Think You Know the History of the School of Natural Sciences?
Test your knowledge with our 50th-anniversary trivia quiz! Below, you'll find all the questions from our recent event — scroll carefully if you want to challenge yourself before seeing the answers. The correct answers are indicated in bold beneath each question. Good luck!
Q1) Edgar Odell Lovett was a prominent
physicist
mathematician
chemist
geologist
Q2)William Vermillion Houston was a prominent
physicist
mathematician
chemist
geologist
Q3)The Octagonal Tower in Keck Hall is adorned with 8 inset plaques. What is inscribed on these 8 plaques?
the atomic symbols of the first 8 elements of the periodic table
the alchemical symbols for the precious metals
the atomic symbols of elements 2-9 on the periodic table
the formulas of the most common mineral acids
Q4)Which of the following former Rice undergraduates received a Nobel Prize:
Robert Curl
Louis Brus
Robert Wilson
All of these
Q5)In what year was the buckyball discovered?
1982
1985
1988
1996
Q6)Which Natural Sciences faculty member was the first master of Lovett College?
George Holmes Richter
Robert Curl
John Margrave
Ron Sass
Q7)There is a relief on the outside of Keck Hall showing a dragon with the head of a man clutching a student. The man's head pictured in the relief is that of:
Edgar Odell Lovett
George Holmes Richter
Albert T. Patrick
Harry B. Weiser
Q8)When did the Department of Biochemistry begin at Rice?
1969
1970
1971
1972
Q9)When did the Departments of Biochemistry and Cell Biology and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology merge to become Biosciences?
2012
2013
2014
2015
Q10)Which Natural Sciences professor holds the record for the most George R. Brown Teaching Awards, which led to the current limits on the. number of prizes awarded to an individual lecturer?
Mike Gustin
Bob Curl
Frank Jones
Ron Sass
Q11)Which Natural Sciences professor was involved in the discovery of introns and exons in eukaryotic DNA and RNA splicing that led to a Nobel Prize for Phillip Sharp in 1993?
Florante Quiocho
Kathleen Beckingham
Sue Berget
Kathy Matthews
Q12)Which Natural Sciences professor trained both a NASA scientist and a world-famous astronaut and who were they?
Fred Rudolf - Jim Reilly and Peggy Whitson
Kathy Matthews - Clarence Sams and Peggy Whitson
John Olson - James Voss and Peggy Whitson
Kathleen Beckingham - James Voss and Shannon Walker
Q13)Who was the first Rice biology professor?
Aldous Huxley
Erwin Chargaff
Hermann Muller
Julian Huxley
Q14)Which ghoulish behavior was discovered on Rice campus?
The parasitic worm that invades a snail eyestalk causing them to swell, pulsate and mimic caterpillars to lure hungry birds
The crypt-keeper wasp that forces its gall wasp host to chew an undersized exit hole, trapping itself so the parasitic larva can devour the host from within and emerge through its head
A fungus that infects ants, hijacking their brains and forcing them to climb high so the fungus can sprout from their bodies
A mouth-brooding frog that protects offspring by brooding them in their mouths, leading to a grotesque mouthful-of-tadpoles
Q15)One day, Biochemistry I was taught by Kathy Matthews lecturing and writing on one chalkboard, with George Schroepfer joining by simultaneously lecturing and writing on an adjacent chalkboard, and then Steve (John) Olson joining in by handing out written assignments. Why?
A hurricane canceled classes and the students were falling woefully behind
A sarcastic Thresher article complained that the rigor of Rice courses could be increased perhaps by having two instructors present at once, after all, students have two ears and having material coming in from both simultaneously would prevent information from "coming in one ear and going out the other"
Lecture hall space was so limited that three sections of Biochemistry were taught in one room simultaneously
The students requested to leave for Thanksgiving break early
Q16)What was discovered when the old parking lot north of the original physics building (Herzstein Hall) was removed and replaced by grass?
Radioactive material (radium) buried in accordance with standard procedures after it was used in labs in the early days of the department
Several early farm instruments used when the land was a working farm
A deep basement originally used for early optics experiments that required very dark conditions
Foundations poured for Lovett Hall before the first president of the university decided it should actually be built in its current location
Q17)What Nobel Laureate earned his bachelor's in physics at Rice?
