The 2025 issue of Rice Engineering and Computing Magazine is here!
In our 50th anniversary issue, we celebrate the deep and growing connection between engineering and computing. From our early breakthroughs in high-performance computing to today’s advances in AI and data science, Rice has long been at the forefront of computing innovation. This edition highlights some of the people, ideas, and investments shaping what’s next.
The Countdown: Five Stories That Excite Us
5Quantum 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 and communication. eng.rice.edu/miraclematerial |
4New 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 filters, just biology. It's a microbial breakthrough from Earth's last frontier with the power to fight pollution at its source. eng.rice.edu/purifiedwater |
3Bee-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 precision. 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. eng.rice.edu/flyingrobot |
2Abandoned 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 sonic boom. eng.rice.edu/soundlab |
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1Light 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. eng.rice.edu/tinypacemaker |
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