Rice University will begin offering a Master of Artificial Intelligence degree in the fall of 2027, with prospective students able to apply this year, the university has announced.
The new program was reported by Houston Public Media as part of Dateline Rice, a periodic roundup of where Rice University has appeared in the news.
Rice also featured prominently in national and international coverage. Francisco Monaldi, a fellow at Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy, was quoted in an NPR.org report on the low level of the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Ashley Zumwalt-Forbes, also a Baker Institute fellow, was interviewed by Bloomberg about the Chinese rare earth industry and US-China rare earths trade.
Kenneth Medlock III, a Baker Institute fellow, was quoted in a Daily Guardian Canada article examining what a diesel export ban under consideration by President Donald Trump would mean for Canada. Rice political science professor Mark Jones was quoted in a Texas Tribune article on reactions from longtime Democrats leading Austin and Houston to ICE shootings.
In Houston and Texas coverage, Rice was ranked No. 1 in Texas and No. 16 nationally in U.S. News & World Report's latest college rankings, according to KRIV-TV's "Houston's Morning Show." Steve Sherman of Rice's Kinder Institute for Urban Research took part in a panel at Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County's inaugural State of the Affiliate event.
Several outlets cited Kinder Institute research, including studies on Harris County eviction filings, career and technical education in Houston, and the Houston area's Asian American residents. Rice's Baker Institute research into health literacy in the U.S. and into solving artificial intelligence's energy demands was also cited, and ABC13 featured Rice researchers exploring whether batteries can handle AI energy demand.
In trade coverage, Phys.org featured collaborative Rice research describing a new class of materials called autferroics, with materials science and nanoengineering professor Boris Yakobson and postdoctoral research associate Jun-Jie Zhang quoted. Texas Contractor reported on Skanska celebrating the opening of Rice's Asha and Farid Virani Hall at the university's business school.
In sports, Rice's soccer team defeated Temple University 5-1 on Sept. 24, Rice redshirt senior football player Chibby Nwajuaku was named a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy, and the Rice women's swimming and diving team was selected as the American Athletic Conference favorite.