Rice University Provost Amy Dittmar recently participated in the Borgo Dialogues at the Vatican, contributing an economist's and higher education leader's perspective to global discussions. The dialogues focused on designing health systems, labor markets, and communities around the principle of human dignity.
In other significant developments, Rice President Reginald DesRoches was elected to the National Academy of Construction, joining an elite group of industry leaders. This achievement makes DesRoches one of only 18 individuals holding memberships in the National Academy of Construction, National Academy of Engineering, and American Society of Civil Engineers. Additionally, Rice and the Max Planck Society launched Q-RaMP, a new initiative to advance global leadership in quantum materials and technology, aiming for breakthroughs in sustainability, energy efficiency, and information processing.
The university's research landscape continues to expand with diverse projects. Researchers are reshaping the science of reading by emphasizing braille literacy, while engineers have developed a shape-shifting surface for next-generation human-machine interaction. New studies from the Boniuk Institute explore hidden challenges faced by religious scientists, and collaborative research into bilingual brains has unveiled a "geometric neural map" in the hippocampus.
Further innovations include automated defect detection in advanced semiconductors like diamond, and a new theory on how trios of quantum particles form checkerboard patterns. A study also revealed that climate change is largely absent from stories shaping modern culture, based on an analysis of short stories in The New Yorker. Rice scientists have also created moisture-driven, nontoxic, stretchable batteries with potential applications in wearables and surveillance.
The Kinder Institute for Urban Research reported that an estimated 141,000 Houston-area residents experienced temporary homelessness in the past year. Meanwhile, Rice and NASA launched the iMETRO Dynamic Simulation, the world's first open-source dynamic simulation environment for developing space robotics. These initiatives underscore Rice University's commitment to addressing complex societal challenges and pushing the boundaries of scientific discovery.