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Message THE FUTUREIS NOWIN THIS ISSUEThe Magazine of the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing at Rice University2025 ISSUEInside the Ethics of the Black BoxRice Researchers Build Responsible AI for the 21st Century p38Future ProcessingHow We’re Building the Computing Systems of the Futurep3050 Years of Engineering at RiceLooking Back at 50 Years of Innovation and Impactp46
Did You Know...Duncan Hall, Rice University’s Computational Engineering Building, was built in 1996 on the site of the demolished Bonner Nuclear Laboratory—a 1950s-era lab that once housed a six-million volt Van deGraaff particle accelerator. Designed by architects John Outram & Associates, the impressive ceiling is titled, “TheBirth of Consciousness.” Theartwork holds a cosmological myth of: a flower symbolizes both a “Big Bang” event and consciousness, flanked by day and night. An infinity symbol—a motif that occurs throughout the building’s decoration—surrounds the dark and light, signifying a continuous conversation of self-awareness. SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGUP FIRSTThe Big Picture Rice’s George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing celebrated half a century since its official inception with two days of events that gathered together more than people, including staff, faculty, students, alumni and friends of the school. Held March -, the celebration included panel discussions as well as lab tours, alumni gatherings, student showcases, and an epic drone show in the academic quad.An Le / Luxe Studio Productions
Did You Know...Duncan Hall, Rice University’s Computational Engineering Building, was built in 1996 on the site of the demolished Bonner Nuclear Laboratory—a 1950s-era lab that once housed a six-million volt Van deGraaff particle accelerator. Designed by architects John Outram & Associates, the impressive ceiling is titled, “TheBirth of Consciousness.” Theartwork holds a cosmological myth of: a flower symbolizes both a “Big Bang” event and consciousness, flanked by day and night. An infinity symbol—a motif that occurs throughout the building’s decoration—surrounds the dark and light, signifying a continuous conversation of self-awareness. SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGUP FIRSTThe Big Picture Rice’s George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing celebrated half a century since its official inception with two days of events that gathered together more than people, including staff, faculty, students, alumni and friends of the school. Held March -, the celebration included panel discussions as well as lab tours, alumni gatherings, student showcases, and an epic drone show in the academic quad.An Le / Luxe Studio Productions
ContentsWHO’S WHO?DEANLuay NakhlehSENIOR ASSOCIATE DEANSSibani Lisa BiswalRenata RamosASSOCIATE DEANJane Grande-AllenEDITORJada CrawfordCONTRIBUTORSMaria AgliettiAlexandra BeckerKatrina BurtonSilvia Cernea ClarkMarcy de Luna Rachel FairbankPatrick KurpRaji NatarajanEmily PersonKayt SukelVeronica E. TremblayDESIGNLandesberg DesignPHOTOGRAPHY + ILLUSTRATIONAdam CruftMerijn Hos Jessie Lin Kagan McLeodJay WatsonCOVER Merijn HosThe world is in the midst of a computing revolution. Artificial intelligence and advanced computing are transforming every facet of society, from medicine to energy, education to space exploration. At Rice University, we recognize that engineering and computing are now insepara-ble—each driving innovation in the other. This deep connection is why we have renamed the George R. Brown School of Engineering to the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing.This change is more than just a name—it reflects a reality that has been true at Rice for decades. In , Rice built the R computer, the fastest and largest university-based com-puter of its time. Ken Kennedy helped define the field of high-performance computing and compiler optimization, while Sid Burrus pioneered digital signal processing, laying the foundation for modern wireless communica-tion and audio compression. In optimization, Bob Bixby co-developed CPLEX and Gurobi, the world’s leading tools for solving complex decision-making and logistics problems. Rice’s entrepreneurial spirit has also fueled ventures like ROLM Corporation, co-founded by Rice engineers, which became a leader in telecommunications and computing. That same spirit continues today, as Rice comput-ing alumni have founded some of the most influential tech companies of the modern era. The demand for computing education has never been greater. Computer Science is now the largest major at Rice University, and, to meet this increasing demand, we have launched new online degrees in computing, a new Master of Data Science, and we are preparing to launch an undergraduate major in Artificial Intelligence—positioning Rice as a leader in AI education and research. Our Data to Knowledge (DK) Transformation Lab provides students with hands-on experience in data science, collaborating with industry and community partners to solve real-world problems through data-driven insights. With computing no longer confined to traditional tech fields, our researchers are using AI to design new drugs and materials, computational modeling to understand the Rice Engineering and Computing magazine is a production of the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing Office of Communications atRiceUniversity.“What is our role in the world, if not to make it better?” With a century of innovation and engineering excellence as our foundation, Rice Engineering and Computing magazine presents big ideas and unique perspectives that address the greatest challenges facing society and highlights our community of innovative, collaborative thinkers — all while striving to remind our readers of the important role Rice Engineering and Computing plays in theircommunities and aroundtheworld.DEPARTMENTSFEATURESIn the Hedges 〉 RICE ENGINEERING NEWS Seen and heard across the school 〉 STATE OF THE SCHOOL 〉 RICE IN THE WORLD OpenStax blazes the trail in global open education resources and learning research. 〉 SPOKEN @ RICE 〉 THE COUNTDOWN 〉 NEW FACULTY 〉 FUTURE PROCESSINGRice researchers design andbuild computing systems to improve efficiency, portability andaccessibility. 〉 INSIDE THE ETHICS OF THE BLACK BOXAs the capabilities of AIcontinue to grow, Rice researchers take the lead in responsible AI stewardship. 〉 50 YEARS OF ENGINEERING AT RICELook back on the 50 years that shaped engineering at Rice and its impact around the world.3830Ideas + Research 〉 RESEARCH NEWS 〉 IN THE DESIGN KITCHEN Huff Engineering Design Showcase honors student ingenuity and impact 〉 THROUGHLINE Spotlight on Data SciencePeople + Perspectives 〉 IN THEIR OWN WORDS 〉 A FRAMEWORK FOR SUCCESS 〉 5 QUESTIONSRice Engineering Alumni 〉 REA REPORTThe Way Back 〉 QUESTION? If you could collaborate with any fictional character on an engineering project, who would it be, and what would you create together? 〉 LOOKING BACK / LOOKING FORWARDhumanbrain, and data science to tackle climate change. Additionally, our school is leading the way inleveraging computing and AI to create personalized learning experiences. Today, we are making major investments in AI, quantum computing, computer systems, and interdisciplinary computing research. We are hiring world-class faculty, expanding research initiatives, and deepening collaborations with industry and government partners.This issue of our magazine explores the power of comput-ing, the people who are driving change, and the ways our school is evolving to meet the challenges of the st century. Welcome to the future of Engineering and Computing atRice.From the Dean > Luay NakhlehSend comments or letters to the editor: Rice Engineering and Computing MagazineRice UniversityRice UniversityMS 364PO Box 1892Houston, TX 77251or email:engrnews@rice.edu462 3 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING2025 ISSUEEngineering and Computing at Rice: A Legacy of Innovation, A Future of ImpactThis issue of our magazine explores the power of computing, the people who are driving change, and the ways our school is evolving to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
ContentsWHO’S WHO?DEANLuay NakhlehSENIOR ASSOCIATE DEANSSibani Lisa BiswalRenata RamosASSOCIATE DEANJane Grande-AllenEDITORJada CrawfordCONTRIBUTORSMaria AgliettiAlexandra BeckerKatrina BurtonSilvia Cernea ClarkMarcy de Luna Rachel FairbankPatrick KurpRaji NatarajanEmily PersonKayt SukelVeronica E. TremblayDESIGNLandesberg DesignPHOTOGRAPHY + ILLUSTRATIONAdam CruftMerijn Hos Jessie Lin Kagan McLeodJay WatsonCOVER Merijn HosThe world is in the midst of a computing revolution. Artificial intelligence and advanced computing are transforming every facet of society, from medicine to energy, education to space exploration. At Rice University, we recognize that engineering and computing are now insepara-ble—each driving innovation in the other. This deep connection is why we have renamed the George R. Brown School of Engineering to the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing.This change is more than just a name—it reflects a reality that has been true at Rice for decades. In , Rice built the R computer, the fastest and largest university-based com-puter of its time. Ken Kennedy helped define the field of high-performance computing and compiler optimization, while Sid Burrus pioneered digital signal processing, laying the foundation for modern wireless communica-tion and audio compression. In optimization, Bob Bixby co-developed CPLEX and Gurobi, the world’s leading tools for solving complex decision-making and logistics problems. Rice’s entrepreneurial spirit has also fueled ventures like ROLM Corporation, co-founded by Rice engineers, which became a leader in telecommunications and computing. That same spirit continues today, as Rice comput-ing alumni have founded some of the most influential tech companies of the modern era. The demand for computing education has never been greater. Computer Science is now the largest major at Rice University, and, to meet this increasing demand, we have launched new online degrees in computing, a new Master of Data Science, and we are preparing to launch an undergraduate major in Artificial Intelligence—positioning Rice as a leader in AI education and research. Our Data to Knowledge (DK) Transformation Lab provides students with hands-on experience in data science, collaborating with industry and community partners to solve real-world problems through data-driven insights. With computing no longer confined to traditional tech fields, our researchers are using AI to design new drugs and materials, computational modeling to understand the Rice Engineering and Computing magazine is a production of the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing Office of Communications atRiceUniversity.“What is our role in the world, if not to make it better?” With a century of innovation and engineering excellence as our foundation, Rice Engineering and Computing magazine presents big ideas and unique perspectives that address the greatest challenges facing society and highlights our community of innovative, collaborative thinkers — all while striving to remind our readers of the important role Rice Engineering and Computing plays in theircommunities and aroundtheworld.DEPARTMENTSFEATURESIn the Hedges 〉 RICE ENGINEERING NEWS Seen and heard across the school 〉 STATE OF THE SCHOOL 〉 RICE IN THE WORLD OpenStax blazes the trail in global open education resources and learning research. 〉 SPOKEN @ RICE 〉 THE COUNTDOWN 〉 NEW FACULTY 〉 FUTURE PROCESSINGRice researchers design andbuild computing systems to improve efficiency, portability andaccessibility. 〉 INSIDE THE ETHICS OF THE BLACK BOXAs the capabilities of AIcontinue to grow, Rice researchers take the lead in responsible AI stewardship. 〉 50 YEARS OF ENGINEERING AT RICELook back on the 50 years that shaped engineering at Rice and its impact around the world.3830Ideas + Research 〉 RESEARCH NEWS 〉 IN THE DESIGN KITCHEN Huff Engineering Design Showcase honors student ingenuity and impact 〉 THROUGHLINE Spotlight on Data SciencePeople + Perspectives 〉 IN THEIR OWN WORDS 〉 A FRAMEWORK FOR SUCCESS 〉 5 QUESTIONSRice Engineering Alumni 〉 REA REPORTThe Way Back 〉 QUESTION? If you could collaborate with any fictional character on an engineering project, who would it be, and what would you create together? 〉 LOOKING BACK / LOOKING FORWARDhumanbrain, and data science to tackle climate change. Additionally, our school is leading the way inleveraging computing and AI to create personalized learning experiences. Today, we are making major investments in AI, quantum computing, computer systems, and interdisciplinary computing research. We are hiring world-class faculty, expanding research initiatives, and deepening collaborations with industry and government partners.This issue of our magazine explores the power of comput-ing, the people who are driving change, and the ways our school is evolving to meet the challenges of the st century. Welcome to the future of Engineering and Computing atRice.From the Dean > Luay NakhlehSend comments or letters to the editor: Rice Engineering and Computing MagazineRice UniversityRice UniversityMS 364PO Box 1892Houston, TX 77251or email:engrnews@rice.edu462 3 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING2025 ISSUEEngineering and Computing at Rice: A Legacy of Innovation, A Future of ImpactThis issue of our magazine explores the power of computing, the people who are driving change, and the ways our school is evolving to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
In the HedgesRice Engineering Renamed to Reflect Computing ExcellenceHEADLINES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED...RRice University’s school of engineering is now the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing, recognizing the transformative role of computing and the school’s record of excellence in the field. “Our decision to rename the school to the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing reflects the crucial role computing plays today, its expanding importance for the future and our school’s distinguished achieve-ments in this field,” said Luay Nakhleh, the William and Stephanie Sick Dean of Engineering and Computing and professor of computer science and biosciences. “We harness computing power to develop solutions across various domains, from public health and climate change to designing new materials and building resilient, adaptive communities. This focus on computing is why future computing is one of the five research thrusts of the school’s strategic plan,” Nakhlehsaid.ILLUSTRATION BY JESSIE LIN4 5 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGRice and MD Anderson advance cancer-focused operations researchREAD MOREeng.rice.edu/OperationsResearchCenter for Membrane Excellence advances separation technologies for energy and sustainabilityREAD MOREeng.rice.edu/Membrane Bioengineers awarded $3.4M for project to end polio READ MOREeng.rice.edu/EndPolioResearchers innovate smarter wearable techREAD MOREeng.rice.edu/WearableTechEngineering senior to intern at SpaceX through Brooke Owens FellowshipREAD MOREeng.rice.edu/SpaceXInternGravity used to create low-cost device for rapid cell analysisREAD MOREeng.rice.edu/CellThe school has been at the forefront of innovative computing curricula, with its graduate program in computer science ranked among the top in the country. Both the university and the school have made signifi-cant investments in computing in recent years. Notable initiatives include the commitment in to double the size of the computer science department and expand faculty hires in com-puting across all nine departments; increased investment in the Ken Kennedy Institute; the renovation of Maxfield Hall as home of the Statistics department; the establishment of the Data to Knowledge (DK) Transformation Lab; the launch of the Data Science and Quantum Initiatives; and the introduction of new degree programs in computing and datascience.Rice Engineering and Computing has a rich history of pioneering advances in computing research, spanning high-performance com-puting, digital signal processing, computer systems, AI, programming languages, and computational optimization. Computing at Rice can be traced back to the late s and the Rice Computer Project, or R — the univer-sity’s largest computational research tool. The R cemented the university’s reputation in hardware and software design.“ We harness computing power to develop solutions across various domains, from public health and climate change to designing new materials and building resilient, adaptive communities.”LUAY NAKHLEHWilliam and Stephanie Sick Dean of Engineering and Computing and professor of computer science and biosciences
In the HedgesRice Engineering Renamed to Reflect Computing ExcellenceHEADLINES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED...RRice University’s school of engineering is now the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing, recognizing the transformative role of computing and the school’s record of excellence in the field. “Our decision to rename the school to the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing reflects the crucial role computing plays today, its expanding importance for the future and our school’s distinguished achieve-ments in this field,” said Luay Nakhleh, the William and Stephanie Sick Dean of Engineering and Computing and professor of computer science and biosciences. “We harness computing power to develop solutions across various domains, from public health and climate change to designing new materials and building resilient, adaptive communities. This focus on computing is why future computing is one of the five research thrusts of the school’s strategic plan,” Nakhlehsaid.ILLUSTRATION BY JESSIE LIN4 5 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGRice and MD Anderson advance cancer-focused operations researchREAD MOREeng.rice.edu/OperationsResearchCenter for Membrane Excellence advances separation technologies for energy and sustainabilityREAD MOREeng.rice.edu/Membrane Bioengineers awarded $3.4M for project to end polio READ MOREeng.rice.edu/EndPolioResearchers innovate smarter wearable techREAD MOREeng.rice.edu/WearableTechEngineering senior to intern at SpaceX through Brooke Owens FellowshipREAD MOREeng.rice.edu/SpaceXInternGravity used to create low-cost device for rapid cell analysisREAD MOREeng.rice.edu/CellThe school has been at the forefront of innovative computing curricula, with its graduate program in computer science ranked among the top in the country. Both the university and the school have made signifi-cant investments in computing in recent years. Notable initiatives include the commitment in to double the size of the computer science department and expand faculty hires in com-puting across all nine departments; increased investment in the Ken Kennedy Institute; the renovation of Maxfield Hall as home of the Statistics department; the establishment of the Data to Knowledge (DK) Transformation Lab; the launch of the Data Science and Quantum Initiatives; and the introduction of new degree programs in computing and datascience.Rice Engineering and Computing has a rich history of pioneering advances in computing research, spanning high-performance com-puting, digital signal processing, computer systems, AI, programming languages, and computational optimization. Computing at Rice can be traced back to the late s and the Rice Computer Project, or R — the univer-sity’s largest computational research tool. The R cemented the university’s reputation in hardware and software design.“ We harness computing power to develop solutions across various domains, from public health and climate change to designing new materials and building resilient, adaptive communities.”LUAY NAKHLEHWilliam and Stephanie Sick Dean of Engineering and Computing and professor of computer science and biosciences
to address critical challenges in health care with solutions that are ethical, accessible, andimpactful.”This collaboration builds on a history of successful projects between Houston Methodist and Rice, such as the Center for Neural Systems Restoration launched in and the Center for Human Performance established in .Dr. Marc Boom, president and CEO of Houston Methodist, emphasized that this new initiative has the potential to be the most impactful of the shared efforts between Houston Methodist and Rice University to drive innovation at the intersection of health care and technology.The Digital Health Institute will focus on several key areas, including developing AI algorithms to enable early detection of dis-eases like cancer, cardiovascular conditions, and infections. By using predictive analytics and real-time monitoring, the institute seeks to identify and prevent health events such as strokes and heart failure. Additionally, researchers will work on creating new sensors, wearables, and ingestibles to enhance remote monitoring and care options for patients.Another major area of focus is personalized medicine. Using machine learning, the institute plans to develop models that create individualized health profiles based on various factors, such as social, environmental, and genetic data. This approach will optimize patient care by tailoring treatment to each person’s unique circumstances. The collaboration will also explore new imaging technologies that provide deeper diagnostic insights and assistive technologies designed to reduce healthcare disparities across differentpopulations.In telemedicine, the institute will expand access to high-quality, AI-supported consul-tations for patients in underserved or remote areas. It will also promote patient self-man-agement by developing AI-driven applications that provide personalized health advice and lifestyle recommendations to help people manage their care proactively.This collaborative effort between Houston Methodist and Rice University will serve as a model for the future of healthcare, demon-strating how the integration of engineering and medicine can create transformative solutions. “This institute represents an unpar-alleled opportunity to leverage cutting-edge engineering research to increase access and reduce costs while improving outcomes,” Sabharwal said.“ By combining our strengths with Houston Methodist, we are creating a transformative platform to address critical challenges in health care with solutions that are ethical, accessible, and impactful.”REGINALD DESROCHESRice PresidentRice and Houston Methodist Launch Digital Health InstituteRRice University and Houston Methodist have partnered to establish the Digital Health Institute, an innovative initiative aimed at revolutionizing health care through cutting-edge technology and collaborative expertise. This multi-year partnership combines Houston Methodist’s research and academic resources with Rice’s leadership in engineering, digital health, and artificial intelligence (AI) to develop solutions that enhance patient and population health, operational efficiency, and access to care.The institute’s primary goal is to advance research and development in digital health while training the next generation of leaders in this field. By turning innovative ideas into scalable solutions, the collaboration seeks to address major healthcare challenges and ensure long-term progress.Leading the initiative are Rice’s Ashutosh Sabharwal, the Ernest Dell Butcher Professor of Engineering and professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Houston Methodist’s Dr. Khurram Nasir, the William A. Zoghbi Centennial Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine and division chief of cardiovascular prevention and wellness.“This partnership embodies Rice’s bold vision to lead at the forefront of innovation in health and responsible AI,” said Rice President Reginald DesRoches. “By combin-ing our strengths with Houston Methodist, we are creating a transformative platform 6 7In the HedgesRice Eclipse Takes Home Top Prize at 2024 Spaceport America CupRice Eclipse, the student rocketry team at Rice University, won first place in the 30K Student-Researched and Developed (SRAD) Hybrid Category at the 2024 Spaceport America Cup in New Mexico. More than 150 schools representing six continents participated in the rocketry challenge. The SRAD Hybrid category required an entirely student-designed hybrid rocket engine to achieve an altitude of 30,000 feet. Rice’s rocket, “Archimedes,” powered by the student-developed Titan II engine, made history as the first rocket of its kind launched by a Texas college team. More than 100 Rice students contributed to the project, with many working in the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen. Spanning a decade of research and development, the victory has inspired the team to reach higher. They now aim to launch to the Kármán line, the boundary of space 100 kilometers above Earth’ssurface.SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING
to address critical challenges in health care with solutions that are ethical, accessible, andimpactful.”This collaboration builds on a history of successful projects between Houston Methodist and Rice, such as the Center for Neural Systems Restoration launched in and the Center for Human Performance established in .Dr. Marc Boom, president and CEO of Houston Methodist, emphasized that this new initiative has the potential to be the most impactful of the shared efforts between Houston Methodist and Rice University to drive innovation at the intersection of health care and technology.The Digital Health Institute will focus on several key areas, including developing AI algorithms to enable early detection of dis-eases like cancer, cardiovascular conditions, and infections. By using predictive analytics and real-time monitoring, the institute seeks to identify and prevent health events such as strokes and heart failure. Additionally, researchers will work on creating new sensors, wearables, and ingestibles to enhance remote monitoring and care options for patients.Another major area of focus is personalized medicine. Using machine learning, the institute plans to develop models that create individualized health profiles based on various factors, such as social, environmental, and genetic data. This approach will optimize patient care by tailoring treatment to each person’s unique circumstances. The collaboration will also explore new imaging technologies that provide deeper diagnostic insights and assistive technologies designed to reduce healthcare disparities across differentpopulations.In telemedicine, the institute will expand access to high-quality, AI-supported consul-tations for patients in underserved or remote areas. It will also promote patient self-man-agement by developing AI-driven applications that provide personalized health advice and lifestyle recommendations to help people manage their care proactively.This collaborative effort between Houston Methodist and Rice University will serve as a model for the future of healthcare, demon-strating how the integration of engineering and medicine can create transformative solutions. “This institute represents an unpar-alleled opportunity to leverage cutting-edge engineering research to increase access and reduce costs while improving outcomes,” Sabharwal said.“ By combining our strengths with Houston Methodist, we are creating a transformative platform to address critical challenges in health care with solutions that are ethical, accessible, and impactful.”REGINALD DESROCHESRice PresidentRice and Houston Methodist Launch Digital Health InstituteRRice University and Houston Methodist have partnered to establish the Digital Health Institute, an innovative initiative aimed at revolutionizing health care through cutting-edge technology and collaborative expertise. This multi-year partnership combines Houston Methodist’s research and academic resources with Rice’s leadership in engineering, digital health, and artificial intelligence (AI) to develop solutions that enhance patient and population health, operational efficiency, and access to care.The institute’s primary goal is to advance research and development in digital health while training the next generation of leaders in this field. By turning innovative ideas into scalable solutions, the collaboration seeks to address major healthcare challenges and ensure long-term progress.Leading the initiative are Rice’s Ashutosh Sabharwal, the Ernest Dell Butcher Professor of Engineering and professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Houston Methodist’s Dr. Khurram Nasir, the William A. Zoghbi Centennial Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine and division chief of cardiovascular prevention and wellness.“This partnership embodies Rice’s bold vision to lead at the forefront of innovation in health and responsible AI,” said Rice President Reginald DesRoches. “By combin-ing our strengths with Houston Methodist, we are creating a transformative platform 6 7In the HedgesRice Eclipse Takes Home Top Prize at 2024 Spaceport America CupRice Eclipse, the student rocketry team at Rice University, won first place in the 30K Student-Researched and Developed (SRAD) Hybrid Category at the 2024 Spaceport America Cup in New Mexico. More than 150 schools representing six continents participated in the rocketry challenge. The SRAD Hybrid category required an entirely student-designed hybrid rocket engine to achieve an altitude of 30,000 feet. Rice’s rocket, “Archimedes,” powered by the student-developed Titan II engine, made history as the first rocket of its kind launched by a Texas college team. More than 100 Rice students contributed to the project, with many working in the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen. Spanning a decade of research and development, the victory has inspired the team to reach higher. They now aim to launch to the Kármán line, the boundary of space 100 kilometers above Earth’ssurface.SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING
STATE OF THE SCHOOL365173701054022055510940045562118total research expenditures in 2024Enrollment has increased by % for undergraduates and % for graduate students since -.Rice-Led Research Leverages AI to Boost Coastal Storm ResponseCCoastal communities face compounded risk from tropical cyclones and coastal storm events. A Rice Engineering and Computing-led team has secured . million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to improve the safety and resilience of coastal communities by providing timely and reliable insights to emergency response organizations and local communities before, during and after severe storms.Jamie Padgett, Ben Hu and Avantika Gori are working with collaborators to develop and deploy an intelligent system called “Open-Source Situational Awareness Framework for Equitable Multi-Hazard Impact Sensing using Responsible AI,” or OpenSafe.AI. The system will leverage responsible AI, hazard and resilience models and multimodal urban data to deliver real-time insights.Focus groups with emergency responders revealed a lack of integrated, scientifically sound information and technology plat-forms available to support decision-making. OpenSafe.AI will fill this gap.Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty$101.9M*Compare to recent years > 2023: $94.9M 2022: $81.0M 2021: $81.0M 2020: $70.7M1,1,Faculty in the National AcademiesSTUDENTS ENROLLED 20232024ACT 25th Percentile 34ACT 75th Percentile 35SAT 25th Percentile 1,510SAT 75th Percentile 1,560UndergraduatesGraduates1,035977713771EngineeringScienceMedicine“Our goal with this project is to enable com-munities to better prepare for and navigate severe weather by providing better estimates of what is actually happening or might happen within the next hours or days,” said Padgett, Rice’s Stanley C. Moore Professor in Engineering and chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “OpenSafe.AI will take into account multiple hazards, such as high-speed winds, storm surge and compound flooding, and forecast their potential impact on the built environ-ment, such as transportation infrastructure performance or hazardous material spills.”The interdisciplinary project brings together key local stakeholders and research-ers from Rice University’s Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters (SSPEED) Center and Ken Kennedy Institute, as well as Texas A&M-Galveston’s Institute for a Disaster Resilient Texas. As part of its long-term vision, the OpenSafe.AI project will explore how the system can be adapted and scaled for other regions facing similar challenges.InventorsTOP 10 EMPLOYERSMicrosoftAmazonGoogleCapital OneGE HealthcarebpSpaceXBoston Consulting Group (BCG)ChevronJPMorgan ChaseTOP 10 GRAD SCHOOLS Rice UniversityStanford UniversityMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyUniversity of PennsylvaniaGeorgia Institute of TechnologyPrinceton UniversityPurdue UniversityUniversity of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, San Diego*including faculty with start dates after Fall 2024Fall 2024In 2023–24, 149 PhDs, 73 MA/MS and 349 Professional Masters were granted, along with 406 Undergraduate degrees.DEGREES GRANTEDFACU LTY20–21 21–22 22–23 23–24Academic YearAcademic YearAFTER GRADUATION FIELDS OF GRADUATE STUDY Medicine 5%Engineering 95%19-20 23-2422-2321-2220-211,4771,5291,5891,6091,6761,0751,3851,6111,5391,642AVERAGE STARTING SALARY OF GRADUATES$ 107,538Interstate 10 in Houston, Texas, closes due to high water after a tropical storm.149733494068 9In the Hedges2024 Engineering Advisory BoardCharlos Ward ’98 (ChBE), ’06 (MBA), Chair Development Executive, ReplenishmentTed Adams ’86 (MECH) President, Unified Industries President, Rice Engineering AlumniRakesh Agrawal ’97 (MECH, CS) Founder and CEO of SnapStream Media, Inc.Christa Brown-Sanford ’01 (ECE) Attorney, Baker BottsDane Christensen ’00 (MECH) Sr. Laboratory Program Manager, National Renewable Energy LaboratoryBryan Hassin ’01 (CS, ECE) ’02 (MCS) CEO, DexMatEdan Lee ’90 (ECE) Managing Director, Olympus Capital AsiaShao-Lee Lin ’88 (CE) Founder and CEO, ACELYRIN, INC.Travis McPhail ’04 (CS, ECE) ’07 (MCS) ’11 (PHDCS) Engineering Director, Google Maps Platform Cassandra McZeal ’98 (CAAM) Computational Sciences Function Manager, ExxonMobil Upstream Research CompanyVarun Mehta ’88 (ECE) Founder, Nimble Storage Technology Executive and Venture InvestorChris Powers ’02 (CHBE) Vice President, Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) and Emerging, Chevron New EnergiesMatt Prucka ’84 (ECE) Founder, Prucka Engineering, Inc.Jesse Rothstein ’97 (EE, CS) Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Co-Founder, ExtraHopSPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING
STATE OF THE SCHOOL365173701054022055510940045562118total research expenditures in 2024Enrollment has increased by % for undergraduates and % for graduate students since -.Rice-Led Research Leverages AI to Boost Coastal Storm ResponseCCoastal communities face compounded risk from tropical cyclones and coastal storm events. A Rice Engineering and Computing-led team has secured . million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to improve the safety and resilience of coastal communities by providing timely and reliable insights to emergency response organizations and local communities before, during and after severe storms.Jamie Padgett, Ben Hu and Avantika Gori are working with collaborators to develop and deploy an intelligent system called “Open-Source Situational Awareness Framework for Equitable Multi-Hazard Impact Sensing using Responsible AI,” or OpenSafe.AI. The system will leverage responsible AI, hazard and resilience models and multimodal urban data to deliver real-time insights.Focus groups with emergency responders revealed a lack of integrated, scientifically sound information and technology plat-forms available to support decision-making. OpenSafe.AI will fill this gap.Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty$101.9M*Compare to recent years > 2023: $94.9M 2022: $81.0M 2021: $81.0M 2020: $70.7M1,1,Faculty in the National AcademiesSTUDENTS ENROLLED 20232024ACT 25th Percentile 34ACT 75th Percentile 35SAT 25th Percentile 1,510SAT 75th Percentile 1,560UndergraduatesGraduates1,035977713771EngineeringScienceMedicine“Our goal with this project is to enable com-munities to better prepare for and navigate severe weather by providing better estimates of what is actually happening or might happen within the next hours or days,” said Padgett, Rice’s Stanley C. Moore Professor in Engineering and chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “OpenSafe.AI will take into account multiple hazards, such as high-speed winds, storm surge and compound flooding, and forecast their potential impact on the built environ-ment, such as transportation infrastructure performance or hazardous material spills.”The interdisciplinary project brings together key local stakeholders and research-ers from Rice University’s Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters (SSPEED) Center and Ken Kennedy Institute, as well as Texas A&M-Galveston’s Institute for a Disaster Resilient Texas. As part of its long-term vision, the OpenSafe.AI project will explore how the system can be adapted and scaled for other regions facing similar challenges.InventorsTOP 10 EMPLOYERSMicrosoftAmazonGoogleCapital OneGE HealthcarebpSpaceXBoston Consulting Group (BCG)ChevronJPMorgan ChaseTOP 10 GRAD SCHOOLS Rice UniversityStanford UniversityMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyUniversity of PennsylvaniaGeorgia Institute of TechnologyPrinceton UniversityPurdue UniversityUniversity of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, San Diego*including faculty with start dates after Fall 2024Fall 2024In 2023–24, 149 PhDs, 73 MA/MS and 349 Professional Masters were granted, along with 406 Undergraduate degrees.DEGREES GRANTEDFACU LTY20–21 21–22 22–23 23–24Academic YearAcademic YearAFTER GRADUATION FIELDS OF GRADUATE STUDY Medicine 5%Engineering 95%19-20 23-2422-2321-2220-211,4771,5291,5891,6091,6761,0751,3851,6111,5391,642AVERAGE STARTING SALARY OF GRADUATES$ 107,538Interstate 10 in Houston, Texas, closes due to high water after a tropical storm.149733494068 9In the Hedges2024 Engineering Advisory BoardCharlos Ward ’98 (ChBE), ’06 (MBA), Chair Development Executive, ReplenishmentTed Adams ’86 (MECH) President, Unified Industries President, Rice Engineering AlumniRakesh Agrawal ’97 (MECH, CS) Founder and CEO of SnapStream Media, Inc.Christa Brown-Sanford ’01 (ECE) Attorney, Baker BottsDane Christensen ’00 (MECH) Sr. Laboratory Program Manager, National Renewable Energy LaboratoryBryan Hassin ’01 (CS, ECE) ’02 (MCS) CEO, DexMatEdan Lee ’90 (ECE) Managing Director, Olympus Capital AsiaShao-Lee Lin ’88 (CE) Founder and CEO, ACELYRIN, INC.Travis McPhail ’04 (CS, ECE) ’07 (MCS) ’11 (PHDCS) Engineering Director, Google Maps Platform Cassandra McZeal ’98 (CAAM) Computational Sciences Function Manager, ExxonMobil Upstream Research CompanyVarun Mehta ’88 (ECE) Founder, Nimble Storage Technology Executive and Venture InvestorChris Powers ’02 (CHBE) Vice President, Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) and Emerging, Chevron New EnergiesMatt Prucka ’84 (ECE) Founder, Prucka Engineering, Inc.Jesse Rothstein ’97 (EE, CS) Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Co-Founder, ExtraHopSPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING
RICE IN THE WORLDA A professor in Poland, a school teacher in Nigeria, and a student in Vietnam all have something in common: they use OpenStax’s digital textbooks. Motivated by rising textbook prices —,% over years, Richard Baraniuk, C. Sidney Burrus Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and professor of statistics and computer science at Rice, set out to reimagine education years ago. Hisbold vision has led to a global movement in openeducation.Today, OpenStax—Rice’s nonprofit educational initiative—is the world’s largest publisher of free open education resources (OER), a provider of digital learning technologies, and a leader in education research. Its college and high school textbooks—created and peer-reviewed by experts to align with global educational and cultural standards—are immensely popular among students and educators in the U.S. andglobally.PIONEERING THE OPEN EDUCATION RESOURCES (OER) MOVEMENT In , with support from Charles Sidney Burrus, former Rice Engineering dean, Don Johnson, former Rice Electrical and Computing Engineering department chair, and alumni advisors and trustees, Robert Maxfield and Bill Sick, Baraniuk founded Connexions, a digital repository that pre-dated Wikipedia and MIT OpenCourseWare. Connexions produced , educational modules in languages, laying the ground-work for a global OER movement and influ-encing global organizations such as UNESCO and regional projects in Vietnam and Poland. To broaden adoption, Baraniuk launched OpenStax in to produce academically rigorous openly licensed digital textbooks. Since then, OpenStax has served more than million students, saving them . billion ineducational materials. This includes mil-lion international students and , educa-tors across , institutions in countries.Rice alumni, donors, and trustees have fueled its global growth. Brian Patterson ’ partnered with OpenStax to expand oper-ations in Poland. The translated materials produced by OpenStax Polska are used by , students across universities, half of the country’s undergraduates. Additionally, OpenStax has translated several college courses into Spanish and expanded to Peru through a partnership with the Universidad Tecnológica del Perú. With a recent million grant from the National Science Foundation—the largest investment in educational research infra-structure in the U.S.—OpenStax is leading a multi-institutional partnership to build SafeInsights, a large-scale secure digital platform for learning and education research. It is poised to transform how students and educators experience education. “We are focused on removing barriers to education and cultivating a generation of learners who are engaged, resilient, and prepared to create positive change,” Baraniuk said. “Ultimately, our goal is to equip students with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive and shape a more equitable society.”“ We are focused on removing barriers to education and cultivating a generation of learners who are engaged, resilient, and prepared to create positive change.” RICHARD BARANIUKC. Sidney Burrus Professor of Electrical and Computer EngineeringU.S. AND NIGERIAAmos Tarfa, math and science instructor, discovered OpenStax early in his college career, and as an educator, continues to use OpenStax resources to help students bridge educational gaps, build skills, stay engaged, and reach their academic and career goals. With limited internet access in Nigeria, he distributes print and PDF copies of OpenStax courses. Amos stated, “I want to bring the same quality education I see in the U.S. to students who desperately need it here.” His work exemplifies how OpenStax has built solutions that transcend barriers to meet the needs of students in underservedcommunities.VIETNAMIn a world where displacement, migration and unequal infrastructure limit learning, this project brings educational content to learners—wherever they are—linguistically, technologically, and pedagogically. For example, Dr. Hung Tran used Vietnam Open Educational Resources to prepare for graduate studies in the U.S. He is now a Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur leading a distributed 50-person team in Vietnam. His journey shows the ripple effect of access to quality education.CRITICAL CHALLENGES IN OER While the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital learning, it also highlighted its challenges for some students, such as limited access to reliable technology and low bandwidth. OpenStax addresses these challenges with learning materials that can be adapted to diverse technological and socioeconomic environments. INDIASanket L., a student from a small town in India, discovered OpenStax’s free resources were the key to making his aspiration of studying at a prestigious university a reality. He sees OpenStax as a lifeline, providing more than just academic resources. It reignited his passion for physics while alleviating some of the financial pressure on his family. Sanket says, “OpenStax didn’t just help me kickstart my career path; it opened adoor to opportunities.”LEVERAGING INNOVATIONS IN AI AND HUMANCENTRIC RESEARCHUnder Baraniuk’s leadership, OpenStax is strategically positioned to deepen its overall impact by leveraging AI-supported solutions to create personalized, culturally relevant course materials that are proven to be more effective.OpenStax: A global trailblazer in open education resources and learning researchRESPONDING TO THE WORLDIMPACT10 11 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGIn the Hedges
RICE IN THE WORLDA A professor in Poland, a school teacher in Nigeria, and a student in Vietnam all have something in common: they use OpenStax’s digital textbooks. Motivated by rising textbook prices —,% over years, Richard Baraniuk, C. Sidney Burrus Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and professor of statistics and computer science at Rice, set out to reimagine education years ago. Hisbold vision has led to a global movement in openeducation.Today, OpenStax—Rice’s nonprofit educational initiative—is the world’s largest publisher of free open education resources (OER), a provider of digital learning technologies, and a leader in education research. Its college and high school textbooks—created and peer-reviewed by experts to align with global educational and cultural standards—are immensely popular among students and educators in the U.S. andglobally.PIONEERING THE OPEN EDUCATION RESOURCES (OER) MOVEMENT In , with support from Charles Sidney Burrus, former Rice Engineering dean, Don Johnson, former Rice Electrical and Computing Engineering department chair, and alumni advisors and trustees, Robert Maxfield and Bill Sick, Baraniuk founded Connexions, a digital repository that pre-dated Wikipedia and MIT OpenCourseWare. Connexions produced , educational modules in languages, laying the ground-work for a global OER movement and influ-encing global organizations such as UNESCO and regional projects in Vietnam and Poland. To broaden adoption, Baraniuk launched OpenStax in to produce academically rigorous openly licensed digital textbooks. Since then, OpenStax has served more than million students, saving them . billion ineducational materials. This includes mil-lion international students and , educa-tors across , institutions in countries.Rice alumni, donors, and trustees have fueled its global growth. Brian Patterson ’ partnered with OpenStax to expand oper-ations in Poland. The translated materials produced by OpenStax Polska are used by , students across universities, half of the country’s undergraduates. Additionally, OpenStax has translated several college courses into Spanish and expanded to Peru through a partnership with the Universidad Tecnológica del Perú. With a recent million grant from the National Science Foundation—the largest investment in educational research infra-structure in the U.S.—OpenStax is leading a multi-institutional partnership to build SafeInsights, a large-scale secure digital platform for learning and education research. It is poised to transform how students and educators experience education. “We are focused on removing barriers to education and cultivating a generation of learners who are engaged, resilient, and prepared to create positive change,” Baraniuk said. “Ultimately, our goal is to equip students with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive and shape a more equitable society.”“ We are focused on removing barriers to education and cultivating a generation of learners who are engaged, resilient, and prepared to create positive change.” RICHARD BARANIUKC. Sidney Burrus Professor of Electrical and Computer EngineeringU.S. AND NIGERIAAmos Tarfa, math and science instructor, discovered OpenStax early in his college career, and as an educator, continues to use OpenStax resources to help students bridge educational gaps, build skills, stay engaged, and reach their academic and career goals. With limited internet access in Nigeria, he distributes print and PDF copies of OpenStax courses. Amos stated, “I want to bring the same quality education I see in the U.S. to students who desperately need it here.” His work exemplifies how OpenStax has built solutions that transcend barriers to meet the needs of students in underservedcommunities.VIETNAMIn a world where displacement, migration and unequal infrastructure limit learning, this project brings educational content to learners—wherever they are—linguistically, technologically, and pedagogically. For example, Dr. Hung Tran used Vietnam Open Educational Resources to prepare for graduate studies in the U.S. He is now a Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur leading a distributed 50-person team in Vietnam. His journey shows the ripple effect of access to quality education.CRITICAL CHALLENGES IN OER While the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital learning, it also highlighted its challenges for some students, such as limited access to reliable technology and low bandwidth. OpenStax addresses these challenges with learning materials that can be adapted to diverse technological and socioeconomic environments. INDIASanket L., a student from a small town in India, discovered OpenStax’s free resources were the key to making his aspiration of studying at a prestigious university a reality. He sees OpenStax as a lifeline, providing more than just academic resources. It reignited his passion for physics while alleviating some of the financial pressure on his family. Sanket says, “OpenStax didn’t just help me kickstart my career path; it opened adoor to opportunities.”LEVERAGING INNOVATIONS IN AI AND HUMANCENTRIC RESEARCHUnder Baraniuk’s leadership, OpenStax is strategically positioned to deepen its overall impact by leveraging AI-supported solutions to create personalized, culturally relevant course materials that are proven to be more effective.OpenStax: A global trailblazer in open education resources and learning researchRESPONDING TO THE WORLDIMPACT10 11 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGIn the Hedges
ILLUSTRATIONS BY KAGAN McLEODSPOKEN RICESPEAKERS AND GUEST LECTURERSRobert Maxfield (left) and Wade Adams (right)I N MEMORIAMRice RemembersAAs we celebrate our school’s legacy of impact and innovation over the fifty years since its founding in , we also honor the remarkable individuals who shaped ourjourney.Robert “Bob” Maxfield was a pioneering engineer, co-founder of ROLM Corporation, esteemed Rice University graduate and past board of trustees member. His career and con-tributions to engineering and technology left a lasting mark on both academia and industry. Maxfield earned his B.A. () and B.S. () in electrical engineering from Rice University, followed by an M.S. () and Ph.D. () from Stanford University. Maxfield’s time at Rice was formative and laid the foundation for a distinguished career characterized by innovation and leadership. His passion for technology and entrepreneurship drove him to co-found ROLM Corporation in with fellow Rice graduates Gene Richeson ’, Ken Oshman ’ and Walter Loewenstern ’. Widely credited with starting up Silicon Valley and honored with the Dean’s Appreciation Award in , Maxfield and his ROLM co-founders embodied the spirit of discovery that continues to inspire Rice Engineering and Computing today.Beyond his professional achievements, Maxfield was dedicated to fostering the next generation of engineers. Highlights among his many contributions include his active involve-ment in Rice’s academic community, where he maintained a lasting relationship through mentorship and support; his investment in OpenStax, the Rice-founded nonprofit and world’s largest publisher of open educational resources; and the refurbishment and reopen-ing of Maxfield Hall in . He served on the Rice Board of Trustees from to and remained active on the School of Engineering Advisory Board until his passing. In , Maxfield was honored with the school’s Outstanding Engineering Alumni Award and in with Rice’s Meritorious Service Award for his enduring commitment to advancing engineering education and research.Wade Adams, former director of the Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology at Rice University, joined Rice in to succeed Nobel laureate Richard Smalley as director of the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST), one of the first research centers in the world formally dedicated to nanoscale research. CNST, renamed to honor Smalley after his passing, merged with the Rice Quantum Institute in to become the Smalley-Curl Institute, where Adams’ legacy is still manifest today. Under Adams’ leadership, the institute expanded faculty, secured major research funding, and strengthened industry and government partnerships. He also played a key role in establishing the Lockheed Martin Advanced Nanotechnology Center of Excellence at Rice, a multiyear research initiative. Before arriving at Rice, Adams spent years at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, retiring as a chief scientist. In , Adams transitioned to associate dean in the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing and later became a senior faculty fellow in materials science and nanoengineering before retiring in . Beyond his research, Adams built a strong sense of community at Rice, where he was known for his love of volleyball, TunaFest, and his years-long advocacy for nanotechnologyresearch. “ The accumulation of an understanding of diverse perspectives expands our ability to see and appreciate much more about what, and especially who, is around us.”Peggy Whitson ’86, Former NASA Astronaut Rice University’s 111th Commencement, May 4, 2024“ We’ve talked enough. Now, we have to take action and make things move forward.”M. Stanley Whittingham, Nobel laureate Adams-Hauge Fund Smalley Lecture in Materials Science and Nanoengineering, February 13, 2025“ You are the captain of your ship. Find out what your destination is — your purpose and your destiny — and focus on gettingthere now.”Sandra Johnson ’88, CEO, SKJ Visioneering; Retired IBM Executive Rice Center for Engineering Leadership: Engineers in the C-Suite Speaker Series, November 21, 2024“ I believe responsible AI is the civil rights and human rights issue of our lifetime.”Chris Hyams ’95, CEO, Indeed Rice Engineering and Computing 50th Anniversary, March 28, 2025“ We must inspire students to harness their superpowers to create a better tomorrow. As engineers, we solve problems. We like to create new things. We like to imagine what’s possible.”Gary S. May, Chancellor, University of California, DavisRice Engineering and Computing 50th Anniversary, March 29, 202512 13 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGSection TitleIn the Hedges
ILLUSTRATIONS BY KAGAN McLEODSPOKEN RICESPEAKERS AND GUEST LECTURERSRobert Maxfield (left) and Wade Adams (right)I N MEMORIAMRice RemembersAAs we celebrate our school’s legacy of impact and innovation over the fifty years since its founding in , we also honor the remarkable individuals who shaped ourjourney.Robert “Bob” Maxfield was a pioneering engineer, co-founder of ROLM Corporation, esteemed Rice University graduate and past board of trustees member. His career and con-tributions to engineering and technology left a lasting mark on both academia and industry. Maxfield earned his B.A. () and B.S. () in electrical engineering from Rice University, followed by an M.S. () and Ph.D. () from Stanford University. Maxfield’s time at Rice was formative and laid the foundation for a distinguished career characterized by innovation and leadership. His passion for technology and entrepreneurship drove him to co-found ROLM Corporation in with fellow Rice graduates Gene Richeson ’, Ken Oshman ’ and Walter Loewenstern ’. Widely credited with starting up Silicon Valley and honored with the Dean’s Appreciation Award in , Maxfield and his ROLM co-founders embodied the spirit of discovery that continues to inspire Rice Engineering and Computing today.Beyond his professional achievements, Maxfield was dedicated to fostering the next generation of engineers. Highlights among his many contributions include his active involve-ment in Rice’s academic community, where he maintained a lasting relationship through mentorship and support; his investment in OpenStax, the Rice-founded nonprofit and world’s largest publisher of open educational resources; and the refurbishment and reopen-ing of Maxfield Hall in . He served on the Rice Board of Trustees from to and remained active on the School of Engineering Advisory Board until his passing. In , Maxfield was honored with the school’s Outstanding Engineering Alumni Award and in with Rice’s Meritorious Service Award for his enduring commitment to advancing engineering education and research.Wade Adams, former director of the Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology at Rice University, joined Rice in to succeed Nobel laureate Richard Smalley as director of the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST), one of the first research centers in the world formally dedicated to nanoscale research. CNST, renamed to honor Smalley after his passing, merged with the Rice Quantum Institute in to become the Smalley-Curl Institute, where Adams’ legacy is still manifest today. Under Adams’ leadership, the institute expanded faculty, secured major research funding, and strengthened industry and government partnerships. He also played a key role in establishing the Lockheed Martin Advanced Nanotechnology Center of Excellence at Rice, a multiyear research initiative. Before arriving at Rice, Adams spent years at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, retiring as a chief scientist. In , Adams transitioned to associate dean in the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing and later became a senior faculty fellow in materials science and nanoengineering before retiring in . Beyond his research, Adams built a strong sense of community at Rice, where he was known for his love of volleyball, TunaFest, and his years-long advocacy for nanotechnologyresearch. “ The accumulation of an understanding of diverse perspectives expands our ability to see and appreciate much more about what, and especially who, is around us.”Peggy Whitson ’86, Former NASA Astronaut Rice University’s 111th Commencement, May 4, 2024“ We’ve talked enough. Now, we have to take action and make things move forward.”M. Stanley Whittingham, Nobel laureate Adams-Hauge Fund Smalley Lecture in Materials Science and Nanoengineering, February 13, 2025“ You are the captain of your ship. Find out what your destination is — your purpose and your destiny — and focus on gettingthere now.”Sandra Johnson ’88, CEO, SKJ Visioneering; Retired IBM Executive Rice Center for Engineering Leadership: Engineers in the C-Suite Speaker Series, November 21, 2024“ I believe responsible AI is the civil rights and human rights issue of our lifetime.”Chris Hyams ’95, CEO, Indeed Rice Engineering and Computing 50th Anniversary, March 28, 2025“ We must inspire students to harness their superpowers to create a better tomorrow. As engineers, we solve problems. We like to create new things. We like to imagine what’s possible.”Gary S. May, Chancellor, University of California, DavisRice Engineering and Computing 50th Anniversary, March 29, 202512 13 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGSection TitleIn the Hedges