Robert Wilson, 1957 BA in physics who went on to win the 1978 physics Nobel Prize with Penzias
Robert Curl, 1954 who received a BA in physics before moving to chemistry and winning the 1996 chemistry Nobel Prize with Smalley and Kroto
David Eagleman, 1993 BA in physics who moved to neuroscience, winning the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Philip Dybvig, who received a BA in physics and math in 1976 and won the 2022 Nobel Prize in Economics
Q18)Why was the Physics Department's original Bonner Nuclear Laboratory demolished?
The building was found to be radioactive and remediation required demolition
The Board of Trustees felt the land was better used to build a residence for the university president
Space was needed for a new computer science and engineering building
As with all progress, a new parking lot was needed
Q19)What astronomer served as President of Rice?
William Houston
Edgar Odell Lovett
Norman Hackerman
Kenneth Pitzer
Q20)In the days when Houston was dry, where did the Physics Department entertain guest lecturers for dinner including alcoholic beverages?
In the old Bonner Nuclear Lab because access was controlled due to the experiments and there were no windows in the building
At the university president's house because he was a member of the physics faculty
At the Criterion Club, which was at the top floor of the building, which still exists, at the southeast corner of Main and Holcomb and is currently part of the A&M School of Engineering
Alcohol was never actually served due to fears of prosecution
Q21)Who's research group was the first to discover gamma rays from the center of the Milky Way?
Bob O'Dell
Reggie Dufour
Bob Haymes
Curt Michel
Q22)Which Rice professor was a scientist-astronaut?
Bob O'Dell
Frank Tittle
Paul Cloutier
Curt Michel
Q23)What was found when they dug the basement for the Space Science Building?
an old creekbed
Native American arrowheads
Spanish treasure
a secret entrance to the tunnel system
Q24)Inside what experiment on the moon is a Rice flag sticker?
CPLEE
Lunar Dust Detector
SIDE
Lunar Seismometer
Q25)In what year did JFK make his "To the Moon" speech at the Rice Stadium?
1960
1961
1962
1963
Q26)Which two Rice roommates were responsible for bringing the Manned Spacecraft Center (now JSC) to Houston?
George and Herman Brown
George Brown and Dan Root
George Brown and Lyndon Johnson
George Brown and Albert Thomas
Q27)Which previous Rice Math faculty member has won a Nobel Prize in Physics?
Roger Penrose
Michael Freeman
Roger Guillemin
Hubert Bray
Q28)Which previous Rice Math faculty member left Rice for UT-Austin and became a member of the National Academy of Engineering?
Robert Stanton
Tinsley Oden
Mary Wheeler
Peter Shalen
Q29)Which Rice mathematician was involved in identifying Buckminsterfullerene and is quoted as saying to Rick Smalley, "I could explain this to you in a number of ways, but what you've got there, boys, is a soccer ball"?
John Hempel
William "Bus" Jaco
F. Reese Harvey
Bill Veech
Q30)Which Rice Math Ph.D. also quarterbacked an NFL championship-winning team?
Mike Wolf
Frank Ryan
Tom Brady
Frank Jones
Q31)Which previous Rice Math faculty member also performed regularly as a stand-up comedian?
Robin Williams
Deane Yang
Stephen Gersten
Robin Forman
Q32)Which Natural Sciences department was founded in 1952 through the establishment of an endowment that shares the name of the School of Natural Sciences?
Physics and Astronomy
Mathematics
Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences
Chemistry
Q33)Which of the following Rice University/Rice Institute presidents or acting presidents was also a faculty member in the Department of Geology?
Carey Croneis
Edgar Odell Lovett
Malcolm Gillis
Norman Hackerman
Q34)Which two Natural Sciences departments have each hosted more Packard Fellows than any other departments at Rice? (Hint: both departments hosted 3 Packard Fellows.)
Chemistry and Physics
Chemistry and EEPS
EEPS and Physics
Q35)The former Department of Geology at Rice was divided into two departments at one time. What was the name of the other department?
