andres
Statement of Research Interests
I am currently working on projects that analyze legislative behavior and corruption. I am from Paraguay so I mostly focus on analyzing these topics in a Latin American context. However, sometimes research questions lead me to study countries and regions outside of Latin America.
Statement of Teaching Philosophy
The mantra that was drilled into me when I was studying journalism as an undergrad was: "precision of language; concision of style." What I try to do is help students find the root of what they're trying to say, and I help them get that point across in a simple, understandable manner.
Other Commitments
This semester I will be a TA for the "Intro to Comparative Politics" course.
Summary
| Hometown | Asuncion, Paraguay |
|---|---|
| Graduate Department | Political Science |
| Graduate Fields | Comparative Politics |
annie
Statement of Research Interests
My work seeks to find points of intersection between academic feminism/gender studies, currently developing theories in environment, and contemporary cultural representations of climate change. I am particularly interested in the way these intersections find voice in writing, film, and other art produced by indigenous peoples in the U.S
Statement of Teaching Philosophy
My most firmly held belief about writing is that it is a practice. As such, my commitment is always to helping students find a way to integrate that practice into their academic pursuits in ways that allow them to best express themselves in their chosen fields.
Other Commitments
Crocheter, moviegoer, cat owner, and bike rider!
Summary
| Hometown | Arlington, Texas |
|---|---|
| Graduate Department | English |
| Graduate Fields | Environmental Studies,Feminism,Contemporary Literature |
autumn
Statement of Research Interests
I use behavioral and neuroimaging methods to understand the contributions of memory to language production and comprehension.
Statement of Teaching Philosophy
I believe in the power of stories to open minds and create change. Whenever you write, you are participating in a powerful act of storytelling. It is my job to help you make your story as interesting and concise as possible. It is my goal that in the process of working together we both become better writers and storytellers.
Other Commitments
I volunteer as an ESOL teacher for refugees living and working in Houston. I also work with a program called Ready for School which provides resources to help prepare refugee children and their parents for public school in the United States. In what is left of my free time, I enjoy cooking new recipes and getting out of the city for camping and rock climbing trips with my husband.
Summary
| Hometown | Ware Shoals, SC |
|---|---|
| Graduate Department | Psychology |
| Graduate Fields | Cognitive Science,Psycholinguistics |
carolyn
Statement of Research Interests
I specialize in late medieval and early modern European art, and my dissertation centers on early modern northern European images of Muslims from the period 1400 to 1700 with a particular focus on representations by Netherlandish artists. My primary argument is that the majority of people living in early modern Europe gained their ideas about what Muslims looked like, how they dressed, and how they lived their lives and practiced their religion through encounters with the artwork of northern European artists, particularly with prints made after drawings. In this way, it was these northern European artists who were creating an understanding of Turks, Ottomans of other ethnicities, and other Muslims not only for an entire continent but also far beyond to the New World since such prints eventually would be brought there as well.
Statement of Teaching Philosophy
Improving one’s writing is a lifelong journey. And though I have worked hard to improve my own writing over the past several years as I have developed my dissertation project, I have learned that one of the best ways to continue to advance the quality of my own writing is to help others in their journey as writers. In particular, identifying the difficulties that others have with their writing and helping them to work on skills such as eliminating jargon, streamlining sentence structure, and finding their voices are activities that assist me in my own ongoing journey as a writer and a communicator. I learned early on that revision is the key to successful writing, and I strive to impart this knowledge in my work as a Communication Consultant. Moreover, as a reader of images, I appreciate that the CAPC understands the importance of communicating visually and learning to thoughtfully interpret visual culture over time.
Other Commitments
Over the years, I have held several curatorial internships and fellowships at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Frick Collection, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. In my work at the MFAH, I composed and edited eight catalogue entries for the museum’s exhibition on one of the seventeenth century’s most talented and prolific printmakers, Jacques Callot. I have further had the pleasure of serving Rice’s graduate student community as an officer for the GSA and the Humanities GSA and most recently as co-organizer of the Vagantes Conference on Medieval Studies, a nationally recognized annual conference that traveled to Rice in 2016.