Five stories that excite usTHE COUNTDOWNIN THE NEWS“ The biggest task right now that most scientists and engineers working in the quantum computing field are concerned with is demonstrating the utility and practicality of quantum computing for different real-world applications.” Assistant professor of computer science Tirthak Patel on Google’s Willow, a new quantum chip that can outperform supercomputers. FORTUNE MAGAZINE, December 11, 2024NEW FACULTYRice Engineering and Computing is expanding with the hiring of tenured/tenure-track and teaching and research faculty members, reflecting the school’s dedication to growth in both research and teaching. The new hires, spanning all nine departments, enhance Rice Engineering and Computing’s key research areas. The growth also aligns closely with the university’s ambitious -year strategic plan to become a premier research and teaching institution. Menachem ElimelechNancy and Clint Carlson Chair in Molecular Nanotechnology and professor of civil and environmental engineering with a joint appointment in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringResearch Expertise: Membrane-based processes for energy-efficient desalina-tion and wastewater reuse, advanced materials for next-generation separation and water decontamination, and environmental applica-tions of nanomaterialsKeya GhonasgiAssistant professor of mechanical engineering, effective July , Research Expertise: Human-robot interaction, motor control and learning, and wearable technologies for human health and performanceShuvomoy Das GuptaAssistant professor of computational applied mathematics and operations research, effective July , Research Expertise: Developing methodologies for constructing the prov-ably fastest algorithms for optimizati on problems arising in machine learning, business analytics and datascienceYong Lin KongAssistant professor of mechanical engineeringResearch Expertise: Advanced manufacturing of nanomaterials-based electronics and biomedical systemsKaren LozanoWilliam Marsh Rice Trustee Chair, professor and department chair of materials science and nanoengineeringResearch Expertise: Syn-thesis–structure–property relationships of nanofibers and polymer-based composites, manufacturing of nanofiber systems, and community building through mentoring, workforce development, and inclusive innovation in materials scienceXuedan MaAssociate professor of materials science and nanoengineeringResearch Expertise: Quan-tum optics, nanophotonics, high-resolution imaging and spectroscopy, and low- dimensional semiconductor and spintronic materialsGuilherme Migliato MaregaAssistant professor of materials science and nanoengineering, effective Jan. , Research Expertise: Using emerging nanomaterials to create new devices and sys-tems for advanced computing technologiesSrujan MeesalaAssistant professor of electrical and computer engineeringResearch Expertise: Performing experimental research on quantum electrical and optical circuits and novel nanoscale devices for next-generation quantum information systemsTENURED AND TENURETRACKAll new faculty members started at Rice on July 1, 2024, except where otherwise indicated.14 15 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGIn the Hedges5124 3Light activates world’s smallest pacemakerSmaller than a grain of rice, this light-powered pacemaker fits in a syringe, regulates heartbeats, and dissolves when done—no wires, batteries, or surgery required. Designed for fragile newborns, it delivers life-saving pulses, then vanishes without a trace, transforming care for patients needing short-term cardiac support.READ MOREeng.rice.edu/tinypacemakerNew microbes in Earth’s deep soil could purify waterBuried 70 feet underground, scientists uncovered a new super-microbe that naturally purifies water. Dominating deep soil ecosystems, CSP1-3 could hold the key to cleaning the world’s drinking water—no fil-ters, just biology. It’s a microbial breakthrough from Earth’s last frontier with the power to fight pollution at its source.READ MOREeng.rice.edu/purifiedwaterAbandoned nuclear plant finds second life as sound labOnce a doomed nuclear plant, the Satsop site now houses the world’s quietest room—an acoustics lab inside a blast-proof dome. Here, speakers, airplanes, and even movie scenes are tested in silence, thanks to walls 10 feet thick and chambers that can measure a whisper—or a sonicboom.READ MOREeng.rice.edu/soundlabQuantum material could support magnetic switchingScientists have unlocked a quantum “miracle material” that traps information in a single dimension using magnetism. Chromium sulfide bromide could supercharge quantum tech—storing data in light, sound, electrons, and spin. It’s a magnetic switchboard for the quantum age, reshaping the future of computing andcommunication.READ MOREeng.rice.edu/miraclematerialBee-inspired flying robot aids in search and rescueSmaller than a raindrop and bumblebee-inspired, the world’s tiniest wireless flying robot can hover, dart, and strike with preci-sion. Powered by magnetic fields, it’s a high-speed micro marvel that could one day pollinate crops, inspect tight spaces—or even perform surgery from inside the human body.READ MOREeng.rice.edu/flyingrobotREAD THEIR BIOSeng.rice.edu/2024NewFacultyJohn A. Rogers/Northwestern University
Five stories that excite usTHE COUNTDOWNIN THE NEWS“ The biggest task right now that most scientists and engineers working in the quantum computing field are concerned with is demonstrating the utility and practicality of quantum computing for different real-world applications.” Assistant professor of computer science Tirthak Patel on Google’s Willow, a new quantum chip that can outperform supercomputers. FORTUNE MAGAZINE, December 11, 2024NEW FACULTYRice Engineering and Computing is expanding with the hiring of tenured/tenure-track and teaching and research faculty members, reflecting the school’s dedication to growth in both research and teaching. The new hires, spanning all nine departments, enhance Rice Engineering and Computing’s key research areas. The growth also aligns closely with the university’s ambitious -year strategic plan to become a premier research and teaching institution. Menachem ElimelechNancy and Clint Carlson Chair in Molecular Nanotechnology and professor of civil and environmental engineering with a joint appointment in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringResearch Expertise: Membrane-based processes for energy-efficient desalina-tion and wastewater reuse, advanced materials for next-generation separation and water decontamination, and environmental applica-tions of nanomaterialsKeya GhonasgiAssistant professor of mechanical engineering, effective July , Research Expertise: Human-robot interaction, motor control and learning, and wearable technologies for human health and performanceShuvomoy Das GuptaAssistant professor of computational applied mathematics and operations research, effective July , Research Expertise: Developing methodologies for constructing the prov-ably fastest algorithms for optimizati on problems arising in machine learning, business analytics and datascienceYong Lin KongAssistant professor of mechanical engineeringResearch Expertise: Advanced manufacturing of nanomaterials-based electronics and biomedical systemsKaren LozanoWilliam Marsh Rice Trustee Chair, professor and department chair of materials science and nanoengineeringResearch Expertise: Syn-thesis–structure–property relationships of nanofibers and polymer-based composites, manufacturing of nanofiber systems, and community building through mentoring, workforce development, and inclusive innovation in materials scienceXuedan MaAssociate professor of materials science and nanoengineeringResearch Expertise: Quan-tum optics, nanophotonics, high-resolution imaging and spectroscopy, and low- dimensional semiconductor and spintronic materialsGuilherme Migliato MaregaAssistant professor of materials science and nanoengineering, effective Jan. , Research Expertise: Using emerging nanomaterials to create new devices and sys-tems for advanced computing technologiesSrujan MeesalaAssistant professor of electrical and computer engineeringResearch Expertise: Performing experimental research on quantum electrical and optical circuits and novel nanoscale devices for next-generation quantum information systemsTENURED AND TENURETRACKAll new faculty members started at Rice on July 1, 2024, except where otherwise indicated.14 15 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGIn the Hedges5124 3Light activates world’s smallest pacemakerSmaller than a grain of rice, this light-powered pacemaker fits in a syringe, regulates heartbeats, and dissolves when done—no wires, batteries, or surgery required. Designed for fragile newborns, it delivers life-saving pulses, then vanishes without a trace, transforming care for patients needing short-term cardiac support.READ MOREeng.rice.edu/tinypacemakerNew microbes in Earth’s deep soil could purify waterBuried 70 feet underground, scientists uncovered a new super-microbe that naturally purifies water. Dominating deep soil ecosystems, CSP1-3 could hold the key to cleaning the world’s drinking water—no fil-ters, just biology. It’s a microbial breakthrough from Earth’s last frontier with the power to fight pollution at its source.READ MOREeng.rice.edu/purifiedwaterAbandoned nuclear plant finds second life as sound labOnce a doomed nuclear plant, the Satsop site now houses the world’s quietest room—an acoustics lab inside a blast-proof dome. Here, speakers, airplanes, and even movie scenes are tested in silence, thanks to walls 10 feet thick and chambers that can measure a whisper—or a sonicboom.READ MOREeng.rice.edu/soundlabQuantum material could support magnetic switchingScientists have unlocked a quantum “miracle material” that traps information in a single dimension using magnetism. Chromium sulfide bromide could supercharge quantum tech—storing data in light, sound, electrons, and spin. It’s a magnetic switchboard for the quantum age, reshaping the future of computing andcommunication.READ MOREeng.rice.edu/miraclematerialBee-inspired flying robot aids in search and rescueSmaller than a raindrop and bumblebee-inspired, the world’s tiniest wireless flying robot can hover, dart, and strike with preci-sion. Powered by magnetic fields, it’s a high-speed micro marvel that could one day pollinate crops, inspect tight spaces—or even perform surgery from inside the human body.READ MOREeng.rice.edu/flyingrobotREAD THEIR BIOSeng.rice.edu/2024NewFacultyJohn A. Rogers/Northwestern University
Harris PirieAssistant professor of materials science and nanoengineering, effective Jan. , Research Expertise: Quantum materials with strong electron interactions, which often produce unex-pected, emergent phases, like high-temperature super-conductivity or fractional quantum Hall statesXinwu QianAssistant professor of civil and environmental engineering Research Expertise: Mathematical modeling and data-driven methods for transportation problems, focusing on electrification, public transportation and shared mobility applicationsNishal ShahAssistant professor of electrical and computer engineeringResearch Expertise: Building computational tools for basic systems neuroscience and neuroengineering to develop more effective brain-computer interfacesChristina TringidesAssistant professor of materials science and nanoengineeringResearch Expertise: Developing new materials and neurotechnologies to interface with the nervous system, from the cell to organ levels, and for both in vivo and in vitro applicationsYuke WangAssistant professor of computer science, effective July , Research Expertise: Deep-learning systems and GPU-based parallel and distributed computingChen WeiAssistant professor of computer science, effective July , Research Expertise: The intersection of machine learning and computer vision; developing flexible, general- purpose intelligent systemsJiarong XingAssistant professor of computer science, effective July , Research Expertise: Com-puter systems, networking and security, with a focus on designing secure, efficient, scalable and easy-to-manage networked systems for cloud data centers and large-scale machine-learning infrastructuresEverett ZofchakAssistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, effective Jan. , Research Expertise: Under-standing the fundamentals of ion and small molecule transport in materials for water and energy applicationsVivek BoominathanAssistant research professor in electrical and computer engineeringFocus Areas: The intersection of computational imaging, computer vision, machine learning and applied opticsLucas Garcia CamargoAssistant teaching professor in chemical and biomolecular engineeringFocus Areas: Computational modeling for ion homeostasis; student advising and engineering educationAnjum ChidaLecturer in computer scienceFocus Areas: Artificial intel-ligence, advanced algorithm design and machine learningMarya CokarLecturer in the Rice Center forEngineering LeadershipFocus Areas: Renewable energy production via micro-organisms; leadership and student mentoringLorenzo LuziAssistant teaching professor inDK/statisticsFocus Areas: Artificial intelligence, particularly generative models; mentoring students and pedagogyJose Roberto MoretoAssistant teaching professor in electrical and computer engineeringFocus Areas: Turbulent flow measurement and characterization aimed at improving and developing turbulence modelsLisa O’BryanAssistant research professor in electrical and computer engineeringFocus Areas: Complex systems science, behavioral ecology, psychology and engineeringYu Kee OoiAssistant teaching professor in electrical and computer engineeringFocus Areas: Device fabrica-tion and semiconductor defect engineeringDenizhan YavasAssistant teaching professor inmechanical engineeringFocus Areas: General areas of experimental and compu-tational mechanics of novel engineering materials; more specifically, deformation and failure mechanisms in advanced composite materialsXiang ZhangAssistant research professor in materials science and nanoengineeringFocus Areas: Two-dimensional nanomaterials, diamond synthesis, and decarbonization using plasma techniquesZhenjiang ZhangAssistant research professor inbioengineeringFocus Areas: Designing multifunctional nanomaterials for disease treatmentZhongyuan ZhaoAssistant research professor in electrical and computer engineeringFocus Areas: Graph-based machine learning, resource allocation in wireless networks and distributed intelligence innetworked systemsMario EscobarAssistant research professor inbioengineeringFocus Areas: Developing genetic tools for controlling the number and function ofmitochondria, new methods for controlling the energy levels in the heart, and therapies to help patients with heart failureXiaoyun FuLecturer in computer scienceFocus Areas: Computational thinking, algorithms and theory of computationBishal LamichhaneAssistant research professor in electrical and computerengineeringFocus Areas: Bio-behavioral modeling for health applica-tions using wearable sensing, speech processing, computer vision and machine learningJiaxing LiangPfeiffer Postdoctoral Instructor in computational applied mathematics and operationsresearchFocus Areas: Numerical analysis, scientific computing, uncertainty quantification, statistical sampling and computational physics offusionNONTENURE TRACK1617 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGIn the Hedges
Harris PirieAssistant professor of materials science and nanoengineering, effective Jan. , Research Expertise: Quantum materials with strong electron interactions, which often produce unex-pected, emergent phases, like high-temperature super-conductivity or fractional quantum Hall statesXinwu QianAssistant professor of civil and environmental engineering Research Expertise: Mathematical modeling and data-driven methods for transportation problems, focusing on electrification, public transportation and shared mobility applicationsNishal ShahAssistant professor of electrical and computer engineeringResearch Expertise: Building computational tools for basic systems neuroscience and neuroengineering to develop more effective brain-computer interfacesChristina TringidesAssistant professor of materials science and nanoengineeringResearch Expertise: Developing new materials and neurotechnologies to interface with the nervous system, from the cell to organ levels, and for both in vivo and in vitro applicationsYuke WangAssistant professor of computer science, effective July , Research Expertise: Deep-learning systems and GPU-based parallel and distributed computingChen WeiAssistant professor of computer science, effective July , Research Expertise: The intersection of machine learning and computer vision; developing flexible, general- purpose intelligent systemsJiarong XingAssistant professor of computer science, effective July , Research Expertise: Com-puter systems, networking and security, with a focus on designing secure, efficient, scalable and easy-to-manage networked systems for cloud data centers and large-scale machine-learning infrastructuresEverett ZofchakAssistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, effective Jan. , Research Expertise: Under-standing the fundamentals of ion and small molecule transport in materials for water and energy applicationsVivek BoominathanAssistant research professor in electrical and computer engineeringFocus Areas: The intersection of computational imaging, computer vision, machine learning and applied opticsLucas Garcia CamargoAssistant teaching professor in chemical and biomolecular engineeringFocus Areas: Computational modeling for ion homeostasis; student advising and engineering educationAnjum ChidaLecturer in computer scienceFocus Areas: Artificial intel-ligence, advanced algorithm design and machine learningMarya CokarLecturer in the Rice Center forEngineering LeadershipFocus Areas: Renewable energy production via micro-organisms; leadership and student mentoringLorenzo LuziAssistant teaching professor inDK/statisticsFocus Areas: Artificial intelligence, particularly generative models; mentoring students and pedagogyJose Roberto MoretoAssistant teaching professor in electrical and computer engineeringFocus Areas: Turbulent flow measurement and characterization aimed at improving and developing turbulence modelsLisa O’BryanAssistant research professor in electrical and computer engineeringFocus Areas: Complex systems science, behavioral ecology, psychology and engineeringYu Kee OoiAssistant teaching professor in electrical and computer engineeringFocus Areas: Device fabrica-tion and semiconductor defect engineeringDenizhan YavasAssistant teaching professor inmechanical engineeringFocus Areas: General areas of experimental and compu-tational mechanics of novel engineering materials; more specifically, deformation and failure mechanisms in advanced composite materialsXiang ZhangAssistant research professor in materials science and nanoengineeringFocus Areas: Two-dimensional nanomaterials, diamond synthesis, and decarbonization using plasma techniquesZhenjiang ZhangAssistant research professor inbioengineeringFocus Areas: Designing multifunctional nanomaterials for disease treatmentZhongyuan ZhaoAssistant research professor in electrical and computer engineeringFocus Areas: Graph-based machine learning, resource allocation in wireless networks and distributed intelligence innetworked systemsMario EscobarAssistant research professor inbioengineeringFocus Areas: Developing genetic tools for controlling the number and function ofmitochondria, new methods for controlling the energy levels in the heart, and therapies to help patients with heart failureXiaoyun FuLecturer in computer scienceFocus Areas: Computational thinking, algorithms and theory of computationBishal LamichhaneAssistant research professor in electrical and computerengineeringFocus Areas: Bio-behavioral modeling for health applica-tions using wearable sensing, speech processing, computer vision and machine learningJiaxing LiangPfeiffer Postdoctoral Instructor in computational applied mathematics and operationsresearchFocus Areas: Numerical analysis, scientific computing, uncertainty quantification, statistical sampling and computational physics offusionNONTENURE TRACK1617 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGIn the Hedges
Ideas + ResearchDonald Soward18 19 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGComputing + XRapid Advances in Computing Transform Science, Health, andEnergyThe last years have seen massive growth in computing technologies and its near ubiquitous presence in our daily lives. The rapid advancement in generative artificial intelligence (AI) models like ChatGPT has ushered in a new era where AI and robotics are expected to transform our lives further. Take a look at how Rice researchers are harnessing these technologies to accelerate scientific discovery, revolutionize healthcare, and create sustainable solutions.amounts of genomic and metagenomic data from environmental and patient samples to detect novel bacterial or viral pathogens that might pose emerging risks to public health. “With AI-powered approaches for designing synthetic DNA and proteins, there is a critical need for improved screening tools to prevent the accidental creation of infectious proteins,” Treangen said. “So, we are also developing computational tools to screen for sequences of concern and thus, avoid unintended harm.” Interestingly, despite widespread use of AI, it is still a mystery how machine learning algorithms make decisions. Associate profes-sor of computer science, Xia (Ben) Hu, and team are cracking open this ‘black box’ and applying their findings to construct more reliable AI models. “Choosing the right AI model for a specialized task is complex and daunting,” Hu said. “Our goal is to make this process transparent and accessible so domain experts (e.g., physicians) without expertise in machine learning algorithms can also custom design and deploy the right AI model for their specific need in the future.”Vicky Yao reviews seis-mic, the computational framework her team developed to integrate single-cell and GWAS data—giving biologists a sharper lens on disease and potential paths to targeted diagnostics and treatments.Seismic, a new computational framework developed by Yao and her team, is an example. It integrates data from granular single-cell studies with population-scale Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) data. “By combin-ing data modalities that are typically analyzed separately, seismic gives biologists a higher resolution perspective of a disease that facili-tates deeper exploration and paves the way for targeted diagnostics and therapies,” Yao said.Moreover, leveraging computational and AI tools to diagnose, monitor, and treat complex diseases like cancer has led to treatments that improve patient outcomes and quality of life. “Such multidisciplinary approaches have led to many disease-specific personalized biomarkers, diagnostics and treatments. When combined with evolutionary insights, they often result in powerful ‘out of the box’ solutions,” Nakhleh said. A team led by Todd Treangen, associate professor of computer science and Ken Kennedy Institute’s AIHealth cluster lead, has created AI-powered open-source software tools such as SeqScreen to rapidly analyze vast Solving for ScienceSScientific research generates extensive amounts of data. Computational and AI-driven approaches facilitate and acceler-ate data mining, extraction, and analysis, enabling faster, more accurate discoveries, simulations, and hypothetical frameworks for further experimentation.Rice computational biologists, Luay Nakhleh, William and Stephanie Sick Dean of the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing and professor of computer science and biosciences; Vicky Yao, assistant professor of computer science; and others are advancing biomedical research and clinical care. Their work focuses on developing tools that help scientists and physicians trace evolutionary origins, pinpoint precise muta-tions, and dysfunctional cellular processes underlying complex diseases like cancer andAlzheimer’s.
Ideas + ResearchDonald Soward18 19 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGComputing + XRapid Advances in Computing Transform Science, Health, andEnergyThe last years have seen massive growth in computing technologies and its near ubiquitous presence in our daily lives. The rapid advancement in generative artificial intelligence (AI) models like ChatGPT has ushered in a new era where AI and robotics are expected to transform our lives further. Take a look at how Rice researchers are harnessing these technologies to accelerate scientific discovery, revolutionize healthcare, and create sustainable solutions.amounts of genomic and metagenomic data from environmental and patient samples to detect novel bacterial or viral pathogens that might pose emerging risks to public health. “With AI-powered approaches for designing synthetic DNA and proteins, there is a critical need for improved screening tools to prevent the accidental creation of infectious proteins,” Treangen said. “So, we are also developing computational tools to screen for sequences of concern and thus, avoid unintended harm.” Interestingly, despite widespread use of AI, it is still a mystery how machine learning algorithms make decisions. Associate profes-sor of computer science, Xia (Ben) Hu, and team are cracking open this ‘black box’ and applying their findings to construct more reliable AI models. “Choosing the right AI model for a specialized task is complex and daunting,” Hu said. “Our goal is to make this process transparent and accessible so domain experts (e.g., physicians) without expertise in machine learning algorithms can also custom design and deploy the right AI model for their specific need in the future.”Vicky Yao reviews seis-mic, the computational framework her team developed to integrate single-cell and GWAS data—giving biologists a sharper lens on disease and potential paths to targeted diagnostics and treatments.Seismic, a new computational framework developed by Yao and her team, is an example. It integrates data from granular single-cell studies with population-scale Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) data. “By combin-ing data modalities that are typically analyzed separately, seismic gives biologists a higher resolution perspective of a disease that facili-tates deeper exploration and paves the way for targeted diagnostics and therapies,” Yao said.Moreover, leveraging computational and AI tools to diagnose, monitor, and treat complex diseases like cancer has led to treatments that improve patient outcomes and quality of life. “Such multidisciplinary approaches have led to many disease-specific personalized biomarkers, diagnostics and treatments. When combined with evolutionary insights, they often result in powerful ‘out of the box’ solutions,” Nakhleh said. A team led by Todd Treangen, associate professor of computer science and Ken Kennedy Institute’s AIHealth cluster lead, has created AI-powered open-source software tools such as SeqScreen to rapidly analyze vast Solving for ScienceSScientific research generates extensive amounts of data. Computational and AI-driven approaches facilitate and acceler-ate data mining, extraction, and analysis, enabling faster, more accurate discoveries, simulations, and hypothetical frameworks for further experimentation.Rice computational biologists, Luay Nakhleh, William and Stephanie Sick Dean of the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing and professor of computer science and biosciences; Vicky Yao, assistant professor of computer science; and others are advancing biomedical research and clinical care. Their work focuses on developing tools that help scientists and physicians trace evolutionary origins, pinpoint precise muta-tions, and dysfunctional cellular processes underlying complex diseases like cancer andAlzheimer’s.
