Dateline Rice for Aug. 21, 2013

FEATURED ITEM

Voice recognition will always be stupid
Suzanne Kemmer, director of cognitive sciences and associate professor of linguistics, commented on the potential for ongoing problems with automated voice recognition.
CNN (The story also appeared in eight other broadcast outlets.)
http://bit.ly/1bQ8vTj

How to grow your own photo
Microbes are not known for their artistic merit, but that has not stopped scientists at Rice and MIT from using bacteria to find their inner Ansel Adams. Jeff Tabor, assistant professor of bioengineering, is engineering light-sensitive strains of E. coli to produce red and green pigments. If anyone can coax these bacteria to produce blue pigment, he says, the world could see its first bacterial pixel — the foundation of microbial television screens.
Popular Science
http://bit.ly/16IMg23

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

A dark winter ahead
An op-ed by Andrew Bowen, Baker Institute Scholar for the Middle East at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, discusses the U.S.’s seeming disengagement from the resurgence of authoritarianism and violence from Egypt to Syria.
The Majalia (London)
http://bit.ly/1743KEv

La vida continua para ex presidentes de EEUU
Douglas Brinkley, professor of history and fellow in history at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, commented on the life after office of U.S. presidents.
Yahoo!News (An English translation was not available.) (The article also appeared in Markets.financialcontent.com, Terra.com [Spanish Version], Vida En El Valle [Fresno, Calif.] and El Nuevo Herald [Miami].)
http://yhoo.it/13FDi5e

Cartel’s brothers secretly met at Miramar
Nathan Jones, the Alfred C. Glassell III Postdoctoral Fellow in Drug Policy at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, commented on the likelihood that a member of the Arellano Felix cartel of Mexico is in U.S. protective custody as a collaborating witness.
UTSanDiego.com
http://bit.ly/1dsuDF9

What polls really say about gay marriage
The article references Rice’s recent study on attitudes about same-sex marriage. Michael Emerson, the Allyn and Gladys Cline Professor of Sociology and co-director of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, and graduate student Laura Essenburg are mentioned.
Chicago Sun-Times
http://bit.ly/1aqwY3x

This is what incoming freshmen at top colleges are reading before they get to campus
The article notes that Rice incoming freshmen were asked to read Susan Cain’s book “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking.”
BusinessInsider.com
http://read.bi/1dpxr5U

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Report: A&M degree worth $1M more than it costs
Rice was ranked by Affordable Colleges Online as having the best return on investment among private schools in Texas.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/1814aZh
San Antonio Express-News
http://bit.ly/1dsrRPX

Project Row Houses’ Summer Studios 201 is about communities, near and far
The blog mentions the contribution of art to a house in Houston’s inner-city Third Ward by the Rice Houston Action Research Team.
Houston Press
http://bit.ly/16ZA6OX

New leadership at some Spring Branch elementaries
Rice alumna Jennifer Jordan ’88 is the new principal of Memorial Drive Elementary School in Spring Branch, Texas. Jordan is quoted.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/158pFcZ

Chinese immersion school’s principal wants campus to be model for state
Rice alumnus Dane Roberts ’13 is the new assistant principal of the Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School in Houston.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/182GjZd

UH’s Princeton Miles finding new voice as solo artist
A profile on University of Houston student Princeton Miles mentions KUH’s “Music in the Making,” which spotlights new music from students at Rice and the University of Houston.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/1aqxgHK

BROADCAST/WEBCAST

KPFT-FM
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, discussed Texas politics Aug. 18. He also discussed U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s decision to renounce his Canadian citizenship on KTSA-AM (San Antonio) Aug. 20.
http://archive.kpft.org/ (click “play” on the Aug. 18 “Give Me Liberty” program link)
KTSA (San Antonio)
http://bit.ly/1f2IDDi (click audio)

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

William Marsh Rice University assigned patent
Rice was assigned a patent developed by Robert Hauge, distinguished faculty fellow in chemistry, and Ya-Quiong Xu ’06 for a production of vertical arrays of small diameter single-walled carbon nanotubes.
Equities.com
http://bit.ly/14xY6q7

