Research News Archives

Camera-in-a-needle will screen for cancers

A low-cost camera-in-a-needle invented by Rice professors Rebecca Richards-Kortum and Tomasz Tkaczyk and their students is in human trials and being used to look for signs of esophageal and cervical cancer. More trials are on the horizon to detect oral and colon cancer, all with a device that costs a fraction of others.

Flu focus: NIH project aims for better drugs

Rice University scientists have won a $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to scrutinize the influenza A virus for clues that could lead to more-effective antiviral drugs.

Cin-Ty Lee earns high honors from Geological Society of America

Cin-Ty Lee spends a good bit of his time searching the planet for iron and zinc, so it's ironic when gold finds him. The Rice scientist and associate professor has been named one of three gold medalists for 2009 by the Geological Society of America in honor of his achievements in the geological sciences.

Gates Foundation backs BRC research into needle-free malaria test

The Richards-Kortum lab at Rice's BioScience Research Collaborative has won a $100,000 Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant through its Grand Challenges Explorations program to develop reagent-free, needle-free microscopy for malaria diagnosis.

National Corrosion Center celebrates launch of interferometry lab

Scientists at Rice's National Corrosion Center unveiled a one-of-a-kind microscope last week that lets them zoom in for the closest look anyone has ever gotten of corrosion in action.

Political scientist wins grant to study effectiveness of economic sanctions

Rice's Clifton Morgan, the Albert Thomas Professor of Political Science, received a grant from the National Science Foundation that will allow him to study every case of economic sanctions around the world for the last 65 years to see if the sanctions had their desired effect.

Rice and The Methodist Hospital win stimulus funding

A team of communications researchers and doctors from Rice University and The Methodist Hospital Research Institute have won a $2 million federal grant to design and test next-generation wireless platforms and remote patient monitoring devices in Houston's working-class Pecan Park neighborhood.

Rice-based training program wins $1 million in stimulus funds

The W.M. Keck Center's Biomedical Informatics training program, of which Rice's Tony Gorry is co-director, has been awarded more than $1 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This is above and beyond the center's regular National Institutes of Health funding. Part of the Gulf Coast Consortia, the Keck Center focuses on interinstitutional training activities.

Rice awarded $5M for light-based crystal simulator

A Rice University-led team of physicists at seven U.S. universities has won $5 million from the Department of Defense to build a simulator capable of tackling high-temperature superconductivity, one of the most vexing mysteries of modern physics.

Study: Largest quakes can weaken fault zones worldwide

Seismologists from Rice and two other U.S. institutions have found evidence that the massive 2004 earthquake that triggered killer tsunamis throughout the Indian Ocean weakened at least a portion of California's famed San Andreas Fault. The results, which appear this week in the journal Nature, suggest that the Earth's largest earthquakes can weaken fault zones worldwide and may trigger periods of increased global seismic activity.

Rice, Baylor researchers find nobility among single-celled creatures

Researchers from Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine are peeling back the layers of strategy that determine how colonies of social amoebas resist the efforts of cheaters to alter the balance of power.

Rice psychologists to study gender bias in scientific, medical job applications

Mikki Hebl, associate professor of psychology and management, and Randi Martin, the Elma Schneider Professor of Psychology, are on a team that received a $1.5 million grant this summer from the National Institutes of Health to study how merit is assessed in the fields of science and medicine.

All tied up: Tethered protein provides long-sought answer

The tools of biochemistry have finally caught up with lactose repressor protein. Biologists from Rice and the University of Florence this week published new results about "lac repressor," which was the first known genetic regulatory protein when discovered in 1966.

Rice's Morosan wins NSF CAREER award

Emilia Morosan's career is starting to heat up. The Rice physicist, who uses furnaces in her lab to create compounds with novel magnetic properties, has landed a highly coveted CAREER Development Award from the National Science Foundation.

Rice biochemists help keep antibiotic makers one step ahead of germs

Rice University biochemists are developing a system of "evolutionary forecasting" to better understand the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance.

Rice-born company to ease solar-panel manufacturing goes public, gives back

The first publicly traded company to spring from Rice University technology is now taking stock in some of the best brains at Rice. Natcore Technology, a New Jersey firm that specializes in advancing the science of solar energy, has signed an agreement to fund research by the Rice lab of Andrew Barron to the tune of $100,000.

