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Who knew cancer research could hitch a ride in an art car parade?

Wacky, weird and gold-studded, Rice University’s 2009 Art Car, Unconventional Wisdom, took Rice’s unconventional approach to cancer therapy to the streets of Houston. The car, inspired by nanoshells — tiny gold beads developed by Rice Professor Naomi Halas — was replete with 5,000 gold ping-pong balls, as well as the “all-girl cancer-killing team” of Halas and her fellow collaborator, Professor Jennifer West. Proven effective at destroying cancerous tumors in laboratory animals, nanoshells have led to a promising experimental cancer treatment for humans, AuroLase. While Rice provided the ride at Saturday’s 22nd Annual Houston Art Car Parade, Professors Halas and West were the real driving force.