The spring 2025 issue of Rice Engineering Magazine is here!
At Rice Engineering, we are driven by a passion for innovation and a commitment to responsible engineering practices. It’s with great excitement that we unveil the new design of Rice Engineering magazine, which underscores our dedication to excellence in research, education, and service. The 2024-25 issue is full of news about how Rice Engineering is solving for greater good.
Looking Back/Looking Forward
Looking Back: The first Macintosh at Rice
In 1984, 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.
Looking Forward: programming robots from the computer lab
Forty 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.