Tag Archives: Rice University

The Chron covers The MOB

Posted on November 27, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Obviously, I am going to make note of this. A spectacle on the Rice Stadium football field: A college student wearing a suit and fedora hands a giant check for $0 to a man in a rubber horse helmet. Scoffs, … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Music | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Chron covers The MOB

The MOB versus Mike Miles

Posted on September 19, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Presented for all the obvious reasons. Rice University’s marching band mocked state-appointed Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles during their halftime show at Saturday’s football game against Texas Southern University. The small band, known as The Mob, performed a brief “Austin … Continue reading →

Posted in General snarkiness, Other sports, School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Pat Walsh Memorial Bikeway

Posted on September 10, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I love this. Friends remember Pat Walsh as someone who saw the big picture of what Houston could be, and the little details necessary to get a massive city bureaucracy headed in the right direction. Now they want the former … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Pat Walsh Memorial Bikeway

The PAC-ACC Conference?

Posted on August 10, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This stuff is getting weird, y’all. The four remaining Pac-12 schools still aboard for next season — California, Stanford, Oregon State and Washington State — have options if they are looking for another conference. The Atlantic Coast Conference is exploring … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The PAC-ACC Conference?

Our wastewater COVID tracking is a big deal

Posted on July 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Nice to be recognized as a leading innovator. The practice of using plumbing to track and prevent disease isn’t new. A series of cholera outbreaks in the mid and late 1800s prompted many cities, including London, Boston, and Chicago to install sewer systems in … Continue reading →

Posted in Society and cultcha | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The 2023 Kinder Houston Area Survey

Posted on May 20, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

One of the great things about Houston. Housing costs and the economy topped Houstonians’ concerns this year in the 42nd annual Kinder Houston Area Survey, which also showed a coalescing desire to close the income gap as residents reported widening … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The 2023 Kinder Houston Area Survey

Rice to join AAC in 2023

Posted on June 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

As expected given prior developments. Nearly eight months after accepting an invitation to join the American Athletic Conference, Rice on Wednesday announced it has finalized an agreement to officially enter the league in 2023. Rice — along with UTSA, North … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Rice to join AAC in 2023

2022 Kinder Houston Area Survey

Posted on May 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of optimism in here. Dr. Stephen Klineberg’s final survey of the Houston area leaves him with hope. Yes, residents are concerned about the economy and crime, and their mental health has not improved even as the COVID-19 pandemic has … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on 2022 Kinder Houston Area Survey

A broader look at the Houston project to track COVID in wastewater

Posted on December 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The DMN tells me things I did not know about my current favorite public works project. The [Houston] health department is conducting the wastewater surveillance for COVID-19 in partnership with researchers at Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine. Wastewater … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Yes, omicron was found in the wastewater

Posted on December 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

In case you missed it. Houston has detected the omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 in eight of its wastewater treatment facilities, confirming the new strain is spreading in the city. A Harris County resident was the first … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Yes, omicron was found in the wastewater

Our wastewater treatment plant is ready for omicron

Posted on December 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

One small bit of reassurance in these uncertain times. The Houston Health Department is testing the city’s wastewater for the new COVID variant, omicron, which experts say could soon be found in the U.S. The department tests the city’s wastewater weekly for COVID strains. … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Back to college, COVID-style

Posted on August 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not the return anyone was hoping for. Texas A&M University’s new president M. Katherine Banks said this spring that she anticipated a “fall [semester] of joy” when the university reopens after 15 months of lockdowns and remote learning. She wasn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Back to college, COVID-style

Yes, the wastewater is also pointing to a COVID surge

Posted on August 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were wondering. There is more COVID-19 in the city’s wastewater system now than at any time in the pandemic, city officials said Wednesday, the latest warning that the virus is spreading at an unprecedented rate. Dr. David … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The COVID wastewater tracking project has been a big success

Posted on May 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This has been one of the best things to come out of this interminable and miserable COVID experience. Lauren Stadler’s environmental engineering students always pose the same question at the beginning of a semester: “What happens to water in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The COVID wastewater tracking project has been a big success

Should Harris County lower its threat level?