Solving for EnergyWWidespread automation has led to an ever-growing need for plentiful, sustainable and reliable sources of precious chemicals and energy. The recent surge in AI has allowed chemists to quickly screen several potential materials to identify the best cata-lysts for electrocatalysis, a sustainable method to manufacture chemicals. Since few atom-ic-scale tools are available to visualize ongoing chemical reactions, chemists rely heavily on computational models to simulate a catalyst’s internal three-dimensional lattice structure and the reaction environment. “We’ve col-laborated with Thomas Senftle, the William Marsh Rice Trustee Associate Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, to develop molecular models that simulate a catalyst’s surface properties, its activity, and key reaction mechanisms—which coupled with AI-driven data analysis—has allowed us to develop new and improved catalysts much faster than before. We’ve also partnered with Meng Li, Noah Harding Associate Professor of Statistics, to build AI models to explore reaction conditions that can extend battery life,” said Haotian Wang, associate professor in chemical and biomolecular engineering, materials science and nanoengineering, andchemistry. To develop efficient, low-cost methods for enhanced gas recovery and subsurface carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas storage, Rice chemical engineers, led by Walter Chapman, William W. Akers Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Philip Singer, assistant research professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, have developed computational models to study fluid behavior in confined environments. Their research employs quantum and molecular simulations, as well as statistical mechanics-based theories (iSAFT), to model fluid behavior in energy applications. “A key advancement is a compu-tational approach we’ve developed to predict nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation without adjustable parameters, which pro-vides molecular-scale insights into how fluid partitions and is transported through porous media like rocks,” Chapman said. These insights have also helped them develop new MRI contrast agents for biomedical imaging in collaboration with Amanda Marciel, William Marsh Rice Trustee Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Ming Tang, associate professor of materials science and nanoengineering, is developing computational approaches to improve the efficiency, lifespan, and safety of lithium-ion batteries, which are crucial for renewable energy storage in electric vehicles (EVs) and personal devices, and the integration of intermittent sources like solar and wind power into the grid. With seed funding from the Ken Kennedy Institute, he and Ben Hu, are also exploring the use of AI to assess the degrada-tion levels of EV batteries and their individual cells. “EV batteries with less than % capac-ity either end up in landfills or are recycled to extract precious metals,” Tang said. “Our goal is to build innovative AI-enabled battery per-formance metrics that will allow car owners to easily assess the health of their EV’s battery but also help establish a new ecosystem to quickly identify and repurpose gently used cells for less energy-intensiveapplications.”Solving for HealthFFrom routine conveniences like virtual telehealth appointments to cutting-edge innovations like AI-driven diagnostics, robot-as-sisted surgeries, and drug discov-ery platforms, automation has transformed healthcare in recent decades. The latest advancements in AI technologies are expected to further revolutionize medicine and pub-lichealth.Computational and AI-driven tools are critical for early detection and continuous monitoring of epidemics. During the COVID- pandemic, wastewater surveillance emerged as a powerful predictive method for accurate and unbiased forecasting of location-specific trends in community infections. Katherine Ensor, Noah G. Harding Professor of Statistics, Lauren Stadler, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, and Loren Hopkins, professor in the practice of statistics and chief environmental scientist at the Houston Health Department, established a citywide wastewater monitoring system and implemented a statistical framework to assess levels of SARS-CoV- and variants of concern in wastewater that informed public health responses. Todd Treangen and Lauren Stadler expanded this ongoing effort to develop computational tools to design sensitive assays to detect other emerging biothreats through wastewater surveillance. “Through collabora-tions with Houston Wastewater Epidemiology, the Houston Health Department, and Houston Public Works, we can now detect dozens of infectious diseases including mea-sles, flu, RSV, mpox, and others,” Stadler said.Rice researchers are committed to using computational and AI-driven approaches to make healthcare affordable and accessible. Recently, a team led by Peter Lillehoj, Shankle Chair in Mechanical Engineering and asso-ciate professor of bioengineering, and Kevin McHugh, assistant professor of bioengineer-ing and chemistry, developed a low-cost, AI-enabled microfluidic flow cytometer, a device that counts and identifies cells from unpurified blood samples. “This lab test can now be performed anywhere, including rural and resource-limited settings, for a fraction of the cost, and we envision it will be useful for many new point-of-care clinical and biomedi-cal research applications,” Lillehoj added. Biological drugs, such as monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins, or gene therapies, offer many advantages over tradi-tional therapeutics. However, their complex absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion behaviors make it challenging to find the most effective delivery methods and dose regimens. Associate chair of bioengineering and professor of bioengineering and biosci-ences, Oleg Igoshin and his team have con-structed computational models to analyze and improve our understanding of these processes in both preclinical and clinical studies, to pre-dict doses for clinical trials, and to understand the complexities associated with different dosingstrategies. As part of Rice’s partnership with the Houston Health Department, research project manager Lauren Bauhs tests wastewater to detect viruses in thecommunity.Oleg Igoshin (right) and Jonathon DeBonis develop mathematical models that explore the effectiveness of a protein that holds promise for cancer treatment. Ming Tang develops com-putational approaches to improve the efficiency, lifespan, and safety of lithium-ion batteries.Ideas + ResearchPeter Lillehoj with the AI-enabled low-cost compact flow cytometry developed by the Rice team for rapid cell analysis.Atom Probe Tomography of a Ni single-atom cata-lyst enables the detection of individual nickel atoms dispersed within a sur-rounding matrix. 20 21 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGPhotography by Jeff Fitlow/Rice University
Solving for EnergyWWidespread automation has led to an ever-growing need for plentiful, sustainable and reliable sources of precious chemicals and energy. The recent surge in AI has allowed chemists to quickly screen several potential materials to identify the best cata-lysts for electrocatalysis, a sustainable method to manufacture chemicals. Since few atom-ic-scale tools are available to visualize ongoing chemical reactions, chemists rely heavily on computational models to simulate a catalyst’s internal three-dimensional lattice structure and the reaction environment. “We’ve col-laborated with Thomas Senftle, the William Marsh Rice Trustee Associate Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, to develop molecular models that simulate a catalyst’s surface properties, its activity, and key reaction mechanisms—which coupled with AI-driven data analysis—has allowed us to develop new and improved catalysts much faster than before. We’ve also partnered with Meng Li, Noah Harding Associate Professor of Statistics, to build AI models to explore reaction conditions that can extend battery life,” said Haotian Wang, associate professor in chemical and biomolecular engineering, materials science and nanoengineering, andchemistry. To develop efficient, low-cost methods for enhanced gas recovery and subsurface carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas storage, Rice chemical engineers, led by Walter Chapman, William W. Akers Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Philip Singer, assistant research professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, have developed computational models to study fluid behavior in confined environments. Their research employs quantum and molecular simulations, as well as statistical mechanics-based theories (iSAFT), to model fluid behavior in energy applications. “A key advancement is a compu-tational approach we’ve developed to predict nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation without adjustable parameters, which pro-vides molecular-scale insights into how fluid partitions and is transported through porous media like rocks,” Chapman said. These insights have also helped them develop new MRI contrast agents for biomedical imaging in collaboration with Amanda Marciel, William Marsh Rice Trustee Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Ming Tang, associate professor of materials science and nanoengineering, is developing computational approaches to improve the efficiency, lifespan, and safety of lithium-ion batteries, which are crucial for renewable energy storage in electric vehicles (EVs) and personal devices, and the integration of intermittent sources like solar and wind power into the grid. With seed funding from the Ken Kennedy Institute, he and Ben Hu, are also exploring the use of AI to assess the degrada-tion levels of EV batteries and their individual cells. “EV batteries with less than % capac-ity either end up in landfills or are recycled to extract precious metals,” Tang said. “Our goal is to build innovative AI-enabled battery per-formance metrics that will allow car owners to easily assess the health of their EV’s battery but also help establish a new ecosystem to quickly identify and repurpose gently used cells for less energy-intensiveapplications.”Solving for HealthFFrom routine conveniences like virtual telehealth appointments to cutting-edge innovations like AI-driven diagnostics, robot-as-sisted surgeries, and drug discov-ery platforms, automation has transformed healthcare in recent decades. The latest advancements in AI technologies are expected to further revolutionize medicine and pub-lichealth.Computational and AI-driven tools are critical for early detection and continuous monitoring of epidemics. During the COVID- pandemic, wastewater surveillance emerged as a powerful predictive method for accurate and unbiased forecasting of location-specific trends in community infections. Katherine Ensor, Noah G. Harding Professor of Statistics, Lauren Stadler, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, and Loren Hopkins, professor in the practice of statistics and chief environmental scientist at the Houston Health Department, established a citywide wastewater monitoring system and implemented a statistical framework to assess levels of SARS-CoV- and variants of concern in wastewater that informed public health responses. Todd Treangen and Lauren Stadler expanded this ongoing effort to develop computational tools to design sensitive assays to detect other emerging biothreats through wastewater surveillance. “Through collabora-tions with Houston Wastewater Epidemiology, the Houston Health Department, and Houston Public Works, we can now detect dozens of infectious diseases including mea-sles, flu, RSV, mpox, and others,” Stadler said.Rice researchers are committed to using computational and AI-driven approaches to make healthcare affordable and accessible. Recently, a team led by Peter Lillehoj, Shankle Chair in Mechanical Engineering and asso-ciate professor of bioengineering, and Kevin McHugh, assistant professor of bioengineer-ing and chemistry, developed a low-cost, AI-enabled microfluidic flow cytometer, a device that counts and identifies cells from unpurified blood samples. “This lab test can now be performed anywhere, including rural and resource-limited settings, for a fraction of the cost, and we envision it will be useful for many new point-of-care clinical and biomedi-cal research applications,” Lillehoj added. Biological drugs, such as monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins, or gene therapies, offer many advantages over tradi-tional therapeutics. However, their complex absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion behaviors make it challenging to find the most effective delivery methods and dose regimens. Associate chair of bioengineering and professor of bioengineering and biosci-ences, Oleg Igoshin and his team have con-structed computational models to analyze and improve our understanding of these processes in both preclinical and clinical studies, to pre-dict doses for clinical trials, and to understand the complexities associated with different dosingstrategies. As part of Rice’s partnership with the Houston Health Department, research project manager Lauren Bauhs tests wastewater to detect viruses in thecommunity.Oleg Igoshin (right) and Jonathon DeBonis develop mathematical models that explore the effectiveness of a protein that holds promise for cancer treatment. Ming Tang develops com-putational approaches to improve the efficiency, lifespan, and safety of lithium-ion batteries.Ideas + ResearchPeter Lillehoj with the AI-enabled low-cost compact flow cytometry developed by the Rice team for rapid cell analysis.Atom Probe Tomography of a Ni single-atom cata-lyst enables the detection of individual nickel atoms dispersed within a sur-rounding matrix. 20 21 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGPhotography by Jeff Fitlow/Rice University
DATA SCIENCE FROM ALGORITHMS TO ACTIONUNDERGRADUATE STUDY Building the FoundationsRice undergraduates begin their data science journey with a strong grounding in programming (Python, R), statistics and data visualization. The curriculum emphasizes hands-on learning with real datasets that give students a practical edge. From the first day of class to real-world projects with lasting impact, Rice’s data science programs are preparing the next generation of leaders to solve the complex challenges of our time. Outside the classroom, students take the lead through the Rice DataSci Club (RDS). This student-run organization hosts workshops, community events and the Rice Datathon—an annual competition that draws students from across Houston to tackle data challenges and connect with industry mentors. For those seeking deeper engagement, Rice’s Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) offers a 10-week summer program pairing students with faculty to conduct high-level research on emerging data science topics.GRADUATE STUDYPushing Boundaries with Advanced ApplicationsGraduate students push the boundaries of what data science can do—exploring advanced topics in AI, machine learning and big data analytics. Data Science Initiative faculty, like Illya V. Hicks ’00, Department Chair of Computational Applied Mathematics and Operations Research, and Marina Vannucci, Noah Harding Professor of Statistics, are preparing Rice graduates for success across many fields. A cornerstone of this experience is the first-of-its-kind Rice Data to Knowledge (D2K) Lab, which connects teams of advanced undergraduates, master’s students and beginning PhD students with real-world challenges from D2K partners. The teams work with their project sponsor to turn proprietary data into actionable insights and solutions, then share their projects and compete for cash prizes in the D2K Showcase event. Project topics are both timely and impactful. One team examined how rail traffic delays emergency response times for the Houston Fire Department, providing data-driven insights to help improve public safety. Another team of professional master’s in data science (MDS) students—on education leave from Chevron—developed AI-powered software to detect brain cancer from 3D MRI scans, applying their expertise interpreting seismic data to advance medical imaging.INDUSTRY APPLICATION Transforming Data into DecisionsRice’s data science community is transforming data into discovery—and building a better future. Professor Erzsébet Merényi’s team recently received a $1 million grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) to develop AI tools that improve early detection of aggressive prostate cancer. Her methods—originally applied in astronomy and Earth remote sensing—are now poised to save lives. Rice alumni are carrying this impact forward into industry. Audrey Pizzolato ’25, a computer science major, used a modified traveling salesman problem to optimize rig procurement in her D2K Capstone project. She is joining a trading firm as an engineer after graduation. Tucker Reinhardt ’21 helped predict cardiac signals in a D2K project; now he is a software engineer at Verily (formerly Google Life Sciences), a research organization devoted to the study of life sciences. Across industries and disciplines, Rice engineers continue a legacy of innovation and solving for greater good.22 23 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGSection TitleIdeas + ResearchIN THE DESIGN KITCHENHuff Engineering Design Showcase honors student ingenuity and impactThrust But Verify wins top prize for satellite propulsion systemF From satellites and spinal surgery to infant health and haptic virtual reality applications, student engineering teams at Rice University demonstrated how hands-on design can drive real-world impact at the Huff Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen (OEDK) Showcase and competition held in April at the Ion.This year’s top prize—the Woods-Leazar Innovation Award for Excellence in Engineering and a , cash award—went to Thrust But Verify, a team charged with developing a satellite propulsion module for Stellar Exploration, a California-based aerospacecompany.“I think the whole team is just exhilarated,” senior Warren Rose said of his fellow team members—seniors Stefan Budimlic, Anish Chitnis, Mark Lopatofsky, Jack Maurry, Sam Sarver, Daniel Stulski, and Liam Waite. “We put in so much work on this. It’s a project that everyone here has passion for. We now have a product to show we’ve made real progress.”Eighteen other prizes were given, including the Willy Revolution Award for Outstanding Innovation. In this category, Cushion Queens took home first place for its textile-based seat cushion for public transit operators, which uses fluid logic to deliver mechanotherapy to mitigate the negative health impact of pro-longed sitting.Sponsored this year by Chevron, Shell and the Rice Engineering Alumni Association, the annual showcase is a rite of passage for engineering design students who spend count-less hours at the OEDK, a ,-square-foot facility equipped with design tools, prototyp-ing equipment, meeting rooms and designated work benches.Learn more about the 2025 showcase winners announced in April at The Ion in Houston.DESIGN SHOWCASE2025Thrust But Verify wins the showcase’s top prize for developing a satellite propulsion module.
DATA SCIENCE FROM ALGORITHMS TO ACTIONUNDERGRADUATE STUDY Building the FoundationsRice undergraduates begin their data science journey with a strong grounding in programming (Python, R), statistics and data visualization. The curriculum emphasizes hands-on learning with real datasets that give students a practical edge. From the first day of class to real-world projects with lasting impact, Rice’s data science programs are preparing the next generation of leaders to solve the complex challenges of our time. Outside the classroom, students take the lead through the Rice DataSci Club (RDS). This student-run organization hosts workshops, community events and the Rice Datathon—an annual competition that draws students from across Houston to tackle data challenges and connect with industry mentors. For those seeking deeper engagement, Rice’s Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) offers a 10-week summer program pairing students with faculty to conduct high-level research on emerging data science topics.GRADUATE STUDYPushing Boundaries with Advanced ApplicationsGraduate students push the boundaries of what data science can do—exploring advanced topics in AI, machine learning and big data analytics. Data Science Initiative faculty, like Illya V. Hicks ’00, Department Chair of Computational Applied Mathematics and Operations Research, and Marina Vannucci, Noah Harding Professor of Statistics, are preparing Rice graduates for success across many fields. A cornerstone of this experience is the first-of-its-kind Rice Data to Knowledge (D2K) Lab, which connects teams of advanced undergraduates, master’s students and beginning PhD students with real-world challenges from D2K partners. The teams work with their project sponsor to turn proprietary data into actionable insights and solutions, then share their projects and compete for cash prizes in the D2K Showcase event. Project topics are both timely and impactful. One team examined how rail traffic delays emergency response times for the Houston Fire Department, providing data-driven insights to help improve public safety. Another team of professional master’s in data science (MDS) students—on education leave from Chevron—developed AI-powered software to detect brain cancer from 3D MRI scans, applying their expertise interpreting seismic data to advance medical imaging.INDUSTRY APPLICATION Transforming Data into DecisionsRice’s data science community is transforming data into discovery—and building a better future. Professor Erzsébet Merényi’s team recently received a $1 million grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) to develop AI tools that improve early detection of aggressive prostate cancer. Her methods—originally applied in astronomy and Earth remote sensing—are now poised to save lives. Rice alumni are carrying this impact forward into industry. Audrey Pizzolato ’25, a computer science major, used a modified traveling salesman problem to optimize rig procurement in her D2K Capstone project. She is joining a trading firm as an engineer after graduation. Tucker Reinhardt ’21 helped predict cardiac signals in a D2K project; now he is a software engineer at Verily (formerly Google Life Sciences), a research organization devoted to the study of life sciences. Across industries and disciplines, Rice engineers continue a legacy of innovation and solving for greater good.22 23 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGSection TitleIdeas + ResearchIN THE DESIGN KITCHENHuff Engineering Design Showcase honors student ingenuity and impactThrust But Verify wins top prize for satellite propulsion systemF From satellites and spinal surgery to infant health and haptic virtual reality applications, student engineering teams at Rice University demonstrated how hands-on design can drive real-world impact at the Huff Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen (OEDK) Showcase and competition held in April at the Ion.This year’s top prize—the Woods-Leazar Innovation Award for Excellence in Engineering and a , cash award—went to Thrust But Verify, a team charged with developing a satellite propulsion module for Stellar Exploration, a California-based aerospacecompany.“I think the whole team is just exhilarated,” senior Warren Rose said of his fellow team members—seniors Stefan Budimlic, Anish Chitnis, Mark Lopatofsky, Jack Maurry, Sam Sarver, Daniel Stulski, and Liam Waite. “We put in so much work on this. It’s a project that everyone here has passion for. We now have a product to show we’ve made real progress.”Eighteen other prizes were given, including the Willy Revolution Award for Outstanding Innovation. In this category, Cushion Queens took home first place for its textile-based seat cushion for public transit operators, which uses fluid logic to deliver mechanotherapy to mitigate the negative health impact of pro-longed sitting.Sponsored this year by Chevron, Shell and the Rice Engineering Alumni Association, the annual showcase is a rite of passage for engineering design students who spend count-less hours at the OEDK, a ,-square-foot facility equipped with design tools, prototyp-ing equipment, meeting rooms and designated work benches.Learn more about the 2025 showcase winners announced in April at The Ion in Houston.DESIGN SHOWCASE2025Thrust But Verify wins the showcase’s top prize for developing a satellite propulsion module.
Engineers In Their Own Words > Maryam AliakbarpourPeople + PerspectivesILLUSTRATION BY ADAM CRUFTNavigating the Data Era: Privacy and Collaborative Analysis24 25 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGWe live in an era rich with data. From personal devices to large-scale scientific projects, digital information is growing at an unprecedented rate. This abun-dance holds immense promise for breakthroughs in medicine, technology, and beyond. However, it also presents significant challenges in data analysis and computation. My research is dedicated to developing algorithms—the essential tools for data processing—that are smarter, safer, and more adaptable to the complexities of modern computation, thereby offering deeper insights into emerging challenges.Data privacy is a primary concern. How can we analyze sensitive information, such as medical records or browsing histories, while ensuring individual privacy? To address this challenge, I develop algorithms that employ a robust mathematical framework known as differential privacy. The goal is to extract valuable insights without exposing personal details. For example, each user can submit a highly obfuscated version of their data—so altered by noise that it appears almost mean-ingless in isolation—while still allowing the data curator to aggregate this information. Although the curator cannot determine whether any individual has diabetes, they can reliably estimate that roughly percent of the population is affected. Traditional approaches like anonymization or reporting general aggregates often fall short; both experimental and theoretical research have shown that these methods can inadvertently reveal identifying information. In privacy-sensitive applications, theoretical guarantees are indispensable, as absolute security requires rigorous mathe-matical proofs. Another line of research that excites me is the use of auxiliary data and collaborative approaches in data analysis. Although it may seem that we are awash in data, many practical tasks involve relatively small datasets—partic-ularly for organizations outside of large tech companies. For instance, a hospital might only have on the order of a thousand data points pertaining to a specific task, which is modest for many computational tasks. Yet, numer-ous hospitals may be willing to collaborate, pooling their data even if external sources are incomplete, noisy, or heterogeneous in quality. My recent work focuses on integrating data from diverse sources while accounting for uncertainties in data quality. In one study, we introduced algorithms for hypothesis testing that leverage general population data while remaining robust against variable data quality. Consider clinical trials: although ample data may be available for the general population, information on specific minority groups can be scarce, potentially leading to biased outcomes. Our objective is to design hypothesis tests that work effectively for minority groups by intel-ligently incorporating insights from broader population data. The primary challenge is to use external data without presupposing that it is identical in quality or distribution to the primary dataset. Our approach allows the algorithm to autonomously adapt to the quality of external data, extracting the maxi-mum amount of information without relying on predetermined quality assessments. A further challenge arises when multiple users or organizations possess related but distinct datasets and tasks. In such collabora-tive settings, there is a need to uncover shared patterns while catering to individual require-ments. To this end, I investigate meta-learning techniques that enable algorithms to learn from related tasks and adapt to new situations with limited data. These methods follow a two-stage process: first, by identifying general pat-terns collectively, and then by tailoring these insights to meet each user’s specificneeds. By developing rigorous mathematical frameworks and establishing provable perfor-mance guarantees, I am laying the groundwork for future systems that are both powerful and secure. In an increasingly data-driven world, these advancements are essential to ensure that technology benefits everyone.To learn more about Maryam Aliakbarpour’s research, visit eng.rice.edu/maryama
Engineers In Their Own Words > Maryam AliakbarpourPeople + PerspectivesILLUSTRATION BY ADAM CRUFTNavigating the Data Era: Privacy and Collaborative Analysis24 25 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGWe live in an era rich with data. From personal devices to large-scale scientific projects, digital information is growing at an unprecedented rate. This abun-dance holds immense promise for breakthroughs in medicine, technology, and beyond. However, it also presents significant challenges in data analysis and computation. My research is dedicated to developing algorithms—the essential tools for data processing—that are smarter, safer, and more adaptable to the complexities of modern computation, thereby offering deeper insights into emerging challenges.Data privacy is a primary concern. How can we analyze sensitive information, such as medical records or browsing histories, while ensuring individual privacy? To address this challenge, I develop algorithms that employ a robust mathematical framework known as differential privacy. The goal is to extract valuable insights without exposing personal details. For example, each user can submit a highly obfuscated version of their data—so altered by noise that it appears almost mean-ingless in isolation—while still allowing the data curator to aggregate this information. Although the curator cannot determine whether any individual has diabetes, they can reliably estimate that roughly percent of the population is affected. Traditional approaches like anonymization or reporting general aggregates often fall short; both experimental and theoretical research have shown that these methods can inadvertently reveal identifying information. In privacy-sensitive applications, theoretical guarantees are indispensable, as absolute security requires rigorous mathe-matical proofs. Another line of research that excites me is the use of auxiliary data and collaborative approaches in data analysis. Although it may seem that we are awash in data, many practical tasks involve relatively small datasets—partic-ularly for organizations outside of large tech companies. For instance, a hospital might only have on the order of a thousand data points pertaining to a specific task, which is modest for many computational tasks. Yet, numer-ous hospitals may be willing to collaborate, pooling their data even if external sources are incomplete, noisy, or heterogeneous in quality. My recent work focuses on integrating data from diverse sources while accounting for uncertainties in data quality. In one study, we introduced algorithms for hypothesis testing that leverage general population data while remaining robust against variable data quality. Consider clinical trials: although ample data may be available for the general population, information on specific minority groups can be scarce, potentially leading to biased outcomes. Our objective is to design hypothesis tests that work effectively for minority groups by intel-ligently incorporating insights from broader population data. The primary challenge is to use external data without presupposing that it is identical in quality or distribution to the primary dataset. Our approach allows the algorithm to autonomously adapt to the quality of external data, extracting the maxi-mum amount of information without relying on predetermined quality assessments. A further challenge arises when multiple users or organizations possess related but distinct datasets and tasks. In such collabora-tive settings, there is a need to uncover shared patterns while catering to individual require-ments. To this end, I investigate meta-learning techniques that enable algorithms to learn from related tasks and adapt to new situations with limited data. These methods follow a two-stage process: first, by identifying general pat-terns collectively, and then by tailoring these insights to meet each user’s specificneeds. By developing rigorous mathematical frameworks and establishing provable perfor-mance guarantees, I am laying the groundwork for future systems that are both powerful and secure. In an increasingly data-driven world, these advancements are essential to ensure that technology benefits everyone.To learn more about Maryam Aliakbarpour’s research, visit eng.rice.edu/maryama
