Special Projects

MMA and milk miles: Rice students engage with sports

It’s not uncommon to find yourself walking to Reckling Park to watch the baseball team or to the recreational fields to play soccer. However, Division I and intramural sports are only a sliver of what the greater Rice community takes part in. From cricket to mixed martial arts to milk miles (yes, milk miles), students engage in a variety of sports that are a testament to their past pastimes, new endeavors and the need to destress. 

04-17-2024 "Owl-American"

Reflecting on four years: a heartfelt farewell to the Thresher

As I sit down to write this farewell column, I can’t help but feel a whirlwind of emotions swirling within me. It feels like just yesterday that I nervously clicked the “Join Meeting” button on Zoom in early August of my freshman year to express my interest in joining the sports section of the Rice Thresher. Daniel Schrager and Ben Baker-Katz, the sports editors in my freshman year, welcomed me with open arms, encouraging me to write for the Thresher. Little did I know that this initial encounter would mark the beginning of an incredible journey that has shaped my college experience in ways I could have never imagined.

Jack Riedel shines in senior season

Jack Riedel, a senior infielder for Rice’s baseball team and Houston native, transferred to Rice after a freshman season at the University of North Carolina. In his senior year, he is currently leading his team with 11 home runs and 25 RBIs.

Bloomgren, players optimistic following football’s spring game

Positive energy percolated throughout the Rice football program following their spring game Saturday, April 13. Perhaps no player encapsulated this energy more than senior running back Dean Connors, who opened his postgame press conference by enthusiastically playing New York Times games. Fresh off a six-carry, three-catch performance, he completed the Wordle in three attempts (the word was “STEEL”) and the Mini Crossword in 1:22.

Review: “Problemista” combines surreal comedy and poised satire

It’s a shame that I didn’t know about Julio Torres’ work before “Problemista” popped up on my radar. The Salvadoran comedy writer is a collaborator with many of the current best voices in comedy — he is a co-showrunner for the HBO show “Los Espookys” alongside Fred Armisen and was a writer on SNL from 2016 to 2019. “Problemista,” however, sees Torres taking center stage as he directs, writes and stars. The inherent gamble of this immense level of authorship ultimately pays off, as Torres has created an intensely reflective coming-of-age story filtered through a surreal, kaleidoscopic sense of humor — a unique combination and subsequent balance that will leave you wishing you knew about Torres’s work sooner.

Record stores that turn the tables

Record Store Day, a celebration of independently owned record stores, happens April 20 — but knowing where to celebrate can be challenging. Whether you are just discovering records via one of the 9,000 Taylor Swift vinyl variants, are addicted to flipping through the bins or infuriated by the fact that I referred to an LP as a “vinyl” earlier in this sentence, here are some local, independent record stores you should check out.

Review: “Monkey Man” is a Masterclass in Almost Every Way

Similar to this film itself, we will forgo a traditional expository opening and instead opt to dive right into the subject matter. We do so hoping that this review will benefit from such a move just as much as the movie did.

Items for your Houston summer bucket list

Whether you’re from Houston, working an internship or staying in town to do research, Houston has a variety of activities to keep you entertained this summer. Keeping these options on your radar will help you have a fun, relaxing summer before classes start back up in August. 

Movies coming your way this summer

With this being the Thresher’s last issue of the semester, our coverage of the biggest movies of the moment will be on hold for a few months. However, that doesn’t mean Hollywood will be on hiatus. This year’s summer blockbuster season promises to be a big one, with some of the most anticipated films of recent years like “Inside Out 2,” “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “Despicable Me 4” hitting the big screen in the next few months. Here are some other films coming out this summer that you won’t want to miss.

“Flicks!” Annual Showcase to Spotlight Student Films

The Department of Art will have its annual “Flicks!” student film showcase, featuring films made by current students across multiple genres in the Rice Cinema April 20. The showing will begin at 7:07 p.m. and will be free to attend.

Sitting Around the Bonfire with Ben and Michael

Being a small school has benefits and disadvantages. Some claim that one of the drawbacks of being a relatively small campus and having a strong residential college program is that it is often difficult to find events or activities happening across campus. That’s where Benjamin Liu and Michael Mounajjed stepped in.

Decoding the Texas Pornhub ban

Pornhub sued Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to block the enforcement of a state law that requires commercial websites publishing pornography “harmful to minors” online establish age verification measures and show health warnings on their webpages in 2023. 

Dittmar on making a difference

On the top floor of the Allen Center sits Provost Amy Dittmar's office. The campus she leads is spread out below; eight school deans, the deans of undergraduate and postgraduate studies and four vice-provosts all report to her. 

Do more to make campus bird-friendly

April is the month of many things: Beer Bike, a solar eclipse, the last day of classes and, perhaps lesser known, Earth Month. As Rice launches a series of Earth Month events, I would like to address our potential as a campus community to be more environmentally conscious, particularly in an effort to make this campus more friendly to birds.

Take time for yourself during the summer

The academic year’s close means this issue will be our last until the fall semester, which gave us some time to reflect on what our editorial for our last issue should look like. 

Students comment on Ramadan dining accommodations

The Islamic holy month of Ramadan ran March 10 to April 9 this year, according to the Islamic calendar. During the month, observers fast from dawn until sundown, a period of introspection and communal prayer.

Title: Exploring Michel Foucault’s Legacy – Foucault: Genealogies for the Future

Rice will host the Foucault: Genealogies for the Future international conference from April 18 and 19, convening scholars to reconsider the influence of Michel Foucault in academia and culture since his death in 1984. This international conference is a part of the Foucault: 40 Years After, a world congress commemorating the legacy of French philosopher and historian Michel Foucault.

Junichiro Kono named director of the Smalley-Curl Institute

Junichiro Kono succeeded Naomi Halas as director of the Smalley-Curl Institute on Feb. 1. Kono currently also serves as director of the applied physics graduate program, housed in SCI. He is also the Karl F. Hasselmann Chair in Engineering. 

Students convert Housing and Dining vehicle to electric

Four Rice teams, encompassing over 20 students, worked over the past year to convert a 1997 Chevrolet P30 Rice Housing and Dining vehicle into a fully electric vehicle. The teams finalized the van’s conversion before its senior design debut at the Ion last Thursday. Two teams, the thermal management and dashboard design teams, received awards following the showcase.