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Tuesday, October 03, 2023 — Houston, TX

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NEWS 9/27/23 12:28am

Rice Pride ends partnership with Houston Hillel

By Spring Chenjp

Rice Pride ended its partnership with Houston Hillel, a Jewish campus ministry at Rice, on Sept. 18. Pride’s latest statement on the decision says that the organization will no longer “receive funding or co-create spaces with Houston Hillel” and cited concerns by Palestinian and Arab students who did not feel comfortable engaging in Pride due to the partnership.

NEWS 9/26/23 11:39pm

Rice’s Academic Resources Center creates a new ARC for tutoring

By Hongtao Hu

Rice announced a plan to establish an Academic Resources Center staffed by trained professionals in an email to academic fellows on Sept. 20. Led by Senior Associate Provost Matt Taylor and Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman, this multi-year plan will begin with the development of a paid peer tutoring and teaching assistant program.

NEWS 9/26/23 11:27pm

Ruth Simmons book reading launches $1 million scholarship

By Belinda Zhu

Ruth Simmons gave a talk on her New York Times bestselling memoir “Up Home: One Girl’s Journey” at the Brockman Hall of Opera on Sept. 22. in which she described her experiences growing up in the segregated South and creating a place for herself in this world. The talk ended with a surprise announcement from President Reggie DesRoches on the creation of a $1 million scholarship in Simmons’ honor. 

NEWS 9/19/23 11:00pm

Liftoff for the Biotech Launch Pad

By James Cancelarich

The Rice Biotech Launch Pad accelerator was announced on the 61st anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s moonshot speech. This initiative aims to develop new research and emerging technologies into practical clinical applications by bridging the gap between researchers, medical companies and healthcare professionals, Omid Veiseh said. 

NEWS 9/19/23 10:59pm

Rice celebrates ‘Our Heritage Month’

By Richie Su

Rice is celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 to recognize the achievements of the Hispanic American community, as well as their contributions to the culture in the U.S. and at Rice. This year, the Hispanic Heritage Month planning committee has renamed the event to “Our Heritage Month.” 

NEWS 9/13/23 12:51am

Senate ignites Rice Fight

By Maria Morkas

The Student Association passed a resolution Sept. 11 congratulating the Rice Owls football team on winning the 2023 Bayou Bucket and reaffirming the senate’s support of Rice’s student-athletes.

NEWS 9/13/23 12:51am

Over 8,000 meal swipes donated in fourth year of program

By Arman Saxena

Housing and Dining, Student Success Initiatives and the Student Association have launched their fourth year of the meal swipe donation program to address food insecurity among students, especially for those living off-campus. According to Interim Associate Vice President of H&D David McDonald, 8,140 swipes were donated this year, in comparison to the estimated 4,400 swipes that were donated at the start of the spring 2023 semester and the 800 swipes that were donated when the program began in spring 2020.

NEWS 9/13/23 12:03am

Medical humanities, advanced materials and sustainability institutes launch

By Adam Leff

Rice established three new research institutes this summer in medical humanities, advanced materials and sustainability. The university also increased funding for the Ken Kennedy Institute and Smalley-Curl Institute, investigating interdisciplinary uses of artificial intelligence and applied physics, respectively, and approved a Synthetic Biology Institute to complement these programs, according to Executive Vice President for Research Ramamoorthy Ramesh. 

NEWS 9/13/23 12:01am

Two professors awarded Vannevar Bush Fellowships

By Keegan Leibrock

Qimiao Si, a professor of physics and astronomy, and Jeffrey Tabor, a professor of bioengineering and biosciences, have been awarded Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowships by the U.S. Department of Defense. The award comes with a five-year fellowship and $3 million in research funding to continue work in their respective fields.

NEWS 9/5/23 11:49pm

Rice Pride extends honorary membership to Texas public university students

By Hadley Medlock

As Texas closes the doors of queer resource centers at public universities across the state, Rice Pride is opening theirs. On June 14, Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law banning diversity, equity and inclusion offices and initiatives at state-funded universities in Texas, as well as the hiring or assignment of an employee to conduct DEI office duties. 

NEWS 9/5/23 11:29pm

Flu shot mandated for fourth year, Oct. 27 deadline

By Maria Morkas

Students are required to have their seasonal flu vaccination prior to the start of spring class registration, Oct. 27. To facilitate this process, the university is holding vaccine clinics Sept. 14, 19, 27 and Oct. 5, according to a campus-wide email sent by Student Health Services Aug. 28.

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