Summary
| Hometown | Carpinteria, California |
|---|---|
| Graduate Department | Art History |
| Graduate Fields | Late Medieval and Early Modern European Art |
drew
Hello, my name is Drew and I'm very excited to be joining the CAPC team this year. I am a sophomore at Wiess looking to double major in Political Science and Sport Management. I have always enjoyed writing, but my great experience with my FWIS last year really pushed me to join the CWOVC (now CAPC). I'm looking forward to the opportunity to work with my peers with a crucial skill like communication. In my free time I enjoy spending time with friends, watching sports, and spending time outdoors. Additionally, I hope to continue my passion for student journalism by joining the Thresher staff this year, as well as to participate in intramural sports again this year.
Summary
| Hometown | Columbus, Ohio |
|---|---|
| College | Weiss College |
| Majors | Political Science, Sport Management |
jane
Statement of Research Interests
As a PhD candidate in art history, I specialize in British art of the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries. I typically focus on painting, drawing, and prints, and I often use socio-historical theories to frame my interpretive questions. My dissertation considers the estate views of British landscape artist, JMW Turner, in relation to social, artistic, and biographic ideas about history, heritage, and legacy.
Statement of Teaching Philosophy
Knowing how to communicate one’s ideas effectively is one of the most important skills in any field. As an art historian, I rely on both verbal and visual communication, often using them interchangeably. Over the course of my studies, I have learned how to craft outlines that guide my writing as well as organizational structures that help drive the argument in a compelling manner. My philosophy on writing is that no matter the task at hand – be it outlining, writing, or revising – success is always an ongoing process that requires hard work. A clunky first draft is never a failure; it is the beginning of a well-crafted piece of writing.
Other Commitments
I have completed several curatorial fellowships at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Most recently, I acted as assistant curator for the large retrospective, Degas: A New Vision. In addition to academic work, I have served as External Vice President for the Humanities Graduate Student Association and student/faculty liaison for the art history department. When I am not busy with school commitments, I am most likely catching up on fun reading, watching my cats romp around the house, or trying out new recipes.
Summary
| Hometown | Mesa, Arizona |
|---|---|
| Graduate Department | Art History |
| Graduate Fields | Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century European Art |
jonas
Statement of Research Interests
My current research focuses on automated detection and measurement of liver cancer from medical imaging data. For these tasks, I am developing novel image segmentation techniques that combine partial differential equations and neural networks. More broadly, I am interested in exploring the interfaces between mathematics, machine learning, and computation.
Statement of Teaching Philosophy
Effective communication focuses on constructing simple, straightforward messages, packaged to emphasize their key components. Constructing such messages requires skill, patience, and practice. I aim to impart these three fundamentals to those I instruct.
Other Commitments
I have previously served as president and secretary for the SIAM Rice Student Chapter, and have mentored high school students in my role as a youth adviser at a local synagogue. I am a passionate Houston Astros fan, an avid science fiction reader, and an amateur board games enthusiast.
Summary
| Hometown | Houston, TX |
|---|---|
| Graduate Department | Computational and Applied Mathematics |
| Graduate Fields | Biomedical informatics,functional analysis,numerical linear algebra |
katie
Statement of Research Interests
My research explores Brazilian sugar-based bioeconomies and how these are shaping renewable energy futures. I work with scientists who study sugarcane, yeast, and ethanol in Brazil and am interested in considering the material transformations of energy across different scales and organisms in the realm of Brazilian sugarcane bioethanol and other bio-products. The goal of my research is to expand attention to what becomes energy, when, and for whom, in order to better understand how to study emerging energy regimes in the twenty-first century. This research is greatly influenced by my background in molecular biology.