Political scientist's book wins award for best in comparative politics

Conventional wisdom says the economy is the paramount issue for voters in any election. Randolph Stevenson, associate professor of political science, set out to determine if that truism is real. The result was "The Economic Vote: How Political and Economic Institutions Condition Election Results," a book Stevenson co-authored that proposes a theoretical model to account for how voters decide which candidates to support and how they integrate perceptions of the economy into their decisions.

Platinum nanocatalyst could aid drugmakers

Nanoparticles combining platinum and gold act as superefficient catalysts, but chemists have struggled to create them in an industrially useful form. Rice University chemists have answered the call this week with a polymer-coated version of gold-platinum nanorods, the first catalysts of their kind that can be used in the organic solvents favored by chemical and drug manufacturers.

Rice researchers seek better vaccine procedure

As manufacturers work furiously to make a vaccine to protect against 2009 influenza A (H1N1) virus, a Rice bioengineer is trying to improve the process for future flu seasons. The goal is to shorten the time it takes to identify targeted flu strains and manufacture the vaccines for them.

Tour group advances fabrication of nanoscale memory, chip-design tools

Advances by the Rice University lab of James Tour have brought graphite's potential as a mass data-storage medium a step closer to reality and created the potential for reprogrammable gate arrays that could bring about a revolution in integrated circuit logic design.

Rice bioengineer finds domestic payoff in designing devices for Africa

Rice bioengineer John McDevitt is developing a toaster-sized machine that's designed to diagnose virtually any disease or medical condition for a fraction of the cost of modern U.S. clinical assays. The machine already works for HIV monitoring and heart-attack screens and will soon be used for various kinds of cancer.

Little-known Protein Found to be Key Player

A team of biologists from Rice and the Eugenio Medea Scientific Institute in Italy this week reported finding that a little-understood protein previously implicated in a rare genetic disorder also plays an unexpected and critical role in building and maintaining healthy cells.

Rice University study finds 'rivalry' between nostrils

When the nose encounters two different scents simultaneously, the brain processes them separately through each nostril in an alternating fashion. This finding by Rice researchers is the first demonstration of "perceptual rivalry" in the olfactory system.

Rice research examines efforts to increase voter turnout

People have been trying to increase voter turnout for decades, using a variety of reforms that would ease the challenges would-be voters face each election. Two Rice political scientists have released their findings that indicate one new concept -- Election Day vote centers -- could be successful.

Rice University study examines the role of gender, morality in charitable giving

A recent study co-authored by Vikas Mittal, the J. Hugh Liedtke Professor of Management, showed that men and women take different approaches to donating based on their gender and moral identities.

Technology catches up -- 30 years later -- to Rice scientists' idea for trace-gas sensor

Nearly 30 years ago, long before Robert Curl won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry as co-discoverer of the carbon-60 "buckyball," the Rice University professor and his colleague Frank Tittel came up with a way to measure nitric oxide and other atmospheric chemicals using lasers. It's taken this long for the technology that makes it possible to catch up.

Brinkley's new book examines Teddy Roosevelt's role in preserving US wilderness

Rice historian Douglas Brinkley's latest book delves into President Theodore Roosevelt's zealous devotion to conservationism that resulted in 234 million acres saved for posterity. "The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America" chronicles how the 26th president transformed his interest in the outdoors into edicts that preserved such sites as the Grand Canyon, Devils Tower and the Petrified Forest.

Protein folding: Diverse methods yield clues

Rice University physicists have written the next chapter in an innovative approach for studying the forces that shape proteins -- the biochemical workhorses of all living things.

Images show atom-by-atom growth of rotating carbon nanotubes

New video showing the atom-by-atom growth of carbon nanotubes reveals they rotate as they grow, much like the halting motion of a mechanical clock's second hand. Published online this month by researchers at France's Université Lyon1/CNRS and Rice University, the research provides the first experimental evidence of how individual carbon atoms are added to growing nanotubes.

Gender equality matters for long-term economic growth

While economists have found that low-paid work for women and other gender inequalities often accompany economic growth, new research in the journal Feminist Economics shows that economic growth alone will not elevate overall human well-being. Rather, growth goes further to improve overall well-being if policies that support gender equality are implemented at the same time.

Rice surges ahead, attracts $100 million in external funding

Rice University attracted more than $100 million in fiscal 2008 for sponsored research and educational initiatives -- a milestone in its 96-year history. Rice has more than doubled the funds flowing into the university's research, education and outreach initiatives since 2000. Vice Provost for Research Jim Coleman said, "This not only represents a substantial increase in Rice's academic resources but also a symbolic milestone on the path to raising our research and scholarship profile -- the No. 1 goal of the Vision for the Second Century."

