Putin Looks for Stronger U.S.– Russia Ties
At the height of the Cold War, few Americans imagined that Russia would have a democratically elected president. Or that he would tell a United States audience that Russia seeks membership in the World Trade Organization, wishes to forge stronger relationships with United States businesses, and welcomes increased foreign investment.

Fondren’s Ranking Makes Big Jump
It’s no secret that information is the name of the game, and while that’s probably always been the case, it’s never been more true than now.

Music Dean Tapped to Lead NEA
President Bush has taken one of our deans. While that may not be good news for Rice, it certainly is wonderful news for the country. On September 19, the president announced his intention to nominate Michael Hammond, dean of Rice’s Shepherd School of Music, to chair the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and Hammond’s nomination was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 20.

The Ethics of Biotechnology
Before the last half of the 20th century, few people paid attention to the ethics of technological advancement. Technology was thought to be good, and the only real consideration was its effectiveness. And by and large, technology has proved to be of great benefit.

Nano Meets H₂O
Water. It’s the most abundant solvent on the planet and the medium of life. And it may provide scientists the means to move nanotechnology beyond molecular-scale electronics and science-fiction nanobots and to develop new medical therapies and solve persistent problems in environmental engineering.

Bio-Cartographers Unite!
We like to brag about how sophisticated our computer systems have become, but we have a long way to go to match the amount of information nature has managed to pack into even simple living organisms.

Bioresearch Focus of New Training Program
A new graduate student training program at Rice aims to give researchers the skills necessary to work in an integrative environment and produce innovative and cost-effective biotechnological products in the 21st century.

Rice: The Next Century Campaign

Rice Gallery: One saw; the other saw.
The fluidity of art, design, and music realized in Rice Gallery’s recent installation, One saw; the other saw., exemplifies the gallery’s interest in commissioning original works that challenge conventional conceptions of the boundaries of visual art. On display from September 21 to October 28, the site-specific piece was created by Los Angeles-based artist Jennifer Steinkamp and electronic music composer Jimmy Johnson.

Sloan Professional Master’s Programs New for 2002
People in today’s workforce often need disciplinary and practical scientific training that goes beyond a bachelor’s degree. And modern industry also demands enhanced management and communication skills of its employees. One increasingly effective solution is the professional master’s degree, which provides a greater level of career-specific education than a bachelor’s degree and imparts valuable expertise in other areas that employers emphasize.

Thresher Honored
The Rice Thresher won first place in the Four-Year Newspaper (weekly or less frequent) category at the 2001 Associated Collegiate Press journalism conference, held in Washington, D.C., in August.

The Eyes Have It
When a new window or webpage pops up on your computer screen, what do you look at first? Michael Byrne, assistant professor of psychology at Rice, might be able to tell you. He has developed a model of human thinking and performance that can predict how well people locate and select various options on a computer screen.

Language Learning Receives Boost
It is often said that immersion is the only real way to learn another language. In 1999, Rice’s Language Resource Center (LRC) took that philosophy to heart, developing ExTemplate, Internet-based language-learning software that incorporates audio, video, and Web links as well as text to immerse students as fully as possible in the language they are studying.

Rice Named a “Best Buy”
Rice University has been named a “best buy” in the 2002 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges for offering “remarkable educational opportunities at a relatively modest cost.”