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NEWS 11/9/22 12:39am

Two Rice professors among top 35 women in robotics

By Danika Li

Rice professors Lydia Kavraki and Marcia O’Malley were named among 35 Women in Robotics Engineering and Science honorees at the 2022 International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems in Kyoto, Japan on Oct. 25. IROS is one of the largest international conferences in robotics and intelligent systems.

NEWS 11/9/22 12:34am

Sewall voting location sees hour-plus wait times

By Ben Baker-Katz

Rice’s Sewall Hall served as an Election Day voting location for around 900 voters on Tuesday. According to Vivian Zheng, the presiding election judge, people waited in line for one to two hours before casting their ballots, though wait times dropped off significantly as it got closer to 7 p.m.

NEWS 11/9/22 12:31am

Rice undergrads, alumni celebrate HACER 50th anniversary

By Keegan Leibrock

The Hispanic Association for Cultural Enrichment at Rice celebrated its 50th anniversary this past Saturday. The celebration included a gala with speakers such as Germaine Franco, an Academy-Award nominated Rice alumna and composer of the “Encanto” soundtrack, and Dr. Richard Tapia, the University Professor of Rice, who was awarded the National Medal of Science in 2011.

NEWS 11/9/22 12:28am

Biden appoints López Turley to National Board of Education Sciences

By Viola Hsia

Professor Ruth López Turley, director of Rice University’s Kinder Institute, was appointed to the National Board of Education Sciences by President Joe Biden. The National Board for Education Sciences is composed of 15 nonpartisan members, who advise and approve priorities for the Institute of Education Sciences, the research, evaluation and statistics branch of the Department of Education. 

SPORTS 11/9/22 12:26am

Meltdown in Malibu: MBB drops opener to Pepperdine

By Pavithr Goli

The Rice men’s basketball team fell to Pepperdine University with a final score of 106-67 on Monday night’s season opener. Starting their season with a loss in Malibu, the Owls main contributor on offense was junior guard Quincy Olivari, who led the team in scoring with 15 points, and assists with six. The Owls struggled to score throughout the game, shooting 38% from the field while the Waves made 63% of their shots and converted 50% of their three-pointers.

SPORTS 11/9/22 12:23am

FB bests UTEP in shootout, needs one win for bowl

By Ben Baker-Katz

Rice football beat the University of Texas at El Paso 37-30 on Thursday thanks to a last second touchdown pass from junior quarterback TJ McMahon to senior wide receiver Bradley Rozner. The win improved the Owls to 5-4 on the season, one win away from securing a postseason berth with three games remaining in the season. According to head coach Mike Bloomgren, this win was crucial for the team, especially on a short turnaround after their disappointing loss to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

SPORTS 11/9/22 12:19am

Spitz’s school record highlights Swimming’s Senior Day

By Cadan Hanson

The Rice swim team had a lot to celebrate on Senior Day as they waved goodbye to the Tulane University Green Wave after Friday’s dual meet. In route to their 87 point victory (144-57), the first Rice victory in the American Athletic Conference as the swim team moved a year earlier than other sports, the Owls claimed gold in all 11 events and senior backstroker Zoe Spitz was able to put a bow on top of the day with a new school record. After the meet, head coach Seth Huston said he was pleased with the performance.

SPORTS 11/9/22 12:18am

Top-seeded soccer stunned in first round of C-USA tourney

By Diego Palos Rodriguez

After an undefeated Conference USA regular season, the top-seeded Owls came into the first round of the conference tournament against the eighth-seeded University of North Carolina at Charlotte as the heavy favorites. But history repeated itself in this David and Goliath match that saw the top-ranked Owls lose to the eighth seed in the first round for the second time in school history, the first also being against the 49ers in 2017. According to freshman defender Carsyn Martz, who returned from injury for the match, Charlotte’s persistence made the difference in the game. 