Statement of Teaching Philosophy
A great argument won't be effective if it's not communicated well, in any discipline or field. I hope to help make any text the best version of itself it can be, and to share skills and strategies for future writing and revising.
Other Commitments
On campus I help coordinate the Ethnography Studio, as well as the Mutant Anthropologies yearly graduate research workshop. I am a predoctoral fellow at the Center for Energy and Environmental Research in the Human Sciences, and a Digital Content Editor for the journal Cultural Anthropology. I enjoy riding my bike, swimming laps in the Rice pool, and baking bread.
Summary
| Hometown | Seattle, Washington |
|---|---|
| Graduate Department | Anthropology |
| Graduate Fields | undefined |
katrina
Hi there! My name is Katrina and I’m so thrilled to be a consultant at the CAPC! Although I’m currently studying Cognitive Sciences and Business, I’m also really interested in graphic design. I spend most of my creative energy writing, designing Spotlight layouts for the Thresher, and working on spreads for the Catalyst science research journal. Outside of that, I love cooking, hiking, traveling, and exploring new music on Spotify. As an avid travel blogger, I believe that writing is one of the most powerful ways of preserving and sharing both our experiences and convictions. Careful articulation enables us to effectively convey our ideas to others, but also works to clarify our own thought processes. In shifting our communicative approach to resonate with particular audiences, we reevaluate our ideas through the lens of various readers and prompt critical reflection. Witnessing each writer immerse themselves in the same transformative process is one of the most rewarding parts of my job; it serves as a constant reminder that writing is a reciprocal process that benefits both author and reader. I hope that my passion for writing will help others communicate clearly and concisely! The ability to convey your ideas effectively is an essential skill regardless of the career path you take, and I look forward to helping you cultivate your unique voice.
Summary
| Hometown | Fremont, California |
|---|---|
| College | Baker College |
| Majors | Cognitive Science; Business |
kelly
Statement of Research Interests
I am interested in American literature, Feminist theory, and Posthumanities, especially contemporary and speculative fiction.
Statement of Teaching Philosophy
Student-centered learning is central to how I teach. I prefer pedagogical methods that promote accessibility in the classroom as well as encourage collaboration and connection.
Other Commitments
SEL Hobby Editorial Fellow
Summary
| Graduate Department | English |
|---|---|
| Graduate Fields | American Literature,EcoCriticism,Animal Studies,Feminist Theory |
kevin
Statement of Research Interests
I'm a PhD student in the Department of English. My research interests include the history of science, ecocriticism, science & technology studies, and narrative theory. My research has been focused primarily on 17th and 18th century English literature, and in particular, the ways in which literature and art influenced the development of theories of energy as well as the production of industrial technologies.
Statement of Teaching Philosophy
I believe there is no such thing as a perfect piece of writing. All the writing we do can be improved in some way, no matter how big or small those improvements might end up being. I think this also helps to manage expectations, for once we accept the impossibility of "perfect" writing, we can learn to be content with what we are capable of producing.
Other Commitments
I am a predoctoral fellow with the Center for Energy and Environmental Research in the Human Sciences (CENHS), a Diana Hobby editorial fellow at SEL Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, and a member of the Center for Critical and Cultural Theory (3CT).
Summary
| Hometown | Clifton, Virginia |
|---|---|
| Graduate Department | English |
| Graduate Fields | Literature,Science and Technology Studies |
lauryn
Hi, my name is Lauryn and I'm a sophomore at Jones College. I am majoring in History with a minor in Politics, Law, and Social Thought. At Rice, I play intramural sand volleyball, and I am a secretary in the Cabinet at Jones. I also enjoy baking, reading, and traveling. I'm excited to be working at the CAPC this year because I want to help others communicate their ideas effectively. I look forward to working with you!
