effect to develop a system for culturing cancer cell clusters that can shed light on hard-to-study tumor properties. The new zinc oxide-based culturing surface mimics the lotus leaf surface structure, providing a highly tunable platform for the high-throughput generation of three-dimensional nanoscale tumor models.

Turning groceries into credit: A new frontier in lending

A new paper published in Management Science by Jung Youn Lee, assistant professor of marketing at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business, and colleagues from University of Notre Dame and Northwestern University identifies a widespread data source that could broaden the pool of qualified loan applicants: grocery store receipts.