SPORTS 11/9/22 12:12am

Volleyball heads to No. 22 Western Kentucky for rivalry’s potential final chapter

By Daniel Schrager

The last time Rice volleyball lost a conference regular season game, back in 2019, it took Western Kentucky University two match points to knock off the Owls in a five-set battle that ultimately decided the regular season conference title. The two teams would meet again that year, this time in the conference championship game, but the result was the same: a five-set Hilltopper victory. Only three players from that Owls team are still with the program, but according to fifth-year setter Carly Graham, the losses still haven’t faded from memory.

A&E 11/8/22 11:58pm

Review: ‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’ is hilariously bizarre

By Ivy Li

Eric Appel’s 2010 movie trailer spoof from Funny or Die has expanded into a full-length film “biopic” about and co-written with Al Yankovic. Starring Daniel Radcliffe in a curly wig and colorful Hawaiian shirts, “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” is hilarious, dramatic and, most importantly, almost entirely fictional.

A&E 11/8/22 11:55pm

Celebrate Indigenous heritage in HTX

By Sara Davidson

This November is Native American Heritage Month, and places both near and far from campus in the greater Houston area are hosting several events. Ranging from intimate readings to lively performances, this list includes representation from many of the tribes, not only regionally, but also from across the United States. Learn about several of the many things coming to Houston for this heritage month and be sure to check out your favorites.

A&E 11/8/22 11:53pm

‘As wonky as possible’: Rice Chorale finds joy in music

By Shreya Challa

Every Monday and Wednesday, music director Tom Jaber shepherds the Rice Chorale, a group of students plucked from various majors and years, into a practice room to sing choir music. Currently, the chorus is preparing for their upcoming show on Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the Edythe Bates Old Organ Hall at the Shepherd School of Music. This is Jaber’s 35th year as a professor and director of choral music at the Shepherd School of Music. Throughout the years, he has led the Chorale through multiple changes in the voice department and revived the group after disbanding during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

A&E 11/8/22 11:48pm

Author Wayétu Moore explores dating, intersectionality

By Riya Misra

Liberian-American author and entrepreneur Wayétu Moore hosted a book reading Nov. 3 in the Rice Memorial  Chapel. The reading delved into themes of Blackness, dating and intersectionality, and was sponsored by the Cherry Reading Series, R2: The Rice Review and Rice’s Department of English.

FEATURES 11/8/22 11:44pm

Juan José Castellón talks inspiration behind new exhibit

By Nishanka Kuthuru

Juan José Castellón’s award winning exhibit “Building Ecologies: Collective Urban Infrastructures in Houston” is now open for visitors at POST Houston. Partnering with the TEDxHouston Countdown event, this project features sustainability and attempted solutions to the ongoing climate crisis through rooftop urban infrastructure. 

FEATURES 11/8/22 11:41pm

‘C’est banana’: Unique courses to enroll in this semester

By Allison He

It’s that time of the year again — spring semester course registration. From agricultural techniques to monsters to the linguistics of made-up languages, the Thresher compiled a list of both distribution and student-led courses that any student can take to satisfy their graduation requirements or thirst for knowledge. 

OPINION 11/8/22 11:39pm

The Honor Council needs to act more responsibly

By Simon Yellen

For the past year, I have served as an at-large representative on the Rice Honor Council. I have sat through dozens of cases, read hundreds of pages of evidence and spent countless hours working to improve the transparency and fairness of the Honor System. While there are a myriad of issues with the Honor System, as there are with any institutional system, there is one in particular that needs to be addressed with expediency. The Honor Council is currently not an effective deliberative body due to the general lack of engagement from some of its members, which include elected representatives.  

OPINION 11/8/22 11:37pm

Campus deserves an actual policy debate

By Thresher Editorial Board

If you had stumbled into the Baker Institute on Nov. 7 expecting a showdown between the Rice Democrats and Rice Republicans, you would’ve been sorely disappointed. The debate, a tradition which has not occurred since 2018, was canceled. We are not missing much, though: the debate would have just regurgitated generic and predetermined political party talking points. If we want campus discussions on politics to have an impact beyond elections, we should invite all voices to the table and talk policy on a comprehensive level.

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