Summary
| Hometown | Louisville, KY |
|---|---|
| College | Jones College |
| Majors | History |
mallory
Statement of Teaching Philosophy
Regardless of the genre or discipline, I think that good writing is marked by a precision of thought or mind. My goal as a consultant is to help students to communicate clearly, confidently, and mindfully.
Other Commitments
The consummate beach-goer.
Writing is a strange endeavor; it can distill thinking and at the same time help unfurl it. I hope to encourage students, then, to consider good writing skills as an important mode of their critical and creative thinking, as writing can take on a revelatory role or a generative one. Lastly, I believe in the importance of developing an on-page aesthetic, in academic discourse included, to articulate with clarity, precision, and even a little flair.
Summary
| Hometown | Pitman, New Jersey |
|---|---|
| Graduate Department | English |
| Graduate Fields | American Romanticism,critical theory,historiography,creative nonfiction |
matt
Statement of Research Interests
I am primarily interested in American political behavior, voting behavior, and policy consequences. Some of my previous work has consisted of research on public engagement with municipal institutions, and LGBT representation on state-level anti-discrimination laws. Currently, I’m working on a project regarding the institutional causes of split-ticket voting.
Statement of Teaching Philosophy
Education is a dyadic process. In any student-instructor relationship it is important to begin with a discussion about what the student wishes to accomplish, or what skills the student wants to learn. In order to accomplish this, the instructor must be able to gauge a student’s strengths and weaknesses, and a student must be willing to engage long-term with the stated goal(s). As an instructor, I attempt to foster this process by providing an environment in which students feel free to articulate any and all questions or concerns they have about the material. I believe such an environment provides for maximum benefit to the student.
Other Commitments
Aside from being a full-time student, I also work as a graduate coach for the Center for Civic Leadership Houston Action Research Teams, serve as the social sciences representative on the Graduate Honor Council, and work with the Latin American Graduate Students Association. In my (rather limited) free time, I enjoy reading, running, swimming, and binge watching Netflix/Hulu.
Summary
| Hometown | Highlands, Texas |
|---|---|
| Graduate Department | Political Science |
| Graduate Fields | American Politics |
olivia
Hello! My name is Olivia, and I'm a sophomore at Wiess pursuing a double major in Political Science and History. Outside of the classroom, I spend lots of time playing sports and staying active - I play on the women's club soccer team as well as participate in as many IM's as I can. I also love all things photography and film related, and I'm one of the historians at Wiess. In my free time, I love to travel and explore new places, both around the world and right here in Houston. I'm excited to consult at the CAPC because I've found in my own academic experiences that candid, constructive peer feedback is one of the most valuable tools a writer can use. I look forward to hearing your unique voice and ideas, and helping to make sure you can express them with confidence and clarity!
Summary
| Hometown | Bethesda, Maryland |
|---|---|
| College | Weiss College |
| Majors | Political Science, History |
rachel
Statement of Research Interests
My approach to art history is an interdisciplinary one. I study the visual and material culture of the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries in Britain and the United States from an intersectional feminist perspective. Areas of specific research interest include: exhibition culture, the circulation of prints, the decorative arts, public and private mourning, and amateur art and craft.
Statement of Teaching Philosophy
As an art historian, I am concerned with effective visual and written communication. I strongly believe in the craft of writing and see it as an essential skill for all academic disciplines. In our society, students are not often encouraged to analyze our rich visual culture, and I seek to promote visual as well as verbal literacy. As a teacher, I aim to foster critical thinking in my students and encourage creative approaches to the production of academic work. I believe that good readers make good writers and the best writing is produced through rewriting!
Other Commitments
In 2015-16, I was a Jameson Fellow for American Decorative Arts at the Bayou Bend Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Currently, I am a Curatorial Intern in American Painting and Sculpture at the MFAH. In addition to my PhD work in art history, I have a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and I am practicing visual artist. I live in Montrose with my husband and a variety of pets.