NEETs are prime suspects in breast cancer proliferation
A study by Rice’s Center for Theoretical Biological Physics has identified two proteins as prime suspects in the proliferation of breast cancer. Jose Onuchic, the Harry C. and Olga K. Wiess Professor of Physics and Astronomy, is quoted.
ScienceDaily.com
http://bit.ly/14TxwXz
2 proteins identified as prime suspects in proliferation of breast cancer
NewsMedical.net
http://bit.ly/173rFUs
BioPortfolio.com
http://bit.ly/13Raxx7

Open-source textbooks projected to save students $3.7M
Rice’s open-source online textbook publisher OpenStax College announced this week that its open-source books would cut textbook costs by $3.7 million during the 2013-14 academic year.
eCampusNews.com (registration required)
http://bit.ly/158q3YW

Carbyne beats graphene as world’s strongest material: What can the ‘super’ substance do for engineering?
A Rice study shows that carbyne is actually twice as strong as graphene and exhibits unusual characteristics that make it appealing for a wide range of uses.
International Science Times (Similar articles also appeared in Phys.org, Crazy Engineers and SmartBrief.com)
http://bit.ly/14ZNw1j

Is brain mapping project the Apollo of our time?
Cyrus Mody, assistant professor of history, commented on the possible spillover into arts and pop culture of the U.S. national undertaking to map out the brain.
Mother Nature Network (Similar articles also appeared in Mashable.com, Yahoo! Maktoob and LiveScience.com.)
http://bit.ly/19J232Y

Spectrometer reads vibrations between atoms
A Rice laboratory has improved upon its ability to determine molecular structures in three dimensions in ways that challenge long-used standards. Junrong Zheng, assistant professor of chemistry, is quoted.
ChemeEurope.com
http://bit.ly/16JPr9X

Banks’ physical commodity trading comes under scrutiny
Vincent Kaminski, professor in the practice of executive education at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business, is quoted in this article on physical commodities trading by financial holding companies, a practice now under review by the U.S. Federal Reserve Board.
Risk.net (subscription required)
http://bit.ly/1dpD6IW

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

6 tips for mastering common app essay
The blog features a tip attributed to Tamara Siler ’86, senior associate director for admission and minority recruitment coordinator, suggesting applicants focus on a moment they feel has defined them as a person and student.
Evanston-Patch.com
http://bit.ly/1drS3u0

Spirituality’s connection to your well-being
Rice alumnus Alejandro Chaoul ’06 will be discussing the importance of spirituality and its connection to wellness at Houston Community College’s campus in Spring Branch, Texas, Sept. 13.
KatyNews.com
http://bit.ly/1d50fSv

UNM football Lobos depart Ruidoso and prepare for gridiron battles
Former Rice football head coach and Ruidoso Mayor Ray Alborn attended a public barbeque and send off for the University of New Mexico’s football team.
Ruidoso News (Ruidoso, N.M.) (This article also appeared in Farmington Daily Times [Farmington, N.M.], Alamagordon News [Alamogordon, N.M.] and Markets.FinancialContent.com.)
http://bit.ly/1f2213h

SPORTS

Predicting each college football team’s offensive and defensive MVP for 2013
McMurtry College senior Taylor McHargue and Wiess College senior Phillip Gaines are predicted to be the Owls’ most valuable players this season by BleacherReport.com.
BleacherReport.com
http://bit.ly/150n47y

Meet Johnny Manziel’s potential replacements for Texas A&M football
The Owls’ football opener Aug. 31 against Texas A&M is mentioned.
RantSports.com
http://bit.ly/13FjLBK
CBS Sports Network (click broadcast)(Similar mentions of Rice’s opener against Texas A&M and Aggie quarterback Johnny Manziel also aired on three other broadcast outlets and in 13 news outlets.)
http://bit.ly/159yNOD