Special Projects

Rice to host inaugural Moody X-Fest

To celebrate the $100 million donation made by the Moody Foundation, Rice is hosting the first Moody X-Fest on April 7 featuring free food, games and a concert headlined by GROUPLOVE. The event will be taking place at 5 p.m. in Tudor Fieldhouse.

Review: ‘Rye Lane’ is a British rom-com that’s cute, hilarious and full of life

One of the first signs that signal to the audience about what kind of movie “Rye Lane” will be is how colorful it is. This is director Raine Allen-Miller’s first feature film, yet she has already crafted a distinct visual signature, characterized by an almost perpetually moving camera, central framing and vibrant hues filling each frame. 

Spice up fall semester with these courses

Now that it’s officially registration season, students across campus are looking for classes to add some spice into their fall semester course load, and there’s no better way to do that than with some Rice arts classes. From cooking to creative writing, film to art history, here are a plethora of different classes that students can take next semester.

Hamza’s pizza tour: Sampling a selection of slices

Rice campus boasts a diverse student body, and along with this diversity comes various opinions on the best pizza in the world. Arguments over the superiority of New York thin crust, the Chicago Deep Dish or the classic Neapolitan have run rampant across this fine campus, and as the only valid opinion on the subject, the Thresher aims to squash these debates once and for all in the hunt for the superior slice.

Senior Spotlight: Nathan Bergrin designs a path to create social good through architecture

For Nathan Bergrin, choosing to study architecture was a shot in the dark. After creating art through drawing, painting and music composition in high school, Bergrin knew that he wanted to use creative thinking for something more concrete. Before attending Rice, he had no prior experience in architecture and did not know what the curriculum entailed.

04-05-2023 Crossword Solutions

04-05-2023 Crossword: "PRIDE"

‘Disgraced financial analyst’ Matthew Broussard talks being funny

A self-described “disgraced financial analyst,” Matthew Broussard (’10) was crowned Houston’s Funniest Person a mere two years after graduating from Rice with a degree in computational and applied mathematics. What started as doing open mics as a hobby before transitioning to full-time comedy, Broussard has since appeared on shows like Comedy Central and Conan, prodded John Mayer about his ex-girlfriends on Roast Battle and created a puzzle app called Monday Punday. He has also met Chris Hemsworth once in an elevator.

Black at Rice: Zahrah Butler keeps good company

According to Zahrah Butler, everyone should shave their head at least once. Now a senior, Butler commented on their growth over the years and how shaving their head after wearing long dreadlocks came to symbolize that growth and the environment that propelled it. Looking back, they said they have become stronger and more capable of thriving in the face of adversity.

Rice Eclipse launches rockets, shoots for stars

While most Rice students were sleeping in the morning of March 26, a group of students were in transit to launch rockets an hour away. These students had spent hours working in the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen on their rockets with Rice Eclipse and were now ready to get their L1 rocketry certification.

04-05-2023 Sports Cartoon: "Owl-American"

Students, staffers talk work behind the scenes at Final Four

When San Diego State University guard Lamont Butler hit a corner jumpshot with time expiring – the first buzzer beater in Final Four history hit while trailing – to beat Florida Atlantic University in the men’s college basketball national semifinal, the Owls weren’t the only ones whose plans he foiled.

Wosika, Slinkman highlight strong weekend at Texas Relays

This past weekend, while most Rice students watched or participated in bike relays, several Rice track and field athletes took the stage at the Texas Relays in Austin. Competing against some of the best athletes in the nation, several Owls finished top-ten in their events, highlighted by golds from junior vaulter Alexander Slinkman and junior distance runner Caitlin Wosika. Men’s head coach Jon Warren believes that, despite only sending a few athletes, the team still performed well. 

Baseball drops series to FAU despite Smith shutout

While the Florida Atlantic University men’s basketball team came to Houston for the Men’s Final Four, the Rice baseball team swapped places with them for a weekend series in Boca Raton. Despite shutting out FAU in the first game, Rice dropped the next two games by a combined score of 24-11, losing the series and bringing their season record to 14-14. 

Meet the New Admits of the Class of 2027

Beer Bike heats in the heat need more planning

There are three certainties in life: death, taxes and Rice students claiming the most recent Beer Bike could have been better. We understand that, with this year being the first race with heats, we were essentially guinea pigs for future Beer Bikes, and we’re okay with that. But there were still some astoundingly obvious and preventable problems that need to be addressed prior to next year’s race. 

Owls’ throwers shine at Victor Lopez Classic

More than 2,000 fans packed into the stands at Holloway Field this past weekend to watch some of the best high school and collegiate track and field athletes in the area compete an the 40th Victor Lopez Classic. Amid the weekend’s festivities, several Owls were able to win their events and set personal records, setting themselves near the top of conference and national rankings. 

‘Screwball antics’: Tracing the history of Beer Bike

Last week, the Thresher released a letter from the editor’s desk lamenting strict Beer Bike safety precautions that have started to chip away at the event’s tradition. The Thresher spoke to alumni and dug into the archives to explore the inception of Beer Bike and its storied history.

Senior Spotlight: Edward Walker showers praise

If you need to know where the best showers are at Rice, Edward Walker is the person to talk to. 

VADA events coordinator Maria Martinez does it all

As events coordinator for Rice’s Department of Visual and Dramatic Arts, Maria Martinez is currently booking films for Rice Cinema, distributing events calendars, finding studio models, assisting with student-run gallery Sleepy Cyborg, talking to local artists and responding to emails. She’s also making a lot of coffee.