Dateline Rice for Nov. 13, 2012

FEATURED ITEMS

US on course to regain world oil crown
In a turnaround that would have seemed far-fetched a few years ago, the United States is projected to surpass Saudi Arabia as the world’s top oil producer by 2020 while cutting its own energy use faster than any other nation, the International Energy Agency reports. Ken Medlock, the James A. Baker III and Susan Baker Fellow in Energy and Resource Economics at the Baker Institute, senior director of the Center for Energy Studies and adjunct assistant professor in economics, is quoted in this front-page, above-the-fold article.
Houston Chronicle (This article also appeared in the San Antonio Express-News.)
http://bit.ly/TXvIeW

Solar power: An alternative device to sterilize surgical instruments in rural areas
Engineering students at Rice University fashioned a sterilizing autoclave using a Capteur Soleil, a device created decades ago by a French inventor to capture the energy of the sun in places where electricity — or fuel of any kind — is hard to get. Doug Schuler, associate professor of business and public policy at the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business, is quoted and pictured.
New York Times
http://nyti.ms/PRxSfq

Obesity plagues kids in poor neighborhoods
Children living in neighborhoods where poverty levels are high and education levels are low are more likely to be obese than children in more affluent communities. Justin Denney, assistant professor of sociology, and Rachel Tolbert Kimbro, assistant professor of sociology and director of the Kinder Institute’s Urban Health Program, are quoted. Kimbro also appeared on KPFT-FM’s "Growing up in America" to discuss this research. The interview begins approximately 14 minutes into the clip.
Futurity.org
http://www.futurity.org/top-stories/obesity-plagues-kids-in-poor-neighborhoods/
Poorer children at higher risk for becoming obese
BestSyndication.com
http://bit.ly/ZjAJAt
KPFT-FM’s ‘Growing up in America’
http://archive.kpft.org/mp3/kpft_121112_150000gruphstn.mp3

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Groupon is no deal for merchants
Groupon and its compatriots in the much-hyped daily deals business were supposed to change the very nature of small-business advertising. Instead, the daily deal vendors are racing to change as evidence mounts that their business model is fundamentally flawed. Utpal Dholakia, professor of marketing at the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business, is quoted. Dholakia is also quoted in other articles about Groupon.
MSN.com (This article also appeared in Crain’s Chicago Business, the Orlando Sentinel, FoxBusiness.com, HuffingtonPost.com, LiveMint.com and nearly 130 other media outlets.)
http://on-msn.com/SQBtrH
Groupon stock plunges, has lost 90 percent of value since IPO
ArsTechnica.com
http://bit.ly/SHKBhT
Loyalty programs: One of the hottest trends for retailers in 2013
Retailing Today
http://bit.ly/UzLz5C

MIT breakthrough could lead to paper-thin bullet-proof armor
Researchers are firing microscale ammo in an effort to identify materials that can offer better protection to soldiers, aircrafts and satellites. Ned Thomas, the William and Stephanie Sick Dean of Engineering, professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and of chemical and biomolecular engineering, is quoted.
Gizmag.com
http://bit.ly/XyM3tk
Tiny layered materials make ultra-light bulletproof armor
Popular Science
http://bit.ly/PQ1DNM

Veterans Day 2012
An op-ed discusses undergraduate veterans and notes that Rice is among the schools with the largest number of undergraduate veterans in a survey of 31 colleges and universities in the Consortium on Financing Higher Education.
Inside Higher Ed
http://bit.ly/W3u1u7

Toronto designer wins international award for Popemobile redesign
Rice is mentioned in an article about the winners of the 2012 Autostyle Design Competition.
Yahoo.com
http://yhoo.it/TVUaNP

One man, one computer, 10 million students: How Khan Academy is reinventing education
Rice is mentioned in an article about Khan Academy and online education.
Chicago Tribune (subscription required)
http://trib.in/TCJsXO

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Did Ted Cruz do better in Latino areas than other Republicans?
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 articles about the November elections.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/SSHHrc
Texas GOP leaders, base at odds over wooing Hispanics
Sherman Herald Democrat
http://bit.ly/W5rqzQ

‘Tartuffe’ at Rice University: Tweaking the noses of nobility
An article discusses a production of Moliere’s play "Tartuffe" at Rice. Samuel Sparks, lecturer in theater, is mentioned, along with several Rice students acting in the play.
Houston Press
http://bit.ly/SQt8o1

Comerica nurtures life sciences, tech lending in Houston
Comerica Bank is expanding its national life sciences and tech lending group in Houston. Rice is mentioned.
Houston Business Journal
http://bit.ly/UApuDY

A class act
Rice is mentioned in a letter to the editor about late University of Texas at Austin football coach Darrell Royal.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/RVcdRN

BROADCAST/WEBCAST

KHOU-TV
No fewer than three people have already declared their candidacy for the state senate seat vacated by the late Mario Gallegos. 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.
http://bit.ly/QDUX6U

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Smart scaffolding aims to rebuild tissue from the inside
Smart scaffolding that can guide cells, proteins and small-molecule drugs to make new tissue and repair damage inside the body is in development at Rice University. Jeffrey Hartgerink, associate professor of chemistry and of bioengineering, is quoted.
NextBigFuture.com
http://nextbigfuture.com/2012/11/smart-scaffolding-aims-to-rebuild.html

Eight new PTAB judges sworn in at the United States Patent and Trademark Office
Alumnus Christopher Crumbley ’97 is one of eight new administrative law judges sworn in to serve on the Patent Trial and Appeals Board.
IPWatchdog.com
http://bit.ly/SXJfSO

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

‘First Freedom’ to air on PBS Dec. 18
Douglas Brinkley, professor of history and fellow in history at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is credited as a scriptwriter for the Public Broadcasting Service documentary "Fight for Religious Liberty." Brinkley is also quoted in an article about the Theodore Roosevelt exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History.
MonstersAndCritics.com
http://bit.ly/TXXkAE
Become a junior conservationist at one of America’s premier museums
SmarterTravel.com
http://bit.ly/UDkFEc

Piano piece specially composed for Sarawak
An article discusses a piano concert by alumnus Kimball Gallagher ’02 in Borneo.
Borneo Post
http://bit.ly/RA83ip

SPORTS

SMU vs. Rice: Bowl eligibility at stake for Mustangs, Owls
An article previews a football game between Rice and Southern Methodist University.
SBNation.com
http://sbn.to/SXL9D6

An unforgettable football weekend in Texas
Rice is mentioned in a Houston Chronicle editorial about the Texas A&M University football team.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/X31IBU

Rendon a big hit in Arizona Fall League action
An article discusses the performance of former Rice baseball standout Anthony Rendon in the Arizona Fall League.
MLB.com
http://atmlb.com/RA6AIZ

Counseling inadequate in student-athletes tested for sickle cell
Student-athletes tested for sickle cell status do not receive adequate pre- or posttest counseling or education, according to a study presented at the 62nd annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics. The death of Rice football player Dale Lloyd II is mentioned.
MedScape.com (subscription required)
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/774299

NEWS RELEASE

Rice Seminar presents program on trafficking of girls and women in Houston Nov. 14
Julie Waters, a local attorney and director of Free the Captives, a Houston faith-based, anti-human-trafficking nonprofit, will lead a presentation of efforts to fight the trafficking of American girls and international women in Houston as part of the inaugural 2012-13 Rice Seminar, "Human Trafficking Past and Present: Crossing Disciplines, Crossing Borders," at Rice University Nov. 14.
https://news2.rice.edu/?p=37151