Special Projects

The Thresher tours the new O’Connor building

The O’Connor Building for Engineering and Science was officially inaugurated in a Sept. 14 ribbon cutting ceremony. 

Liftoff for the Biotech Launch Pad

The Rice Biotech Launch Pad accelerator was announced on the 61st anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s moonshot speech. This initiative aims to develop new research and emerging technologies into practical clinical applications by bridging the gap between researchers, medical companies and healthcare professionals, Omid Veiseh said. 

Rice celebrates ‘Our Heritage Month’

Rice is celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 to recognize the achievements of the Hispanic American community, as well as their contributions to the culture in the U.S. and at Rice. This year, the Hispanic Heritage Month planning committee has renamed the event to “Our Heritage Month.” 

Rice Health Advisors talk new website, engagement

Rice Health Advisors have launched a new website that includes a description of the RHA role on campus, a list of RHAs across campus and a compilation of curated resources.

WSJ ranks Rice 64th, U.S. News and Niche rankings dip slightly

Rice ranks No. 9 in the Niche.com “2024 Best Colleges in America,” No. 17 in the U.S. News and World Report “Best National University Rankings” and No. 64 in the Wall Street Journal’s “2024 Best Colleges in the U.S.” 

Big first quarter propels Rice to 59-7 victory over Texas Southern

JT Daniels completes a pass on Saturday evening against Texas Southern University. Daniels threw for 255 passing yards and four touchdowns as he led the Owls to a 59-7 win over the Tigers.

Rice pulls the brakes on micro-transportation devices

A sign in the Rice Memorial Center reiterates Rice Policy 854. The university placed additional restrictions on micro-mobility devices Sept. 6.

Rice hosts ‘pretty big blood drive’ in O’Connor building

Amid a national blood shortage exacerbated by ongoing climate emergencies, Rice Emergency Medical Services partnered with the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center to host a blood drive Sept. 12 in the new O'Connor Building for Engineering and Science.

Hoot’s house: Rice defeats Houston in Bayou Bucket

President Reggie DesRoches stormed the field. Graduate transfer quarterback JT Daniels took selfies with students. Head coach Mike Bloomgren hoisted a golden bucket over his head. This was the scene following Rice Football’s 43-41 victory over the University of Houston Cougars in double overtime Saturday, bringing the Bayou Bucket back to Rice for the first time since 2010. 

Senate ignites Rice Fight

The Student Association passed a resolution Sept. 11 congratulating the Rice Owls football team on winning the 2023 Bayou Bucket and reaffirming the senate’s support of Rice’s student-athletes.

Over 8,000 meal swipes donated in fourth year of program

Housing and Dining, Student Success Initiatives and the Student Association have launched their fourth year of the meal swipe donation program to address food insecurity among students, especially for those living off-campus. According to Interim Associate Vice President of H&D David McDonald, 8,140 swipes were donated this year, in comparison to the estimated 4,400 swipes that were donated at the start of the spring 2023 semester and the 800 swipes that were donated when the program began in spring 2020.

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

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. 

09-13-2023 Crossword Solution

09-13-2023 Crossword: "No You!"

Medical humanities, advanced materials and sustainability institutes launch

Rice established three new research institutes this summer in medical humanities, advanced materials and sustainability. The university also increased funding for the Ken Kennedy Institute and Smalley-Curl Institute, investigating interdisciplinary uses of artificial intelligence and applied physics, respectively, and approved a Synthetic Biology Institute to complement these programs, according to Executive Vice President for Research Ramamoorthy Ramesh. 

Two professors awarded Vannevar Bush Fellowships

Qimiao Si, a professor of physics and astronomy, and Jeffrey Tabor, a professor of bioengineering and biosciences, have been awarded Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowships by the U.S. Department of Defense. The award comes with a five-year fellowship and $3 million in research funding to continue work in their respective fields.

Colleges now charged for waste cleanup instead of security at publics

The Rice University Police Department will no longer charge residential colleges for the security they provide during publics. Instead, residential colleges must now hire at least two Housing and Dining custodial staff to clean up biohazardous waste afterwards.

Rice Bikes: Four-Wheel Bicycle Tune-Ups

09-13-2023 "Owl-American"

Owl’s soccer woes continue as winless streak extends into weekend

Rice Soccer has not won a game since August. Their four-game winless streak now includes this weekend’s 2-2 draw at Sam Houston State University and a 4-0 home loss to the Texas A&M University Aggies, dropping the Owls’ record to 2-5-1.