Guggenheim Fellowship
Luay Nakhleh was awarded the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship on April 11 under the category of natural sciences in organismic biology and ecology. Nakhleh is an associate professor of computer science, ecology and evolutionary biology, and biochemistry and cell biology.
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation selects approximately 220 scholars, artists and scientists, out of the 3,500 to 4,000 applicants per year to be fellowship recipients, according to the foundation's website.
"Guggenheim Fellowships are intended for men and women who have already demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts," the foundation's website states. "Guggenheim Fellowships are grants to selected individuals made for a minimum of six months and a maximum of 12 months."
Nakhleh said he applied for the fellowship last December, submitting a curriculum vitae, four references and a three-page research proposal. The research proposal Nakhleh submitted centered around new methods and models for constructing evolutionary history and methods for understanding network evolution.
Nakhleh said he plans to use the $45,000 he was awarded to conduct research and travel to conferences.
"It's an extremely competitive thing, so it is definitely extremely exciting to win it," Nakhleh said. "It is an honor to be among the group of recipients, [which] has ... lots of Nobel [Prize] laureates."
More from The Rice Thresher
First-ever election block party draws crowds
A line stretched across the academic quad this Election Day. In contrast to previous years, however, the line was not for voting at the Sewall Hall polling location — it was for the first-ever election block party hosted by the Center for Civic Engagement. The event aimed to encourage student voting and engagement in politics, complete with a bouncy castle, free food and a DJ.
Students pack Sid Richardson to watch election results
Around 200 students crowded into the Sid Richardson College commons Tuesday evening, where voting results played out on the commons’ screen. As Massachusetts turned blue, a loud cheer erupted throughout the room.
Waits drop after morning voters crowd Sewall polling place
On Tuesday, 1,094 voters flocked to Rice’s Welcome Center to cast their ballots in the presidential, state and local elections. Wait times climbed to an hour shortly after the polling center’s doors opened at 7 a.m., with many hoping to beat the crowds during Rice’s first-ever non-instructional Election Day. The lines calmed down around noon, when students began congregating in the academic quad for the election block party.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication by The Rice Thresher.