Spotlight

Senior Spotlight: Rebecca Francis looks back on friendships, political passions and coffee found in Houston

With its glittering waters and nine-mile running trail, White Rock Lake is one of Rebecca Francis's favorite places in Dallas. The Baker College senior takes every opportunity to run there with her family when she's home, usually followed by breakfast at a nearby coffee shop. 

Hotspots: Students return home to highly infected regions

When Rice announced that classes would be going remote and required students to leave campus unless their petition to stay on campus was approved, some undergraduates had to do what it seemed like nobody in America wanted to do: travel to areas of the country with high rates of COVID-19. The Thresher caught up with students from California, New York and Washington who made the difficult decision to return home and be with their families. 

A look back into history: Rice in times of crisis

For the first time since our university’s founding in 1912, all instruction is taking place remotely and virtually. For the second time since our founding in 1916, the Thresher has stopped printing physical papers (the first break was during World War I, according to our records) and for the first time has transitioned to emailing a weekly online newsletter (which you can and should subscribe to here). And for the first time in its 64-year history, Beer Bike did not happen.

Time cut short for alumni on fellowships

Over 10,000 miles from Houston, off the coast of the Maldives, reef manta rays are in their peak season: Every March and April, the massive sea animals aggregate in large numbers in the water surrounding the small South Asian island nation.  Anna Knochel had been anticipating this moment for a while. A 2019 recipient of the Wagoner Foreign Study Scholarship, which funds international research projects, Knochel (Baker College ’19) began pursuing a master’s degree in marine science at Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology last fall. Much of her time was spent preparing for her fieldwork in the Maldives and Mozambique, which would focus on the skin microbiomes of manta rays. 

The Zoom Experiment: Faculty share mishaps, adaptations and creative solutions

More than two weeks ago, faculty and students embarked on a remote-learning journey, most of them using a combination of Zoom’s videoconferencing platform and Rice’s Canvas platform. While faculty have experienced mishaps surrounding internet stability and lagging, many have embraced the platform and found creative avenues for continuing their classes. 

Miles apart: Rice couples suddenly thrown into long-distance relationships

Alyson Riley and Leah Kanihan met a little over a year ago and started dating right after they got back from summer break in fall 2019. Following the outbreak of COVID-19 this spring, they have had to suddenly transition into  a long distance relationship, like many other couples at Rice. 

Moments alone: 50 word stories from isolation

As we all exist in isolation from one another, it can be grounding to take a moment to reflect on where we are and how we're doing, and hear the same from others. With that in mind, the Thresher asked for  brief stories from the Rice community about what living in social isolation has been like. Here’s what people told us...

4-08-20 Crossword Online: "Lands of Imagination"

Taylor Swift fans find community through Rice Swifties

March Madness brackets are a familiar sight — 64 teams face off, with one team crowned the winner. But a bracket created by an informal group of Rice students showcases a different competition: a showdown between 64 of pop artist Taylor Swift’s best songs.  

Through the Sallyport: Seniors say an unexpected early goodbye

On a sunny Friday afternoon, hundreds of seniors took their highly anticipated walk through the Sallyport, which traditionally marks graduation and the end of their time at Rice. But the date was March 13, 65 days earlier than expected. In a blend of spirits that can best be described as bittersweet, seniors from each of the 11 colleges walked through the Sallyport into a crowd as members of the Marching Owl Band played music. 

Extracurriculars, inside: How students are passing the time in social isolation

With little to no human contact, many people have struggled to adapt to self-isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some students have taken up hobbies — new or old — to relieve stress about the coronavirus or to occupy an abundance of free time that some students now find themselves with. Here are some of the creative ways Rice students are now spending their time.

3-31-2020 Crossword Online: "April Fools' Day"

3-25-2020 Crossword Online: "Shredded Cheese"

Eclipse, Rice’s student rocketry team, shoots for the stars

Launching a rocket after spending an entire night at the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen seems like the perfect send-off for the end of a semester with Eclipse, Rice University’s undergraduate student rocketry team. 

Facebook groups offer community support during coronavirus outbreak

When Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman announced that undergraduate classes would be moving online two weeks ago, campus was thrown into chaos. Since classes for the week were already canceled, many students had already left campus for an early spring break, while others were given little time to pack up their belongings and say goodbye to friends before departing for the rest of the semester.

How to survive a semester in isolation

 As an extremely extroverted humanities major enrolled in exclusively  discussion-based courses, I’m ... ah ... slightly freaking out. How will  the exciting, fascinating classroom conversations I had throughout the  semester continue to engage me from my laptop? How will the apartment I  grew up in become an office for three remote workers, and remain a place  for us to hang out at the end of the day? How will I retain my sanity  without the countless interactions I have throughout my days at Rice —  walking in and out of classes, eating in serveries, working at  Coffeehouse and randomly bumping into people? And how do I keep anxiety  and depression at bay? 

3-11-2020 Crossword solutions

From Rice to reality TV: Shaan Patel connects back to his roots on new Bravo show

When Shaan Patel graduated from Rice in 2014, he only had plans to be an architect. Now, he is one of the stars of “Family Karma,” a new reality show on Bravo TV. 

Fernanda Lago finds expression in laser-cutting earrings

When she was younger, Fernanda Lago was too much of a tomboy to wear earrings. An avid sports player, she had no interest in dangly earrings — they only got in the way. Little did she know that a decade later, she’d be designing and selling her own. 

Black at Rice: Elhadji Diop weaves stories through art

With Travis Scott moving into the sneaker world and Rihanna taking over the realm of beauty, more and more unexpected people have been dominating the world of fashion. But Elhadji Diop is here to prove that it’s not only celebrities who can start their own fashion lines with the recent release of his new streetwear brand, MOO.D.