Gold Medal Award

Mark S. Scheid ’67, ’72

For more than four decades, Mark S. Scheid ’67, ’72 has made a transformative impact on Rice University, higher education and international learning, helping shape how Rice students and the university engage with the world.

A proud Rice alumnus and member of Baker College, Scheid earned his bachelor’s degree in English and history in 1967 and his Ph.D. in English literature in 1972. His connection to Rice deepened over the years as a visiting professor, administrator and parent of Rice graduates.

At Rice, Scheid served as major scholarships adviser, associate director and director of academic advising, and the university’s first academic adviser to student-athletes. He trained faculty and student advisers, participated in admissions and guided students toward academic and scholarship opportunities. He also served as a community associate for Hanszen College, helping foster a supportive residential environment for students. During this time, he also held a dual appointment at Texas Southern University, where he taught from 1971 to 1997 as a tenured professor of English and founded and directed its Creative Writing Program.

Scheid later became assistant vice president of student affairs and executive director of international programs and scholarships, overseeing study abroad programs that sent approximately 250 students each year to Rice-approved international study and internship programs. He founded the Rice Fellows Program to guide graduates toward Rhodes and Marshall scholarships and helped elevate global study to a strategic academic priority.

He served as assistant to the president under both President Malcolm Gillis and President David Leebron and led Rice’s Crisis Management and Emergency Response Team. In 2006, he became managing director for programs and international studies at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy.

He also helped establish the Forum on Education Abroad, now the leading organization setting standards for quality, ethics and professional practice in study abroad programs. Scheid helped put Rice on the world stage, serving as an emissary for his alma mater through keynote lectures and panel discussions around the world. He has served on advisory boards locally and internationally, including Houston’s Main Street Theater and the China and India advisory committees of the Alliance for Global Education.

After leaving Rice, Scheid continued his leadership in global education as founding president of Tan Tao University in Vietnam and later as president of the Institute for Study Abroad at Butler University. In retirement, Scheid continues to mentor Rice alumni and students.

A twice-appointed Fulbright Senior Specialist in higher education, he has influenced international student access and global education initiatives. As one nominator noted, his legacy “is defined by visionary leadership, deep compassion and an unwavering commitment to fostering international understanding.”

Distinguished Alumni Award

David M. Eagleman ’93

An inventor, entrepreneur and one of the world’s foremost neuroscientists, David M. Eagleman ’93 is renowned for his groundbreaking research and his ability to bring neuroscience to global audiences.

After earning a bachelor’s in British and American literature at Rice University, Eagleman earned his doctorate in neuroscience from Baylor College of Medicine, directed a research lab there for more than a decade and currently is an adjunct professor at Stanford University.

Eagleman’s research spans brain plasticity, time perception, synesthesia and neurolaw. He has published more than 130 peer-reviewed articles and developed technologies with real-world impact, including sensory substitution devices for the hearing-impaired. He holds 28 patents in haptics, sensory substitution and cognitive assessment systems, and his work has led to the founding of several neurotechnology companies. He also co-founded the Center for Science and Law, a nonprofit that aligns neuroscience with legal policy.

A New York Times bestselling author, Eagleman has written “Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain,” “Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain,” “The Brain: The Story of You” and “The Runaway Species: How Human Creativity Remakes the World,” co-authored with Rice professor Anthony Brandt. His literary fiction, “Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives,” became an international bestseller. His Emmy-nominated PBS series “The Brain with David Eagleman” and podcast “Inner Cosmos” have reached millions.

Eagleman has received a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Bell Laboratories Luminary Award and numerous other honors. He has appeared at TED and the World Science Festival, making neuroscience accessible to broad audiences.

A devoted Rice alumnus, Eagleman was the inaugural speaker for the Raleigh W. Johnson Jr. Lecture in the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing and has taught courses connecting neuroscience and the law. As one nominator remarked, “he has translated scientific discovery into tools that empower individuals and advance human health; his leadership, creativity and vision demonstrate the power of science to serve society.”

Caroline A. Shaw ’04

One of the most celebrated and sought-after artists of her generation, Caroline A. Shaw ’04 exemplifies artistic excellence, innovation and creative leadership across genres.

While a student at Rice’s Shepherd School of Music, Shaw graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Music in violin and went on to earn a Master of Music from Yale University in 2007. After moving to New York in 2008, she joined the progressive a cappella ensemble Roomful of Teeth and began composing for them, including “Partita for 8 Voices.” While enrolled in a PhD program in composition at Princeton University, she submitted “Partita” to the Pulitzer jury, which quickly brought her into the public spotlight.

In 2013, at just 30, Shaw became the youngest recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Music for her groundbreaking "Partita,” a work that reimagined vocal composition and established her as a leading voice in contemporary classical music. She has since become one of the most commissioned and performed composers of her generation, blending classical tradition with popular and film influences.

Shaw’s prolific output spans orchestral, chamber and vocal works. She is one of the original members of Roomful of Teeth and performs as both a vocalist and a violinist, collaborating with leading groups such as the American Contemporary Ensemble. Her work has been featured by world-class institutions including the New York Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and she has collaborated with artists ranging from Yo-Yo Ma to Rosalía. She also appeared as herself in the Amazon Prime series “Mozart in the Jungle.”

