Machine learning fine-tunes flash graphene
Rice University scientists are using machine learning techniques to streamline the process of synthesizing graphene from waste through flash Joule heating.
Access to gig economy may spur small business creation, study finds
Access to the gig economy may help facilitate the creation of new businesses, according to a new study. The gig (or short-term job) market is often more transitory than the traditional freelancing market. The flexibility and low barrier to entry of these jobs gives would-be entrepreneurs fallback opportunities that reduce their financial risk, argues Yael Hochberg, professor in entrepreneurship and finance at Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Business.
Pastors serve as primary source of mental health care for Black, Latino congregants
A new study of Black and Latino Christians found they often turn to their pastors for mental health care or information on mental health resources, even when those clergy feel ill-equipped to offer help or advice.
Geoff Wehmeyer wins CAREER Award
Mechanical engineer Geoff Wehmeyer wins an NSF CAREER Award to study nanoscale heat transfer.
Now you don’t see it … and now you do
Scientists and engineers from Rice University and the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research discover fluorescence from silicon nanoparticles in cement and show how it can be used to reveal early signs of damage in concrete structures.
Acting like an expert even without experience can help secure venture capital funding, study finds
A report from Alessandro Piazza, assistant professor of strategic management at Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Business; Brian Chung, doctoral candidate at Rice Business; and Dortmund University’s Daniel Reese analyzed data on 4,190 new ventures and their founders. They found that “expertise signaling” by founders — self-presentation that might not align with reality when it comes to their experience, skills or background — played a significant role in their companies' success.
‘Lefty’ tightens control of embryonic development
A protein known as Lefty pumps the brakes as human embryos begin to differentiate into the bones, soft tissues and organs that make us.
Antibody with engineered peptide targets bone metastasis
A moderate amount of a peptide-enhanced cancer drug goes a long way in treating breast cancers that metastasize to the bone.
Biologists discover new insect species at Rice University
Newly discovered insect Neuroterus valhalla is barely a millimeter long and spends 11 months of the year locked in a crypt. It’s legendary sounding name stems from where it was discovered: A tree outside Rice’s graduate student pub Valhalla.
Black and Hispanic communities bore disproportionate share of Texas’ early COVID-19 deaths
Texas state officials did not publish the race and ages of COVID-19 victims in early 2020, but a county-level statistical analysis spearheaded by Rice University undergraduates in collaboration with university faculty has found deaths statewide were disproportionately concentrated in Black and Hispanic communities.
When graphene speaks, scientists can now listen
Brothers working in a lab at Rice University discover that sound can be used to analyze the properties of laser-induced graphene in real time.
Data from beneath the South Atlantic Ocean
Rice graduate student Kevin Gaastra is in the South Atlantic Ocean this week, working to process and inspect samples on the scientific drill ship JOIDES Resolution.
New models assess bridge support repairs after earthquakes
Civil engineers develop a computational modeling strategy to help plan effective repairs to damaged reinforced concrete columns.
New book emphasizes key role social interaction plays in creativity
While some organizational decision-makers focus their attention on capital and physical resources, a new book reveals that effective people management should take center stage in the innovation process.
Halting antibiotic resistance is a little less futile
Rice University bioscientists develop a microfluidic platform for high-throughput studies of how bacteria evolve antibiotic resistance.