Rice Parents
 
Parents and Families Newsletter
 
 
Issue No. 28 - Spring 2020
 
 
 
A message from Dean Gorman
 

I wrote to our students in March that this semester has been memorable in ways we could not have predicted in the beginning of the school year. As you know, Rice made the unprecedented shift to total online learning, moving from three online undergraduate classes to 1,906 classes just in the spring semester. All summer credit hours are also available online. Along with dramatically reducing the number of people on campus, we have done what we can to prepare for future challenges. 


Read More

 
     
 

News Around Campus

 
     
 
Rice’s 107th commencement ceremonies go virtual for first time in history
 

Themes of resilience, compassion and, yes, unconventional wisdom underscored the virtual commencement ceremonies broadcast May 16 in honor of Rice University’s Class of 2020.

 
 
Community Impact: Rice Responds to COVID-19
 

The global Rice community is putting its talent, creativity and compassion to work like never before in response to COVID-19. Visit this website to stay updated on how students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents and friends are making an impact and staying strong in the midst of the pandemic.

 
 
COVID-19 research funds back six new initiatives
 

Researchers at Rice, some with the help of off-campus colleagues, plan to develop a device that rapidly identifies high-risk COVID-19 patients; a mobile phone-based test to detect the virus; a project to show how images, narratives and histories shape pandemic response; a study of how COVID-19 response policies impact air quality; a survey of Harris County residents to identify barriers to staying at home; and a study of the environmental impact of COVID-19 in Texas.

 
 
Rice steps up to meet community needs amidst critical shortage of COVID-19 protective gear
 

With creative collaborations around campus, Rice faculty and staff are manufacturing life-saving equipment for healthcare providers on the front lines, gathering and donating personal protective equipment and finding new ways to come together in this crisis.

 
 
Manufacturer signs on to mass-produce Rice ventilator
 

Rice University and Houston-based manufacturer Stewart & Stevenson LLC have signed a licensing agreement to produce an advanced version of Rice’s ApolloBVM ventilator. ApolloBVM was designed and prototyped by engineers and students at Rice’s Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen based upon an original concept by a team of senior engineering students in 2019.

 
 
Pulitzer Prize awarded to Rice history professor
 

Caleb McDaniel, associate professor and incoming chair of the Department of History, won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for History for “Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America.” The book recounts the previously little-known story of Henrietta Wood, who survived enslavement twice and, 30 years after she was first free, won the largest known financial settlement awarded by a U.S. court in restitution for slavery.

 
     
 

Student Life

 
     
 
Showing support for the Class of 2020
 

The Class of 2020 showed perseverance through a challenging end to their time on campus. To share support, alumni contributed to a Kudoboard with messages of congratulations and appreciation for our graduating class.

 
 
Association of Rice Alumni to celebrate Class of 2020 with virtual block party
 

The Class of 2020 will have an opportunity to attend a virtual block party on May 27 to celebrate their achievements and join the Rice alumni family.

 
 
Campus heroes step up to the challenges of COVID-19
 

The global health crisis has presented many unexpected challenges to teaching and learning at Rice, bringing new perspective to the physical, mental, academic and social needs of students. With the generous support of Rice donors, the university’s faculty and staff have been vigilant as ever in their response to COVID-19.

 
 
With help from Rice community, students in need stay connected
 

When Avery Bullock and other Rice students shifted to online learning, Rice alumnus Brian Patterson '84 and others stepped up and donated the funds to provide internet access and computers to those in need.

 
 
Rice student mentors switch gears, go online
 

Rice University’s BIOC 129 class was always a model of “paying it forward,” but extraordinary circumstances have prompted it to go the extra mile in a quest to help underserved K-12 students learn the basics of neuroscience.

 
 
More than two dozen Rice students win NSF Graduate Research Fellowships, funding
 

25 recipients of this year’s National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships are Rice students, incoming students or alumni. Only 2,000 students of the more than 12,000 applicants across the country received this honor.

 
     
 

Parent Involvement

 
     
 
Explore Rice’s expanded online summer course offerings with significant discounts
 

Plans are in place for summer school at Rice University in response to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Rice will offer for-credit summer classes at a significant discount not only to registered undergraduate students but also to the general public.

 
 
An update on Families Weekend 2020
 

Each fall, the Association of Rice Alumni welcomes parents, families and friends to join their Owls for Rice Families Weekend and get a taste of Rice’s unique campus experience. Although Families Weekend is tentatively scheduled for October, the university is assessing whether events like Families Weekend will take place on campus or virtually. We love seeing our incredible Rice families, and we’re working towards a solution that is best for everyone. We will update students and their families with more information as we are able. Thank you for your understanding!

 
 
Participate in the 24-Hour Challenge, rescheduled for June 4
 

While the Rice community is facing many changes and challenges, we never lose sight of our mission — to be a force for good in the world. On June 4, the worldwide community of Owls will come together for a day of hope and impact. The goal? To have 4,700 alumni, parents, faculty and staff make a gift — of any amount — to their favorite cause at Rice.

 
 
Gather digitally on the Parent to Parent Network Facebook group
 

As we continue to practice social distancing, online platforms like Facebook groups can provide a shared space for conversation, support and community.

 
     
 

Links

 
     
 
 
   

This email was sent to  by the Association of Rice Alumni
Office of Alumni Relations - MS 520 | Houston, TX 77251-1892 | 713-348-4057
parents.rice.edu
Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe | Web View