“ I I have a framework for evaluating ideas called ‘a hypothesis document’ that helps me determine if my idea will be a success,” said computer sci-entist, trailblazing businessman and entrepreneur Mohit Aron ’, ’. As the founder of two multibillion-dollar companies and known as the “father of hyper-convergence” for pioneering hyperconverged infrastructure and redefining data manage-ment, Aron has proven his framework’s worth.“I was heavily influenced by my advisor at Rice who told me, ‘It’s one thing to acquire knowledge. It’s another to generate knowl-edge. That’s growth.’” Under the mentorship of Dr. Peter Druschel, Aron honed his exper-tise in distributed systems and web-scale computing while pursuing his master’s and Ph.D. in computer science.“My Rice experience was foundational. I don’t think I could have done what I did with-out it,” said Aron. “During your bachelor’s, you acquire knowledge. If you do a good Ph.D., which I was blessed to do at Rice, you learn how to generate knowledge. And that’s what led me to start two of my companies, which are now decacorns or soon-to-be decacorns.” Adecacorn is a privately held start-up com-pany with a valuation of over billion.Aron sees many parallels between academia and entrepreneurship: “What do we do in research? We have an idea. We get funding, go hire students, do the work and then write research papers. Company building is similar. You get an idea. You raise funding, you hire people, you implement the idea and then you sell it. It just takes more years to bring the company to fruition than to write a researchpaper.”Following his time at Rice, Aron went to Silicon Valley and joined the growing -person company called Google. He was the lead developer on the Google File System, tackling the complexities of web-scale data. This experience confirmed his belief that the future of enterprise IT lay in more efficient and scalable data architectures. His tenure at Google provided valuable exposure to indus-try trends and the day-to-day challenges of running a business.“My advice for students who decide to come to industry is: Don’t be in a hurry to start acompany. Join a team that you know has a past record of doing well. Learn the ropes, and then you can do it right. For about ten years Iworked at other companies. So, take that time, get that training.”In , Aron co-founded Nutanix, where he spearheaded the development of hypercon-verged infrastructure (HCI), which integrates computing and storage into a seamless, cloud-like platform. By helping enterprises simplify and manage primary data storage and computing infrastructure, Nutanix became an industry leader and decacorn.Recognizing another significant challenge—fragmented data storage—in Aron founded Cohesity, now a multibillion-dollar company approaching decacorn status, to protect and manage secondary data like backups and archives on a unifiedplatform.Beyond his industry achievements, Aron remains closely connected to Rice University. He was a Outstanding Engineering Alumni Award Recipient, served on the Rice Engineering Advisory Board and has philanthropically supported the Computer Science program. He also champions initiatives to bridge the gap between academia and industry, advocating for stronger partnerships between Rice and leading tech companies to improve recruitment opportunities forstudents.Having recently stepped back from Cohesity, Aron continues to innovate and tackle new challenges. Currently, he is working on his next stealth startup, which will continue to push the boundaries of web-scal-ing technology.Another framework for Aron’s success? Aron said, “For me, having fun during the journey probably matters more than the eventual outcome. If I’m happy every day going to work and I’m enjoying myself, that tome is success.”PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAY WATSO N“ Don’t be in a hurry to start a company. Join a team that you know has a past record of doing well. Learn the ropes, and then you can do it right.” BY VERONICA E. TREMBLAYPeople + PerspectivesA Framework for Success26 27 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGSection TitlePeople + Perspectives
“ I I have a framework for evaluating ideas called ‘a hypothesis document’ that helps me determine if my idea will be a success,” said computer sci-entist, trailblazing businessman and entrepreneur Mohit Aron ’, ’. As the founder of two multibillion-dollar companies and known as the “father of hyper-convergence” for pioneering hyperconverged infrastructure and redefining data manage-ment, Aron has proven his framework’s worth.“I was heavily influenced by my advisor at Rice who told me, ‘It’s one thing to acquire knowledge. It’s another to generate knowl-edge. That’s growth.’” Under the mentorship of Dr. Peter Druschel, Aron honed his exper-tise in distributed systems and web-scale computing while pursuing his master’s and Ph.D. in computer science.“My Rice experience was foundational. I don’t think I could have done what I did with-out it,” said Aron. “During your bachelor’s, you acquire knowledge. If you do a good Ph.D., which I was blessed to do at Rice, you learn how to generate knowledge. And that’s what led me to start two of my companies, which are now decacorns or soon-to-be decacorns.” Adecacorn is a privately held start-up com-pany with a valuation of over billion.Aron sees many parallels between academia and entrepreneurship: “What do we do in research? We have an idea. We get funding, go hire students, do the work and then write research papers. Company building is similar. You get an idea. You raise funding, you hire people, you implement the idea and then you sell it. It just takes more years to bring the company to fruition than to write a researchpaper.”Following his time at Rice, Aron went to Silicon Valley and joined the growing -person company called Google. He was the lead developer on the Google File System, tackling the complexities of web-scale data. This experience confirmed his belief that the future of enterprise IT lay in more efficient and scalable data architectures. His tenure at Google provided valuable exposure to indus-try trends and the day-to-day challenges of running a business.“My advice for students who decide to come to industry is: Don’t be in a hurry to start acompany. Join a team that you know has a past record of doing well. Learn the ropes, and then you can do it right. For about ten years Iworked at other companies. So, take that time, get that training.”In , Aron co-founded Nutanix, where he spearheaded the development of hypercon-verged infrastructure (HCI), which integrates computing and storage into a seamless, cloud-like platform. By helping enterprises simplify and manage primary data storage and computing infrastructure, Nutanix became an industry leader and decacorn.Recognizing another significant challenge—fragmented data storage—in Aron founded Cohesity, now a multibillion-dollar company approaching decacorn status, to protect and manage secondary data like backups and archives on a unifiedplatform.Beyond his industry achievements, Aron remains closely connected to Rice University. He was a Outstanding Engineering Alumni Award Recipient, served on the Rice Engineering Advisory Board and has philanthropically supported the Computer Science program. He also champions initiatives to bridge the gap between academia and industry, advocating for stronger partnerships between Rice and leading tech companies to improve recruitment opportunities forstudents.Having recently stepped back from Cohesity, Aron continues to innovate and tackle new challenges. Currently, he is working on his next stealth startup, which will continue to push the boundaries of web-scal-ing technology.Another framework for Aron’s success? Aron said, “For me, having fun during the journey probably matters more than the eventual outcome. If I’m happy every day going to work and I’m enjoying myself, that tome is success.”PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAY WATSO N“ Don’t be in a hurry to start a company. Join a team that you know has a past record of doing well. Learn the ropes, and then you can do it right.” BY VERONICA E. TREMBLAYPeople + PerspectivesA Framework for Success26 27 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGSection TitlePeople + Perspectives
AI is advancing at a rapid pace, sparking both excitement and ethical concerns. What are the most pressing ethical challenges you see today?The concerns are many. As AI developers, weprioritize transparency, explainability, androbustness—qualities too often sacrificed in the rush to deploy. Imagine a robot working near people: safety cannot be .%, it must be absolute. Equally crucial is engaging users from the start so that AI truly aligns with human needs. We expose data biases, weigh their consequences, and choose robotics and biomedical projects with an unwavering commitment to positive societal impact. You are leading an Institute with more than 200 members. How has the Ken Kennedy Institute evolved under your leadership?The Ken Kennedy Institute has gained significant momentum thanks to strong university support, exceptional faculty, and extraordinary staff. A key recent initiative unites our core AI faculty around research clusters targeting fundamental roadblocks in AI and addressing computational questions in health and disaster resilience—these topics comprise our current research focus. We also strengthen graduate education through fellowships and invigorate our community with workshops, boot camps, distinguished lectures, and two annual conferences exploring AI in energy and health. How do the students today compare to those you taught in the late ’90s?I remain impressed by how bright, curious, and ambitious our students are—just as in the late ’s. Teaching them is incredibly rewarding. They are fearless: in my robotics class, they routinely exceed my expectations. I have learned never to underestimate their abilities. More than undergraduates have joined my lab, with many publishing papers and presenting at conferences. Today’s tools—advanced programming environments, open-source libraries, and powerful processors—enable feats we only imagined in the ’s. When students combine the solid foundations we provide with modern resources, their potential is limitless.Your work spans both robotics and biomedicine—two fields that seem distinct. Is there a common theme?My research focuses on physical AI, exploring how computers learn, represent, and interact with the real world in all its glorious com-plexity. Unlike more traditional “artificial” domains, such as databases and computer networks, where we enjoy pristine data and precise control, physical AI grapples with environments governed by the imperfectly modeled laws of nature. My work addresses fundamental questions that arise when computational systems meet physical reality: devising robust representations, managing high-dimensional data, reasoning under uncertainty, and balancing accuracy with computational efficiency. Physical AI is the ultimate frontier in modern computing and key to tackling critical global challenges.What excites you about robotics and computational biomedicine?My fascination with shape and motion drew me to robotics early on. Our lab now ensures that robots move reliably despite their noisy sensors, advances exploited in partnership with NASA to extend space exploration. In graduate school, I saw how subtle structural changes in biomolecules can affect health and disease, inspiring current work on the role of biomolecular interactions in person-alized immunotherapies. Our collaborations with MD Anderson let us translate computa-tional insights into real clinical impact.for Lydia KavrakiQuestionsPHOTOGRAPHY BY TOMMY LaVERGNEPHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF FITLOW/RICE UNIVERSITY28 29 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGPeople + Perspectives
AI is advancing at a rapid pace, sparking both excitement and ethical concerns. What are the most pressing ethical challenges you see today?The concerns are many. As AI developers, weprioritize transparency, explainability, androbustness—qualities too often sacrificed in the rush to deploy. Imagine a robot working near people: safety cannot be .%, it must be absolute. Equally crucial is engaging users from the start so that AI truly aligns with human needs. We expose data biases, weigh their consequences, and choose robotics and biomedical projects with an unwavering commitment to positive societal impact. You are leading an Institute with more than 200 members. How has the Ken Kennedy Institute evolved under your leadership?The Ken Kennedy Institute has gained significant momentum thanks to strong university support, exceptional faculty, and extraordinary staff. A key recent initiative unites our core AI faculty around research clusters targeting fundamental roadblocks in AI and addressing computational questions in health and disaster resilience—these topics comprise our current research focus. We also strengthen graduate education through fellowships and invigorate our community with workshops, boot camps, distinguished lectures, and two annual conferences exploring AI in energy and health. How do the students today compare to those you taught in the late ’90s?I remain impressed by how bright, curious, and ambitious our students are—just as in the late ’s. Teaching them is incredibly rewarding. They are fearless: in my robotics class, they routinely exceed my expectations. I have learned never to underestimate their abilities. More than undergraduates have joined my lab, with many publishing papers and presenting at conferences. Today’s tools—advanced programming environments, open-source libraries, and powerful processors—enable feats we only imagined in the ’s. When students combine the solid foundations we provide with modern resources, their potential is limitless.Your work spans both robotics and biomedicine—two fields that seem distinct. Is there a common theme?My research focuses on physical AI, exploring how computers learn, represent, and interact with the real world in all its glorious com-plexity. Unlike more traditional “artificial” domains, such as databases and computer networks, where we enjoy pristine data and precise control, physical AI grapples with environments governed by the imperfectly modeled laws of nature. My work addresses fundamental questions that arise when computational systems meet physical reality: devising robust representations, managing high-dimensional data, reasoning under uncertainty, and balancing accuracy with computational efficiency. Physical AI is the ultimate frontier in modern computing and key to tackling critical global challenges.What excites you about robotics and computational biomedicine?My fascination with shape and motion drew me to robotics early on. Our lab now ensures that robots move reliably despite their noisy sensors, advances exploited in partnership with NASA to extend space exploration. In graduate school, I saw how subtle structural changes in biomolecules can affect health and disease, inspiring current work on the role of biomolecular interactions in person-alized immunotherapies. Our collaborations with MD Anderson let us translate computa-tional insights into real clinical impact.for Lydia KavrakiQuestionsPHOTOGRAPHY BY TOMMY LaVERGNEPHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF FITLOW/RICE UNIVERSITY28 29 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGPeople + Perspectives
FUTU REPRO CESSINGBY KAYT SUKELHOW WE’RE BUILDING THE COMPUTING SYSTEMS OF THE FUTURE.30 31 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING
FUTU REPRO CESSINGBY KAYT SUKELHOW WE’RE BUILDING THE COMPUTING SYSTEMS OF THE FUTURE.30 31 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING
Com put ing,MUCH LIKE ELECTRICITY in the days of yore, is now tightly woven into the fabric of modern society. Industries from healthcare to energy now rely on computers to process information and solve problems, large and small. Even our homes are not immune from the power of computing. This goes beyond personal computers and smartphones—com-puting is now just as deeply integrated into our appliances, vehicles, entertainment, and home management systems.“Today, almost no aspect of human life is untouched by computing,” said Ashok Veeraraghavan, chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rice. “But it is important to understand that we are also in the midst of a phase transition incomputing.”Much of this phase transition is fueled by advances in artificial intelligence (AI). Such algorithms promise to significantly improve—and quicken—complex compu-tations needed to support natural language processing, computer vision, data analytics, and informed decision-making tasks. However, the more complicated the task, the more power-intensive computation it needs. To support the future of computing and, by extension, AI, the industry will need com-puting systems—complementary hardware and software components that work together to support several orders of magnitude of improvement in computing efficiency, porta-bility, and accessibility.Chris Jermaine, the Victor E. Cameron Professor of Computer Science and chair of the Department of Computer Science, said that the latest graphics processing units (GPUs) take about watts of power to run. That’s approximately the same amount of energy required to power a microwave oven. Alarge-scale AI computation might have TODAY, ALMOST NO ASPECT OF HUMAN LIFE IS UNTOUCHED BY COMPUTING ... BUT IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE ALSO IN THE MIDST OF A PHASE TRANSITION IN COMPUTING.”, or more GPUs working together for a month. At a certain point, as AI algorithms evolve, traditional computer systems won’t be able to keep up with their computation and energy demands.“The power requirements are huge—and they are only getting bigger,” said Jermaine. “Unless we see some major advances in computing systems, we aren’t going to be able to support the future of AI. And that means AI won’t continue to evolve like it has been.”That’s one of the reasons why the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing not only has a new name, but a new focus. To continue its mission of “solving for greater good,” the school will work on designing and building innovative computing system solutions to sustain progress—and help accelerate the computing phase transition that Veeraraghavan described.Rice University has a long and storied history in computing system design and development. Modern super-computing systems can thank Ken Kennedy, a Rice alum and beloved computer science professor, for his pioneering work in parallel compiling. This type of software programming allows computing systems to harness hundreds, or even thousands, of hardware processors, so they can work in concert to perform advanced computing calculations.“In the s, Rice was well known for its work in high-performance computing—and that’s the legacy of Ken Kennedy,” said Jermaine. “And while, at that time, no one would have thought to pair high-performance computing with AI, advances in these types of algorithms have been driven by the amount of available data as well as an increase in avail-able computing power. As those continue to grow, it has big implications for what kind of computing systems we will need in the future.”With a growing global reliance on computing to help solve the world’s most pressing challenges, Jermaine added that computer scientists and engineers must start to think beyond the classical systems LEGACY AS FOUNDATION32 33 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING
Com put ing,MUCH LIKE ELECTRICITY in the days of yore, is now tightly woven into the fabric of modern society. Industries from healthcare to energy now rely on computers to process information and solve problems, large and small. Even our homes are not immune from the power of computing. This goes beyond personal computers and smartphones—com-puting is now just as deeply integrated into our appliances, vehicles, entertainment, and home management systems.“Today, almost no aspect of human life is untouched by computing,” said Ashok Veeraraghavan, chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rice. “But it is important to understand that we are also in the midst of a phase transition incomputing.”Much of this phase transition is fueled by advances in artificial intelligence (AI). Such algorithms promise to significantly improve—and quicken—complex compu-tations needed to support natural language processing, computer vision, data analytics, and informed decision-making tasks. However, the more complicated the task, the more power-intensive computation it needs. To support the future of computing and, by extension, AI, the industry will need com-puting systems—complementary hardware and software components that work together to support several orders of magnitude of improvement in computing efficiency, porta-bility, and accessibility.Chris Jermaine, the Victor E. Cameron Professor of Computer Science and chair of the Department of Computer Science, said that the latest graphics processing units (GPUs) take about watts of power to run. That’s approximately the same amount of energy required to power a microwave oven. Alarge-scale AI computation might have TODAY, ALMOST NO ASPECT OF HUMAN LIFE IS UNTOUCHED BY COMPUTING ... BUT IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE ALSO IN THE MIDST OF A PHASE TRANSITION IN COMPUTING.”, or more GPUs working together for a month. At a certain point, as AI algorithms evolve, traditional computer systems won’t be able to keep up with their computation and energy demands.“The power requirements are huge—and they are only getting bigger,” said Jermaine. “Unless we see some major advances in computing systems, we aren’t going to be able to support the future of AI. And that means AI won’t continue to evolve like it has been.”That’s one of the reasons why the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing not only has a new name, but a new focus. To continue its mission of “solving for greater good,” the school will work on designing and building innovative computing system solutions to sustain progress—and help accelerate the computing phase transition that Veeraraghavan described.Rice University has a long and storied history in computing system design and development. Modern super-computing systems can thank Ken Kennedy, a Rice alum and beloved computer science professor, for his pioneering work in parallel compiling. This type of software programming allows computing systems to harness hundreds, or even thousands, of hardware processors, so they can work in concert to perform advanced computing calculations.“In the s, Rice was well known for its work in high-performance computing—and that’s the legacy of Ken Kennedy,” said Jermaine. “And while, at that time, no one would have thought to pair high-performance computing with AI, advances in these types of algorithms have been driven by the amount of available data as well as an increase in avail-able computing power. As those continue to grow, it has big implications for what kind of computing systems we will need in the future.”With a growing global reliance on computing to help solve the world’s most pressing challenges, Jermaine added that computer scientists and engineers must start to think beyond the classical systems LEGACY AS FOUNDATION32 33 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING
Burrus, Don Johnson and others established Rice University as a steeple of excellence in signal processing and computing, helping place Rice and Texas at the heart of the digital signal processing revolution that has had a lasting impact on our lives.“It’s also the legacy of Willy Zwaenepoel and Peter Druschel, whose work in distrib-uted computing shaped modern cloud and internet systems. Zwaenepoel’s innovations in networked computing and fault tolerance laid the groundwork for today’s reliable, large-scale data systems. Druschel’s breakthroughs in peer-to-peer networking transformed how data is shared, influencing everything from content distribution to cloud storage. When you consider the history of both these departments, their top-notch legacy and the cutting-edge research that they continue to do, it makes perfect sense for the two departments to collaborate and co-design hardware and software that will have the power to optimize computing systems that can function more efficiently to meet the challenges of AI.”An in-memory computing architecture, in contrast, puts simple circuits onto the random-access memory (RAM) itself to run simple computations—saving significant time and power.Another project from an interdisciplinary team of researchers will explore new tech-nologies, including ferroelectric materials, with the potential to improve computing efficiency. The efforts are part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Next Generation Microelectronics program. The team, comprising materials scientists, electrical and computer engineers (includ-ing Veeraraghavan), and nanoengineers from within the George R. Brown School of To support this bold, new strategy, the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing hopes to bring on new faculty members with joint appointments in computer science and electrical and computer engineering. The goal is to develop emerging applications in computer architecture and chip design, computer communication and networking, sensing and perception systems, and next-generation op-erating systems, compilers, and programming languages. Jermaine added that the school already has several exciting and innovative projects underway that have the potential to reduce power consumption and increase computing efficiency.“On the hardware side, one of our asso-ciate professors in electrical and computer engineering, Kaiyuan Yang, is working on in-memory computing systems,” he explained. “This approach can give you a massive win both in terms of the capabilities of hardware in doing computations, as well as how much power isrequired.”The traditional von Neumann computer architecture, which is the basis for the comput-ers we use today, keeps the system’s memory and computational processing separate.“You have to have a powerful general-pur-pose processor that is always bringing data and instructions from the computer’s memory, modifying it in the central processing unit (CPU), and then writing the data back out to the memory,” Jermaine said. “Moving the data back and forth between the memory and the CPU is a very power-hungry process.”architecture—and acknowledge the neces-sary and reciprocal relationships between traditional computer science and engineering disciplines to develop new, more resilient systems to support future computing needs. Veeraraghavan agreed—and said the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing is the perfect place to work on emerging hardware/software solutions to sup-port the continuing evolution of AI algorithms.“For decades, both the computer science and electrical and computer engineering departments have had a broad focus on computing systems,” he said. “It traces its origin story all the way back to the late s and early s when the Rice Computer Project or the R was conceived, designed and built. Over time, this and other advances established Rice as a preeminent resource in both hard-ware and software of computing systems. This legacy was carried forward by Ken Kennedy and the many advances in software systems and parallel computing that he and his team pioneered. Around the same time, Sidney NEW WAYS T O PROCESS DATATHIS APPROACH CAN GIVE YOU A MASSIVE WIN BOTH IN TERMS OF THE CAPABILITIES OF HARDWARE IN DOING COMPUTATIONS, AS WELL AS HOW MUCH POWER IS REQUIRED.”IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE TO COLLABORATE AND CO-DESIGN HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE THAT WILL HAVE THE POWER TO OPTIMIZE COMPUTING SYSTEMS THAT CAN FUNCTION MORE EFFICIENTLY TO MEET THECHALLENGES OF AI.”34 35 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING
Burrus, Don Johnson and others established Rice University as a steeple of excellence in signal processing and computing, helping place Rice and Texas at the heart of the digital signal processing revolution that has had a lasting impact on our lives.“It’s also the legacy of Willy Zwaenepoel and Peter Druschel, whose work in distrib-uted computing shaped modern cloud and internet systems. Zwaenepoel’s innovations in networked computing and fault tolerance laid the groundwork for today’s reliable, large-scale data systems. Druschel’s breakthroughs in peer-to-peer networking transformed how data is shared, influencing everything from content distribution to cloud storage. When you consider the history of both these departments, their top-notch legacy and the cutting-edge research that they continue to do, it makes perfect sense for the two departments to collaborate and co-design hardware and software that will have the power to optimize computing systems that can function more efficiently to meet the challenges of AI.”An in-memory computing architecture, in contrast, puts simple circuits onto the random-access memory (RAM) itself to run simple computations—saving significant time and power.Another project from an interdisciplinary team of researchers will explore new tech-nologies, including ferroelectric materials, with the potential to improve computing efficiency. The efforts are part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Next Generation Microelectronics program. The team, comprising materials scientists, electrical and computer engineers (includ-ing Veeraraghavan), and nanoengineers from within the George R. Brown School of To support this bold, new strategy, the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing hopes to bring on new faculty members with joint appointments in computer science and electrical and computer engineering. The goal is to develop emerging applications in computer architecture and chip design, computer communication and networking, sensing and perception systems, and next-generation op-erating systems, compilers, and programming languages. Jermaine added that the school already has several exciting and innovative projects underway that have the potential to reduce power consumption and increase computing efficiency.“On the hardware side, one of our asso-ciate professors in electrical and computer engineering, Kaiyuan Yang, is working on in-memory computing systems,” he explained. “This approach can give you a massive win both in terms of the capabilities of hardware in doing computations, as well as how much power isrequired.”The traditional von Neumann computer architecture, which is the basis for the comput-ers we use today, keeps the system’s memory and computational processing separate.“You have to have a powerful general-pur-pose processor that is always bringing data and instructions from the computer’s memory, modifying it in the central processing unit (CPU), and then writing the data back out to the memory,” Jermaine said. “Moving the data back and forth between the memory and the CPU is a very power-hungry process.”architecture—and acknowledge the neces-sary and reciprocal relationships between traditional computer science and engineering disciplines to develop new, more resilient systems to support future computing needs. Veeraraghavan agreed—and said the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing is the perfect place to work on emerging hardware/software solutions to sup-port the continuing evolution of AI algorithms.“For decades, both the computer science and electrical and computer engineering departments have had a broad focus on computing systems,” he said. “It traces its origin story all the way back to the late s and early s when the Rice Computer Project or the R was conceived, designed and built. Over time, this and other advances established Rice as a preeminent resource in both hard-ware and software of computing systems. This legacy was carried forward by Ken Kennedy and the many advances in software systems and parallel computing that he and his team pioneered. Around the same time, Sidney NEW WAYS T O PROCESS DATATHIS APPROACH CAN GIVE YOU A MASSIVE WIN BOTH IN TERMS OF THE CAPABILITIES OF HARDWARE IN DOING COMPUTATIONS, AS WELL AS HOW MUCH POWER IS REQUIRED.”IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE TO COLLABORATE AND CO-DESIGN HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE THAT WILL HAVE THE POWER TO OPTIMIZE COMPUTING SYSTEMS THAT CAN FUNCTION MORE EFFICIENTLY TO MEET THECHALLENGES OF AI.”34 35 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING
Part of Ken Kennedy’s enduring leg-acy—as a researcher and a pioneer in the computing industry – is the willingness to take risks on auda-cious and game-changing ideas.“Kennedy was all about asking big and difficult questions. He’s known for his successes with parallel compiling, but he did fail sometimes. And, over time, as a field, we learned just as much from those failures,” said Jermaine. “We are facing big problems in computing, and we are going to need new solutions. We can no longer rely on a one-size-fits-all approach to software and hardware.”Increasingly, Jermaine said, he believes we will need specialized hardware and software solutions designed to address specific needs—and expects to see “a tremendous amount of variability” in computing system design over the next few decades. And a great deal of those new systems, he expects, will come from the groundbreaking research being pursued at the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing at Rice.“By developing computing systems in a holistic manner—and not continuing to let hardware and software evolve in their siloes—Rice researchers will have both the knowledge and engagement to drive Engineering and Computing, will collaborate with other Rice University research institutes.“The basic effort is to create a new type of computer and memory architecture with the potential to be times more energy efficient,” said Veeraraghavan. “Given just how much power computing takes today, this is an absolute necessity. If we continue on the path of exponential growth developing new power-hungry computing technologies, within a decade or two, it is expected that the power needs of computing systems will be greater than the power generation capacity of the world. That’s not a sustainable trajectory for computing, and this is a pressing problem – what we can do with computing in the future will be limited if we can’t solve it.”Rice’s computer scientists are also working on innovative solutions at the intersection of quantum and high-performance comput-ing. Tirthak Patel, an assistant professor of computer science, focuses on developing system software, compilers, and architectures that enhance the efficiency and reliability of quantum programs, making them more practical for real-world applications. Quantum computing holds the potential to impact drug discovery significantly, offering accelerated computational power to solve complex prob-lems in molecular modeling and simulation.“Tirthak’s work is critical in bridging the gap between the theoretical promise of quantum computing and its real-world feasibility,” said Jermaine. “By building robust software and systems, he’s helping unlock the potential of quantum computing to tackle problems that are currently beyond the reach of classicalcomputing.”RICE IS UNIQUELY POISED, BECAUSE OF OUR HISTORY AND OUR TALENT, TO BE A LEADER IN THIS SPACE. WE ARE GOING TO HELP DRIVE THE NEXT PHASE TRANSITION IN COMPUTING, NOT JUST IN DEVELOPING NEW TECHNOLOGIES, BUT ALSO IN THINKING ABOUT HOW THOSE TECHNOLOGIES WILL SHAPE OUR FUTURE.”HIGH-RISK, HIGH REWARDIF WE CONTINUE ON THE CURRENT PATH OF EXPONENTIAL GROWTH IN POWER-HUNGRY COMPUTING TECHNOLOGIES, WITHIN A DECADE OR TWO, IT’S EXPECTED THAT POWER NEEDS OF COMPUTING SYSTEMS WILL BE GREATER THAN THE POWER GENERATION CAPACITY OF THE WORLD.”innovation, ensuring that advances in AI, as well as any other new computing paradigms, can be supported,” Veeraraghavan said.“We are facing systems problems, and they are going to require systems solutions,” he added. “Rice is uniquely poised to be a leader in this space because of our history and talent. We will help drive the next phase transition in computing, not just in developing new technologies, but also in thinking about how those technologies will shape our future.” Learn how Rice Engineering and Computing is advancing research through AI and data science. Read more stories about the people and projects driving innovation.36 37READ MOREeng.rice.edu/futurecomputingSPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING
Part of Ken Kennedy’s enduring leg-acy—as a researcher and a pioneer in the computing industry – is the willingness to take risks on auda-cious and game-changing ideas.“Kennedy was all about asking big and difficult questions. He’s known for his successes with parallel compiling, but he did fail sometimes. And, over time, as a field, we learned just as much from those failures,” said Jermaine. “We are facing big problems in computing, and we are going to need new solutions. We can no longer rely on a one-size-fits-all approach to software and hardware.”Increasingly, Jermaine said, he believes we will need specialized hardware and software solutions designed to address specific needs—and expects to see “a tremendous amount of variability” in computing system design over the next few decades. And a great deal of those new systems, he expects, will come from the groundbreaking research being pursued at the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing at Rice.“By developing computing systems in a holistic manner—and not continuing to let hardware and software evolve in their siloes—Rice researchers will have both the knowledge and engagement to drive Engineering and Computing, will collaborate with other Rice University research institutes.“The basic effort is to create a new type of computer and memory architecture with the potential to be times more energy efficient,” said Veeraraghavan. “Given just how much power computing takes today, this is an absolute necessity. If we continue on the path of exponential growth developing new power-hungry computing technologies, within a decade or two, it is expected that the power needs of computing systems will be greater than the power generation capacity of the world. That’s not a sustainable trajectory for computing, and this is a pressing problem – what we can do with computing in the future will be limited if we can’t solve it.”Rice’s computer scientists are also working on innovative solutions at the intersection of quantum and high-performance comput-ing. Tirthak Patel, an assistant professor of computer science, focuses on developing system software, compilers, and architectures that enhance the efficiency and reliability of quantum programs, making them more practical for real-world applications. Quantum computing holds the potential to impact drug discovery significantly, offering accelerated computational power to solve complex prob-lems in molecular modeling and simulation.“Tirthak’s work is critical in bridging the gap between the theoretical promise of quantum computing and its real-world feasibility,” said Jermaine. “By building robust software and systems, he’s helping unlock the potential of quantum computing to tackle problems that are currently beyond the reach of classicalcomputing.”RICE IS UNIQUELY POISED, BECAUSE OF OUR HISTORY AND OUR TALENT, TO BE A LEADER IN THIS SPACE. WE ARE GOING TO HELP DRIVE THE NEXT PHASE TRANSITION IN COMPUTING, NOT JUST IN DEVELOPING NEW TECHNOLOGIES, BUT ALSO IN THINKING ABOUT HOW THOSE TECHNOLOGIES WILL SHAPE OUR FUTURE.”HIGH-RISK, HIGH REWARDIF WE CONTINUE ON THE CURRENT PATH OF EXPONENTIAL GROWTH IN POWER-HUNGRY COMPUTING TECHNOLOGIES, WITHIN A DECADE OR TWO, IT’S EXPECTED THAT POWER NEEDS OF COMPUTING SYSTEMS WILL BE GREATER THAN THE POWER GENERATION CAPACITY OF THE WORLD.”innovation, ensuring that advances in AI, as well as any other new computing paradigms, can be supported,” Veeraraghavan said.“We are facing systems problems, and they are going to require systems solutions,” he added. “Rice is uniquely poised to be a leader in this space because of our history and talent. We will help drive the next phase transition in computing, not just in developing new technologies, but also in thinking about how those technologies will shape our future.” Learn how Rice Engineering and Computing is advancing research through AI and data science. Read more stories about the people and projects driving innovation.36 37READ MOREeng.rice.edu/futurecomputingSPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING
38 39 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGINSIDEBLACK BOXOF THEBUILDING RESPONSIBLE AISPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING38 39BY RACHEL FAIRBANKILLUSTRATIONS BY MERIJN HOSTHE ETHICSFOR A 21ST CENTURY WORLD
38 39 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGINSIDEBLACK BOXOF THEBUILDING RESPONSIBLE AISPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING38 39BY RACHEL FAIRBANKILLUSTRATIONS BY MERIJN HOSTHE ETHICSFOR A 21ST CENTURY WORLD
SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGSPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGLAYING THE GROUNDWORK TO POWER THE AI BOOMThe field of AI research emerged in the s with the vision of creating machines with human-like intelligence. In the s and s, the U.S. government provided significant funding to make this vision come true, which led to the first AI boom. The initial push for its development came from national defense organizations who wanted an automated rules-based system to collect intelligence and translate conversa-tions. However, “during that era, the field of AI overpromised and underdelivered and was replete with some famous failures,” said Chris Jermaine, the Victor E. Cameron Professor of Computer Science and chair of the Depart-ment of Computer Science. These failures dampened the industry’s enthusiasm for AI research considerably and pushed the field into an ‘AI winter.’ Over the decades, as interest and funding for AI waxed and waned, other significant advances in computer science progressed in varied and seemingly unrelated ways. For instance, high-performance computing and the creation of artificial neural networks would later be adapted to future iterations of AI, helping to fuel its meteoric rise.By the s, there was renewed interest in AI research. Of particular interest was artificial neural networks—a type of machine learning paradigm that uses connected nodes and pattern-matching to process data in an attempt to mimic how a human brain learns. “What people realized is that you can train these networks, just like you can train a person to drive a car, or read a book, or do calculus,” Baraniuk said. Other advances that contributed to a second boom in AI research were more power-ful computers—specifically graphics process-ing units (GPUs), which were capable of much higher levels of computation – along with the introduction of enormous datasets that AI models needed to learn complex patterns and improve their accuracy. With an intricate system of artificial neural networks, increased computing power offered by GPUs, and ready availability of massive datasets, researchers could finally train the computers in a way that they acquired ‘artificial intelligence’ and were capable of mimicking human decision-making and performance.As the capabilities of articial intelligence continue to grow, Rice Engineering and Computing faculty are providing leadership in responsible AI stewardship.In recent years, the use of artificial intelli-gence (AI) in everyday life has exploded with tools such as ChatGPT and DALL-E. Beyond these, with recent advancements in technology, AI is revolutionizing a variety of industries—from energy and healthcare to communications and education. It plays a key role in tackling global challenges like climate change and advancing medical breakthroughs. In , two Nobel Prizes were awarded for machine learning and AI-enabled breakthroughs. The Nobel Prize for Physics was awarded for the development of machine learning technology using artificial neural networks while the Nobel Prize for Chemistry was awarded for protein design and protein prediction. This recognition under-scores the transformative power of AI. With more than faculty members dedi-cated to advancing the field, Rice Engineering and Computing is at the forefront of AI research. Now that AI is no longer a buzzword and the technology has advanced to the point where it is transforming the world in many ways, it is critical that we look at its impact on society, potential risks, and major ethical chal-lenges while also embracing its vast potential.“Since the advent of computing, researchers have had a tangible sense that one day it would be possible to endow machines with artificial intelligence and have since grappled with how to ethically and responsibly harness its power to benefit humanity,” said Richard Baraniuk, the C. Sidney Burrus Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “ SINCE THE ADVENT OF COMPUTING, RESEARCHERS HAVE HAD A TANGIBLE SENSE THAT ONE DAY IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE TO ENDOW MACHINES WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND HAVE SINCE GRAPPLED WITH HOW TO ETHICALLY AND RESPONSIBLY HARNESS ITS POWER TO BENEFIT HUMANITY.”40 41
SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGSPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGLAYING THE GROUNDWORK TO POWER THE AI BOOMThe field of AI research emerged in the s with the vision of creating machines with human-like intelligence. In the s and s, the U.S. government provided significant funding to make this vision come true, which led to the first AI boom. The initial push for its development came from national defense organizations who wanted an automated rules-based system to collect intelligence and translate conversa-tions. However, “during that era, the field of AI overpromised and underdelivered and was replete with some famous failures,” said Chris Jermaine, the Victor E. Cameron Professor of Computer Science and chair of the Depart-ment of Computer Science. These failures dampened the industry’s enthusiasm for AI research considerably and pushed the field into an ‘AI winter.’ Over the decades, as interest and funding for AI waxed and waned, other significant advances in computer science progressed in varied and seemingly unrelated ways. For instance, high-performance computing and the creation of artificial neural networks would later be adapted to future iterations of AI, helping to fuel its meteoric rise.By the s, there was renewed interest in AI research. Of particular interest was artificial neural networks—a type of machine learning paradigm that uses connected nodes and pattern-matching to process data in an attempt to mimic how a human brain learns. “What people realized is that you can train these networks, just like you can train a person to drive a car, or read a book, or do calculus,” Baraniuk said. Other advances that contributed to a second boom in AI research were more power-ful computers—specifically graphics process-ing units (GPUs), which were capable of much higher levels of computation – along with the introduction of enormous datasets that AI models needed to learn complex patterns and improve their accuracy. With an intricate system of artificial neural networks, increased computing power offered by GPUs, and ready availability of massive datasets, researchers could finally train the computers in a way that they acquired ‘artificial intelligence’ and were capable of mimicking human decision-making and performance.As the capabilities of articial intelligence continue to grow, Rice Engineering and Computing faculty are providing leadership in responsible AI stewardship.In recent years, the use of artificial intelli-gence (AI) in everyday life has exploded with tools such as ChatGPT and DALL-E. Beyond these, with recent advancements in technology, AI is revolutionizing a variety of industries—from energy and healthcare to communications and education. It plays a key role in tackling global challenges like climate change and advancing medical breakthroughs. In , two Nobel Prizes were awarded for machine learning and AI-enabled breakthroughs. The Nobel Prize for Physics was awarded for the development of machine learning technology using artificial neural networks while the Nobel Prize for Chemistry was awarded for protein design and protein prediction. This recognition under-scores the transformative power of AI. With more than faculty members dedi-cated to advancing the field, Rice Engineering and Computing is at the forefront of AI research. Now that AI is no longer a buzzword and the technology has advanced to the point where it is transforming the world in many ways, it is critical that we look at its impact on society, potential risks, and major ethical chal-lenges while also embracing its vast potential.“Since the advent of computing, researchers have had a tangible sense that one day it would be possible to endow machines with artificial intelligence and have since grappled with how to ethically and responsibly harness its power to benefit humanity,” said Richard Baraniuk, the C. Sidney Burrus Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “ SINCE THE ADVENT OF COMPUTING, RESEARCHERS HAVE HAD A TANGIBLE SENSE THAT ONE DAY IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE TO ENDOW MACHINES WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND HAVE SINCE GRAPPLED WITH HOW TO ETHICALLY AND RESPONSIBLY HARNESS ITS POWER TO BENEFIT HUMANITY.”40 41
SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGAnother challenge associated with AI is that although scientists know AI can be developed by training the algorithms to remember and leverage previously occurring patterns in massive datasets to assemble new content or predict future events, they do not have a good understanding of the underlying mechanisms by which AI systems arrive at a specific answer. “While AI systems are somewhat accurate, they are prone to making mistakes and as of now, how AI produces its output with the input we provide is a black box, a mystery to scientists. This means if and when an AI system produces an inaccurate answer, scientists are unable to figure out what error led to the mistake. It’s simply not possible to audit or correct the decisions it makes,” Baraniuk said. “It’s like when you have a human driver that gets into a car crash but is uncooperative or unable to describe what happened and why he took the actions he did. We need to put systems in place to prevent such crashes from happening in the future,” Baraniuk said. “To do this, we need to understand what’s going on inside the black box.” If we are to rely on AI to make crucial life-altering decisions, such as spotting a tumor in an X-ray or generating accurate information for consumers, then we ought to be able to identify and correct errors when they occur. “The major challenge will be devel-oping systems that are responsible and that humanity can build trust with,” Baraniuk said. To address this challenge, Baraniuk and his collaborators are working on understanding what is happening within that black box, so that they can better understand the strengths and limitations of AI. One tool Baraniuk’s team has developed is called SplineCAM, which acts like a CT scan for deep neural networks, enabling researchers to measure their inner workings. Already proving its value, SplineCAM identifies and quantifies changes taking place within a deep network when an emergent behavior occurs.BRINGING TRANSPARENCY TO AI DECISIONSREDUCING AI’S GROWING ENERGY FOOTPRINTAs interest in AI, along with its capabil-ities, continues to grow, several tech-nical and ethical challenges lie ahead. A particular challenge associated with AI is its current energy requirements. Currently, AI is very energy-intensive, with ChatGPT’s daily energy consumption equivalent to that of hundreds of thousands of American households. “Energy production is only growing at the rate of to percent per year, but if AI continues to grow exponentially, at some point, the energy demands of AI will exceed our capacity for energy production, and that is a problem,” said Ramamoorthy Ramesh, professor of materials science and nanoengineering at Rice. Moving forward, the challenge will be to reduce the energy demands of AI, which can be accomplished in several ways. The first strategy will be to come up with algorithms that require less computational power. “Can those algorithms be made a lot more efficient?” Ramesh posed. “We need to be discovering pathways by which we can make these computations a million times more efficient, energy-wise.” Professor Anshumali Shrivastava spe-cializes in using randomized algorithms to make AI more efficient. His work focuses on reducing the energy wasted by neural networks performing unnecessary compu-tations, such as multiplying numbers close to zero that do not impact the result. By employing smarter algorithms, his research aims to enable AI systems to run on fewer resources, potentially replacing arrays of GPUs with a single CPU, which could signifi-cantly reduce the environmental impact of AI data centers.This vision is at the core of ThirdAI, a company Shrivastava founded that develops software to make deep learning models run more efficiently on standard hardware, rather than relying on expensive, pow-er-hungry machines. He also co-founded xMAD.ai, which uses his research advance-ments to speed up AI Agentic processes in industries that require high-performance computing while reducing energy consump-tion and, at the same time, are unhappy with AI Agents’ reliability. The second strategy will be to design hardware that is more energy-efficient. For this challenge, AI has the potential to solve its own problem, by facilitating the development of new materials that can power the hard-ware. “It’s a two-way street,” Jermaine said. “Materials scientists are going to build the materials that facilitate the next generation of AI, while AI acts as a foundational technology that accelerates the discovery of the next generation of materials.”As we enter this new era of AI, its capacity to drive transformative progress across diverse domains opens new avenues for addressing today’s major challenges. “It’s an incredibly exciting time to work in this field,” said Lydia Kavraki, the Kenneth and Audrey Kennedy Professor of Computing and director of the Ken Kennedy Institute. “Developments are happening at a remarkable pace, and it’s truly inspiring to see just how quickly break-throughs can emerge. Innovations we once believed out of reach are suddenly within ourgrasp.”“ IT’S LIKE YOU HAVE A HUMAN DRIVER THAT GETS INTO CAR CRASHES, BUT THEY’RE UNCOOPERATIVE, THEY DON’T TELL YOU WHY THEY DID WHAT THEY DID. WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT’S GOING ON INSIDE THE BLACK BOX.”42 43
SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGAnother challenge associated with AI is that although scientists know AI can be developed by training the algorithms to remember and leverage previously occurring patterns in massive datasets to assemble new content or predict future events, they do not have a good understanding of the underlying mechanisms by which AI systems arrive at a specific answer. “While AI systems are somewhat accurate, they are prone to making mistakes and as of now, how AI produces its output with the input we provide is a black box, a mystery to scientists. This means if and when an AI system produces an inaccurate answer, scientists are unable to figure out what error led to the mistake. It’s simply not possible to audit or correct the decisions it makes,” Baraniuk said. “It’s like when you have a human driver that gets into a car crash but is uncooperative or unable to describe what happened and why he took the actions he did. We need to put systems in place to prevent such crashes from happening in the future,” Baraniuk said. “To do this, we need to understand what’s going on inside the black box.” If we are to rely on AI to make crucial life-altering decisions, such as spotting a tumor in an X-ray or generating accurate information for consumers, then we ought to be able to identify and correct errors when they occur. “The major challenge will be devel-oping systems that are responsible and that humanity can build trust with,” Baraniuk said. To address this challenge, Baraniuk and his collaborators are working on understanding what is happening within that black box, so that they can better understand the strengths and limitations of AI. One tool Baraniuk’s team has developed is called SplineCAM, which acts like a CT scan for deep neural networks, enabling researchers to measure their inner workings. Already proving its value, SplineCAM identifies and quantifies changes taking place within a deep network when an emergent behavior occurs.BRINGING TRANSPARENCY TO AI DECISIONSREDUCING AI’S GROWING ENERGY FOOTPRINTAs interest in AI, along with its capabil-ities, continues to grow, several tech-nical and ethical challenges lie ahead. A particular challenge associated with AI is its current energy requirements. Currently, AI is very energy-intensive, with ChatGPT’s daily energy consumption equivalent to that of hundreds of thousands of American households. “Energy production is only growing at the rate of to percent per year, but if AI continues to grow exponentially, at some point, the energy demands of AI will exceed our capacity for energy production, and that is a problem,” said Ramamoorthy Ramesh, professor of materials science and nanoengineering at Rice. Moving forward, the challenge will be to reduce the energy demands of AI, which can be accomplished in several ways. The first strategy will be to come up with algorithms that require less computational power. “Can those algorithms be made a lot more efficient?” Ramesh posed. “We need to be discovering pathways by which we can make these computations a million times more efficient, energy-wise.” Professor Anshumali Shrivastava spe-cializes in using randomized algorithms to make AI more efficient. His work focuses on reducing the energy wasted by neural networks performing unnecessary compu-tations, such as multiplying numbers close to zero that do not impact the result. By employing smarter algorithms, his research aims to enable AI systems to run on fewer resources, potentially replacing arrays of GPUs with a single CPU, which could signifi-cantly reduce the environmental impact of AI data centers.This vision is at the core of ThirdAI, a company Shrivastava founded that develops software to make deep learning models run more efficiently on standard hardware, rather than relying on expensive, pow-er-hungry machines. He also co-founded xMAD.ai, which uses his research advance-ments to speed up AI Agentic processes in industries that require high-performance computing while reducing energy consump-tion and, at the same time, are unhappy with AI Agents’ reliability. The second strategy will be to design hardware that is more energy-efficient. For this challenge, AI has the potential to solve its own problem, by facilitating the development of new materials that can power the hard-ware. “It’s a two-way street,” Jermaine said. “Materials scientists are going to build the materials that facilitate the next generation of AI, while AI acts as a foundational technology that accelerates the discovery of the next generation of materials.”As we enter this new era of AI, its capacity to drive transformative progress across diverse domains opens new avenues for addressing today’s major challenges. “It’s an incredibly exciting time to work in this field,” said Lydia Kavraki, the Kenneth and Audrey Kennedy Professor of Computing and director of the Ken Kennedy Institute. “Developments are happening at a remarkable pace, and it’s truly inspiring to see just how quickly break-throughs can emerge. Innovations we once believed out of reach are suddenly within ourgrasp.”“ IT’S LIKE YOU HAVE A HUMAN DRIVER THAT GETS INTO CAR CRASHES, BUT THEY’RE UNCOOPERATIVE, THEY DON’T TELL YOU WHY THEY DID WHAT THEY DID. WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT’S GOING ON INSIDE THE BLACK BOX.”42 43
44 45 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGcritically important challenge in AI is the creation of systems and algorithms that are unbiased. “There are deep technical questions about the mathe-matical definition of fairness and bias in AI,” Jermaine said. “This represents a very deep set of computational questions that we have to be aware of. How do you develop AI tools that don’t lie, cheat, steal or exhibit prejudice?”Modern AI is created by training artificial neural networks on very large datasets. However, if these datasets are biased, then the resulting AI will also be biased. This presents a number of challenges in multiple areas of research, whether it is addressing the existing biases in healthcare, education or the energy sector. For example, if AI is trained on current health research, which has been shown to have biases relating to conditions associated with either women or minorities, then the result will be misdiagnoses or the perpetuation of already existing inequities. “AI is exposed to the totality of human- generated data, so it can create content or make predictions on prior patterns. It essen-tially mirrors humanity’s best attributes and perpetuates our worst flaws,” Jermaine said. “Humans not only use ‘cause and effect’ logic in our decision-making but also philosophy, values, and ethics to make holistic decisions that hopefully bring out the best in us and temper our worst instincts, which AI cannot do yet.” Moving forward, addressing biases in AI will require addressing the biases found in datasets, such as correcting for the under-representation of specific types of data, while also creating systems that can temper thesedeficits. Associate professor of computer science Vicente Ordóñez-Román aims to reduce bias in natural language processing and computer vision. His research group creates algorithms that detect and correct the amplification of biases present in training data, especially in image datasets that frequently depict stereo-typical situations. Ordonez hopes to develop more equitable systems for uses such as facial recognition, content recommendation, and medical diagnosis by exposing AI models to a wider range of data.ACORRECTING AI’S BLIND SPOTSBen Hu, an associate professor of computer science, is focused on enabling transparency and improving trustworthiness of AI without sacrificing performance. His research explores how reinforcement learning techniques can be used to dynamically adjust AI decision-making processes, allowing models to self-correct when biased patterns are detected. Hu’s work provides solutions for creating more ethical, safe, and adaptive machine learning models, especially in health care, finance, and publicpolicy.Baraniuk’s research group has also devel-oped MAGNET and Polarity Sampling, two tools designed to tackle bias in generative AI. MAGNET fine-tunes models to create a more balanced representation of the dataset, while Polarity Sampling adjusts outputs from pre-trained deep generative networks to increase fairness, ensuring AI-generated content better reflects diverse perspectives.“THIS REPRESENTS A VERY DEEP SET OF COMPUTATIONAL QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE TO BE AWARE OF. HOW DO YOU DEVELOP AI TOOLS THAT DON’T LIE, CHEAT, STEAL OR EXHIBIT PREJUDICE?” Solving global challenges using AI The Ken Kennedy Institute was founded in 1986with a dual mission: to advance computing research and to spark interdisciplinary collaborations that leverage computing as a transformative force. Today, the Institute champions foundational AI research and partners with experts across science, engineering, and medicine to co-create solutions finely tailored tothe pressing challenges of ourtime.One of the foremost objectives of the Ken Kennedy Institute is to push the boundaries of AI while addressing its core limitations—bias, interpretability, privacy and security, resource and energy consumption, generalizability and robustness, and, critically, alignment with human values. “In our work, we strive to create methodologies that don’t simply patch these vulnerabilities but account for them from the earliest design stages,” said Lydia Kavraki, the Kenneth and Audrey Kennedy Professor of Computing and director of the Ken Kennedy Institute. “That way, responsibility principles are baked into the technology from the outset rather than tacked on as an afterthought.”Toward this goal, the Institute supports teams focused on algorithmic and system frameworks for generative AI with reduced energy consumption; next-generation AI methodologies in optimization, graph problems, online learning, and deep neural networks for scaling computations; frameworks that integrate physical modeling with data-driven AI for robustness and efficiency; novel computer vision and robotics approaches for dynamic and interactive environments that require real-time adaptation; and AI-human collaboration.“We also thrive when we collaborate with domain experts on real-world applications,” said Kavraki. “It’s immensely rewarding to see AI accelerate breakthroughs in other disciplines, and at the same time, these applications reveal what we still can’t solve, pointing us toward the next major advancesin AI.”To foster interdisciplinary innovation, the Institute backs teams developing AI methods for understanding climate risks and enhancing infrastructure resilience. It also supports AI-driven computational biology research for cancer screening and early detection, early-warning systems for pathogen outbreak tracking, and improved vaccine and drugdesign.SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING44 45 Using AI to customize education In 1999, Rice Engineering and Computing faculty member Dr. Richard Baraniuk founded Connexions with the goal of making education accessible for all. Since then, Connexions has expanded into multiple platforms, including OpenStax, which publishes free, high-quality textbooks; OpenStax Assignable, which helps students with practice and assessment; OpenStax Research, which is focused on innovations in education, and OpenStax CNX, which is one of the first and largest open educationplatforms. Now, with improved AI capabilities, Baraniuk and collaborators are working to make education more accessible, offering a personalized approach to learning that can take a student’s interests and talents into account when crafting educational materials. “We are creating AI education tools that can offer students a curated, multimedia experience that is tailored for them,” Baraniuk said. “We’re moving from a textbook age into a personalized multimedia age.”
