Wiess School of Natural Sciences
The Wiess School of Natural Sciences comprises six departments:
Interdisciplinary institutes and centers associated with the Wiess School include the Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Rice Quantum Institute, W.M. Keck Center for Interdisciplinary Bioscience Training, Gulf Coast Consortia, and Rice Space Institute. Research partnerships encompass local institutions including Baylor College of Medicine, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, NASA, The University of Texas Health Science Center, The University of Texas Medical Branch and University of Houston, plus foundations, museums, industries and other universities and corporations worldwide.
Reflecting the quality of our enterprise, two Wiess School professors, Robert Curl and Richard Smalley (deceased, fall 2005), received the Nobel Prize in 1996 for their pioneering research in the field of nanotechnology. Their work heralded the new discipline of nanoscience and technology that brings together many disciplines across science and engineering. Recent faculty honors include Packard Fellowships, Beckman Foundation Fellowships, a Shepard Medalist in Sedimentary Geology and Small Times Magazine's Innovator of the Year award, among many others.
The School of Natural Sciences is housed in multiple buildings that provide research laboratories with state-of-the-art equipment, from an 800 MHz NMR to custom-built specialized systems, as well as teaching laboratories, classrooms and administrative space.