Rice scientists show astounding nanotube growth with flying carpets, 'odako' kites

In newly published research, Rice chemist Bob Hauge's team describes a method for making “odako,” bundles of single-walled carbon nanotubes named for the traditional Japanese kites they resemble. It may lead to a way to produce meter-long strands of nanotubes, which by themselves are no wider than a piece of DNA.

Rice eases move for couple -- and lab -- to BioScience Research Collaborative

John McDevitt, the Brown-Wiess Professor of Chemistry and Bioengineering, and wife Anna Grassini were drawn to Rice University by the possibilities for research offered by the new BioScience Research Collaborative and by the city of Houston itself.

Rice lab's atomic map of hepatitis E may reveal strategies to fight it

Rice researchers have published a new paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that, for the first time, details the atomic structure of the protein shell that carries the hepatitis E virus' genetic code. The research suggests that new ways to stop the virus may come in the not-too-distant future.

Rice's Shell Center funds effort to measure city sustainability, using Houston as a case study

Rice University's Shell Center for Sustainability has awarded a grant to Houston researchers who will use Houston as a case study for a methodology to measure sustainability.

Student researchers get a piece of the pie in the BRC

Last week, Vicki Colvin and her lab group became the first pioneering researchers to move into Rice's BioScience Research Collaborative, a place where scientists and educators from Rice University and Texas Medical Center institutions can work together to perform leading research that benefits human medicine and health.

Nakhleh wins CAREER award

Luay Nakhleh, an assistant professor of computer science at Rice and a specialist in bioinformatics, has been awarded a prestigious CAREER award by the National Science Foundation.

Rice computing pioneer wins IEEE Computer Society award

Rice University computer scientist Krishna Palem, who also heads the Institute for Sustainable Nanoelectronics at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, has won the IEEE Computer Society's highest technical award, the 2008 W. Wallace McDowell Award, for pioneering contributions to embedded computing.

Rice among nation's top CAREER grant recipients

Rice University's appeal to talented young faculty can be easily quantified with one glance at the National Science Foundation's awards list. Rice tied for second place among private American universities in the number of CAREER Awards given out last year, with funding coming to seven professors who are just beginning to make their marks here and in the scientific community.

SSPEED Center wins $1.25M for Ike study

A new $1.25 million two-year grant from Houston Endowment will help Rice's Phil Bedient and Jim Blackburn put real numbers to the damage estimates of a direct strike on Houston by a powerful hurricane.

Rice researchers detail mechanism of hydrogen storage on graphene

New Rice research details why graphene may be a viable carrier for hydrogen-based energy systems of the future, as small variations in temperature and pressure can effectively control the capture and release of hydrogen atoms.

Rice's DOD funding this decade tops $100 million

Rice is challenging Texans' notion that bigger is better, particularly when it comes to security-related research. Rice led Texas' top-tier research universities this month in awards from the Department of Defense's Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) program, winning new grants worth more than $9 million, or about 3.5 percent of total MURI funding awarded this year.

Providing health insurance for US children would be cheaper than expected, Baker Institute study says

Extending health insurance coverage to all children in the U.S. would be relatively inexpensive and would yield economic benefits that are greater than the costs, according to new research conducted at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy.

Rice-based journal research part of training for Chinese economists

Thanks to the Rice University-based journal Feminist Economics, economists in China will have greater access to comprehensive research about gender issues and economy. The journal teamed up with graduate students in Peking University's China Center for Economic Research to translate into Chinese its 2007 special issue on gender, China and the World Trade Organization.

Anthropologist's new book urges rethinking of discipline's methods

In his new book, Rice anthropology professor James Faubion calls for a re-evaluation of what it means to be a practicing anthropologist. Titled "Fieldwork Is Not What It Used to Be: Learning Anthropology's Method in a Time of Transition" (Cornell University Press), the book is an effort "to articulate a different model," Faubion said.

Geoscientists offer new model for degassing of Earth's mantle

A new analysis of the processes that constantly stir the Earth's deep mantle is helping to explain how the mantle holds onto a portion of ancient noble gases that were trapped during the Earth's formation.

