Previous Envision Grant Projects
Rice Coffee House
Owl Parade
A collaborative intiative to raise money for student clubs and organizations. Twenty fiberglass owls were cast by Randall McCabe and "adopted" by student organizations. The decorated owls were auctioned off online along with "owl parliaments" of items from Dr. and Mrs. Camacho's owl collection. The project raised over $6,000.
Taste of the Town. Ginny Stuckey '06 and multi-college team, Envision 2003-04
The first annual restaurant showcase at Rice University—A Taste of the Town—started as a class project in LEAD 309. With a Van Wilder type drive, the group worked together through the spring of 2004 and kicked off Willy Week with a sell-out event! Members of the Rice community purchased $5 tickets which admitted them into the Grand Hall for an evening of delicious samples from 15 local restaurants, an elegant social setting, and musical entertainment from Rice students. Diners were encouraged to review the various restaurant booths and samples; Two Rows was the overall favorite!
Undergrad Research Symposium. Janessa Shapiro, Envision 2002
A campus-wide conference where undergraduates present their research on posters and are judged by a panel. Students from all academic fields can come together and share their work with their fellow students and the rest of the Rice community.
Dance Marathon. Alex Kipp '05, Envision 2002
A fundraiser for Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital. Rice students participate by fundraising throughout the year and celebrating with a 12-hour event in the spring. In 2003, its first year, Rice Dance Marathon raised over $10,000 for the hospital.
Coffeehouse PDRs. Rebecca Sherman '00, Envision 2000
A project to redesign the PDRs (private dining rooms) located behind the student-run coffeehouse for the purpose of providing more space and interesting spots for students to meet, sit, and display artwork.
Lovett Undergrounds. Grayson Morris and Amy Chang, Envision 1997
A venue for students and the Rice community to perform on Friday nights complete with free beverages such as hot chocolate and coffee. The Undergrounds hosts mostly musical performances of a variety of genres.
Others have impacted communities in various parts of the world:
After-School Arts Program, San Jose, Costa Rica. Elizabeth Bakalyar, Envision 2005
Elizabeth created an after-school arts program and library in a small community of Nicaraguan immigrants called Pavas, near San José, Costa Rica. The program is run in the Lutheran church there, and she hopes not only to provide a safe, inviting place for children to come after school to do their homework and explore the arts, but also to provide concrete programming including music exploration games for young children, music lessons for older children, visual art projects, and drama. In addition, as students are required to pass an English exam in order to graduate high school (which has proven to be a significant barrier for this community), she will have certain aspects of the program facilitate the learning of the language - such as availability of books and games in English. She resided in Costa Ricka for 14 months, as the community gradually took over the project allowing it to become a sustainable and intrinsic part of Pavas.
World Flight. Chris Wall, Envision 2000
In a reconstructed 1957 AeroCommander 560E plane, named the Dreamcatcher, Rice student Chris Wall and his high school friend, Dan Dominguez, circled the globe. The three-month journey was an educational opportunity for students around the world, as they communicated with the young pilots via the Internet.
Chamber Music Outreach Project. Caen Thomason-Redus, Envision 1999
Shepherd School students enhanced music education in elementary schools by giving performances and conducting workshops. The program continues to thrive and has been renamed JUMP! (Just for yoU Music Program!). Students from various Houston elementary schools enthusiastically embrace the activities and concerts.
Rethinking Shotgun Houses. Brett Zamore, Envision 1998
Architecture graduate student Brett Zamore brought his expertise in architecture to the Fifth Ward of Houston to rehabilitate a shotgun house, which is a distinct style in American architecture. As a result of this project, a neighborhood of run-down shotgun houses has grown into a thriving art community.
Urban Plunge. Teddy Kapur, Envision 1998
In an effort to promote understanding of the challenges and public attitudes confronting homeless people, a small group of students dressed down, emptied their wallets and spent 48 hours living as homeless people on Houston streets. These experiences raised awareness and more interest in service and social justice, in addition to a generous donation to homelessness prevention organizations.
2004-2005 Envision Projects:
REACH High School Outreach Program. Yian Liu '07, Envision 2004
The officers and members of REACH help students from Lee High School with the college application process. Topics include writing a college essay from the Texas Common Application, completing the application, attending Saturday sessions detailing interviews, scholarships, financial aid, colleges, etc., and learning more about college life. In addition, students have attended classes with Rice undergraduates, participated in a colloquium with speakers from the admissions office and high school guidance counselors, and stayed overnight at Rice during Owl Weekend. The initiative is an extremely rewarding experience for both students from Lee and Rice and we hope to continue our work for many years to come. Most importantly, we have learned that although it is difficult to change the world, it is entirely possible to do so!
Somewhere Out There. Diane Shao '08, Envision 2004
A project encouraging campus-wide awareness of the multitude of animal species that live at or visit Rice University. Over 60 species of birds, including Rice's mascot Screech Owl, and many other animals such as possoms and rabbits can be seen around campus. All students are encouraged to submit photos of interesting species that they see, and submissions will be credited on the website and public display to be created when the collection is near complete. The goal is for the collection to be continued throughout the years as more animals visit and are sighted.
