Collaboration happens both inside and outside the classrooms in the Department of Computer Science. To foster this lively community and to educate students about internships, careers, and a professional life in computer science, the department and undergraduate organizations organize tech talks, lunch-and-learns, and other activities. The student organizations also host events that allow students to practice their problem-solving and coding skills as well as their networking and interview skills.
Every CS student runs into a problem in their code sooner or later. Students continually offer each other support within their project teams, college study groups, and the department-sponsored clubs. Just as important as academic support is the social aspect of the clubs. Taking a study break or working on a side project helps keep students grounded and also introduces them to peers in the same or similar situations.
Clubs and Initiatives
CS Club: An organization dedicated to providing Rice students with a tight-knit community of friends and mentors to promote and advocate computer science and working with tech. Resources for members include company-sponsored informational and networking events, résumé review and algorithm challenge sessions, study breaks, social outings, and tech workshops. Two of our most popular initiatives are Rice Apps and HackRice. No membership fee or annual dues.
- HackRice Rice and non-Rice students alike form teams and spend a weekend creating a project, typically software, in an environment optimized for creativity. At the end of the event, the participants demonstrate their projects to fellow hackers, visitors, and a panel of judges; club membership not required to participate.
- Rice Apps Rice students work on applications that benefit the Rice community and learn how to rapidly prototype, develop, and iterate on ideas; club membership required to participate.
CSters: Created as a network for individuals interested in Computer Science, we specifically support female enrollment in CS at Rice and focus on the unique challenges women face in CS careers; however, we extend an open invitation to all persons interested in the potential of computing. No membership fee or annual dues.
- Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Club membership required to apply for funding; current students apply each spring for the annual conference held in October.
ICPC Club: Rice's chapter of International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC), the most widely recognized global competition in the field of computing that fosters creativity and collaboration amongst students to solve highly challenging computer programming problems. The club offers weekly computer programming contests and ongoing mentorship in challenging advanced topics overlapping with the Rice CS curriculum.
oSTEM: Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics represents Rice's chapter of the national organization. oSTEM’s mission is to empower LGBTQ+ people in STEM to succeed personally, academically, and professionally by cultivating environments and communities that nurture innovation, leadership, and advocacy.
Rice Robotics Club: An organization to provide college students hands-on experience with technology and engineering, regardless of major or year.
RemixCS: A group of Rice CS students changing the way minority high school students are introduced to computing.
Department Activities Not Requiring Membership
- CS-Majors or CS-Friends Mailing Lists
- Programming Contest Under the sponsorship of John Greiner, multiple Rice teams compete annually in the regional ACM-ICPC event; Rice teams have also advanced to the national and world finals.
- Employer Tech Talks and Webinars
Center for Career Development
The Center for Career Development (CCD) hosts tech talks and events like career and internship expos. Learn more.