Summary
| Hometown | Houston and Chicago |
|---|---|
| Graduate Department | Art History |
| Graduate Fields | Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century European Art |
randi
Statement of Research Interests
I’m interested in how Victorians represent women, forms of family, and the home in print.
Statement of Teaching Philosophy
I strive to help students gain the ability and confidence to engage in academic, professional, and public discourse.
Summary
| Hometown | Black Hills, South Dakota |
|---|---|
| Graduate Department | English |
| Graduate Fields | 19th-century British literature and culture; women's, gender, and sexuality studies |
sarahj
Statement of Research Interests
I am interested in various medieval and renaissance texts-- especially manuals, handbooks, poetry, and plays-- as well as questions around futility, domesticity, and allegory.
Statement of Teaching Philosophy
Good papers, I once read, come from caring deeply about the topic. I like to talk with students to find what fascinates them within any given assignment, then help them to grow their research questions and methods from there. Engaging in a dialogue about what sources say, and what the student is saying or trying to say is a helpful tool in clarifying a paper's purpose and coherence.
Other Commitments
HGSA executive board member; Women's Storybook Project of Texas volunteer; beginner gardener
Summary
| Hometown | Knoxville |
|---|---|
| Graduate Department | English |
| Graduate Fields |
sean
Statement of Research Interests
I am interested in how Three-Dimensional Printing techniques can be applied in Tissue Engineering to solve complex clinical challenges. Specifically, I am working on creating scaffolds composed of synthetic and natural polymers, ceramics, and biochemical cues in order to mimic the native physiology of the osteochondral unit. By providing a template with relevant mechanical and biochemical properties, our goal is to enable the body to repair damage to this area by growing new bone and cartilage tissue.
Statement of Teaching Philosophy
I believe that effective communication is critical in any discipline, and that the ability to convey ideas in a way the audience will best understand them is just as important as the ideas themselves. I also believe that becoming a great communicator is equal parts iterative and responsive. As a Consultant, my goal is to use my experience to help students refine and clarify their ideas, tailor them to specific audiences, and become more confident in their work.
Other Commitments
In addition to working at the CAPC, I serve as the Internal Assistant Chair for the BIOE Graduate Student Association and as a member of the Grants Committee for the larger GSA, and play indoor volleyball with the graduate student open gym group. In my spare time, I enjoy running, playing video games, reading, building model kits, and cooking.
Summary
| Hometown | Saint Petersburg, Florida |
|---|---|
| Graduate Department | Bioengineering |
| Graduate Fields | Tissue Engineering,Regenerative Medicine,3D Printing |
solveig
Statement of Research Interests
19th and 20th century American literature. Questions of citizenship, immigration, transnationalism, settler colonialism.
Statement of Teaching Philosophy
Communicating one's thoughts and ideas in an effective way is a skill that is valuable across any discipline. While crafting that skill requires hard work, I am a firm believer in the benefits of play and experimenting with your texts, allowing for multiple tries and seeing the productive aspect of mistakes. My ultimate goal is to help students find clarity, precision and confidence in their work.
Other Commitments
I am a Fulbright student at Rice and a member of the HGSA. And yes, Iceland is Green and Greenland is ice(y).
Summary
| Hometown | Reykjavík, Iceland |
|---|---|
| Graduate Department | English |
| Graduate Fields | The Study of Women,Gender and Sexuality |
sonia
Statement of Research Interests
My research rethinks how Mexican-American women have politically and socially worked to make themselves visible within marginalized existences. I look to understand what a self-fashioned Chicana looks like, feels like, and presents like in response to or in spite of societal invisibility.
Statement of Teaching Philosophy
Thinking of oral and written communication as a process of critical thinking can help us reconsider ideas, objectives, levels of clarity, and aesthetics. We, as scholars, analyze and evaluate our subjects, but, increasingly, we should analyze and evaluate our expressions of processes. In my own writing and teaching of others, my goal is to consistently and constantly bring a level of vulnerability and awareness to communication, allowing academics make space for generative and reflective outcomes.
