Rice University’s Student Newspaper — Since 1916
Thursday, November 21, 2024 — Houston, TX

Amelia Davis

FEATURES 11/12/24 10:03pm

The post on compost: The latest of composting at Rice

By Amelia Davis

Heavier than a commercial plane: Rice has composted one million pounds of food waste in total since May 2024 through the Moonshot Compost program. More bins were added due to demand at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year, according to sustainability coordinator Kristianna Bowles. 

FEATURES 10/8/24 10:45pm

Go outside, touch grass

By Amelia Davis

Have you asked yourself, “How many more buildings can Rice construct before losing its classification as an arboretum?” Have you thought that the campus squirrels are a little too bold around humans? If you’re sick of constant construction marring the on-campus flora and fauna, Houston has plenty of student-friendly destinations to get your fix of green. 

FEATURES 9/10/24 11:09pm

Operations research boom reaches Rice

By Amelia Davis

Students outside the engineering department and those especially averse to fulfilling their Group III distribution requirements may be unaware of the growing presence of operations research – or even what it is. 

FEATURES 9/3/24 10:53pm

Unpacking back to school necessities (and absurdities)

By Amelia Davis

Whether you’re a freshman feeling not-so-fresh right out of Orientation Week or a fifth-year senior desperately trying to graduate this semester, there’s no doubt: In your packing frenzy, you have forgotten something. Whether that is all your socks (urgent) or simply packing your collection of emotional support Pokémon cards (to be honest, also pretty urgent), you may be wishing for a helpful guide on how to prepare for your first weeks back to school. What to buy, what to do, what to wear: find your answers here. 

FEATURES 4/16/24 10:24pm

Decoding the Texas Pornhub ban

By Amelia Davis

Pornhub sued Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to block the enforcement of a state law that requires commercial websites publishing pornography “harmful to minors” online establish age verification measures and show health warnings on their webpages in 2023. 

NEWS 4/9/24 10:54pm

Spectra, LGBTQ+ mathematician organization, launches Rice chapter

By Amelia Davis

A new chapter of Spectra is being introduced at Rice this spring semester. Spectra is a professional association for LGBTQ+ mathematicians, originating as a protest after the 1995 Joint Mathematics Meeting conference was scheduled to take place in Colorado, which had recently passed a state amendment prohibiting anti-discrimination laws for lesbian, gay and bisexual people. 

FEATURES 3/5/24 10:07pm

AI in the archives: Fondren Library explores new tech

By Amelia Davis

From Grammarly and Quizlet to SparkNotes and Spotify, artificial intelligence is now a major feature of nearly every website — and the archives of Fondren Library are no exception. The use of AI has been a notoriously hot-button topic for the last few years, involved in artist exploitation debates and the terms of the Writers Guild of America strike, but in the Woodson Research Center, its role has been to facilitate greater ease and expediency in many of their preservation and transcription processes. 

FEATURES 2/27/24 10:33pm

Ruth Simmons stays true to herself

By Amelia Davis

Ruth Simmons’ career has taken her all across the country — from Houston’s Third Ward to Smith College in Massachusetts to Brown University where she became the first Black female president of an Ivy League School and back to Houston again. 

FEATURES 2/13/24 10:04pm

V-Day dates: studying, snacking, shopping

By Amelia Davis

Whether your Screw date has miraculously lasted into the second semester or you have a self-sourced partner to keep your spirits up during the stress of midterms, you may be prepared to scroll through innumerable Yelp reviews to ferret out the perfect Valentine’s Day date spot. Have no fear — whether your dream date is classy, casual or just plain crazy, options abound from Rice Village to Montrose and everywhere in between.

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