Rice University’s Student Newspaper — Since 1916

Tuesday, April 01, 2025 — Houston, TX

Features


SPECIAL PROJECTS 1/10/23 10:23pm

Student workers discuss job conditions on campus

Student workers are everywhere on campus. Rice undergraduates run O-Week, play a role in academic advising, manage large residential college budgets, work for the athletic department and more. What conditions do these student workers face?


FEATURES 1/10/23 10:16pm

Inked: Exploring the stories behind student tattoos

The letter ‘Oht,’ a runic character and video game logo, is emblazoned on Felicity Phelan’s inner wrist. It was their first tattoo, Phelan said. “‘Oblivion’ was the first ‘real’ video game I ever played, and the ‘Elder Scrolls’ series is one of my favorites,” Phelan said. “In the game, there are these portals you go through, and the logo is the shape of one of those portals. Since ‘Oblivion’ was my first video game, I think of it as my ‘portal’ into the world of video games and thought it was fitting for a first tattoo.”


FEATURES 1/10/23 10:08pm

Owls fly high: Students talk work on Artemis missions

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Artemis. Artemis 1, NASA’s first mission in a series of lunar exploration trips, launched in November 2022. Perhaps you saw some of your Rice peers’ handiwork — as Rice and NASA continue to collaborate, several Rice students are able to contribute to the Artemis missions through the Johnson Space Center’s Pathways Program.


FEATURES 1/10/23 10:01pm

Looking back at Rice’s first year of Gulf Scholars Program

From sewer overflows to environmental resilience toolkits, Rice students are becoming better equipped to handle an ongoing climate crisis. The Gulf Scholars Program at Rice is supported by the National Academies Gulf Research Program, which provides support for similar programming at universities in the Gulf of Mexico region. The environmental studies program specializes in action related to local-level challenges faced by communities in the Gulf of Mexico region. According to the program website, participants will address challenges in areas of community health and resilience, environmental protection and offshore energy safety.


FEATURES 11/29/22 11:44pm

World Cup fever infects campus

The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 began Nov. 20 and has brought much of the world to a halt with each game. From last-second winners to amazing goals and seat-clenching upsets, the drama has been high and the world has been captivated by it. Students at Rice are no exception, with a number of watch parties taking place everyday to celebrate and give students a place to cheer on their favorite countries and players. The Pub at Rice has streamed many of the games and has been a hub for many soccer fans in the past week, according to Will Rice College senior and head bartender Jonathan Lloyd.


FEATURES 11/29/22 11:44pm

Deck the halls with these holiday activities

If you are looking to explore Houston in its peak holiday season, want to escape campus during dead days or would just like to unfreeze your inner Mariah Carey, look no further for a list of holiday attractions around campus this December. 



FEATURES 11/15/22 10:32pm

REMS to the rescue: Owls talk Collegiate EMS Week

From stubbed toes to life-threatening injuries, one group of dedicated students has seen it all. Throughout the past 26 years, Rice University Emergency Medical Services has rallied around the Rice community, providing support during natural disasters such as Winter Storm Uri and Hurricane Katrina and administering 4,372 vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic. For Collegiate EMS Week, which takes place during the second week in November, the organization hosted a series of events to increase their visibility and continue expanding their impact on campus. 


FEATURES 11/15/22 10:30pm

Tyler Perini wants to be the mentor he never had

Tyler Perini — or, as students call him, Dr. P — is a Pfeiffer Postdoctoral Instructor in Computational and Applied Mathematics who also researches multiobjective discrete optimization at Rice. He grew up in Atlanta and did his undergraduate at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, where he studied applied math. He later returned to Atlanta to Georgia Tech and received his Ph.D. in operations research. 


FEATURES 11/15/22 10:26pm

Spice up your Thanksgiving break with these activities

Explore new ways to celebrate Thanksgiving in the greater Houston area. From parades to adventure parks, there is a Thanksgiving Day activity — or two — for everybody to enjoy this season. Bundle up and head out into town on Thanksgiving Day to make some unforgettable fun-filled memories.


FEATURES 11/15/22 10:25pm

Senior Spotlight: Erin Harrison explores her boulder self at Rice

As a self-professed guide through the outdoors, Erin Harrison is no stranger to a bit of nature. From placing in national rock climbing competitions to leading trips for Rice Outdoor Programs and Education, Harrison’s love for climbing — which sparked nearly a decade ago — has remained constant throughout the years.



FEATURES 11/8/22 11:44pm

Juan José Castellón talks inspiration behind new exhibit

Juan José Castellón’s award winning exhibit “Building Ecologies: Collective Urban Infrastructures in Houston” is now open for visitors at POST Houston. Partnering with the TEDxHouston Countdown event, this project features sustainability and attempted solutions to the ongoing climate crisis through rooftop urban infrastructure. 


FEATURES 11/8/22 11:41pm

‘C’est banana’: Unique courses to enroll in this semester

It’s that time of the year again — spring semester course registration. From agricultural techniques to monsters to the linguistics of made-up languages, the Thresher compiled a list of both distribution and student-led courses that any student can take to satisfy their graduation requirements or thirst for knowledge. 


FEATURES 11/2/22 12:31am

Fall into these autumn activities this season

As November begins and the weather finally stays cool, the time to get out and explore Houston is upon us. Events listed below range from one day events to month long festivals, each with lots of fun, food and entertainment promised. Whether you want to hop on the metro to explore downtown or take a day trip outside of Houston, there are upcoming activities catered to all interests. 


FEATURES 11/2/22 12:30am

H&D whips up a new culinary internship

Rice Housing and Dining has recently launched the Culinary Internship, a student internship program aimed at teaching students cooking and other skills while simultaneously expanding student employment opportunities on campus.


FEATURES 11/2/22 12:28am

Exchange student Paulina Quiros finds a new community at Rice

While thinking about the American college experience, popular media may call to mind movies such as “Legally Blonde” or “Gossip Girl.” For Paulina Quiros, a Lovett College junior and exchange student from Costa Rica, it was these pop culture depictions that pushed her to study abroad in the United States. She said she first discovered Rice while searching for specific study abroad programs in the country.



FEATURES 10/25/22 10:20pm

Halloween Costumes to die for

Are you still looking for a costume for that Halloweekend party? Check out these quick, easy costume ideas that can be created with your own closet (and maybe a little help from Amazon).