Features

FEATURES 11/7/23 11:02pm

Robert Englebretson pushes his comfort zone

By Shruti Patankar

Aunt or ah-nt, caramel or karr-mul, pecan or puh-kahn: These are debates that are essential to the American dinner table, dorm floor and lunch break conversations. Associate linguistics professor Robert Englebretson has built a career from these curiosities, seeking to understand what drives people to communicate the way that they do.

FEATURES 11/1/23 12:50am

CAAAS gets a makeover

By Noah Berz

One does not have to go further than Rice’s own website to learn about its 1891 charter, which originally designated the school for “the instruction and improvement of the white inhabitants of the City of Houston and State of Texas.” More than 100 years later, Rice has seen a surge in the promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and Black scholarship, especially in the Center for African and African American Studies.

FEATURES 11/1/23 12:50am

Cin-Ty Lee keeps an eye on the sky

By Adam Leff

Cin-Ty Lee started birding when he was 9 years old. Now, he’s described as “one of the best birders in the Houston area.”

FEATURES 11/1/23 12:43am

New courses to explore this spring semester

By Amy Li

It’s already that time of year — students across campus are looking to craft the perfect spring semester schedule, one that satisfies both their interests and their graduation requirements. The Thresher has compiled a list of never-before-seen courses without prerequisites that any student can take to fulfill some graduation requirements — and to explore something interesting and new.

FEATURES 10/24/23 11:28pm

Philosophers go head to head on gender

By Jahnavi Mahajan

The question of what it means to be a woman is one of the most hotly disputed topics at the moment: Documentaries, research papers, books and hours of YouTube videos have been made on the subject. On the evening of Oct. 16, about 100 people — both Rice students and the greater Houston community — poured into the Hudspeth Auditorium in the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies to watch two philosophers debate gender and philosophy in a discussion titled “Ontology of Gender.”

FEATURES 10/24/23 11:27pm

Celebrating 50 years of Night of Decadence

By Lajward Zahra

While the atmosphere prior to Night of Decadence is always animated, this year’s energy is different: It will be the 50th anniversary of Rice’s arguably best known public. While event-goers look into grabbing hot pink outfits for this year’s “Cum on Barbie, let’s get NODy” theme, the Thresher will go over the history of the event.

FEATURES 10/24/23 11:25pm

Quiet country life: best ways to take a rustication vacation

By Amelia Davis

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, to “rusticate” is “to stay or live in the countryside; to live a quiet country life.” Rustication at Rice is a prohibition from living on campus and taking part in college life and activities — a softer cousin to expulsion. However, living “a quiet country life” is a serious blow to the social calendar and probably not most students’ idea of a perfect time at Rice. With that in mind, here are some ways to get rusticated for you to avoid … or not.

FEATURES 10/17/23 11:40pm

Students show their appreciation for H&D

By Shruti Patankar

When most of campus is in bed, recovering from Pub or a late night studying at Fondren, Sandra Salgado is preparing to leave her house at 4:15 a.m. Salgado, a cashier at North Servery, starts her shift at 5:30 a.m. and works six days per week. She was previously employed at a nearby warehouse and would visit campus during her breaks.

FEATURES 10/17/23 11:38pm

Show you grow: Houston’s best plant stores

By Margo Gee

Midterms got you seeing red? Go for green instead at these local plant stores.

FEATURES 10/17/23 11:37pm

Will Rice will plant

By Nishanka Kuthuru

When wandering through campus, it’s hard not to be captivated by the verdant stretches of lush green grass, the tapestry of trees and even the occasional mushroom sprouting in unexpected corners. But amidst this panorama, there is an absence of vibrant flowers.

FEATURES 10/4/23 12:08am

Alumni point future engineers towards the stars

By Adam Leff

Of the 30 mechanical engineers in John H. Scott’s 1982 graduating class at Rice, four would end up at the level of department head or higher at NASA. Scott himself was among them; now the principal technologist for power and energy storage, he noted that many of his classmates wound up in similar leadership roles.

FEATURES 10/4/23 12:07am

Rice’s properties: down to Earth and out of the park

By Amelia Davis

Many Rice students know that the university owns and leases some of the land in Rice Village. Lesser known, however, is the scope of Rice’s extensive and occasionally eccentric real estate holdings, which cover everything from the basics to the land that holds a women’s clothing retailer in the Rice Village, the Impeccable Pig.

FEATURES 10/4/23 12:04am

Laura Correa Ochoa connects her students with revolution

By Gale Gai

In her syllabus for her course HIST 237 Radicals in the Americas, Laura Correa Ochoa poses a question: “What worlds were radicals in the Americas imagining and building?” Ochoa said her mission is to bring to light the role racial inequality has played in the recent history of Latin America and the Caribbean, especially in her birthplace of Colombia.

FEATURES 10/4/23 12:03am

Chopd & Stewd fest celebrates West African food

By Morike Ayodeji

The aroma of African spices, sounds of afrobeats and a vibrant energy filled the sky lawn at POST thanks to Rice MBA alumnus Ope Amosu ‘14, the visionary behind the Chopd & Stewd festival. The event was a day-long culinary and cultural celebration of the West African diaspora, taking place Sept. 30, the eve of Nigerian Independence Day.

FEATURES 9/26/23 11:52pm

Unconventional wisdom, unconventional purchases

By Rohan Palavali

Whether it’s College Night, Beer Bike or just another quad event, Rice’s residential colleges often shop for some unique items. From inflatable gorillas to 188 individual Squishmallows, the Thresher took a look at some of the colleges’ silliest acquisitions.

FEATURES 9/26/23 11:49pm

‘They do make a difference’: Rice registers to vote

By Juliana Lightsey

Another election season is upon us, with local candidates and amendments on the ballot. Rice’s civic engagement organizations are making an effort to amplify the voices of young adults and register as many students as possible in the coming months.

FEATURES 9/26/23 11:48pm

Rice athletes make an IMPACT on Houston community

By Kelly Guo

When they aren’t at practice or zipping to class on their scooters, Rice’s student athletes have been working to connect with the Houston community.

FEATURES 9/19/23 11:16pm

Quirky college traditions to sweeten your week

By Noah Berz

We all love Radio Free Sid and Baker 13, but are you feeling tired of the same old songs and shaving cream year after year? Here’s a list of lesser-known college traditions that might break up some of the monotony. Grab a snack while you’re at it.

FEATURES 9/19/23 11:14pm

Timothy Morton likes to find things in weird places

By Hadley Medlock

A well-known mind in ecological studies, pen pal of Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk and English professor at Rice, Timothy Morton is a modern-day philosopher. With over 15 books published and translated in over 10 languages, Morton said they’ve spent their career learning how to help people talk about environment, ecology and inherent meaninglessness.

FEATURES 9/13/23 12:36am

Museums & mission control: Rice students take on unconventional summer internships

By Hongtao Hu

From Christie’s to NASA, students took advantage of the myriad internship opportunities available at Rice. Fellowships and club connections helped these Owls to gain career experience and broaden their horizons this summer.