Ly Hoang

NEWS 10/8/09 7:00pm

New BIOS majors

By Ly Hoang

Bioscience majors may soon find themselves with a few more options, as both the departments of Biochemistry and Cell Biology and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology have begun collaborating to propose a new plan that will expand the number of majors and minors offered at Rice as early as next fall. "This is the biggest revision [to the departments] for more than a decade," Professor Evan Siemann, chair of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department, said.

NEWS 4/16/09 7:00pm

Microfinance pioneer shares wisdom with Rice

By Ly Hoang

Jessica Jackley, co-founder of Kiva, the world's first person-to-person micro-lending Web site, spoke at the Shell Auditorium April 14. Jackley was invited by Rebecca Richards-Kortum, Beyond Traditional Borders Director, as part of the Rice 360 initiative. Kiva, which means "agreement" or "unity" in Swahili, has helped nearly 500,000 lenders across the globe loan approximately $67 million to individual entrepreneurs from 45 developing countries since its founding three and a half years ago, the organization's Web site said.

NEWS 3/12/09 7:00pm

Students devote spring break to serving others

By Ly Hoang

Instead of basking in the tropical sun, over 100 students volunteered at various non-profit organizations throughout the country as part of Alternative Spring Break (ASB), which was sponsored by the Community Involvement Center. Eight groups of approximately 12 students worked in Colorado, Virginia, Mississippi, California, Washington, South Dakota, Illinois and Costa Rica, and one group of 40 volunteers visited Galveston. With an application pool twice the number of available spots, the selection process was highly competitive. Though participants were asked to pay a $250 registration fee, the rest of the money for the trips was raised by each team through special events and personal solicitations. Some groups chose to fundraise by holding a raffle for gift cards at nearby restaurants and stores, while others held bake sales or sold Valentine's goodies.

NEWS 2/12/09 6:00pm

Director of Sponsored Research steps down from post

By Ly Hoang

Director of Sponsored Research Nancy Nisbett said farewell to Rice Wednesday after nearly five years as a staff member. The Office of Sponsored Research is directly responsible for aiding faculty and researchers in submitting grant proposals to both federal agencies and corporate industries. All research projects must be submitted through the office, she said.

NEWS 1/22/09 6:00pm

Online-only special: Clementi awarded for protein research

By Ly Hoang

Associate chemistry professor Cecilia Clementi's research in protein folding could be the key to cures for medical conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. In recognition of this potential as well as her breakthrough research in protein folding, she has been awarded the prestigious Norman Hackerman Award in Chemical Research.The annual award recognizes a young researcher who has made profound contributions to the field of chemical research in Texas. Nominees are rigorously screened and then selected by a panel of Nobel Laureates and other experts in the field.