Dateline Rice for Aug. 23, 2012

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Swing-state aid agencies denying voter signups draw suits
Bob Stein, the Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science and fellow in urban politics at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted in an article about efforts to compel states to ensure voter participation in the November elections.
Bloomberg.com (This article also appeared in Businessweek.)
http://bloom.bg/OTeGbt

CNN secures in-depth interviews with Obama and Romney for presidential profiles
Douglas Brinkley, professor of history and fellow in history at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, will appear in the CNN documentary "Obama Revealed." Brinkley is also mentioned in an article about efforts to unseat Rep. Don Young.
CNN.com
http://bit.ly/NHNTQM
President spurns MSNBC for CNN: Obama, Romney sit for pre-convention docs
Politico.com
http://politi.co/QqcxEi
Can a gang of hopeful Davids slay political Goliath Don Young?
AlaskaDispatch.com
http://bit.ly/RFRrJi

Why the American silence on Israel?
Edward Djerejian, founding director of Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted in an op-ed about American diplomacy with Israel.
AMIN.org
http://www.amin.org/articles.php?t=ENews&id=3944

Vowel movement
Nancy Niedzielski, associate professor and chair of linguistics, is quoted in articles about America’s shifting dialects.
Slate.com
http://slate.me/PFAWcH
Do you speak Michigan?
FlintExpats.com
http://www.flintexpats.com/2012/08/do-you-speak-michigan.html

Soul mates can smell each other’s emotions
Denise Chen, adjunct assistant professor of neuroscience, is quoted in an article about her research on emotional cues in body odor.
Mid Day (India)
http://bit.ly/PzBAsJ

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Rice ranked among top 100 universities worldwide
Rice is ranked 91st in the Center for World-Class Universities’ 2012 Academic Ranking of World Universities.
Houston Business Journal
http://bit.ly/OykIkB

Is Obama immigration policy ‘bold action’ or a ‘reckless amnesty agenda’?
Mark Jones, the Joseph D. Jamail Chair in Latin American Studies, professor and chair of political science and fellow in political science at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted in an article about President Barack Obama’s immigration policy. Jones is also quoted in an article about Texas GOP Senate candidate Ted Cruz.
Houston Chronicle (This article also appeared in the San Antonio Express-News.)
http://bit.ly/PyIdvm
Ted Cruz — a Latino on fire represents Texas’ future
Voxxi.com
http://www.voxxi.com/ted-cruz-latino-fire-texas-future/

Reel déjà vu: Hollywood mining classic novels
Charles Dove, film program director, lecturer and professor in the practice of visual and dramatic arts, is quoted in an article about upcoming cinematic literary adaptations.
San Antonio Express-News
http://bit.ly/NFDlG7

UT considering massive open online courses
An article reports that the University of Texas at Austin is in negotiations with Coursera and edX, two of the most prominent companies engaged in the mass distribution of course content from elite universities for free online. Rice is mentioned.
Texas Tribune (This article also appeared on PermianBasin360.com [Midland, Texas] and UniversityBusiness.com.)
http://bit.ly/MNfDGG

City workers to share green vehicles
Already operating one of the nation’s largest municipal fleets of hybrid vehicles, Houston strengthened its commitment to green transportation by launching a computer-managed car-sharing program for 300 workers in 13 downtown departments. The Zipcar service at Rice is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (This article also appeared on the front of the City & State section and also in the San Francisco Chronicle.)
http://bit.ly/PEFe2a

City life is a good life, once again
Rice research is cited in an article about population growth in Fort Worth, Texas, urban areas.
Fort Worth Weekly
http://www.fwweekly.com/2012/08/22/city-life-good-life/3/

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Knowing the enemy
An article examines the research of Herbert Levine, the Karl F. Hasselmann Professor of Bioengineering and co-director of the Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, and colleagues into the shared traits of cancer cells and bacteria.
European Hospital (This article also appeared on TherapeuticsDaily.com.)
http://bit.ly/NIiUnw

Solar cell efficiency receives a transparent boost
Officials with Phillips 66 announced that their partnership with California startup Solarmer Energy and a Chinese university has yielded the most efficient polymer-based organic solar cell yet, a milestone that puts them closer to marketing the technology. Andrew Barron, the Charles W. Duncan Jr.-Welch Professor of Chemistry and professor of materials science, is quoted.
EnergyBiz.com (This article also appeared on RenewablesBiz.com and EnergyCentral.com.)
http://bit.ly/R3tPb4

This guy is paid to work on a 200-inch 3-D interactive screen
An article discusses the NSF-funded DAVinCI visualization wall at Rice’s Chevron Visualization Laboratory. A Rice-produced video is featured.
SpectroscopyNews.com
http://bit.ly/NljNB3

Researchers assess stereotypes of immigrants
A new study led by the University of Cincinnati examines stereotypes of immigrants from four global regions and measures opinions of the impact of immigration on U.S. society. Junia Howell, a graduate student in sociology, is mentioned.
IowaAgConnection.com (This article also appeared on KentuckyAgConnection.com, MichiganAgConnection.com, SouthDakotaAgConnection.com, PennsylvaniaAgConnection.com, MinnesotaAgConnection.com, NebraskaAgConnection.com, WisconsinAgConnection.com, OhioAgConnection.com, USAgNet.com and NetNewsPublisher.com.)
http://bit.ly/NIhc5y

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Rice University ranks on 9 Princeton Review lists
Rice is ranked No. 1 for happiest students in the 2013 edition of the Princeton Review’s "The Best 377 Colleges."
The Oklahoman (This article also appeared on CIO.com, RCRWireless.com and FinancialContent.com.)
http://bit.ly/Pd9SPG

Chinese, US universities agree to strengthen academic cooperation
Chongqing Normal University of China and the China-U.S. Center at Rice University have signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen their academic cooperation over the next five years. Phil Bedient, the Herman Brown Professor of Engineering and director of Rice’s Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center, is quoted.
WhatsOnNingbo.com
http://www.whatsonningbo.com/education/1367.html

A requiem for reading?
An op-ed about the demise of independent book stores in San Diego cites a Rice lecture by alumnus Larry McMurtry ’60.
Patch.com
http://bit.ly/PEvtRE

ACORN fundraiser’s journo org smears True the Vote
An op-ed responding to an article about voter suppression cites a passage that quoted Chandler Davidson, the Radoslav A. Tsanoff Professor Emeritus of Public Affairs and Sociology.
Breitbart.com
http://bit.ly/PGXcTJ

SPORTS

Injuries continue to mount for Owls
Due to an ankle injury, McMurtry College sophomore John Poehlmann will miss the upcoming football season.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/NHmId7

NEWS RELEASE

How to feed data-hungry mobile devices? Use more antennas
Researchers from Rice University today unveiled a new multi-antenna technology that could help wireless providers keep pace with the voracious demands of data-hungry smartphones and tablets.
https://news2.rice.edu/?p=33103