Other Commitments
As co-president of HGSA, I'm committed to representing and improving the social and academic experiences of humanities students' on our campus. As a self-aware procrastinator, I'm committed to spending far too much time viewing Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube content.
Summary
| Hometown | Abilene |
|---|---|
| Graduate Department | English |
| Graduate Fields | 19th & 20th Century American Literature,Mexican American literature,Chicanx Studies,Material Culture; Fashion and Visibility |
steven
Statement of Research Interests
I am generally interested in exploring the phenomena that cause individuals to behave the way they do politically. My specific areas of inquiry include public policy, sub-national politics, and political behavior. I am currently involved in several projects, including examining local voter information networks and decision making, emergency management institutional design & public service provision, and elite political credit claiming behavior on social media.
Statement of Teaching Philosophy
When lecturing or facilitating a class discussion, my role as an instructor is primarily to foster each student’s learning process. As a result, the ability to effectively communicate the material in an engaging and captivating style is critical. To accomplish this, a teacher must be able to present abstract concepts and unfamiliar material in an accessible manner to a class of students with diverse interests and backgrounds. In addition, an effective instructor must be able to use their passion and interest about the subject to teach in a way that motivates students to take an active role in class discussions and activities.
Other Commitments
In my limited spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family, traveling, watching football or baseball, and reading.
Summary
| Hometown | Orange, Texas |
|---|---|
| Graduate Department | Political Science |
| Graduate Fields | American Politics |
tim
Statement of Research Interests
My research centers around prophylactic antiretroviral drugs, specifically Teno-Em, a generic version of “PrEP” manufactured by the Thai Government Pharmaceutical Organization. With this research, I’m am interested in entanglements between the contingencies of pharmaceutical infrastructures, sexual health campaigns, sexual rights movements, and new forms of sexual subjectivity. The goal of this research is to better understand the relationship between state and regional health development projects and modern sexual rights movements, specifically through the lens of this new pharmaceutical technology.
Statement of Teaching Philosophy
Having lived and worked in and across linguistically diverse contexts for years, I’ve come to appreciate that communication is always a two (and often a 3, 4, 5, 6 …) way street – it also inevitably involves some degree of back and forth. An important part of developing strong and persuasive communication is understanding who you are writing for and having an idea of how you are going to be read. I hope to help students improve their writing by encouraging them to be reflexive throughout the writing process.
Other Commitments
On campus, I’m affiliated with the Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality, as well as the Center for Critical and Cultural Theory. When in Houston, I devote most of my (little) spare time to cooking and eating. I’m also an avid language learner – feel free to chat me up in Mandarin, French, or Thai!
Summary
| Hometown | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Graduate Department | Anthropology |
| Graduate Fields | Gender and Sexuality,Cultural Anthropology,Critical Global Health |
violet
Communication is an essential skill for scholars. As an architecture student, at the end of every semester, I have less than seven minutes to present to strangers everything I have done for the past four months and hope they agree with me. To precisely and concisely describe my design is as difficult as coming up with the design. One single project involves much critical thinking and numerous phases of development. Choosing the content and the way of representation solidifies abstract ideas into texts, graphics, and tangible models. Discussing these ideas with others in the field allows evaluation and moves the project forward to a larger scale. This does not only apply to architecture, but also to all fields of study. Lab reports, personal statements, academic essays, etc. share intellectual production to others, who can then react to and advance the progress based on the accurate description of existing study. Communication, therefore, is important for two reasons. Just like my seven-minute-speech somehow manages to do the justice of the efforts I put in during the entire semester, effective communication allows spreading of knowledge and the resultant reaction. Once the conversation starts, the speaker gets feedback, and the audience gets inspiration. It’s like the butterfly effect. And communication is the air that travels and touches others.
Summary
| Hometown | Shenzhen, China |
|---|---|
| College | Hanszen College |
| Majors | Architecture |