Special Projects

Football prepares for season-opening game at Texas

Football looks to kick off their new season this upcoming weekend when they travel to Austin to take on the University of Texas Longhorns, who are ranked No. 11 in the nation. A year of new beginnings, the Owls will play their inaugural season in the American Athletic Conference after spending 18 years in Conference-USA. 

It’s not just you: August sets heat records

This August has been the hottest in Houston since at least 1969, according to a Thresher analysis of weather data captured at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Through Aug. 26, daily highs have averaged 102.9 degrees, surpassing the previous mark of 101.4 degrees set in 2011.

08-23-2023 Crossword: "New Beginnings"

Rice to ‘reset’ student center rebuild, hire new architecture firm

The new student center project has been delayed again, dean of undergraduates Bridget Gorman announced in an Aug. 21 email obtained by the Thresher. Rice has chosen to ‘reset’ the project, firing the architecture firm, Adjaye Associates.

1,127 freshmen join Rice

This year, 1,127 new students joined Rice as the Class of 2027. This marks the most selective admissions year in Rice history, which saw a record-low acceptance rate of 7.7%. 

Redesigned ID cards add tap functionality

Rice has started issuing redesigned ID cards equipped with tap functionality. The new matriculating class was the first to be issued the new IDs, equipped with both a magstripe and proximity functionality.

Rice renovates bike track

Rice is currently renovating the bike track used for Beer Bike, which involves repaving the asphalt and repainting track markers, according to an Aug. 9 email from the Facilities and Capital Planning department. The project began on Aug. 8 and is scheduled to be completed by Sept. 6.

CTIS talks more about sex

Critical Thinking in Sexuality, a course designed for new students to discuss interpersonal relationships and violence prevention, now includes an additional sixth session about pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease prevention. These changes follow a pilot session tested last year.

Frank Geurts to lead world’s longest running nuclear collider experiment

Rice University physicist Frank Geurts has been named co-spokesperson for the Solenoidal Tracker at Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider collaboration, the world’s first heavy-ion collider located at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Alongside Brookhaven Lab physicist Lijuan Ruan, Geurts will lead STAR for the next three years to collect data on nuclear collisions and study the matter that was present at the origin of the universe. 

Rice University Patch Notes

08-23-2023 Sports Cartoon: "Owl-American"

08-23-2023 Sports Cartoon: "Owl-American"

Nia McCardell defines her own name

On the court, you can see Rice’s senior libero Nia McCardell tapping the floor four times with her nails before receiving each serve. Off the court, you can find McCardell behind the camera, filming a vlog for her new YouTube channel “niaaanicole.”

Volleyball optimistic for season

The 2022 season was full of firsts for the Rice volleyball team. The Owls lost just four matches the entire season on a run that saw them ranked in the top-20 in the nation for the first time in program history. Their wonder season ended at the hands of No. 17 Baylor in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Waco. 

WEEKLY SCENES AND SCREENS

WEEKLY SCENES AND SCREENS

A&E’s guide to Houston

Whether you’re new to Houston or have been here for years, you most likely haven’t explored all that the Houston arts and entertainment scene has to offer. From lively performance venues to some of the tastiest food you’ve ever encountered, the Bayou City has a swathe of fun locales to check out and enjoy.

Review: ‘Red, White and Royal Blue’ is best forgotten

“Red, White and Royal Blue” is just like a summer fling. It’s hot, rife with plenty of moments you wouldn’t want someone to walk in on and ultimately something you’re too embarrassed to tell your friends about. 

Albums of the summer

The music landscape is always changing and shifting, with new artists bursting onto the scene, niche styles getting a wider following and high profile releases scheduled. This year was no exception with exciting runs from Taylor Swift, NewJeans and Travis Scott in particular, so the Thresher has rounded up three of this summer’s biggest releases in case you missed them.

Don’t miss these summer flicks

This past summer was packed with new movie releases. We at the Thresher know that it can be hard to keep up with so many different films vying for your attention, especially during the height of summer. Here are a few of the highlights to catch you up on anything you may have missed — we promise they’re worth the watch.

Ryan Freidin, artist and networker

Sports media is ubiquitous. It is in every cable package, every newspaper and many Twitter feeds. In order for all that content to exist, organizations need videographers and curators, people who can exercise creativity and technical expertise at once; they need people like Ryan Freidin.

Started in the basement, now we’re here: Explore ktru’s history

From the infamous yellow bumper stickers with rearranged letters to the often eclectic and unique range of music they share, the ktru radio station is an institution well known among the Rice community and even beyond the hedges. Despite this, few know the expansive history behind the iconic radio station and how it came to be the ktru we know and love.