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The 2026 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.
Looking Back / Looking Forward
Looking Back
Houston Becomes Space City
Rice began collaborating with NASA in 1959, just months after the agency’s founding. At the urging of board chairman George R. Brown, Humble Oil donated more than 1,000 acres to Rice, which offered the land for a national space facility. In 1961, NASA selected Houston as the site of its Manned Spacecraft Center—now Johnson Space Center—just miles from campus. The decision anchored human spaceflight in Houston and positioned Rice engineers at the forefront of the space race.
Looking Forward
Rice Engineers Power the Next Era of Spaceflight
From research labs to rocket launches, Rice engineers are contributing to space exploration at every stage. For NASA’s Artemis II mission, where parachutes are critical to a safe landing, mechanical engineer Tayfun Tezduyar and his team led computational fluid-structure interaction (FSI) modeling to complement NASA’s drop tests—reducing costs and accelerating the design of the Orion spacecraft’s parachute system. A new Center for Space Technologies, supported by the Texas Space Commission, will explore how lunar soil can be used to create hand tools and vehicle parts, while student team Rice Eclipse earned top honors at the 2025 International Rocket Engineering Competition. Together, these efforts reflect the range of ways Rice engineers are contributing to the future of human spaceflight.