Adapting to unexpected disruptions has shown the resilience of our community. Working and learning remotely provided families an opportunity to spend more time together, to reflect, and to discover things about themselves.
Teaching remotely also reminded me once again why I chose to become a professor in the first place. I truly missed interacting with the students in person. Furthermore, while teaching online I finally discovered something that undergrads in my classes have been saying for years: I do look mad sometimes when I’m presenting. Perhaps I’ll use time in between semesters to work on looking less mad. I suspect you all have discovered something new about yourselves and I definitely hope you have been able to stay close to your families and loved ones.
Today, growth and change at Rice Engineering feel like they’re part of the landscape — in some cases, literally. On campus it’s almost impossible not to feel the effect of the construction of the new **266,000-square-foot** Engineering and Science Building. Temporary fences, road closures, and noise are part of the engineering quad many of us know so well. But like much of the growth happening at Rice, it’s a short-term sacrifice that will yield tremendous long-term benefits.
The facility serves as a hub for our engineers to develop technologies to address needs in sustainable water, energy systems, telecommunications, the environment, and more. It includes state-of-the-art lab space, classrooms, collaborative gathering spaces, and flexible offices to encourage collaboration. You can learn more at futureofresearch.rice.edu (opens in a new tab).
While the new building marks a milestone, our researchers continue to make breakthroughs in a wide array of fields. We are excited to share ongoing updates on the Rice Neuroengineering Initiative, which expanded its wireless brain-machine interface research with $8 million in federal funding. You’ll also read about the work of our faculty and research teams in quantum computing, big data, sports analytics, bioengineering, and materials research.
But we can’t accomplish any of this without the help of our Rice Engineering community — especially our great alumni, so thank you for taking the time to catch up on what’s happening in Rice Engineering!
Luay Nakhleh
William and Stephanie Sick Dean of Engineering