Special Projects

Dating Science: Marriage Pact takes campus by storm

Concerned that you won’t find love at the ripe age of 18 to 22? Fear not. Rice students now have a new opportunity — or backup plan — for romance. The Marriage Pact borrows from the romantic comedy trope of two friends agreeing to get married at a certain age if they don’t find anyone else. Essentially, they agree to be each others’ romantic backup plan. Developed by Stanford University undergraduates Liam McGregor and Sophia Sterling-Angus as their final project for an economics class, the Marriage Pact takes this idea and translates it into a 50-question survey that students have brought to 78 colleges and universities across the U.S., now including Rice. 

Finding love next door: Married professors talk love, literature

The circulation desk at Fondren is perhaps one of Rice’s most underrated matchmaking spots. Back in 2001, it was where now-married professors Sarah Ellenzweig and Scott McGill first met. Ellenzweig had already been teaching at Rice for a year, while McGill had just started teaching in the Classics department.

Election demonstrates need for SA to self-examine

When petitions finished filing in and the candidates for Student Association executive positions were announced, the Thresher Editorial Board was disappointed to learn that out of five executive positions up for election, none were contested. In fact, no one is running for the secretary position, necessitating a special election process.

Focus on the science

Over the past year, the back-and-forth between science educator Professor Dave and Rice’s own James Tour has reached a new level of fervor, accompanied by name-calling, accusations of dishonesty and hordes of angry YouTube comments. To Professor Dave, Dr. Tour misunderstands origin-of-life research and purposely misrepresents the field.  Dr. Tour, on the other hand, claims his issues with OOL are based on the science itself and expresses concern that the public and students are misled about OOL research. Beneath all the incivility are two people who seem to care very deeply about science and science education. I encourage the Rice community to focus on the science itself, not any of the personal attacks.

Letter to the Editor: When you talk about AI, remember what we’re in school for

Yes, this article was written by a real person. The most recent issue of the Thresher included an opinion piece about the use of the artificial intelligence technology ChatGPT in academic contexts. The article, which was generated by the program itself as a display of its writing capabilities, highlighted ChatGPT’s efficiency and usefulness for “students at Rice University who are short on time and need to quickly finish an assignment.” As Rice and many universities grapple with AI’s place in their classrooms and plagiarism policies, I want to contribute a perspective that I found absent in the original article: efficiency is not the point of higher education.

Review: Noah Kahan’s 'Stick Season' hits home at sold-out Houston show

Few artists can capture specific experiences with lyrics that still feel relatable. Noah Kahan accomplishes this in spades with his third album “Stick Season,” released last October after the titular track went viral on TikTok in 2020. “Stick Season” was inspired by Kahan’s tiny Vermont hometown, where he wrote the album during the pandemic. Kahan describes the landscape there as a “wasteland” once winter creeps in — the opposite of Houston’s evergreen city life, although our humid climate is rather sticky. Despite the album’s somewhat niche New England setting, its broader themes of isolation and homesickness are universal experiences, as evidenced by the crowd screaming along to every word throughout the show.

Will the real Yo-Yo’s Hot Dog please stand up?: H&D brings True Dog Houston to campus after all

Housing & Dining announced on Jan. 31 that they had reached an agreement with “YOYO” to operate on campus. But the next day, H&D sent the Rice community a follow-up email with a flyer for the vendor they had actually secured: True Dog Houston, operated by Damion Loera, a former partner of YoYo’s Hot Dog who has since opened his own business selling similar hot dogs.

Valentines From the Backpage

WBB splits weekend road trip at Charlotte, UAB

Last week, the Rice women’s basketball team flew east for a two-game road trip. Their first stop was a visit to the reigning Conference USA champions, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where they lost 66-61. For the second leg of their trip, the Owls took on the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where they bounced back from​​ Thursday’s loss with a 67-57 victory over the Blazers. After the trip, head coach Lindsay Edmonds was pleased with how the team was able to bounce back on Saturday after Thursday’s loss.

02-01-2023 Crossword Solutions

02-01-2023 Crossword: "Groundhog Day"

YoYo’s to operate in parking loop by Mudd Lab

Beginning this Friday, YoYo’s Hot Dog will operate from the parking area between Mudd Lab and Hamman Hall, according to an email, obtained by the Thresher, from Director of Housing & Dining David McDonald. 

Fifth datathon held at Rice

The Rice Datathon, run by the Rice DataSci Club and the Rice D2K Lab, returned for its fifth year this past weekend, hosting approximately 470 participants from across the country and attaining a significantly higher in-person attendance than previous years, according to Apple Li, co-director of this year’s event. 

Jamie Padgett receives O’Donnell Award for infrastructure research

Jamie Padgett, Stanley C. Moore Professor in Engineering, recently received the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award, an accolade given out annually by The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas to notable researchers in the state.

All is fair in love and code: COMP 310 faces potential removal

COMP 310, a current major requirement course, is likely to be completely removed from the Rice computer Science curriculum, the class’s professor Stephen Wong said. This comes after numerous student complaints posted on Piazza last semester and raised to the computer science department Chair Christopher Jermaine.

REMS hosts blood drive in honor of H&D staff member’s son

Rice Emergency Medical Services hosted an on-campus blood drive on Jan. 30 and 31 to honor Housing and Dining staff member Noel Romero’s son, Leonel Romero, who was diagnosed with leukemia in Aug. 2022. 

RUPD launches license plate readers at campus entrances

The Rice University Police Department recently began piloting a system of Automated License Plate Readers throughout campus. The ALPR cameras, which scan license plate numbers and vehicle details, will be used by RUPD to provide investigative data when a crime occurs on campus.

Review: ‘Honey’ is a bittersweet confession

Recorded in the woods of North Carolina, Samia’s second studio album “Honey” is a confident, self-aware and unique addition to Samia’s growing discography. Dark and dreamy, “Honey” is an honest reflection on heartbreak, angst and feeling lost. 

Review: ‘ROE’ grapples with history, humanity and heartbreak

“Roe” was born in 2015, 42 years after its namesake, when playwright Lisa Loomer was prompted to write a script for a project about a critical moment in American history. Since then, Loomer has adapted the script in rhythm with the ever-changing landscape surrounding reproduction rights in America. The most recent update, after the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, is an obituary for Roe v. Wade, and it premiered by Stages in Montrose.

Trouble in paradise? Love blooms at these flower shops

Spring is (sort of) sprung, and the lovely month of February brings the hotly contested  holiday that everyone secretly hates but some are more vocal about than others: Valentine’s Day. Sure, the day can be nice with or without a significant other, but the capitalism behind the whole thing is insane. How many mini chocolate heart arrangements can clog up the grocery store aisles? Personally, I much prefer Feb. 15, when everything is on sale. However, one thing that stays classy every day of the week is flowers. They brighten up a room and they can be more personalized than any heart shaped candy could ever be. Here are some of the best local floral shops to check out if you want to impress anyone on your Valentine’s Day list. Or, quite frankly, to buy for any reason, not just a capitalistic, secretly despised holiday.