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.
Featured
From the Dean
Last year, we closed the chapter on Vision to 2025—and what a chapter it was. Over seven years, we grew our faculty by a third, expanded student enrollment at every level, launched more than ten academic programs, and opened the Ralph S. O’Connor Building for Engineering and Science. It was a plan built to accelerate growth, and it delivered.
Solving for Grand Challenges
Whether it’s a clinic in sub-Saharan Africa or an emergency room in rural Texas, engineers at Rice University are working on the same problem: how to deliver quality care and provide access to people the healthcare system struggles to reach.
In the Hedges
Rice launches AI and digital health degrees
As artificial intelligence reshapes industries and digital technologies transform how medicine is practiced, Rice University is expanding its academic offerings
Brain cancer researcher earns Sontag Foundation distinction
Christina Tringides, an assistant professor of materials science and nanoengineering, has been named a Distinguished Scientist by the Sontag Foundation.
Latest News Headlines
Read the latest news about how researchers created a tiny owl made of diamond, how researchers remove 'forever chemicals' from water and the role a Rice alumna played in NASA's Artemis II lunar mission.
State of the School
The school enrollment has increased by 11% for undergraduates and 21% for graduate students since 2021-2025.
Rice Engineering Remembers Esteemed Faculty
The engineering community remembers faculty whose contributions shaped the university’s academic landscape.
Rice in the World
Most organizations adopt new technologies by asking how to do the same things faster. Rice Engineering and Computing alumni are asking a different question: what should exist that doesn’t yet?
Five Stories That Excite Us
Engineering innovation is happening all around us. Check out these five stories – from Houston and beyond.
New Faculty
Thirty-two new hires spanning all nine departments further establish the school’s prominence in its key research areas.
Ideas + Research
AI meets Biology: Engineering the Future of Genetic Design
By integrating machine learning with synthetic biology, Rice researchers make genetic engineering faster, more reliable and more scalable.
Global by Design: The iSEED Experience
For Rice engineering students, innovation doesn’t just happen in the lab — it happens in communities around the world.
Throughline
How the School of Engineering and Computing prepares students with the technical, experiential and leadership skills needed to succeed in today’s workforce.
People + Perspectives
In Their Own Words
Hear from Maryam Aliakbarpour, assistant professor of computer science, about navigating the data era.
Hidden in the Data
Rice graduate Nick McMillan '19 blends statistics, programming and storytelling to reveal patterns of harm and hold institutions accountable.
Five Questions for Alina Kampouri
Alina explores how metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are advancing energy and environmental technologies through interdisciplinary materials research.
Alumni
Letter from the REA President
Get an update from Felix Campos '08, REA President, on the group’s accomplishments this past year.
Summer Engineering Experience Prepares Students for the Future
The Summer Engineering Experience gives early-stage students professional engineering opportunities.
REA Supports Students Cooking Up Real-World Solutions in the OEDK
The OEDK has served as a collaborative, hands-on space where Rice engineering students design real-world solutions for clients across industries.
REA by the Numbers
Rice Engineering and Computing alumni stay actively engaged by building connections, mentoring students and helping shape the next generation of engineers.
The Way Back
Question?
Alums, faculty, and students share their perspectives on engineering innovation.
Looking Back/Looking Forward
Rice began collaborating with NASA in 1959, just months after the agency’s founding. Humble Oil donated more than 1,000 acres to Rice, which offered the land for a national space facility.