Posted on April 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe? According to Harris County’s COVID-19 guidance, residents should avoid all unnecessary contact with others. They should not go to bars or barbecues or ballgames. They should work from home if possible and leave only for errands, such as groceries … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Finally, a bit of good COVID news

Posted on January 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Naturally, it comes from the wastewater. Researchers who study sewage to monitor the pandemic are detecting less virus in Houston than they have in months, a positive signal that could indicate a forthcoming drop in new COVID-19 cases, doctors said. … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Finally, a bit of good COVID news

More people in Houston than you think have had COVID

Posted on December 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

About one in seven, which is an awful lot. Nearly 1 in 7 Houstonians have been infected with the coronavirus, city officials announced Monday, the infection’s true prevalence according to a study of antibodies in blood samples taken from people … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on More people in Houston than you think have had COVID

We really can track COVID-19 through wastewater

Posted on October 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is terrific news. Researchers with the city, Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine were able to sniff out a potential second outbreak of COVID-19 at a homeless shelter in downtown Houston earlier this year by looking down its … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on We really can track COVID-19 through wastewater

Optimism abounds in the AAC

Posted on August 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck with that. In the face of a pandemic, the American Athletic Conference will attempt to conduct business as usual this football season. A plan announced Wednesday will allow AAC schools, including the University of Houston, to play a … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

How risky is music?

Posted on August 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m very interested in the answer to this. In any other time, under any other circumstance, the question would seem minor and technical. But today it has taken on both a global significance and pressing deadline: What happens to your … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on How risky is music?

More like Ike than Harvey

Posted on July 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure this is a choice I want to have to make, but here we are. Hurricanes are expected to blow through Texas more quickly during the last 25 years of this century. A study led by Rice University researcher … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on More like Ike than Harvey

The reopening metric we should be heeding

Posted on June 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From Twitter: This graph is amazing. It shows that measuring #SARSCoV2 levels in municipal sewage almost perfectly predicts forthcoming #COVID19 cases with a full week’s notice (R=0.994). It’s one of several discoveries in this new study from @Yale: https://medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.05.19.20105999v1.full.pdf. C-19 … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

The 2020 Kinder Houston Area Survey

Posted on May 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We were a pretty optimistic bunch earlier this year, in the Before Times. Houstonians are expressing a deeper sense of mutual trust, compassion, and solidarity than ever before, with many also calling for policies that will reduce inequalities and improve … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The 2020 Kinder Houston Area Survey

Still not enough tests

Posted on May 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We know, we know. Don’t ask what we’re gonna do about it. The vast majority of even those Houston-area residents experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19 are not getting tested, according to initial results of a Rice University survey, the latest … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

From the “Shit happens” department

Posted on May 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I apologize, I couldn’t help myself. City health officials and Rice University scientists have begun testing Houston wastewater samples for COVID-19, a process they hope will reveal the true spread of the new coronavirus as clinical testing continues to lag. … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The politics of social distancing

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Not really a surprise. People in parts of the country that voted for President Donald Trump have worried less about COVID-19, especially as the new coronavirus was first emerging in the U.S., a new study out of Rice University found. … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The MOB’s message to Baylor

Posted on September 23, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been a member of the Rice MOB since 1988, when I arrived in Houston as a grad student in math. I’m especially proud to have been part of the MOB this weekend. Rice University’s Marching Owl Band delivered a … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports, Society and cultcha | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

The cumulative effect

Posted on September 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We really need to give a lot more thought, and action, to this. As the flood-weary city of Houston recovers from yet another historic storm in the coming days, rubber-gloved mucking brigades and tow truck armies will swoop in to … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The Ike Dike debate continues

Posted on August 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

There’s more than one way to mitigate against flooding, and it may be best to adopt more than one of them. For about a decade, two of Texas’ top universities have pushed dueling plans to protect the Houston-Galveston region from … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Ike Dike debate continues

Emmett to teach at Rice

Posted on December 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Fitting. Outgoing Harris County judge Ed Emmett said Tuesday he will teach at Rice University, his alma mater, starting in January. Emmett made the impromptu announcement after a Rice University undergraduate spoke during the public comment portion of Commissioners Court, … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

How many police forces do we need?

Posted on September 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s an age-old question. Harris County could save millions of dollars a year by consolidating overlapping law enforcement agencies, from sharing technological resources to reallocating duties from constables to the sheriff’s department, according to a report by the Kinder Institute … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Harvey effect on fire ants

Posted on April 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Possibly another reason to curse that storm. Rice University ecologists are checking to see if Hurricane Harvey’s unprecedented floods gave a competitive boost to fire ants and crazy ants, two of southeast Texas’ least favorite uninvited guests. Extreme weather events … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Harvey effect on fire ants

No Astrodome laser light show for the Super Bowl

Posted on November 18, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Alas. Organizers have nixed a proposal to use high-tech lasers to project dazzling images of Houston’s culture and history onto and through the roof of the Astrodome during Super Bowl LI. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said the NFL turned … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on No Astrodome laser light show for the Super Bowl

Kinder Institute analyzes Mayor Turner’s pension reform plan

Posted on September 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Rice University’s Kinder Institute has done the preliminary math on Mayor Sylvester Turner’s historic pension reform plan and determined the numbers appear to add up if all of the components are implemented as envisioned. The institute is … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments