Junichiro Kono succeeded Naomi Halas as director of the Smalley-Curl Institute on Feb. 1. Kono currently also serves as director of the applied physics graduate program, housed in SCI. He is also the Karl F. Hasselmann Chair in Engineering.
The Division of Operations, Finance and Support, formerly known as Finance and Administration, released a five-year strategic plan to enhance “operational excellence,” customer experiences and inclusivity.
Ron Sass, a Rice professor for over 60 years, passed away Jan. 9. Sass was a renowned educator, winning the George R. Brown Prize for Excellence in Teaching, among many others. He retired in 2005 as Harry C. and Olga K. Wiess Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and as a global climate change fellow at the Baker Institute.
Josh Stallings, currently the Student Association deputy treasurer, and Thomas Ngo, currently a new student representative from McMurtry College, are the two candidates vying for SA treasurer.
Motif Neurotech, a start-up formed through the Biotech Launch Pad and founded by Rice professor Jacob Robinson, received $18.75 million from venture capital investors in Series A funding — one of the first major rounds of external funding for a start-up company. Motif was created to commercialize a pea-sized brain stimulator which was developed in Robinson’s lab at Rice to treat treatment-resistant depression.
The Rice University Police Department’s Citizen Police Academy classes will begin Jan. 29 after a five-year hiatus. The CPA offers free, interactive courses on RUPD’s departments and responsibilities for campus community members every Monday for nine weeks.
Melvalean McLemore-Catina, a 2023 graduate of the Rice Masters of Science Architecture program, began her term as the president of the American Institute of Architects Houston Jan. 1, the first Black woman to hold the role.
Nine student cultural organizations hosted the first Pangea Potluck at the Rice Memorial Center Nov. 15. Clubs shared food, organized activities and participated in a passport program where students could collect a stamp from each organization in exchange for a prize in the Grand Hall. Participating groups included the Hispanic Association for Cultural Enrichment at Rice, the Vietnamese Student Organization and the Black Student Association, among others.
Mark Ditman was the first recipient of the Y. Ping Sun Award for Outstanding Community Engagement after almost 29 years of employment with Rice as the former associate vice president for Housing and Dining. During Ditman’s tenure, he secured a $100,000 grant for mass timber projects at Rice, including the construction of the New Hanszen College Wing, the first mass timber residential building in Texas. Ditman, who retired June 30, was also instrumental in promoting solar energy on campus and developing the college serveries.
The Office of Sustainability worked with student clubs and community members to host Campus Sustainability Day Oct. 24. The event occurred during Campus Sustainability Month designated by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, of which Rice is a member.