Department of Paleontology
Department of Sedimentology
Department of Petroleum Geology
Department of Geochemistry
Q36)Where does the EEPS department store the greatest volume of its rock and fossil samples?
at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences
in their classroom teaching collections
in the subterranean tunnels on Rice campus
in the sub-basement of Sewall Hall
Q37)Rice has one official squash court in the West Gym. What is its informal nickname?
Hackerman's Hideaway
Gillis' Getaway
Rupp's Retreat
Pitzer's Pocket
Q38)What other name(s) has the Department of Kinesiology had in its history?
Physical Education
Health and Physical Education
Human Performance and Health Sciences
All of the above
Q39)What was the name of the Rice intramural team composed of all Rice faculty members?
Faculty Force
Syllabus Slayers
Teaching Titans
Pro Profs
Q40)In the 2000-2001 academic term, the [blank] Department's name was changed to the Department of Kinesiology:
Sports Medicine and Health
Human Performance and Health Sciences
Health and Human Performance
Health and Exercise Science
Q41)Although the Department of Kinesiology has changed dramatically from its initial structure and academic focus, the origins of the department date back to the:
1929-1930 academic term
1957-1958 academic term
1980-1981 academic term
2000-2001 academic term
Q42)Professional career paths for Kinesiology alums include:
Professor and Dean of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at University of Houston (Higher education/research)
MD, Olympian and Dermatology Resident (Medicine)
Chief of Aerospace & Operational Medicine Flight (SGPF) for the 147th Medical Group, Texas Air National Guard (space industry/medicine)
Associate Professor and Director of the Neural Plasticity & Neurorehabilitation Laboratory at USC (Medical Research
President of CarePartners, Texas (Public Health)
Director, Physician Practice Operations, Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (Healthcare Management)
All of the above
Q43)What event is hosted in the spring by the EEPS and EEB GSAs?
Beer Bike
Crawfish Boil
Valhalloween
Spring Celebration
Q44)EEB students often travel far to collect data. Which country is NOT currently a study site for an EEB graduate student?
Madagascar
Tanzania
Mo'orea
Thailand
Q45)Graduate student lore says that a painting of THIS PERSON, a former Rice professor and important figure in the physics and astronomy department, was once stolen from the library in Brockman Hall. For that reason, the library is now kept locked. (Hint: The library is also named after this person)
Tom Bonner
Claude Heaps
Harold Wilson
William Houston
Q46)The Physics and Astronomy Department is currently located in Brockman Hall and Hermann Brown Hall. Where was the department primarily located before Brockman was built?
Sewall Hall
Rayzor Hall
Herzstein Hall
Hamman Hall
Q47)What name is posted outside the shared office of first-year graduate students in the Math Department?
The Inner Loop
The Molten Core
The Immovable Object
The Inner Stadium
Q48)Which of these Math professors has had the longest career at Rice?
Chris Leininger
Shelly Harvey
Frank Jones
Zhiyong Gao
Q49)A common agriculturally themed game at Math graduate student board game night involves trading which of these crops?
Beans
Corn
Radishes
Apples
Q50)Paul Cloutier, a faculty member in the Space Physics and Astronomy department, built a magnetometer in his garage and used it for what?
Searching for underground oil reserves
Discovering a sunken Civil War-era ship
Prospecting for buried meteorites
Dinosaur fossil hunting
Q51)In 1965, Rice became the first university to be approved to design and build its own satellites as part of NASA's Explorer program. These were unfortunately derailed by budgetary issues, though their technology and instrumentation went on to fly in subsequent missions. What was the name of these satellites?
Willy 1 and Willy 2
Owl 1 and Owl 2
Houston and Lovett
Rice-sat 1 and Rice-sat 2
Q52)Which Physics and Astronomy faculty member created an inflatable planetarium?
Alex Dessler
David Alexander
Ronald Stebbings
Pat Reiff
Q53)Which Natural Sciences faculty member served as the 10th director of the NSF?
Norman Hackerman
Neal Lane
William Gordon
Bob Curl