McLendon Appointed Rice University Provost
By Linda Thrane
George McLendon, a leading biochemist and former dean of the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences at Duke University in North Carolina, has been named provost of Rice University. The Texas native took over his new post July 1.

Shumway Named Dean of Humanities
By B.J. Almond
Nicolas Shumway, former chair of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Texas at Austin, has been appointed dean of humanities at Rice University, effective July 1.

School Lunches Fight Childhood Obesity
By Franz Brotzen
As the nation debates the rise of childhood obesity, a new study by Rachel Tolbert Kimbro '01, assistant professor of sociology and a Rice Schollar at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, finds that subsidized meals at school or day care have beneficial effects on children's weight.

Major Hurricane Could Devastate Houston

By Jade Boyd

An analysis from experts at the Rice University-based Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Distasters Center sounds a cautionary note for residents of the upper Gulf Coast: Even a moderately powerful hurricane could endager tens of thousands in the Houston/Galveston region and cripple the Houston Ship Channel.

Grass, Fungus Combination Affects Ecology

By Jade Boyd
The popular forage and turf grass called tall fescue covers a vast amount of the U.S. -- an area that's esimated to be larger than Virginia and maryland combined. But a new study by ecologists at Rice and Indiana Universities suggests there is more to fescue than meets the eye.

Forget the Checkout Line

By Mike Williams

Long lines at store checkouts could be history if a new technology created in part at Rice University comes to pass.

Triple Owl Flies High
By Mike Williams

When Shannon Walker '87 blasted off June 16 for a six-month stint aboard the International Space Station, she knew that keeping in touch with her husband and fellow astronaut, Andy Thomas, would be a lot easier than when he spent 130 days aboard Mir in 1998.