BENGALURU, India and HOUSTON, Nov. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Rice University, a global leader in research and innovation, is expanding its international presence with the launch of Rice Global India. This strategic initiative underscores the university’s commitment to fostering global collaboration and advancing its contributions to India’s rapidly growing education and technology sectors.

Today the university hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its new hub in Bengaluru, India’s third-largest city and the center of the country’s high-tech industry. This milestone lays the foundation for planned formal operations in the region and strengthens the university’s growing network across India, including its collaborations with top-tier research and academic institutions.

“India is a country of tremendous opportunity, one where we see the potential to make a meaningful impact through collaboration in research, innovation and education,” Rice President Reginald DesRoches said. “Our presence in India is a critical step in expanding our global reach, and we are excited to engage more with India’s academic leaders and industries to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. This expansion reflects our commitment to fostering a more interconnected world where education and research transcend borders.”

As part of this strategic expansion, Rice is deepening its collaborations with prestigious institutions such as the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru. These partnerships will foster advanced research initiatives, student and faculty exchanges and collaborations in key areas of mutual interest such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology and sustainable energy, university leaders said.

Why India?

India’s growing influence in areas such as energy, climate change, artificial intelligence and biotechnology aligns with Rice’s own research priorities outlined in the university’s recently unveiled strategic plan, Momentous: Personalized Scale for Global Impact. The strategic expansion highlights Rice’s intention to contribute to India’s innovation ecosystem by engaging in joint research initiatives, faculty collaborations and student exchanges with leading institutions.

“India’s position as one of the world’s fastest-growing education and technology markets makes it a crucial partner for Rice’s global vision,” said Caroline Levander, vice president for global at Rice. “The U.S.-India relationship, underscored by initiatives like the U.S.-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology, provides fertile ground for educational, technological and research exchanges.”

Founded in 1912, Rice is located in the heart of Houston, a coastal city considered the most diverse metropolis in the United States. Known as the energy capital of the world, Houston  is also home to the Texas Medical Center, the world’s leading health care complex, and boasts a pioneering legacy in space exploration and industry.

Rice is consistently rated as one of the premier universities in the country. Forbes ranked the university No. 9 nationwide in its list of best colleges for the 2024-25 school year, while Niche ranked Rice the eighth best college in the United States. U.S. News & World Report ranked Rice No. 6 for best value.

Click here to watch a video of the launch event in India. 

Learn more about Rice Global here.

About Rice University
Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of architecture, business, continuing studies, engineering and computing, humanities, music, natural sciences and social sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. Internationally, the university maintains the Rice Global Paris Center, a hub for innovative collaboration, research and inspired teaching located in the heart of Paris. With 4,776 undergraduates and 4,104 graduate students, Rice’s undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 7 for best-run colleges by the Princeton Review.

About Rice Global India
Rice Global India is the university’s incubator for developing research and innovation partnerships as well as advanced educational exchange with diverse industries and academic communities throughout India. Located in Bengaluru, Rice Global India builds upon partnerships begun in 2020 with IIT Kanpur and the founding of a joint Energy Materials Institute and further developed in 2023 with two strategic partnership agreements, one with IISc and one with IIT Kanpur. Rice Global India’s mission is to accelerate and develop research, innovation and entrepreneurial programs with a dynamic range of Indian partners.

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SOURCE Rice University

Effortlessly Light Up Your Home with Festive Holiday Spotlights from Gemmy

DALLAS, Nov. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Create magical holiday lighting instantly with LightShow® Projection™. From dramatic coverage to dynamic focal points, Gemmy has the perfect spotlight to make your season bright. Discover your favorite Christmas spotlight at Walmart and decorate with ease!

Bright Stuff™ SNOWFLURRY® with 30-ft Display
Blanket your home in a beautiful falling snow effect. Bright Stuff™ features an extra bright display of stunning SNOWFLURRY® technology. Programmed with dozens of effects in red, green, blue, and white, the handy remote control lets decorators easily select among 122 color and effect combinations.

SnowFall™ and Sparkling Spotlights
A mesmerizing blizzard awaits with SnowFall™! Our SnowFall™ White Spotlight and SnowFall™ Blue Spotlight project up to 30-ft wide and cover your home in a wintry, falling snowflake scene. Exquisite on their own or paired with other spotlights.

Add an elegant touch to your setup with Sparkling Christmas Spotlights, available in a White Spotlight and a Blue Spotlight. These gorgeous projections display up to 13-ft wide and illuminate with sparkling lights.

LightSync™ Projection™ with 55-ft Display
LightSync™ includes three LED spotlights with two technologies and an amazing musical light show. Programmed with lights that dance to the beat of six instrumental holiday songs, LightSync™ includes six interchangeable slides so decorators can choose the perfect holiday sentiment for their home. Available in LightSync™ White or LightSync™ Multicolor.

Whimsical Whirl-A-Motion™ Plus with 15-ft Display
Playful and fun, Whirl-A-Motion™ Plus spotlights display a festive static image beneath bright, swirling holiday icons. This eye-catching technology is available in two styles: the Whirl-A-Motion™ Plus Christmas Wreath with green, red, and two-tone white icons and the Whirl-A-Motion™ Plus Constellation Christmas Tree with blue and white whirling snowflakes.

Shop online or in-store at Walmart for dazzling holiday spotlights.

About Gemmy Industries
Gemmy Industries is a leader in the seasonal décor market, bringing festive fun and holiday cheer to homes everywhere. Dedicated to innovation and creative design, Gemmy has elevated industry standards and established recognizable brands like Airblown® Inflatable and LightShow® Lighting. For more information on products and retailers, visit www.gemmy.com. Connect with us on Instagram and Facebook.

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SOURCE Gemmy Industries

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — NASA will provide live launch and docking coverage of a Roscosmos cargo spacecraft delivering nearly three tons of food, fuel, and supplies to the Expedition 72 crew aboard the International Space Station.

The unpiloted Progress 90 spacecraft is scheduled to launch at 7:22 a.m. EST (5:22 p.m. Baikonur time) Thursday, Nov. 21, on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Live launch coverage will begin at 7 a.m. on NASA+ and the agency’s website. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.

After a two-day in-orbit journey to the station, the spacecraft will dock autonomously to the space-facing port of the orbiting laboratory’s Poisk module at 9:35 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 23. NASA’s coverage of rendezvous and docking will begin at 8:45 a.m. on NASA+ and the agency’s website.

The Progress 88 spacecraft will undock from the Poisk module on Tuesday, Nov. 19. NASA will not stream undocking.

The spacecraft will remain docked at the station for approximately six months before departing for a re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere to dispose of trash loaded by the crew.

The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology, and human innovation that enables research not possible on Earth. For more than 24 years, NASA has supported a continuous U.S. human presence aboard the orbiting laboratory, through which astronauts have learned to live and work in space for extended periods of time. The space station is a springboard for developing a low Earth economy and NASA’s next great leaps in exploration, including missions to the Moon under Artemis and, ultimately, human exploration of Mars.

Get breaking news, images and features from the space station on Instagram, Facebook, and X.

Learn more about the International Space Station, its research, and its crew, at:

https://www.nasa.gov/station

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SOURCE NASA