Continuing Studies offers discounts, variety in spring lineup

Continuing
Studies offers discounts, variety in spring lineup

BY CAROL HOPKINS
Special to the Rice News

Space scientists
and NASA officials will participate in a special series
of lectures celebrating 40 years of space science research
at Rice. “Space Exploration: History, Future, Science
and Politics” highlights the schedule of spring courses
offered by the School of Continuing Studies and will be
held over a period of 10 Monday evenings, Feb. 16 through
April 26.

Photo courtesy of NASA

President Kennedy announced plans to put a man on the moon during a 1962 speech at Rice Stadium. That event was the beginning of a relationship between Rice and NASA that continues today. The School of Continuing Studies’ spring schedule features a special series of lectures celebrating this relationship, “Space Exploration: History, Future, Science and Politics,” running Feb. 16 to April 26.

The university’s
special interest in the space program began in 1962 when
President Kennedy, during a speech at Rice Stadium, announced
plans to put a man on moon. In response, Rice created the
first space science department at any U.S. university. Over
the past 40 years, nearly every department in science and
engineering at Rice has participated in space research —
from mechanical engineering and materials science to computer
engineering and bioengineering.

In the Continuing
Studies course, space scientists, astronomers and physicists
from Rice, NASA and other institutions will explore the
latest discoveries in space science and astronomy, such
as the Galileo Mission to Jupiter and the Cassini Mission
to Saturn. Speakers include Patricia Reiff, director of
the Rice Space Institute and professor of physics and astronomy;
Carolyn Sumners, director of astronomy at the Houston Museum
of Natural Science and adjunct professor of physics and
astronomy; James Burch, vice president of Space Science
and Engineering at the Southwest Research Institute in San
Antonio; and Gerald Fishman and Hugh Christian, from the
NASA-Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. The
course fee for Rice faculty and staff is $77.50.

Most courses
in the Continuing Studies spring lineup begin in February
and will be held in the evenings or on Saturdays. Rice faculty,
staff and their immediate family members can receive discounts
of 25 to 50 percent on most courses. Course descriptions,
dates, fees and registration are available online at <www.scs.rice.edu>.

More than 20
courses are offered in arts, humanities and sciences, in
addition to a full schedule of courses in studio art, photography,
information technology, creative writing, communication
skills, personal finance and professional development. Instruction
in eight foreign languages is also available.

Additional highlights
of the spring semester include:

“The
Year’s Best: 2003 Rice University Teaching Award Winners”
Nine recipients of the 2002-2003 Rice teaching awards will
present intriguing topics from their areas of expertise,
including psychology, history and biblical studies. Speakers
include Ira Gruber, the Harris Masterson Jr. Professor of
History, and Dennis Huston, professor of English. Fee for
Rice faculty and staff: $73.50.

“Complementary
and Alternative Medicine: An Integrative Model” Leading
practitioners and researchers in the field of complementary
and alternative medicine (CAM) will explain the major types
of CAM and explore the new frontier of integrating holistic,
patient-centered health care with the best of research-based
Western medicine. Fee for Rice faculty and staff: $73.50.

“Thomas
Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and the West”
In celebration of the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark
expedition, John Boles, the William P. Hobby Professor of
History, will examine the historic, heroic event and the
role Jefferson played in its orchestration. Fee for Rice
faculty and staff: $55.

“Frontiers
of the Imagination: Mathematics Research and Discoveries”
Seven Rice mathematicians will explore mathematical topics
at the current frontier and present recent advances and
the intriguing challenges left unsolved. Speakers include
Robin Forman, professor and chair of the Department of Mathematics,
and William Symes, the Noah G. Harding Professor and chair
of the Department of Computational and Applied Mathematics.
Fee for Rice faculty and staff: $67.50.

Rice employees
should also check with their supervisors regarding tuition
reimbursement for job-related courses.

For a full spring
schedule, visit <www.scs.rice.edu>
or call 713-348-4803.

—Carol
Hopkins is the marketing director for the School of Continuing
Studies.