Screen on the Green. Vicky Pridgen '07 + LEAD 309 team, Envision 2005
Students, faculty, staff and their families enjoy movies on a large outdoor screen. This alcohol-free event, organized by a team of LEAD 309 students, was supported by the Welcome Center, President's Fund, Student Activities Fund and the Envision Grant.
2003-2004 Envision Projects:
Plastic Baler. Guyton Durnin '05, 2003
The plastic baler, a piece of machinery located in the F&E corral, allows Rice to instutionalize its plastic recycling program. In the past, plastic was only recycled if members of the Environmental Club drove it to a recycling center. Now, thanks to Envision, F&E, H&D and all of the colleges, the University is in charge of making sure plastic gets recycled.
Once you place your bottles and containers in either the #1 or #2 plastic bins, H&D and F&E work to get it to the F&E corral where staff compacts the plastic in the baler and stores it until it is sold in half ton bunches.
Breast Cancer Car. Naturaleza Moore '04, Envision 2003-04
Naturaleza resigned her 1988 Mercury Sable to honor women who have died from breast cancer and those who have survived it. The car's pink exterior and eye-catching artwork raises awareness for cancer and encourages women to be checked for the disease.
The car participated in the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art's 2004 Art Car Parade in Houston and won the "Steer This" Collegiate Award. It also appeared on Channel 2, including an interview from owner, Naturaleza Moore.
Erin's Playground: The Bobo Project. Tara Teter '05 and Erin Porter '05, Envision 2003
"Erin Mackenzie Peck was a promising architecture student with a bubbly laugh, a keen fashion sense, a love for music, practical jokes, and people. She had been at Rice for one year when she was taken from us by a drunk driver. We knew we wanted to create a memorial for Erin, something that embodied her spirit and ensured she would be with us in some way. We came upon Bobo, a little red stuffed creature that belonged to Erin. We wanted to give everyone a Bobo, a little piece of Erin that would eventually cover campus, cover Houston, and spread across the country, and across the globe. We unleashed Bobo in the form a pin, with instructions for Bobo’s “adoptive parents” to send pictures of Bobo having fun back to Rice. The project, and Erin, lives on as pictures are sent back and posted at bobo.rice.edu. A compilation of Bobo’s pictures and many adventures will also be displayed each year at Brown College around the anniversary of Erin’s death. Wearing the Bobo pin lets people know and remember Erin – and the consequences of drunk driving."
Different Religions Week. Nathan Black '06, Envision 2003
Different Religions Week is an international grassroots movement in its second year. During the week, people are encouraged to attend religious services of faiths different from their own. This Envision Grant will help spread the word about the week by funding a Web site, www.differentreligionsweek.org. The site will include information about how to attend various services. Different Religions Week 2004 is July 9-16.
Documentary about the Pro-Life Movement. Stephen Fell '05 and Will Thompson '05, Envision 2003-04
Check out this article about the documentary in the Summer 2005 issue of Rice Sallyport.
Junior Critical Literacy Project. Habib Irshad '04, Envision 2004
The Junior Critical Literacy Project is an educational initiative created by four students at Rice University and faculty members at Furr High School in Houston, Texas. Working with students in an eleventh grade English class, the goals of the project were to:
1. help students prepare for the TAKS test via cricitical assessment of educational journal articles, and
2. create a better composite of local dropouts for the HISD school board via interviews with former students and family members.
The Junior Critical Literacy Project was an incredible success. From transitioning students away from passive learning to empowering them to represent themselves and their school at a citywide conference, we were able to make in a tangible difference within the community. To read the complete report, click here.
Poland through Poetry. Hubert Gorniak '05, Envision 2004
The object of the project is to use contemporary Polish poetry as a foundation to define, and help explain, prevailing Polish attitudes reflected in the political climate. Hubert hopes to make a documentary answering the question, "What does it mean to be Polish today?" The project is also supported by the Parrish fellowship.
Healing the Senses Museum Exhibit. Anne van de Ven (PhD Candidate), Envision 2004
The students of Bioe 592: Sensory Neuroengineering designed and constructed a museum exhibit to educate the public about how the ear works, what can go wrong, and what we can do as engineers to repair hearing loss. The exhibit was on display in Keck Hall through Jan 6, 2005.
Bat Houses. Megan Mauter '06 and Davis Niendorff '05, Envision 2004
Most students at Rice University complain about three things: homework, humidity and horrible bug bites. This project alleviates some of the pain and itch of mosquito bites in an environmentally friendly manner. The Envision Grant will fund the construction of 6 large bat houses to be posted around Rice's campus. One of these bat houses will be equipped with a camera that allows for the monitoring of occupation and of the variety of bat species on campus. In addition, the live images from the video feed will be made available to the public via a website. With one bat's appetite for over 100 mosquitoes per evening and a capacity of 250 bats per house, bat house projects like this one can lead to considerable reduction in mosquito bite incidents in an area the size of the Rice campus.
