Rice University, located in the city of  Houston, Texas, is observing it’s 100th anniversary in October of this year, and many of the Texan members of the US House of Representives have made congratulatory remarks on the floor of the House or have inserted them in the Congressional Record Extension of Remarks.In their remarks, Rep. John Culbertson (R-7th) and Rep. K. Michael Conway (R-17th) paid particular attention to Rice’s role in the nanotech world. Their remarks are below.

RICE UNIVERSITY’S 100TH ANNIVERSARY — (House of Representatives – July 11, 2012) [Page: H4790]

   (Mr. CULBERSON asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

   Mr. CULBERSON. Madam Speaker, I have the singular privilege of representing Rice University, and I join my colleagues from Houston in recognizing and congratulating them on their 100th anniversary this year.

   Rice has consistently been ranked as one of the Nation’s greatest universities and recognized by U.S. News & World Report as among the Nation’s top 20 universities. And they’ve consistently ranked in the top 50 universities in the world.

   Rice University researchers are pioneers in a broad spectrum of fields, including space, energy, and my personal passion, nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is an absolute game-changer, revolutionizing everything that we will touch and see in the 21st century. Rice University is the birthplace of nanotechnology research.

   Nanotechnology holds incredible potential for everything from curing cancer to improving the storage and transmission of electricity and moving electricity in ways that we cannot even imagine today, allowing us to miniaturize devices. Multistage nanoparticles will allow the delivery of cancer-curing drugs to individual structures within cells, allowing scientists to identify diseases at the cellular level, things that could not have been possible without the groundbreaking work at Rice University.

   I congratulate them on their 100th anniversary today.

RICE UNIVERSITY 100TH BIRTHDAY — HON. K. MICHAEL CONAWAY (Extensions of Remarks – July 11, 2012) [Page: E1235]

 

HON. K. MICHAEL CONAWAY

OF TEXASIN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESWednesday, July 11, 2012

  • Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Rice University on its 100th birthday. For over a century it has stood as one of the premier educational institutions in the world.

 

  • Over the past 100 years, Rice University’s name has come to be synonymous with excellence. The institution consistently ranks among the top 20 national universities in the U.S. News & World Report and holds many other marks of excellence.

 

  • For example, in 2010 Rice University was ranked No. 1 worldwide in materials science research. In 2011, the Carnegie Foundation gave the university top classifications for “very high research activity” and “comprehensive doctoral program”.

 

  • While this is an amazing accomplishment, Rice’s work is more than just a statistic–it has changed the world we live in. The research performed by the university has proved groundbreaking on several fronts, most notably the discovery of “buckyballs.” The discovery launched the field of Nanotechnology which has led directly to advances many fields, including medicine, technology, energy, defense, and transportation. Nanotechnology is already playing a powerful role in the lives of Americans, from its capacity to help find cures to deadly diseases to reducing the cost and extending the lifespan of consumer products like clothes and cars.

 

  • Rice’s School of Business, Architecture, Engineering, Social Sciences, Music, Humanities, Institute of Public Policy, and the Alliance of Technology and Entrepreneurship all hold similar national standing.

 

  • Not only is Rice University a heavyweight contender in academic and research fields, the university also maintains a noteworthy athletic department. For 17 consecutive years, Rice has produced a NCAA conference championship team–another outstanding accomplishment.

 

  • Again, congratulations to Rice University on its 100th birthday. Rice University’s devoted faculty and student body have continually endeavored for excellence, and as a result Texans, Americans, and people all over our world have benefited.