Rice U. to announce creation of Texas Policy Lab Aug. 30

Rice University
Office of Public Affairs / News & Media Relations

MEDIA ADVISORY

David Ruth
713-348-6327
david@rice.edu

Amy McCaig
713-348-6777
amym@rice.edu

David Hebert (Arnold Foundation contact)
713-554-1967
dhebert@arnoldfoundation.org

                              Rice U. to announce creation of Texas Policy Lab Aug. 30

HOUSTON – (Aug. 27, 2018) – Rice University’s School of Social Sciences will formally announce the launch of a new entity that will work side-by-side with Texas’ policymakers to solve some of the state’s most pressing problems.

Texas State Capitol Building in Austin, TX.

At an Aug. 30 press conference at 9 a.m. on the south steps of Texas Capitol building, representatives from Rice, the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, the Texas Veterans Commission, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and the Department of Family and Protective Services will join together to announce the creation of the Texas Policy Lab, which will use cutting-edge scientific research to offer state officials data-driven insights and solutions to make a difference in the lives of all Texans.

Who:              Representatives from Rice University and the Texas Veterans Commission, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the Department of Family and Protective Services.

What:             Press conference announcing the formation of the Texas Policy Lab.

When:            9 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 30.

Where:           South steps of the Texas Capitol building, located at 1100 Congress Ave. in Austin.

The lab will partner with Texas government agencies to translate their concerns and questions into data-driven, policy-relevant research projects that inform their decision-making. The Texas Policy Lab is part of a multi-million dollar national initiative funded by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation (LJAF) bringing together data experts, social scientists and state officials to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of public programs.

More information on parking at the Texas Capitol building is available at https://tspb.texas.gov/plan/parking/parking.html.

For more information or to RSVP to the press conference, contact Amy McCaig, senior media relations specialist at Rice, at 713-348-6777 or amym@rice.edu.

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This news release can be found online at http://news.rice.edu.

Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews.

Follow the Laura and John Arnold Foundation via Twitter @LJA_Foundation

Related materials:

Rice School of Social Sciences website: https://socialsciences.rice.edu/

Laura and John Arnold Foundation website: https://www.arnoldfoundation.org/

Photo link: http://news.rice.edu/files/2018/08/36661036_l-21314a2.jpg

Photo credit: 123rf.com

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,970 undergraduates and 2,934 graduate students, Rice’s undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 2 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. To read “What they’re saying about Rice,” go to http://tinyurl.com/RiceUniversityoverview.

About the Laura and John Arnold Foundation

The Laura and John Arnold Foundation’s core objective is to improve the lives of individuals by strengthening our nation’s social, governmental and economic systems. Its investments are focused on criminal justice, education, health care and several other key areas. LJAF has offices in Houston, New York City and Washington, D.C.