Save the Date!

50th Anniversary Celebration

March 28 - 29, 2025

8:00 - 9:00 AM

Registration | Welcome Breakfast

9:00 - 10:00 AM

Opening Ceremony and Remarks

• Reginald DesRoches, Rice University President
• Amy Dittmar, Rice University Provost
• Luay Nakhleh, Dean of Engineering and Computing

10:00 - 10:30 AM

Break

10:30 - 11:30 AM

Computing in Our World
Moderator: Lydia Kavraki, Professor of Computer Science, Director of The Ken Kennedy Institute, Rice University

• Chris Hyams, CEO, Indeed.com
• Partha Ranganathan, Vice President, Engineering Fellow, Google
• Talithia Williams, Professor of Mathematics, Harvey Mudd College

11:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Break

12:00 - 1:30 PM

Engineering Innovations in Energy and Sustainability Panel | Lunch
Moderator: Aditya Mohite, REINVENTS Director, Rice University

• Vivas Kumar, CEO and Co-Founder, Mitra Chem
• Tomeka McLeod, Vice President, US, bp
• Chris Powers, Vice President, Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS), Chevron New Energies
• Bobby Tudor, CEO, Artemis Energy Partners; Greater Houston Partnership Board of Directors

1:30 - 2:15 PM

Break

2:15 - 3:15 PM

Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship Panel
Moderator: Paul Cherukuri, Vice President for Innovation, Rice University

• Mohit Aron, Founder and CEO, Stealth Startup
• Suman Khatiwada, Co-Founder and CTO, Syzygy
• Joanna Nathan, CEO, Prana Thoracic

3:15 - 4:00 PM

Break

4:00 - 5:00 PM

Owl-to-Owl Networking for Engineering Alumni and Students

6:30 - 9:00 PM

Engineering Quad Party with food, live music and games for all ages

8:00 - 9:00 AM

Departmental Meetups | Continental Breakfast

9:00 - 10:00 AM

Keynote: Engineering and the Diversity Imperative
Introduction by Reginald DesRoches, President, Rice University

Gary S. May, Chancellor, University of California, Davis

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Explore Your Way: The community is welcome to discover engineering at Rice through lab tours, center visits, and hands-on experiences.

12:00 - 1:30 PM

The Future of Engineering and Computing: Solving for Greater Good | Lunch
Moderator: Lisa Biswal, Senior Associate Dean, School of Engineering and Computing, Rice University

• Rich Baraniuk, C. Sidney Burrus Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Professor of Statistics and of Computer Science, Rice University
• Qilin Li, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Co-Director, NEWT Center, Rice University
• Rebecca Richards-Kortum, Malcolm Gillis University Professor, Professor of Bioengineering, Co-Director of Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies, Rice University