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.
Rice Eclipse Takes Home Top Prize at 2024 Spaceport America Cup
Rice 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’s surface.