44 45 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGcritically important challenge in AI is the creation of systems and algorithms that are unbiased. “There are deep technical questions about the mathe-matical definition of fairness and bias in AI,” Jermaine said. “This represents a very deep set of computational questions that we have to be aware of. How do you develop AI tools that don’t lie, cheat, steal or exhibit prejudice?”Modern AI is created by training artificial neural networks on very large datasets. However, if these datasets are biased, then the resulting AI will also be biased. This presents a number of challenges in multiple areas of research, whether it is addressing the existing biases in healthcare, education or the energy sector. For example, if AI is trained on current health research, which has been shown to have biases relating to conditions associated with either women or minorities, then the result will be misdiagnoses or the perpetuation of already existing inequities. “AI is exposed to the totality of human- generated data, so it can create content or make predictions on prior patterns. It essen-tially mirrors humanity’s best attributes and perpetuates our worst flaws,” Jermaine said. “Humans not only use ‘cause and effect’ logic in our decision-making but also philosophy, values, and ethics to make holistic decisions that hopefully bring out the best in us and temper our worst instincts, which AI cannot do yet.” Moving forward, addressing biases in AI will require addressing the biases found in datasets, such as correcting for the under-representation of specific types of data, while also creating systems that can temper thesedeficits. Associate professor of computer science Vicente Ordóñez-Román aims to reduce bias in natural language processing and computer vision. His research group creates algorithms that detect and correct the amplification of biases present in training data, especially in image datasets that frequently depict stereo-typical situations. Ordonez hopes to develop more equitable systems for uses such as facial recognition, content recommendation, and medical diagnosis by exposing AI models to a wider range of data.ACORRECTING AI’S BLIND SPOTSBen Hu, an associate professor of computer science, is focused on enabling transparency and improving trustworthiness of AI without sacrificing performance. His research explores how reinforcement learning techniques can be used to dynamically adjust AI decision-making processes, allowing models to self-correct when biased patterns are detected. Hu’s work provides solutions for creating more ethical, safe, and adaptive machine learning models, especially in health care, finance, and publicpolicy.Baraniuk’s research group has also devel-oped MAGNET and Polarity Sampling, two tools designed to tackle bias in generative AI. MAGNET fine-tunes models to create a more balanced representation of the dataset, while Polarity Sampling adjusts outputs from pre-trained deep generative networks to increase fairness, ensuring AI-generated content better reflects diverse perspectives.“THIS REPRESENTS A VERY DEEP SET OF COMPUTATIONAL QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE TO BE AWARE OF. HOW DO YOU DEVELOP AI TOOLS THAT DON’T LIE, CHEAT, STEAL OR EXHIBIT PREJUDICE?” Solving global challenges using AI The Ken Kennedy Institute was founded in 1986with a dual mission: to advance computing research and to spark interdisciplinary collaborations that leverage computing as a transformative force. Today, the Institute champions foundational AI research and partners with experts across science, engineering, and medicine to co-create solutions finely tailored tothe pressing challenges of ourtime.One of the foremost objectives of the Ken Kennedy Institute is to push the boundaries of AI while addressing its core limitations—bias, interpretability, privacy and security, resource and energy consumption, generalizability and robustness, and, critically, alignment with human values. “In our work, we strive to create methodologies that don’t simply patch these vulnerabilities but account for them from the earliest design stages,” said Lydia Kavraki, the Kenneth and Audrey Kennedy Professor of Computing and director of the Ken Kennedy Institute. “That way, responsibility principles are baked into the technology from the outset rather than tacked on as an afterthought.”Toward this goal, the Institute supports teams focused on algorithmic and system frameworks for generative AI with reduced energy consumption; next-generation AI methodologies in optimization, graph problems, online learning, and deep neural networks for scaling computations; frameworks that integrate physical modeling with data-driven AI for robustness and efficiency; novel computer vision and robotics approaches for dynamic and interactive environments that require real-time adaptation; and AI-human collaboration.“We also thrive when we collaborate with domain experts on real-world applications,” said Kavraki. “It’s immensely rewarding to see AI accelerate breakthroughs in other disciplines, and at the same time, these applications reveal what we still can’t solve, pointing us toward the next major advancesin AI.”To foster interdisciplinary innovation, the Institute backs teams developing AI methods for understanding climate risks and enhancing infrastructure resilience. It also supports AI-driven computational biology research for cancer screening and early detection, early-warning systems for pathogen outbreak tracking, and improved vaccine and drugdesign.SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING44 45 Using AI to customize education In 1999, Rice Engineering and Computing faculty member Dr. Richard Baraniuk founded Connexions with the goal of making education accessible for all. Since then, Connexions has expanded into multiple platforms, including OpenStax, which publishes free, high-quality textbooks; OpenStax Assignable, which helps students with practice and assessment; OpenStax Research, which is focused on innovations in education, and OpenStax CNX, which is one of the first and largest open educationplatforms. Now, with improved AI capabilities, Baraniuk and collaborators are working to make education more accessible, offering a personalized approach to learning that can take a student’s interests and talents into account when crafting educational materials. “We are creating AI education tools that can offer students a curated, multimedia experience that is tailored for them,” Baraniuk said. “We’re moving from a textbook age into a personalized multimedia age.”
1986 The Ken Kennedy Institute is founded, driving breakthroughs in AI and computing.FIFTY YEARS AGO, Rice University leadership made formal something that had been decades in the making: a dedicated school of engineering with a mission to advance knowledge and tackle real-worldproblems.They weren’t starting from scratch. Since Rice opened its doors in , engineering had been part of its DNA. Students tinkered, tested, and took on big questions alongside Houston’s industries and institutions. But in , that spirit led to the founding of the George R. Brown School of Engineering. Itwasn’t just a school. It was a launchpad.The school’s formation began a new era—one that brought together faculty, students, and research in a more unified push toward innovation and impact. At its core was a guiding belief that engineering isn’t just about what we can build. It’s about how and why we build it. The school’s approach has long emphasized not only technical excellence, but also a responsibility to work ethically and consider the broader conse-quences ofinnovation.FIFTY YEARS OF ENGINEERING ATRICE 197719831989197519811987197919851991197819841990197619821988198019861992199319941995199820041996200220001999199720032001J. David Michael M. C. SidneyAlanHellums Carroll BurrusChapman1975 Engineering at Rice enters a new era—the George R. Brown School of Engineering is established.LeVan Griffis (1959), Franz R. Brotzen (1961), and William Gordon (1967) lead engineering prior to the formation of the George R. Brown School of Engineering in 1975.1995 Rice engineers build on prior research to advance wireless communications, laying the groundwork for faster, more secure networks.1980 Sidney Burrus and Don Johnson continue making pivotal advancements in digital signal processing research.1999 OpenStax (formerly Connexions) launches, transforming global access to educational resources.2004 Rice joins the Texas Medical Center, strengthening research and medical collaborations.46 47 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING
1986 The Ken Kennedy Institute is founded, driving breakthroughs in AI and computing.FIFTY YEARS AGO, Rice University leadership made formal something that had been decades in the making: a dedicated school of engineering with a mission to advance knowledge and tackle real-worldproblems.They weren’t starting from scratch. Since Rice opened its doors in , engineering had been part of its DNA. Students tinkered, tested, and took on big questions alongside Houston’s industries and institutions. But in , that spirit led to the founding of the George R. Brown School of Engineering. Itwasn’t just a school. It was a launchpad.The school’s formation began a new era—one that brought together faculty, students, and research in a more unified push toward innovation and impact. At its core was a guiding belief that engineering isn’t just about what we can build. It’s about how and why we build it. The school’s approach has long emphasized not only technical excellence, but also a responsibility to work ethically and consider the broader conse-quences ofinnovation.FIFTY YEARS OF ENGINEERING ATRICE 197719831989197519811987197919851991197819841990197619821988198019861992199319941995199820041996200220001999199720032001J. David Michael M. C. SidneyAlanHellums Carroll BurrusChapman1975 Engineering at Rice enters a new era—the George R. Brown School of Engineering is established.LeVan Griffis (1959), Franz R. Brotzen (1961), and William Gordon (1967) lead engineering prior to the formation of the George R. Brown School of Engineering in 1975.1995 Rice engineers build on prior research to advance wireless communications, laying the groundwork for faster, more secure networks.1980 Sidney Burrus and Don Johnson continue making pivotal advancements in digital signal processing research.1999 OpenStax (formerly Connexions) launches, transforming global access to educational resources.2004 Rice joins the Texas Medical Center, strengthening research and medical collaborations.46 47 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING
FUTURE COMPUTING HEALTH + WELL-BEING ENERGY + SUSTAINABILITY RESILIENT AND ADAPTIVE COMMUNITIES ADVANCED MATERIALS2009 The Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen (OEDK) opens, redefining hands-on engineering education.In the decades since, Rice engineers and computer scientists have redefined what’s possible. They’ve built the materials that power tomorrow’s technologies. They’ve engineered better cities, cleaner water, and smarter systems. They’ve created companies, shaped policy, and inspired change—locally and globally.All the while, computing was quietly gain-ing ground. What began as a few courses has grown into a driving force behind nearly every discipline. Today, our computing community leads the way in artificial intelligence, data science, and robotics. And that growth is reshaping the very identity of the school.In , we renamed ourselves the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing—a name that reflects not just where we’ve been, but where we’re going. Our school will continue to push boundaries, driving progress in fields that impact lives and industries around the world. This anniversary isn’t just a look back. It’s a celebration of our momentum. It’s about every student who worked through the night, every faculty member who sparked a discovery, every alum who turned an idea into impact. It’s about the people who built this legacy, and the ones who will build what’s next.As we celebrate our golden anniversary, we recommit to fearless thinking, to community, and to shaping a world that works better for more people.WHAT WE DID THEN IS CHANGING THE NOW2012201820102006201420202005201320192011200720152021200820162022202420092017202320252024 A new chapter begins—Rice Engineering becomes the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing.2015 Nano-technology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT) Center is headquartered at Rice to develop sustainable water treatment technologies.2018 Data to Knowledge Lab (D2K) launches as a hub for interdisci-plinary data science education and expe-riential learning.2023 Rice Engi-neering INitiatiVe for ENergy Transition and Sustainabili-ty (REINVENTS) launches to target critical areas of energy research.Edwin L.ThomasLuayNakhleh2017NEST360° wins a $15 million MacArthur Foundation grant, expanding neonatal healthcare innovations in Africa.ReginaldDesRochesSallieKellerOur engineers lead innovations in wearable devices, point-of-care diagnostic tools, and regenerative medicine, enabling improved patient monitoring, earlier disease detection, and new treatments for conditions like cancer and diabetes. These efforts paved the way for today’s era of AI, massive data processing, and computational advancements, including cloud computing, machine learning, and real-time analytics in industries from healthcare to finance.Rice pioneered research in high-performance computing and parallel processing.Rice engineers advanced research into porous nanomaterials to capture carbon dioxide. Rice engineers expanded the field of nanotechnology research, building on the Rice discovery ofbuckyballs.Nanomaterials are transforming medicine, energy, and electronics, enabling targeted drug delivery, more efficient batteries and solar cells, and smaller, faster devices.NOWTHENTHENTHENRice researchers collaborated with the Texas Medical Center to develop the first artificial heart.THENRice developed advanced membranes for water desalination.THENNOWNOWToday, we’re expanding access to clean, sustainable drinking water while advancing technologies that improve the safety and resiliency of coastal communities from extreme weather events.This work helped spark today’s direct air capture and other carbon reduction technologies, essential to global decarbonization efforts.NOWNOWSPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING48 49
FUTURE COMPUTING HEALTH + WELL-BEING ENERGY + SUSTAINABILITY RESILIENT AND ADAPTIVE COMMUNITIES ADVANCED MATERIALS2009 The Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen (OEDK) opens, redefining hands-on engineering education.In the decades since, Rice engineers and computer scientists have redefined what’s possible. They’ve built the materials that power tomorrow’s technologies. They’ve engineered better cities, cleaner water, and smarter systems. They’ve created companies, shaped policy, and inspired change—locally and globally.All the while, computing was quietly gain-ing ground. What began as a few courses has grown into a driving force behind nearly every discipline. Today, our computing community leads the way in artificial intelligence, data science, and robotics. And that growth is reshaping the very identity of the school.In , we renamed ourselves the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing—a name that reflects not just where we’ve been, but where we’re going. Our school will continue to push boundaries, driving progress in fields that impact lives and industries around the world. This anniversary isn’t just a look back. It’s a celebration of our momentum. It’s about every student who worked through the night, every faculty member who sparked a discovery, every alum who turned an idea into impact. It’s about the people who built this legacy, and the ones who will build what’s next.As we celebrate our golden anniversary, we recommit to fearless thinking, to community, and to shaping a world that works better for more people.WHAT WE DID THEN IS CHANGING THE NOW2012201820102006201420202005201320192011200720152021200820162022202420092017202320252024 A new chapter begins—Rice Engineering becomes the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing.2015 Nano-technology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT) Center is headquartered at Rice to develop sustainable water treatment technologies.2018 Data to Knowledge Lab (D2K) launches as a hub for interdisci-plinary data science education and expe-riential learning.2023 Rice Engi-neering INitiatiVe for ENergy Transition and Sustainabili-ty (REINVENTS) launches to target critical areas of energy research.Edwin L.ThomasLuayNakhleh2017NEST360° wins a $15 million MacArthur Foundation grant, expanding neonatal healthcare innovations in Africa.ReginaldDesRochesSallieKellerOur engineers lead innovations in wearable devices, point-of-care diagnostic tools, and regenerative medicine, enabling improved patient monitoring, earlier disease detection, and new treatments for conditions like cancer and diabetes. These efforts paved the way for today’s era of AI, massive data processing, and computational advancements, including cloud computing, machine learning, and real-time analytics in industries from healthcare to finance.Rice pioneered research in high-performance computing and parallel processing.Rice engineers advanced research into porous nanomaterials to capture carbon dioxide. Rice engineers expanded the field of nanotechnology research, building on the Rice discovery ofbuckyballs.Nanomaterials are transforming medicine, energy, and electronics, enabling targeted drug delivery, more efficient batteries and solar cells, and smaller, faster devices.NOWTHENTHENTHENRice researchers collaborated with the Texas Medical Center to develop the first artificial heart.THENRice developed advanced membranes for water desalination.THENNOWNOWToday, we’re expanding access to clean, sustainable drinking water while advancing technologies that improve the safety and resiliency of coastal communities from extreme weather events.This work helped spark today’s direct air capture and other carbon reduction technologies, essential to global decarbonization efforts.NOWNOWSPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING48 49
, the Rice Engineering Alumni (REA) is the oldest alumni affinity group at Rice and provides support to our current and future members by working closely with the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing. Our mission is to support, honor and connect Rice engineers before and after graduation. Membership in the REA is granted automatically upon graduation. All members are welcome at any REA event. The REA has been working hard to continue building the engineering alumni’s legacy at Rice and to make all of us proud of our alma mater. The simplest way to describe REA is that we are paying it forward. The education that we received from Rice Engineering and the previous generations of alumni have helped us reach our professional goals. By establishing a pattern of alumni supporting the school, we guarantee the continuous improvement of the student and alumniexperiences. RiceEngineering AlumniDDear REA Members,Serving as president of the Rice Engineering Alumni Association (REA) is an honor. I still cannot believe the school that was the setting of my most frequently occurring nightmare—you know, the one where you are back on campus and not prepared for an exam that is starting in an hour—placed its faith in my leadership abilities. With life experience in my back pocket, I’ve led one of the most celebrated alumni associations at one of the most esteemed universities in the world. I am both honored and humbled.Serving on the REA Board and the Association of Rice Alumni (ARA) Board has allowed me to connect with some of the brightest and most talented people I could ever hope to know. For my fellow alumni who struggle with imposter syndrome, I can assure you that you have much to offer, and your Rice peers share the struggles you faced while you were a student. Youare worthy.I have seen first-hand how my connection to our alumni community has profoundly improved my life. I know I can reach out to a number of folks who can immediately identify with many of the challenges I face and offer valuable insights on how we can tackle each opportunity, all with the same enthusiasm and sense of esprit de corps, zeal, and optimism that we had as students. That feeling of empowerment can beoverwhelming, but it is certainly appreciated.Over the past year, we have continued building on the success of the Summer Engineering Experience (SEE), offering financial resources to the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen, strengthening collaborations with the Rice Center for Engineering Leadership (RCEL), and providing grants and awards to both undergrad and graduate students. Looking ahead, we aim to enhance our outreach efforts by engaging our alumni community through nationwide events and celebrating their achievements acrossindustries.I would like to thank my immediate predecessors, Marylauren Ilagan and Jim Pyke, for their exceptional leadership and nurturing a culture that lives up to our mission of supporting, honoring, and connecting Rice engineers before and after graduation. Excelsior!TThe Rice Engineering Alumni (REA) launched its Summer Engineering Experience (SEE) to provide students with their first professional engineering experience. Many students, particu-larly those in their fresh-men or sophomore years, lack exposure to real-world engineering and may become discouraged. The program targets these students, as well as juniors without prior engineering experience, to ensure they can build their careers in the field.To identify promising candidates, the REA SEE Program collaborates with the Rice Emerging Scholars Program (RESP), which supports high-potential, under-resourced students. The program has seen continued growth and expansion since its launch in , with the placement of two interns in , and an anticipated interns being placed at nine companies in .Liam Waite, a senior pursuing a B.S. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering, shared, "The SEE experience was invalu-able in bridging the gap between classroom theory and real-world practice. It not only gave me hands-on engineering experience but also opened my eyes to the importance of networking and building relationships in the field." Reflecting on his internship with Affiliated Engineers Inc. in the summer of , Waite said, "Connections are key. The job market is complex, and it’s hard to keep up with the people already in it without help. I had an opportunity to meet with CEOs, project managers, doctors, and REA mentors.”Megan Enriquez, a mechanical engineering student, was paired with Prana Surgical, a medtech startup developing a minimally invasive tissue excision tool for early intervention in conditions like lung cancer. Her summer experience helped her gain valuable hands-on engineering skills that boosted her confidence and played a pivotal role in securing an internship at BostonScientific.“The SEE program connected me with Dr. Tracy Volz, director of the Activate Engineering Communication Program, who helped me with inter-view preparation, intro-duced me to a mentor over the summer, and supported half of my salary,” said Enriquez. “I’m extremely grateful for all the support REA has given me and look forward to giving back when I graduate.”Hands-on Learning: Summer Engineering Experience Prepares Students for the Future50 51 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGFrom the REA PresidentTheodore A. Adams III ’86Liam Waite onsite at Affiliated Engineers Inc. Megan Enriquez (bottom right) with the team at Prana Surgical.
, the Rice Engineering Alumni (REA) is the oldest alumni affinity group at Rice and provides support to our current and future members by working closely with the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing. Our mission is to support, honor and connect Rice engineers before and after graduation. Membership in the REA is granted automatically upon graduation. All members are welcome at any REA event. The REA has been working hard to continue building the engineering alumni’s legacy at Rice and to make all of us proud of our alma mater. The simplest way to describe REA is that we are paying it forward. The education that we received from Rice Engineering and the previous generations of alumni have helped us reach our professional goals. By establishing a pattern of alumni supporting the school, we guarantee the continuous improvement of the student and alumniexperiences. RiceEngineering AlumniDDear REA Members,Serving as president of the Rice Engineering Alumni Association (REA) is an honor. I still cannot believe the school that was the setting of my most frequently occurring nightmare—you know, the one where you are back on campus and not prepared for an exam that is starting in an hour—placed its faith in my leadership abilities. With life experience in my back pocket, I’ve led one of the most celebrated alumni associations at one of the most esteemed universities in the world. I am both honored and humbled.Serving on the REA Board and the Association of Rice Alumni (ARA) Board has allowed me to connect with some of the brightest and most talented people I could ever hope to know. For my fellow alumni who struggle with imposter syndrome, I can assure you that you have much to offer, and your Rice peers share the struggles you faced while you were a student. Youare worthy.I have seen first-hand how my connection to our alumni community has profoundly improved my life. I know I can reach out to a number of folks who can immediately identify with many of the challenges I face and offer valuable insights on how we can tackle each opportunity, all with the same enthusiasm and sense of esprit de corps, zeal, and optimism that we had as students. That feeling of empowerment can beoverwhelming, but it is certainly appreciated.Over the past year, we have continued building on the success of the Summer Engineering Experience (SEE), offering financial resources to the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen, strengthening collaborations with the Rice Center for Engineering Leadership (RCEL), and providing grants and awards to both undergrad and graduate students. Looking ahead, we aim to enhance our outreach efforts by engaging our alumni community through nationwide events and celebrating their achievements acrossindustries.I would like to thank my immediate predecessors, Marylauren Ilagan and Jim Pyke, for their exceptional leadership and nurturing a culture that lives up to our mission of supporting, honoring, and connecting Rice engineers before and after graduation. Excelsior!TThe Rice Engineering Alumni (REA) launched its Summer Engineering Experience (SEE) to provide students with their first professional engineering experience. Many students, particu-larly those in their fresh-men or sophomore years, lack exposure to real-world engineering and may become discouraged. The program targets these students, as well as juniors without prior engineering experience, to ensure they can build their careers in the field.To identify promising candidates, the REA SEE Program collaborates with the Rice Emerging Scholars Program (RESP), which supports high-potential, under-resourced students. The program has seen continued growth and expansion since its launch in , with the placement of two interns in , and an anticipated interns being placed at nine companies in .Liam Waite, a senior pursuing a B.S. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering, shared, "The SEE experience was invalu-able in bridging the gap between classroom theory and real-world practice. It not only gave me hands-on engineering experience but also opened my eyes to the importance of networking and building relationships in the field." Reflecting on his internship with Affiliated Engineers Inc. in the summer of , Waite said, "Connections are key. The job market is complex, and it’s hard to keep up with the people already in it without help. I had an opportunity to meet with CEOs, project managers, doctors, and REA mentors.”Megan Enriquez, a mechanical engineering student, was paired with Prana Surgical, a medtech startup developing a minimally invasive tissue excision tool for early intervention in conditions like lung cancer. Her summer experience helped her gain valuable hands-on engineering skills that boosted her confidence and played a pivotal role in securing an internship at BostonScientific.“The SEE program connected me with Dr. Tracy Volz, director of the Activate Engineering Communication Program, who helped me with inter-view preparation, intro-duced me to a mentor over the summer, and supported half of my salary,” said Enriquez. “I’m extremely grateful for all the support REA has given me and look forward to giving back when I graduate.”Hands-on Learning: Summer Engineering Experience Prepares Students for the Future50 51 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGFrom the REA PresidentTheodore A. Adams III ’86Liam Waite onsite at Affiliated Engineers Inc. Megan Enriquez (bottom right) with the team at Prana Surgical.
TThe Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen (OEDK) has been a transformative space for students at the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing since its launch in Spring . The OEDK is not your typical lab, but rather a dynamic cowork-ing space for engineering students. It serves as a collaborative, hands-on environ-ment—fondly referred to as the “kitchen”—where students develop original prototypes for clients who need innovative solutions to real-world problems. From hospitals and start-ups to major corporations and individual patients, engineering students create impactful, practical solutions across a variety of industries. Led by Maria Oden, OEDK director and professor of bioengineering, and Amy Dern, Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives and International Programs, the OEDK is more than just a workspace. It’s a hub where even the smallest idea or pitch can evolve into a product that enhances access, quality of life, and sustainability. Students’ creative brainstorming comes to life with the support of OEDK staff, technicians and the use of resources such as D printers, laser cutters, software, a wet lab, and a machine and woodshop. generation of engineers. The projects students work on range from creating accessible medical devices to developing proof-of-concept proto-types for clients with specific needs. “The tools in the REA Maker Bar are smaller and less intimidating than the larger ones, making it the ideal entry point for students to gain proficiency, build confidence, and begin working on their own projects,” said Dern. Students can maintain ownership of what they create and share their designs through an open-source platform, allowing others to benefit from their innovations. Projects like the Robocup—originally designed to help a cerebral palsy patient hydrate independently—and a Parkinson’s disease treatment glove are key examples of proof-of-concept ideas developed at the OEDK and made available to the public. Accessibility, Collaboration, and Innovation The OEDK’s commitment to accessibility creates an environment where students can thrive, resulting in a positive, high-energy space that enhances both learning and collaboration. One of the OEDK’s key features is its acces-sibility. The space provides all the supplies and materials students need to complete their projects, removing barriers that might otherwise hinder their success. Engineering students enter the program with varying levels of experience, or sometimes none at all. “As a graduate of the Rice School of Engineering and Computing, I can say the OEDK played a formative role in my own education. I learned in the OEDK how to be an engineer—not just an engineering student,” said Samuel Zorwek. “Seeing the OEDK through the lens of an alum and an REA board member years later, I am amazed by the scale of support it pro-vides to students as they build their wide-rang-ing engineering projects and prepare for their future careers. The OEDK truly is a force multiplier for engineering education, and that was a significant reason for REA’s investment. I am looking forward to seeing all the amazing ways that the OEDK will grow and continue to empower students.” The REA also continues to offer ongoing support for students working on projects, providing guidance and expertise when needed. This network extends beyond technical advice, with the relationships formed between students and alumni often leading to career opportunities and internships that shape the future of the studentsinvolved. The REA Maker Bar has provided four key components for students: lasting impact, increased energy, enhanced learning, and accelerated innovation. Students finish their projects with greater confidence than when they started and feel more included in the engineer-ing community. The OEDK is not only a vital educational space for students but also a testament to the power of alumni involvement and support. As the OEDK continues to grow and evolve, the impact of the REA’s support will resonate for years to come, within the engineering commu-nity and beyond. The Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen Cooks Up Real-World SolutionsThese projects developed in the kitchen not only have a significant effect on the commu-nities they serve but also offer invaluable hands-on experience for students. On average, the OEDK serves between and , students per year, supporting projects throughout the school year, with of those projects funded through the OEDK. In , with the help of students and OEDK staff, the Maker Bar space was designed as an accessible entry point for all engineering students to learn and practice basic skills while developing their concepts. The colorful and unique space transformed the energetic environment, elevating how students gather and collaborate on team projects. “It was important for us to create a space that feels open and welcoming, where students can experiment, build confidence, and develop their skills,” said Oden. “The Maker Bar provides that space—it’s where students can take risks and learn through trial and error.” The REA Maker Bar One of the most significant contributors to the OEDK’s success is the support from the Rice Engineering Alumni (REA). Since its first team project, the REA has supported the OEDK in numerous ways, including funding a student lounge and other spaces, sponsoring teams, and providing financial backing for var-ious projects. Their generosity also included a campaign to raise funds for new equipment, such as tools and resources necessary to meet the growing needs of the program. The REA’s most recent commitment culminated in a five-year philanthropic pledge of , per year, leading to the renaming of the makerspace to the REA Maker Bar. This newly renamed space has brought fresh energy to the OEDK, promoting collaboration across teams, fostering confidence among students, and motivating them to invest in outcomes that benefit the community. “As an alumni visiting the OEDK, I wit-nessed how much the makerspace continued to evolve,” said Ashton Duke, a past REA board member. “It brings back memories of those late nights I spent as a mechanical engineering student, waiting for my turn to use the tools and space. Being part of the REA gave me the chance to support funding that would meet the growing demands and unique needs of students using the space, which was incredibly fulfilling.” The REA has played a key role in sustain-ing and enhancing the OEDK’s vision while supporting its mission to empower the next SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING52 53AlumniA student works at the REA Maker Bar in the Oshman Engineering DesignKitchen.Gustavo Raskosky
TThe Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen (OEDK) has been a transformative space for students at the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing since its launch in Spring . The OEDK is not your typical lab, but rather a dynamic cowork-ing space for engineering students. It serves as a collaborative, hands-on environ-ment—fondly referred to as the “kitchen”—where students develop original prototypes for clients who need innovative solutions to real-world problems. From hospitals and start-ups to major corporations and individual patients, engineering students create impactful, practical solutions across a variety of industries. Led by Maria Oden, OEDK director and professor of bioengineering, and Amy Dern, Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives and International Programs, the OEDK is more than just a workspace. It’s a hub where even the smallest idea or pitch can evolve into a product that enhances access, quality of life, and sustainability. Students’ creative brainstorming comes to life with the support of OEDK staff, technicians and the use of resources such as D printers, laser cutters, software, a wet lab, and a machine and woodshop. generation of engineers. The projects students work on range from creating accessible medical devices to developing proof-of-concept proto-types for clients with specific needs. “The tools in the REA Maker Bar are smaller and less intimidating than the larger ones, making it the ideal entry point for students to gain proficiency, build confidence, and begin working on their own projects,” said Dern. Students can maintain ownership of what they create and share their designs through an open-source platform, allowing others to benefit from their innovations. Projects like the Robocup—originally designed to help a cerebral palsy patient hydrate independently—and a Parkinson’s disease treatment glove are key examples of proof-of-concept ideas developed at the OEDK and made available to the public. Accessibility, Collaboration, and Innovation The OEDK’s commitment to accessibility creates an environment where students can thrive, resulting in a positive, high-energy space that enhances both learning and collaboration. One of the OEDK’s key features is its acces-sibility. The space provides all the supplies and materials students need to complete their projects, removing barriers that might otherwise hinder their success. Engineering students enter the program with varying levels of experience, or sometimes none at all. “As a graduate of the Rice School of Engineering and Computing, I can say the OEDK played a formative role in my own education. I learned in the OEDK how to be an engineer—not just an engineering student,” said Samuel Zorwek. “Seeing the OEDK through the lens of an alum and an REA board member years later, I am amazed by the scale of support it pro-vides to students as they build their wide-rang-ing engineering projects and prepare for their future careers. The OEDK truly is a force multiplier for engineering education, and that was a significant reason for REA’s investment. I am looking forward to seeing all the amazing ways that the OEDK will grow and continue to empower students.” The REA also continues to offer ongoing support for students working on projects, providing guidance and expertise when needed. This network extends beyond technical advice, with the relationships formed between students and alumni often leading to career opportunities and internships that shape the future of the studentsinvolved. The REA Maker Bar has provided four key components for students: lasting impact, increased energy, enhanced learning, and accelerated innovation. Students finish their projects with greater confidence than when they started and feel more included in the engineer-ing community. The OEDK is not only a vital educational space for students but also a testament to the power of alumni involvement and support. As the OEDK continues to grow and evolve, the impact of the REA’s support will resonate for years to come, within the engineering commu-nity and beyond. The Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen Cooks Up Real-World SolutionsThese projects developed in the kitchen not only have a significant effect on the commu-nities they serve but also offer invaluable hands-on experience for students. On average, the OEDK serves between and , students per year, supporting projects throughout the school year, with of those projects funded through the OEDK. In , with the help of students and OEDK staff, the Maker Bar space was designed as an accessible entry point for all engineering students to learn and practice basic skills while developing their concepts. The colorful and unique space transformed the energetic environment, elevating how students gather and collaborate on team projects. “It was important for us to create a space that feels open and welcoming, where students can experiment, build confidence, and develop their skills,” said Oden. “The Maker Bar provides that space—it’s where students can take risks and learn through trial and error.” The REA Maker Bar One of the most significant contributors to the OEDK’s success is the support from the Rice Engineering Alumni (REA). Since its first team project, the REA has supported the OEDK in numerous ways, including funding a student lounge and other spaces, sponsoring teams, and providing financial backing for var-ious projects. Their generosity also included a campaign to raise funds for new equipment, such as tools and resources necessary to meet the growing needs of the program. The REA’s most recent commitment culminated in a five-year philanthropic pledge of , per year, leading to the renaming of the makerspace to the REA Maker Bar. This newly renamed space has brought fresh energy to the OEDK, promoting collaboration across teams, fostering confidence among students, and motivating them to invest in outcomes that benefit the community. “As an alumni visiting the OEDK, I wit-nessed how much the makerspace continued to evolve,” said Ashton Duke, a past REA board member. “It brings back memories of those late nights I spent as a mechanical engineering student, waiting for my turn to use the tools and space. Being part of the REA gave me the chance to support funding that would meet the growing demands and unique needs of students using the space, which was incredibly fulfilling.” The REA has played a key role in sustain-ing and enhancing the OEDK’s vision while supporting its mission to empower the next SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING52 53AlumniA student works at the REA Maker Bar in the Oshman Engineering DesignKitchen.Gustavo Raskosky
Rice Engineering Alumni AwardsAt the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing Alumni Celebration in November, the school honored alumni for their professionalachievements.Your active participation in the REA provides invaluable support and resources for engineering students. There are numerous ways to make an impact:• Mentor students• Provide an internship opportunity• Judge a design competition• Give a tech talk or speak on panels• Review grant applicationsREINVENTS External Advisory Committee and has shared her expertise in the classroom as an adjunct professor. Sheearned her M.A. in and Ph.D. in , both in Computational and Applied Mathematics.DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDAL John Jaggers has been in the venture capital industry since and with Sevin Rosen Funds since . Throughout his career, he has focused on empowering early-stage technology companies. He has served on and chaired the Rice Engineering Advisory (REA) Board and the Engineering Advisory Board, and helped start Rice’s Digital Learning Initiative as a member of the Board of Trustees. He currently serves on the advisory board for the Office of Innovation at Rice and the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Vision Committee. Jaggers earned his B.A. and master’s in electrical engineering from Rice and generously supports the school, including a gift to name The Jaggers Family Collaboration Area in the Ralph S. O’Connor Building for Engineering and Science.OUTSTANDING ENGINEERING ALUMNI AWARDJim Pyke is a longtime champion for engineering education at Rice, having served as a board member and president for the REA, where he was one of the founders of the Rice Summer Engineering Experience. He received his B.A. and B.S. in mechanical engineering and is the founder and principal of the consul-tancy group TCB Advisors, where he advises business clients’ opportunities in the energy transition.Pretta VanDible Stallworth is the District IX Trustee for the Houston Community College Board. Throughout her career that spans corporate training, curriculum design, and business consulting, she has remained committed to increasing access to education for students in underserved communities. VanDible Stallworth earned her B.S. and master’s in chemical engineering and serves on the REA Board. OUTSTANDING YOUNG ENGINEERING ALUMNI AWARD Suman Khatiwada is the co-founder and chief technical officer of Syzygy Plasmonics, one of the most prominent climate tech startup companies in the world. He has helped the company raise four rounds of venture capital funding, win three gov-ernment grants, and build a team of more than employees. Suman earned his Ph.D. in materials sci-ence and nanoengineering and has served as a startup mentor at the Rice Alliance Clean Tech Accelerator. Mohit Kumar Jolly is a leading scholar in cancer dynamics research with an impressive publication record of more than publications and , citations. He is an associate professor of bioengineering at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and serves as the editor-in-chief of npj Systems Biology and Applications. Kumar Jolly received his Ph.D. inbioengineering.DEAN’S APPRECIATION AWARDJames Truchard co-founded National Instruments in and co-invented LabVIEW, a graphical programming language that has benefitted industries ranging from space and energy to medicine. He has championed Rice engineering programs such as the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen (OEDK), OpenStax, and ECE research initiatives. Truchard has also generously funded endowed faculty positions in the ECE and computer sciencedepartments. optimization, and data science team within the company’s opportunity evaluation and analysis organization, she drives mathematical modeling that supports strategic decision-making and business development. Beyond her professional achievements, McZeal is deeply committed to enhancing engineering education at Rice. She serves on the Engineering Advisory Board and the DISTINGUISHED ENGINEERING ALUMNI AWARDCassandra McZeal, who recently marked years at ExxonMobil, has made a significant impact on the energy sector. As the leader of the modeling, 5455 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGAlumniGet InvolvedBecome a Board MemberThe REA is governed by a Board of Directors that consists of more than volunteers from across the country, from as far as Boston and San Francisco. Our Directors represent a wide range of class years, from the Class of all the way to several members from the past decade. We are career engineers, attorneys, retirees, graduate students, college professors and consultants. We represent established corporations, startups and nonprofits. If you have questions regarding the application or board member requirements, please contact Felix Campos, President Elect of the REA, at felix.campos@alumni.rice.edu.$225,833.00$200,130.002023–20242024–2025Grants, Awards, Travel 2024–2025 ,. 2023–2024 ,. OEDK2024–2025 ,. 2023–2024 ,. REA by the NumbersSummer Engineering Experience2024–2025 ,. 2023–2024 ,. Alumni Events2024–2025 ,. 2023–2024 ,. Other2024–2025 ,. 2023–2024 ,. ++++4+ROther 4%– BudgetGrants, Awards, Travel 58%Summer Engineering Experience 15%Alumni Events 13%OEDK10%SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING
Rice Engineering Alumni AwardsAt the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing Alumni Celebration in November, the school honored alumni for their professionalachievements.Your active participation in the REA provides invaluable support and resources for engineering students. There are numerous ways to make an impact:• Mentor students• Provide an internship opportunity• Judge a design competition• Give a tech talk or speak on panels• Review grant applicationsREINVENTS External Advisory Committee and has shared her expertise in the classroom as an adjunct professor. Sheearned her M.A. in and Ph.D. in , both in Computational and Applied Mathematics.DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDAL John Jaggers has been in the venture capital industry since and with Sevin Rosen Funds since . Throughout his career, he has focused on empowering early-stage technology companies. He has served on and chaired the Rice Engineering Advisory (REA) Board and the Engineering Advisory Board, and helped start Rice’s Digital Learning Initiative as a member of the Board of Trustees. He currently serves on the advisory board for the Office of Innovation at Rice and the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Vision Committee. Jaggers earned his B.A. and master’s in electrical engineering from Rice and generously supports the school, including a gift to name The Jaggers Family Collaboration Area in the Ralph S. O’Connor Building for Engineering and Science.OUTSTANDING ENGINEERING ALUMNI AWARDJim Pyke is a longtime champion for engineering education at Rice, having served as a board member and president for the REA, where he was one of the founders of the Rice Summer Engineering Experience. He received his B.A. and B.S. in mechanical engineering and is the founder and principal of the consul-tancy group TCB Advisors, where he advises business clients’ opportunities in the energy transition.Pretta VanDible Stallworth is the District IX Trustee for the Houston Community College Board. Throughout her career that spans corporate training, curriculum design, and business consulting, she has remained committed to increasing access to education for students in underserved communities. VanDible Stallworth earned her B.S. and master’s in chemical engineering and serves on the REA Board. OUTSTANDING YOUNG ENGINEERING ALUMNI AWARD Suman Khatiwada is the co-founder and chief technical officer of Syzygy Plasmonics, one of the most prominent climate tech startup companies in the world. He has helped the company raise four rounds of venture capital funding, win three gov-ernment grants, and build a team of more than employees. Suman earned his Ph.D. in materials sci-ence and nanoengineering and has served as a startup mentor at the Rice Alliance Clean Tech Accelerator. Mohit Kumar Jolly is a leading scholar in cancer dynamics research with an impressive publication record of more than publications and , citations. He is an associate professor of bioengineering at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and serves as the editor-in-chief of npj Systems Biology and Applications. Kumar Jolly received his Ph.D. inbioengineering.DEAN’S APPRECIATION AWARDJames Truchard co-founded National Instruments in and co-invented LabVIEW, a graphical programming language that has benefitted industries ranging from space and energy to medicine. He has championed Rice engineering programs such as the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen (OEDK), OpenStax, and ECE research initiatives. Truchard has also generously funded endowed faculty positions in the ECE and computer sciencedepartments. optimization, and data science team within the company’s opportunity evaluation and analysis organization, she drives mathematical modeling that supports strategic decision-making and business development. Beyond her professional achievements, McZeal is deeply committed to enhancing engineering education at Rice. She serves on the Engineering Advisory Board and the DISTINGUISHED ENGINEERING ALUMNI AWARDCassandra McZeal, who recently marked years at ExxonMobil, has made a significant impact on the energy sector. As the leader of the modeling, 5455 SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGAlumniGet InvolvedBecome a Board MemberThe REA is governed by a Board of Directors that consists of more than volunteers from across the country, from as far as Boston and San Francisco. Our Directors represent a wide range of class years, from the Class of all the way to several members from the past decade. We are career engineers, attorneys, retirees, graduate students, college professors and consultants. We represent established corporations, startups and nonprofits. If you have questions regarding the application or board member requirements, please contact Felix Campos, President Elect of the REA, at felix.campos@alumni.rice.edu.$225,833.00$200,130.002023–20242024–2025Grants, Awards, Travel 2024–2025 ,. 2023–2024 ,. OEDK2024–2025 ,. 2023–2024 ,. REA by the NumbersSummer Engineering Experience2024–2025 ,. 2023–2024 ,. Alumni Events2024–2025 ,. 2023–2024 ,. Other2024–2025 ,. 2023–2024 ,. ++++4+ROther 4%– BudgetGrants, Awards, Travel 58%Summer Engineering Experience 15%Alumni Events 13%OEDK10%SPRING 2025 RICE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING
QUESTION?If you could collaborate with any fictional character on an engineering project, who would it be, and what would you create together?Send responses to the editor: Rice Engineering and Computing Magazine Rice University MS 364, PO Box 1892, Houston, TX 77251 or email engrnews@rice.eduLane MartinRobert A. Welch Professor of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, Chemistry, and Physics and AstronomyDirector, Rice Advanced Materials Institute“I’d like to work with Dr. Emmett Lathrop Brown (aka Doc Brown) from the Back to the Future series. Time machines, flying cars, flux capacitors, brain-wave analyzers, the “Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor”...what’s not to love! He seems like he’d be a fun person to work with—zany and open to new ideas. I’d like to work on some next-generation energy sources with him. How do you pack massive amounts of energy into small volumes? How do you convert waste into usable high quality energy? What even is a flux capacitor, by the way? Being able to convert energy from one form to another—with high efficiency and at high energy densities—would be a huge advance that could change the world in many ways.”Patience ChimbozaEngineering Management and Leadership ’26 “I would collaborate with Shuri from Marvel’s Black Panther. As Wakanda’s tech genius and prin-cess, her innovative mind and passion for futuristic technology would make her the perfect engi-neering partner. Together, we’d create a sustainable energy grid using Vibranium-powered tech, aimed at providing clean energy to remote or underserved com-munities. Her blend of scientific brilliance and cultural awareness would ensure our design is both efficient and inclusive. Plus, who wouldn’t want to build with Wakandan tech?”Lovin GeorgeMechanical Engineering ’25 “I’d choose Spider-Man as he finds ways to build solutions with limited resources. We could work on something futuristic such as a cold fusion reactor that harnesses low energy nuclear reactions for clean, limitless power. With his experience in creating web shoot-ers, we could branch out and also work on wearable technology that improves daily life.”Clayton WaskiCivil Engineering ’27“I would have to choose Angus MacGyver from MacGyver. I grew up watching both the classic show and the reboot, and his ability to create and improvise such amazing inventions out of nothing but household items was inspirational to me. Along with MythBusters, MacGyver is one of the shows that helped me fall in love with engineering. I have no idea what we would build, but I would love to take him into the OEDK and see what wonders we could create together.”Monique HarteminkChemical and Biomolecular Engineering ’18“I would love to team up with Phineas and Ferb! Who wouldn’t want to spend days of summer vacation building over-the-top engineering wonders? Whether it’s a rollercoaster through the neighborhood or a time machine in the backyard, Phineas and Ferb’s ability to dream big is exactly the kind of energy I would want on a team.”Ashton DukeMechanical Engineering ’19“I would work with the Doctor from Doctor Who! The Doctor is a ‘Time Lord’ that travels through time and space saving worlds and civilizations using only wit, a sonic screwdriver, and brain power. In one episode, the Doctor encounters an inventor that develops a device that cancels out carbon emissions from cars. The inventor turned out to be a villain who tried to poison the Earth’s at-mosphere. I would love to change the narrative and work with the Doctor to develop a device that makes every car carbon-free without poisoning everyone!”Alan Salceda MongeMaster of Engineering Management & Leadership ’26“I would collaborate with Harry Potter to create an AI-integrated wand for wizards. This wand would give wizards access to a database of spells without needing to memorize them all. It would also sense the wizard’s mood and context to suggest the most appropriate spell. My only concern would be the access to deadly spells; we would probably ban them in the database.”Next Question: What is one engineering challenge you wish could be solved in your lifetime and why? Section Title56 57The Way BackLooking forwardForty years later, Rice continues to be a pillar of future computing. Students have access to technology that puts them at the forefront of innovations in artificial intelligence, robotics, and hardware and software systems. Now, students can develop intelligent robotic agents to solve problems in clinical healthcare, manufacturing and more. Looking backIn through its university consortium, Apple Computer Inc. unveiled the microcomputer called “The Macintosh” at Rice University. Suddenly, students had access to a new world of computing capabilities.Unlike other computers used at Rice at the time, which were connected to the mainframe computer and required a punch card to program, the Macintosh was freestanding and featured a mouse with a cursor. It also had software packages that allowed variations in type size, symbols, and graphics as well as a built-in sound generator—all novel features at the time.
QUESTION?If you could collaborate with any fictional character on an engineering project, who would it be, and what would you create together?Send responses to the editor: Rice Engineering and Computing Magazine Rice University MS 364, PO Box 1892, Houston, TX 77251 or email engrnews@rice.eduLane MartinRobert A. Welch Professor of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, Chemistry, and Physics and AstronomyDirector, Rice Advanced Materials Institute“I’d like to work with Dr. Emmett Lathrop Brown (aka Doc Brown) from the Back to the Future series. Time machines, flying cars, flux capacitors, brain-wave analyzers, the “Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor”...what’s not to love! He seems like he’d be a fun person to work with—zany and open to new ideas. I’d like to work on some next-generation energy sources with him. How do you pack massive amounts of energy into small volumes? How do you convert waste into usable high quality energy? What even is a flux capacitor, by the way? Being able to convert energy from one form to another—with high efficiency and at high energy densities—would be a huge advance that could change the world in many ways.”Patience ChimbozaEngineering Management and Leadership ’26 “I would collaborate with Shuri from Marvel’s Black Panther. As Wakanda’s tech genius and prin-cess, her innovative mind and passion for futuristic technology would make her the perfect engi-neering partner. Together, we’d create a sustainable energy grid using Vibranium-powered tech, aimed at providing clean energy to remote or underserved com-munities. Her blend of scientific brilliance and cultural awareness would ensure our design is both efficient and inclusive. Plus, who wouldn’t want to build with Wakandan tech?”Lovin GeorgeMechanical Engineering ’25 “I’d choose Spider-Man as he finds ways to build solutions with limited resources. We could work on something futuristic such as a cold fusion reactor that harnesses low energy nuclear reactions for clean, limitless power. With his experience in creating web shoot-ers, we could branch out and also work on wearable technology that improves daily life.”Clayton WaskiCivil Engineering ’27“I would have to choose Angus MacGyver from MacGyver. I grew up watching both the classic show and the reboot, and his ability to create and improvise such amazing inventions out of nothing but household items was inspirational to me. Along with MythBusters, MacGyver is one of the shows that helped me fall in love with engineering. I have no idea what we would build, but I would love to take him into the OEDK and see what wonders we could create together.”Monique HarteminkChemical and Biomolecular Engineering ’18“I would love to team up with Phineas and Ferb! Who wouldn’t want to spend days of summer vacation building over-the-top engineering wonders? Whether it’s a rollercoaster through the neighborhood or a time machine in the backyard, Phineas and Ferb’s ability to dream big is exactly the kind of energy I would want on a team.”Ashton DukeMechanical Engineering ’19“I would work with the Doctor from Doctor Who! The Doctor is a ‘Time Lord’ that travels through time and space saving worlds and civilizations using only wit, a sonic screwdriver, and brain power. In one episode, the Doctor encounters an inventor that develops a device that cancels out carbon emissions from cars. The inventor turned out to be a villain who tried to poison the Earth’s at-mosphere. I would love to change the narrative and work with the Doctor to develop a device that makes every car carbon-free without poisoning everyone!”Alan Salceda MongeMaster of Engineering Management & Leadership ’26“I would collaborate with Harry Potter to create an AI-integrated wand for wizards. This wand would give wizards access to a database of spells without needing to memorize them all. It would also sense the wizard’s mood and context to suggest the most appropriate spell. My only concern would be the access to deadly spells; we would probably ban them in the database.”Next Question: What is one engineering challenge you wish could be solved in your lifetime and why? Section Title56 57The Way BackLooking forwardForty years later, Rice continues to be a pillar of future computing. Students have access to technology that puts them at the forefront of innovations in artificial intelligence, robotics, and hardware and software systems. Now, students can develop intelligent robotic agents to solve problems in clinical healthcare, manufacturing and more. Looking backIn through its university consortium, Apple Computer Inc. unveiled the microcomputer called “The Macintosh” at Rice University. Suddenly, students had access to a new world of computing capabilities.Unlike other computers used at Rice at the time, which were connected to the mainframe computer and required a punch card to program, the Macintosh was freestanding and featured a mouse with a cursor. It also had software packages that allowed variations in type size, symbols, and graphics as well as a built-in sound generator—all novel features at the time.
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