Social Sciences

Rice-developed device helps premature babies in developing countries breathe without damaging eyesight

A new medical device developed by Rice University students will help premature babies in developing countries receive life-saving oxygen without damaging their eyesight.

32 Rice students, alums win NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

The National Science Foundation has awarded Graduate Research Fellowships to 32 current, incoming and former Rice students, and selected another six for honorable mention.

Rice remembers Steven Murdock, founding director of Rice’s Hobby Center and former director of Census Bureau

Steven Murdock, founding director of Rice University’s Hobby Center for the Study of Texas who served as director of the U.S. Census Bureau and state demographer of Texas, died April 7. He was 75.

‘What is Love?’ is latest Big Questions course

This fall, Rice professors Sonia Ryang and Ilana Gershon will ask Rice students a far-from-simple question — What is Love? — in their upcoming course of the same name, the latest offering in the Big Questions class series sponsored by the School of Humanities.

Fondren exhibit features Rice faculty member’s experiences exploring Antarctica

A new exhibit in Fondren Library features photos from a Rice University science writer’s research expeditions to Antarctica and her interviews with students about the captivating experiences.

Rice Sport Management students take on Final Four

An innovative course, titled The Business of Major Sporting Events, allowed Rice University students to be heavily involved in the planning and production of the 2023 men’s Final Four in Houston.

¿Hablar español o no? How speaking Spanish on the campaign trail helps some political candidates but hurts others

Speaking Spanish on the campaign trail may seem like a good way to connect with some voters, but new research from Rice University finds it can actually hurt the chances of Hispanic candidates who aren’t native speakers.

Rice psychologist Danielle King wins coveted NSF CAREER Award

Rice University’s Danielle King, an assistant professor of psychological sciences and a member of the faculty since 2018, has won a coveted National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award. The accolade includes a five-year grant that will support her research on preventing and overcoming race-based threats and how employers can improve workplace experiences for employees who face such threats.

Ancient DNA reveals entwined African and Asian ancestry along the Swahili coast of eastern Africa

A new genetic study of medieval people who lived along the Indian Ocean coast of eastern Africa — an area often called the “Swahili coast” for its language and culture — revealed that they had both African and Persian ancestry.

Rice’s Englebretson and Fischer-Baum present at AAAS symposium

Rice University’s Robert Englebretson, an associate professor of linguistics, and Simon Fischer-Baum, an associate professor of psychological sciences, organized “Braille and the Reading Sciences: Diversity Through Research and Engagement,” a symposium at the recent meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C.

Rice’s Salas receives American Psychological Foundation Gold Medal Award for Impact in Psychology

Eduardo Salas, professor and chair of Rice University’s Department of Psychological Sciences, is a 2023 recipient of the American Psychological Foundation Gold Medal Award for Impact in Psychology.

Rice alum now youngest director of player personnel in college football

Peter Chung, a 21-year-old Rice graduate, was hired in February as the youngest director of player personnel in college football at Houston Christian University.

Rice’s Eduardo Salas receives inaugural Wayne Cascio Scientist-Practitioner Award from Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology

Eduardo Salas , professor and chair of Rice University’s Department of Psychological Sciences, has been named the inaugural recipient of the Wayne Cascio Scientist-Practitioner Award from the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) .

Latino families in US without legal permission suffered more than most during pandemic, study finds

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a disproportionate amount of illness and death among Latino families lacking permanent legal status compared with the general U.S. population — and factors such as poverty, dangerous living conditions and lack of access to health care are to blame — according to a new study from Rice University.

Parents’ school experiences impact where they send their kids — and can exacerbate ‘white flight’

The decision of where to send a child for their K-12 education is a big one. According to new research from Rice University sociologists, approximately one-third of parents in their Dallas-based study make the call based on their own experiences in the classroom.