Rice University is broadly considered to be the cradle of carbon nanotechnology, due to the initial discovery of fullerenes there in 1985 and the proselytizing work of the late professor Richard E. Smalley starting in the mid-1990s. 

It is estimated that Smalley's production facilities were providing the worldwide carbon nanotube research community with over 90% of the research-grade carbon nanotube material until the advent of reliable commercial sources in the early 2000s.

Rice is located in the center of Houston, a major cosmopolitan area with a population over 5 million and major attractions such as Space Center Houston (home to NASA's Mission Control), the Galleria (the largest shopping mall in Texas), the Astrodome (the world's first indoor, air conditioned domed stadium), the Rice Stadium (where Kennedy made the "We choose to go to the Moon" speech), as well as one of the finest collections of minerals and fossils at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences and a unique collection of modern and contemporary art housed at Renzo Piano's de Menil Museum.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) has over 30 daily direct intercontinental connections to Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Munich, Paris, Manchester, Istanbul, Doha, Dubai, Tokyo, Taipei, Beijing, Auckland, Sydney, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Lima, Quito, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago, and Sao Paulo, as well as direct connections to all major airports in North and Central America. 

We look forward to hosting you virtually!