Rice biologist wins Beckman Foundation award

Rice University researcher Nicholas Putnam has received a prestigious three-year Beckman Foundation Young Investigator Award to use comparative genomics to explore important questions about evolution and organization of genomic structure.

New director of sponsored research Sarah White sees the beauty in science

Sarah White's appreciation for human resourcefulness stretches back through the centuries. It's a passion that gives her an extra bit of perspective as she assumes the top job at Rice's Office of Sponsored Research.

First field test of Rice's arsenic-cleansing 'nanorust' slated in Mexico

Rice University researchers have announced that the first field tests of "nanorust," the university's revolutionary, low-cost technology for removing arsenic from drinking water, will begin later this year in Guanajuato, Mexico.

IBB awards 2009 Hamill Innovation grants

Rice's Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering (IBB) has awarded Hamill Innovation Grants to three new cross-disciplinary collaborative research projects by Rice faculty.

Political scientist named visiting scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation

Melissa Marschall, associate professor of political science, was recently appointed as a visiting scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation.

Pore effort: Huang's research aims at key feature of apoptosis

Rice physicist Huey Huang is on a quest to understand death -- or at least a little piece of it. Huang has spent the past 15 years studying the properties of cell membranes in an effort to unravel a mystery about cell suicide, a mystery that starts with a tiny hole.

Barron part of trans-Atlantic group seeking molecular key to stop HIV

Oceans were no obstacles for researchers trying to come up with a key to halting HIV. Rice University's Andrew Barron and his group, working with labs in Italy, Germany and Greece, have identified specific molecules that could block the means by which the deadly virus spreads by taking away its ability to bind with other proteins.

Rice labs hope tiny clusters will find new oil in old wells

Laboratories at Rice University are collaborating on a new way to detect oil deposits in wells once thought to be tapped out. Groups led by Rice professors James Tour, Michael Wong and Mason Tomson and Rice researcher Amy Kan are collaborating on a system by which hydrophilic carbon clusters -- microscopic entities designed to sense the presence of oil -- can be sent into a well by the billions and come back to the surface full of valuable information.

Nanophysicists find unexpected magnetic effect

New research appearing this week in the journal Nature by an international team from Rice and Spain's University of Alicante describes how single-atom contacts made of ferromagnetic metals like iron, cobalt and nickel behave very differently than expected.

Barron named Prince of Wales Visiting Innovator

Rice Professor Andrew Barron has been appointed the first Prince of Wales Visiting Innovator and will bring his expertise in materials science to an ever-strengthening collaboration between Rice University and its counterparts in the United Kingdom.

Tour honored by Houston Technology Center

Rice Professor James Tour was one of six high-profile Houstonians honored at the 10th anniversary celebration of the Houston Technology Center this week, earning a special achievement award for his advances in nanotechnology.

Rice researchers unzip the future

Scientists at Rice University have found a simple way to create basic elements for aircraft, flat-screen TVs, electronics and other products that incorporate sheets of tough, electrically conductive material. And the process begins with a zipper.

Rice, BCM explore nanoscale biophysics of key hearing protein

The Three Musketeers' motto, "All for one, one for all," may also apply to one of the key proteins in the ear. "Prestin" helps amplify faint sounds and increase the ability to hear tones, and like the musketeers, prestin appears to work best in small groups. Thanks to a new $1.75 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, scientists from Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine are teaming up to unlock the keys to prestin's camaraderie.

Rice Professor Naomi Halas, alum and benefactor John Doerr named to American Academy of Arts & Sciences

Rice University scientist Naomi Halas and Rice alum and philanthropist John Doerr joined a host of others renowned in their fields when they were elected members of the prestigious American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

Kripal explores paranormal activity in new book, film

A new book and film by Jeffrey Kripal, the J. Newton Rayzor Professor in Religious Studies and department chair, is taking on what he sees as a current misunderstanding -- paranormal activity -- by probing and presenting the work of great thinkers who tackled the oft-disparaged topic.

Rice's Tapia, Symes among inaugural SIAM Fellows

Three earn scholarships for math, science, engineering prowess

Three Rice juniors are among 278 American students named Goldwater Scholars by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. Joseph Rosenthal, Brown College; Thomas Segall-Shapiro, Jones College; and David Ouyang, Baker College, will each receive a $7,500 scholarship, awarded for their academic excellence in mathematics, science and engineering.