With four Grammy Awards and performances at venues such as the Lincoln Center, Shaw’s résumé reflects global impact and artistic range. Yet those who know her best describe her as humble, generous and deeply connected to community. Even as her international career flourishes, she remains closely connected to her alma mater, returning to Rice to perform and to share her experiences with current students.

One nominator called Shaw “truly a Renaissance women of the highest order,” whose career continues to inspire musicians and audiences alike.

R. Stanley Williams ’74

From pioneering nanoelectronic technologies to redefining how future computers can function, R. Stanley “Stan” Williams ’74 has built a career marked by transformative scientific achievement and visionary leadership across industry and academia.

Williams earned his B.A. in chemical physics, magna cum laude, from Rice University in 1974 and completed his M.S. and Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley in 1978. He began his career at AT&T Bell Laboratories and later spent 15 years as a professor of chemistry at UCLA before joining Hewlett-Packard in 1995.

At HP Labs, Williams became founding director of the Quantum Science Research Laboratory and later served as HP Senior Fellow, laboratory director and senior vice president. He led globally influential research programs in molecular electronics and defect-tolerant computing, based on resistive crossbar switches, which defined future nanotechnology architectures. In 2008, he led the team that demonstrated the first practical memristor, a breakthrough electronic component capable of storing information as resistance that is revolutionizing analog data storage and computing.

After retiring from Hewlett Packard Enterprise in 2018, Williams joined Texas A&M University as professor of electrical and computer engineering and holds the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Chair. Since 2022, he has directed the Department of Energy’s Energy Frontier Research Center reMIND, leading research on reconfigurable electronic materials inspired by neural systems and advancing next-generation computing technologies, based on nonequilibrium thermodynamics and nonlinear dynamics.

Williams has published more than 500 peer-reviewed papers, holds over 230 U.S. patents and has received numerous honors in physics, chemistry and engineering. A devoted alumnus, he credits Rice for igniting his passion for science and continues to inspire future scientists through mentorship and global scientific leadership. One nominator praised his “unwavering commitment to education, collaboration and the pursuit of knowledge that transforms the world.”

Meritorious Service Award

Ed. K. Biegert, Ph.D., ’74, ’76, ’77

Ed. K. Biegert ’74, ’76, ’77, a world-renowned geoscientist, has leveraged his career and connections to foster excellence at Rice University and expand opportunities for students and faculty.

A thrice-Rice graduate, Biegert spent more than 40 years at Shell Oil Company, rising to global principal technical expert for non-seismic geophysics. He led international surveys and research projects and pioneered technologies such as satellite detection of oil slicks and marine sensors for mapping the ocean floor.

Motivated to give back to his alma mater, Biegert has devoted decades of service across schools, departments and programs at Rice University. Through mentorship, teaching and leadership, he strengthened the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences and has served for more than 15 years on the Board of Affiliates for Rice’s Professional Science Master’s Program. His guidance has increased Rice’s visibility among energy companies and helped students secure internships and jobs.

Biegert also founded and sustained the Industry-Rice Earth Science Symposium to connect Rice students and faculty with the energy industry, advancing collaboration, careers and academic partnerships. In addition, he serves as founding member and inaugural chair of the External Advisory Board of the Wiess School of Natural Sciences and remains deeply engaged with the Hanszen College community as a community associate, often opening his home for social events.

A generous philanthropist, Biegert and his wife Cathleen Trechter ’77 have endowed fellowships and research programs supporting graduate and undergraduate students in physics and Earth science. As one nominator summarized, “No alum has had a greater influence on the Wiess School of Natural Sciences in the last decade.”

Michael D. Maher, Ph. D., ’75, ’79, ’803

Michael Maher ’75, ’79, ’80 has demonstrated extraordinary dedication to Rice University, investing his time, expertise and resources to advance student success and strengthen Rice’s programs.

After earning his B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from Rice, Maher began a 34-year career at ExxonMobil Corporation, culminating with 15 years as senior adviser in public and government affairs. After retiring in 2013, he joined the James A. Baker Institute for Public Policy as senior program adviser in the Center for Energy Studies, where he continues to connect Rice students and alumni with energy industry leaders. He also established the Peter Hartley Future Energy Leaders Initiative, which brings graduate students together monthly to engage with executives and learn from their career experiences.

Maher has served the Rice community in numerous leadership roles. He was founding chair of the Alumni Advisory Board for the School of Social Sciences, served on the Association of Rice Alumni Board, and since 2022 has served on the Board of Affiliates for the Master of Energy Economics and Master of Global Affairs programs. For a decade, he was a community associate for Martel College, and in 2013 he helped create the Advisory Board for the Center for Career Development (CCD), serving as its inaugural chair.

Over the past decade, Maher has volunteered more than 1,000 hours at Rice, mentoring students and alumni, moderating panels, reviewing resumes, hosting Owl Edge Externships, sponsoring Baker Institute externships and participating in the Owl Mentor Nest at CCD career fairs. In addition to volunteering, he has personally contributed to funds supporting students, faculty and campus initiatives.

One nominator summarized his impact: Maher “has consistently gone above and beyond, quietly and effectively serving the Rice community with a singular focus on helping others succeed.”