| Wiess School of Natural Sciences | |
|---|---|
| Motto | The Frontiers of Knowledge |
| Established | 1912 |
| Type | Private |
| Dean | Daniel Carson |
| Location | Houston, Texas, USA |
| Affiliations | Rice University |
| Website | [1] |
The Wiess School of Natural Sciences is an academic school at Rice University in Houston, Texas. It contains the departments of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chemistry, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Earth Science, Mathematics, Physics and Astronomy. Rice is well-known for its groundbreaking research in nanotechnology. One of Rice's greatest minds and pioneers of the field was Richard Smalley, the Norman Hackerman Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Physics and Astronomy. Smalley received the Nobel Prize (along with Robert Curl) in 1996 for the discovery buckminsterfullerene, an allotrope of carbon commonly referred to as "buckyballs".
Rice has historically been known for its strength in the sciences. Its Department of Space Science was the first in the nation. The land on which the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center was built was donated by Rice University. Following this, President John F. Kennedy made a speech at Rice Stadium calling on the United States of America to develop its space program further.
Rice is also known for its emphasis on undergraduate education. The Wiess School of Natural sciences offers research experience for its students. The premedical students in particular benefit from the nearby Texas Medical Center which offers many opportunities for research.
The dean of the school is Daniel Carson, taking over for Kathleen S. Matthews in 2008, who had served for 10 years. The Associate dean is Andrew Barron and the assistant deans are Rachel Miller and Mary Widner.
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