Architecture's Lerup wins Rome Prize to study Pantheon

Architecture Dean Lars Lerup will be spending nearly a year studying the Pantheon as a recipient of the 113th annual Rome Prize Competition awarded by the American Academy in Rome.

Lane wins American Institute of Physics' Compton Award

Neal Lane, the Malcolm Gillis University Professor and senior fellow in science and technology policy at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, has won the 2008 Karl T. Compton Medal for Leadership in Physics, presented by the American Institute of Physics (AIP).

Biologists find world-record colony of amoebae in Houston cow pasture

A Rice University study of microbes from a Houston-area cow pasture has confirmed once again that everything is bigger in Texas, even the single-celled stuff. The tests revealed the first-ever report of a large, natural colony of amoeba clones -- a Texas-sized expanse measuring at least 12 meters across.

Physicists offer new theory for iron compounds

An international team of physicists from the United States and China this week offered a new theory to both explain and predict the complex quantum behavior of a new class of high-temperature superconductors.

Rice-led project aims to boost performance on every chip

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), as part of its Architecture Aware Compiler Environment Program, has awarded Rice University $16 million to develop a new set of tools that can improve the performance of virtually any application running on any microprocessor.

Rice study of Olympus Mons hints at water -- and life -- inside Mars

How appropriate if the biggest story in space science comes from the tallest volcano in the solar system. Olympus Mons is almost three times the height of Mount Everest, but it's the small details that Rice professors Patrick McGovern and Julia Morgan are looking at in thinking about whether Mars ever had -- or still supports -- life.

Light-bending particles could lead to optics breakthroughs

Nikolay Mirin had a 'Hey, wait a minute!' moment when he realized the nanocups he was throwing away could be useful. It led the Rice graduate student and his mentor, Professor Naomi Halas, to pursue research that could light the way toward high-powered optics, ultra-efficient solar cells and even cloaking devices.

New method could improve vaccines for both seasonal flu and bird flu

A new computerized method of testing could help world health officials better identify flu vaccines that are effective against multiple strains of the disease. Rice University scientists who created the method say tests of data from bird flu and seasonal flu outbreaks suggest their method can better gauge the efficacy of proposed vaccines than tests used today.

Faculty Initiatives Fund Competition for 2009 Announced

The Office of Research has announced that Rice will once again support faculty endeavors through The Faculty Initiatives Fund (FIF). The FIF will award grants of between $5,000 and $75,000 to support faculty-initiated projects that will help Rice realize the Vision for the 2nd Century.

Art History's Brennan explores Jewish mysticism in new book

Color-rich images, interdisciplinary topics and experimental interpretive approaches might hinder a book's publication with a traditional academic press, but those challenges prove no problem for Rice University Press. The innovative digital press incorporates multimedia elements to advance scholarly communication, making it an ideal fit for Marcia Brennan's new book, "Flowering Light: Kabbalistic Mysticism and the Art of Elliot R. Wolfson," which examines Wolfson's scholarship, poetry and painting as a single, integrated body of work.

Study finds nanotube structures could improve electric motors

New research from Rice University and the University of Oulu in Oulu, Finland, finds that carbon nanotubes could significantly improve the performance of electrical commutators that are common in electric motors and generators.

Mikos honored with distinguished engineering educator award

Rice professor Antonios Mikos has won the prestigious Chemstations Lectureship Award, given by the American Society for Engineering Education. Sponsored by Chemstations Inc., a maker of software for chemical process and molecular simulation, the annual award goes to a distinguished engineering educator.

Rice sociologist wins career enhancement award

Rice sociologist Jenifer Bratter wants to know whether multiracial families experience the same level of racial segregation that single-race families experience. A Woodrow Wilson Foundation award that she just received will allow her to pursue that research interest in the next academic year.

Image pinpoints all 5 million atoms in viral coat

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then Rice University's precise new image of a virus' protective coat is seriously undervalued. More than three years in the making, the image contains some 5 million atoms -- each in precisely the right place -- and it could help scientists find better ways to both fight viral infections and design new gene therapies.

Revolutionary microchip uses 30 times less power

In the first real-world test of a revolutionary type of computing that thrives on random errors, scientists have created a microchip that uses 30 times less electricity while running seven times faster than today's best technology. The U.S.-Singapore team developing the technology, dubbed PCMOS, revealed the results Feb. 8 at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference, the world's premier forum for engineers working at the cutting edge of integrated-circuit design.

