RICE MAGAZINE features the Rice Professional Science Master's program:  "The Business of Science"  (page 40)!   This latest edition has just been published and hardcopies have been mailed out. The electronic version should be available soon!

New PSM/MBA Joint Degree Program

To address the demand for a science education that includes a full MBA degree,  Rice University is adding a new option to their existing Professional Science Master’s degrees. With cooperation of the highly ranked Jesse H. Jones  Graduate School of Management and the Wiess School of Natural Science, a joint program was developed allowing a small group of highly proficient students to earn a joint PSM/MBA degree. The program will be become available for Fall 2010. 

BP Scholarship awarded to Subsurface Geoscience student Chris Ochterbeck! Congratulations to Chris for paving the way for graduating PSM students to gain the respect and acceptance from large oil- and gas companies willing to sponsor our students. BP is joining an ever increasing number of corporations realizing our students' potential and versatility. We appreciate BP's involvement at Rice and are looking forward to a mutual beneficial and on-going relationship!  Thank you, BP!

2nd Quarterly NPSMA Workshop in Springfield, MA in September 2009 

This workshop focused on evaluation of the employment survey outcome, the NSF Stimulus solicitation for science master's programs, an update on statewide implemention of PSM programs, key program practices, peer review process, NPSMA Best Practices Seal of Approval initiative, and concluding with a dialogue with area employers and regional PSM Alumni and students.

Thank you to all our Fall Seminar Speakers for committing their time to speak to our students:

Kirstin Matthews, Baker Institute; June Ferrill, PSM Communications; Liz Hendler, Environmental Activist; Charles NuNu, Element Markets; Rod Larson, Baker Hughes; Mary Purugganan, Rice NSCI; Najib Abusalbi, Schlumberger; Pooja Talreja, CGGS Veritas; Kristine Gentry, CSPD; Martha Barnes, Marathon Oil

School is on! The first month of school is already nearing its end and our new students are finding their way around campus! This is an exciting time for Rice, faculty and their labs are moving into the BRC, two new "green" colleges have opened on campus, the new Rice Recreation Center will open September 25th, and the PSM students have started a PSM Student Association which will offer opportunities for our students to do activities together, participate at events and plan activities "outside the hedges"!

Rice’s PSM will offer Free Education to Post-9/11 Military Veterans 
We have partnered with the federal government to offer free educational programs to eligible military veterans. Professional Science Master’s Programs take advantage of military veterans' background, skills, and experience in science and technology and expand their career options in high-demand positions.

COMPANY HIGHLIGHT:  GSI Environmental 

GSI is an environmental engineering firm which specializes in the assessment and management of environmental risk. Since 1986, from their headquarters in Houston, Texas, they have worked worldwide, providing industry with innovative solutions to soil, groundwater, surface water, and air pollution problems and associated regulatory issues. GSI emphasize careful data collection and analysis and technical ingenuity in all of our work in order to provide solutions that are both efficient and effective.

GSI Environmental has hired two of our EADM graduate students as intern, respectively employee, showing their continued interest and support of our program. Dr. Newell, co-founder of GSI, has been a long-time supporter of the Professional Science Master's program at Rice, and also serves on our Board of Affiliates. Thank you for your support!

TELEDRILL, INC

Teledrill provides the drilling industry with a Rate of Penetration (ROP) enhancement tool/service that both triples the drilling rate and also provides Measurement While Drilling (MWD) with Gamma Ray information in real time. Teledrill also has the only retrievable downhole generator and can use rechargeable batteries in its 10 foot tool. For more info, visit their web site! 

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR INTERNSHIP PROVIDERS FOR 2009!

All our students are busy working as interns with a variety of companies and academic departments:

Gisselle Cornejo – Nobel Energy, Joe Mils – Schlumberger, Liang Ge – Baker Hughes, Ting Hong – Teledrill, Inc., Alex Wagner – City of Houston, Scott Rauschhuber – UH, Carol Liu – GIS Environmental, Vishwa Nellore – Rice Nano-Physics, Bret Halbe – Nanoridge, Sona Joseph – Rice MEMS,  Dana Akilbekova – Kazakhstan government office, Jeff Rudnik -  Chevron.

The Program Director, Dagmar Beck, has been visiting with interns and their internship providers to establish an on-going dialogue between the university and the corporation, and to inform the corporation about the PSM program and the internship requirements. So far, luncheons were held with Nobel Energy, Teledrill, Inc., Nanoridge, and Chevron. (See more info and photos under "What's New"!)

NANORIDGE

NanoRidge is an advanced nanomaterials manufacturer utilizing leading-edge technology to commercialize the production of intermediate nanomaterials based carbon nanotubes and polymer matrices.

Founded on commercial agreements with Rice University and the University of Houston, NanoRidge has exclusive licenses for the use of technologies focused on applications of carbon nanotubes and other nanoparticles for production and sales of advanced nanomaterials. These materials are characterized by increased performance in specific properties including a variety of mechanical values and electrical & thermal conductivities.

The Company has significant manufacturing process knowledge and experience allowing it to rapidly develop and deliver commercially viable nano-enhanced materials that, when used with traditional manufacturing processes, expand the horizon of opportunity beyond imagination.

Nanoridge has been a supporter of our Nanoscale Physics program and our students since inception of the program. We are proud to receive their continued interest and support.

Join our list of companies actively supporting our program:

Anadarko
Argent Consulting
Baker Hughes
BHP Billiton
BP
Bright Star Energy, Inc.
ConocoPhillips
Camp, Dresser & McKee, Inc
Element Markets
ENVIRON
EOG Resources
ERM Group, Inc
Exxon Mobil
Golder Associate
GSI Environmental, Inc
Houston Wilderness Organization
Lynn Inc.
Marathon Oil

Nanoridge
NASA
Occidential Oil and Gas Corp
Quantum Logic Devices
Shell
Schlumberger

 Teledrill, Inc

Total E&P USA, Inc
Trinity Consulting
URS
and more ....