Two Rice engineering school professors named 2009 Sloan Fellows

Eugene Ng and Wotao Yin, assistant professors in the George R. Brown School of Engineering, have been awarded prestigious 2009 Sloan Research Fellowships. They were among 118 faculty members the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation selected this year from hundreds of nominees at more than 60 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.

Rice's Michael Kohn finds rodents immune to poison provide clues to medical mystery

A research project at Rice has brought scientists to the brink of comprehending a long-standing medical mystery that may link cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and perhaps even Alzheimer's disease.

Cohan receives NSF CAREER Award

Daniel Cohan, assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering, has won a National Science Foundation CAREER Award. These awards honor science and engineering faculty members who show exceptional potential for leadership early in their academic careers.

Work on formation of continents earns Rice geochemist two honors

Cin-Ty Lee, assistant professor of Earth science, is being honored for outstanding contributions in his field by both the American Geophysical Union and the Geochemical Society.

Rice Alliance receives national and local recognition

The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship was recognized by the Greater Houston Partnership as Houston's Greatest Economic Development Ally and as an Outstanding Specialty Entrepreneurship Program by the U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

Nanotube's 'tapestry' controls its growth

Rice University materials scientists have put a new "twist" on carbon nanotube growth. The researchers found the highly touted nanomaterials grow like tiny molecular tapestries, woven from twisting, single-atom threads.

Ajayan group creates hybrid nanocables to improve lithium battery technology

Need to store electricity more efficiently? Put it behind bars. That's essentially the finding of a team of Rice University researchers who have created hybrid carbon-nanotube/metal-oxide arrays as electrode material that may improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries.

Simmons Family Foundation awards collaborative research grants

Finding cures for hearing loss, breast cancer and childhood cancer and a way to identify people at risk for tuberculosis are goals of the first recipients of grants from the Virginia and L.E. Simmons Family Foundation Collaborative Research Fund. The fund, a $3 million initiative to discover new ways to diagnose and treat diseases, supports collaboration among researchers at Rice University, Texas Children’s Hospital and The Methodist Hospital Research Institute.

Dash for 'dots' raises questions

Quantum dots have the potential to bring many good things into the world: efficient solar power, targeted gene and drug delivery, solid-state lighting and advances in biomedical imaging, for example. But they may pose hazards as well. A team of Rice researchers has been working to discover the health risks of quantum dots.

Industry titans race to Rice's new wireless platform

Nothing kills innovation like having to reinvent the wheel. Imagine how dull your diet would be if you had to build a new stove and hammer out a few cooking pots every time you wanted to test a new recipe. Until just a couple years ago, electronics researchers testing new high-speed wireless technologies faced just this sort of problem; they had to build every test system completely from scratch.

Rice rolls out new nanocars

This year's model isn't your father's nanocar. It runs cool. The drivers of Rice University's nanocars were surprised to find modified versions of their creation have the ability to roll at room temperature. While practical applications for the tiny machines may be years away, the breakthrough suggests they'll be easier to adapt to a wider range of uses than the originals, which had to be heated to 200 degrees Celsius before they could move across a surface.

Undergrad researchers key in creation of new cardiac lab

The first thing you need to do when you set up a new research group is get help. Jeff Jacot is finding it at Rice. A first-year assistant professor in bioengineering who holds a joint appointment at Texas Children's Hospital, Jacot put out a call upon his arrival for undergraduate students willing and able to take part in his cutting-edge research into pediatric cardiovascular engineering.

Lane wins National Academy of Sciences' highest honor

Neal Lane, the Malcolm Gillis University Professor at Rice and senior fellow in science and technology at the Baker Institute for Public Policy, has been chosen to receive the National Academy of Sciences' most prestigious award, the Public Welfare Medal.

Sarkar named 2008 ACM fellow

The Association of Computing Machinery has inducted Vivek Sarkar as a 2008 ACM Fellow.

Rice University-based journal takes top honors

One of the world's leading interdisciplinary journals on Asia, Rice University-based "positions: east asia cultures critique," was unanimously selected as the winner of the 2008 Council of Editors of Learned Journals Award for Best Special Issue for "War Capital Trauma."

Research by Rice psychologist identifies area of brain key to choosing words

New research by a Rice University psychologist clearly identifies the parts of the brain involved in the process of choosing appropriate words during speech.

Rice ranks third in nanotoxicology publications

A new study by researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara finds that Rice University ranks third globally in publications in the growing field of nanotoxicology.