Dateline Rice for Oct. 18, 2013

FEATURED ITEM

Rice goes nuts for squirrels
Columnist Kyrie O’Connor writes about Rice being named one of the “Colleges Most Obsessed With Squirrels” by the Huffington Post. Susann Glenn, manager of communications for Rice Facilities Engineering and Planning, and Richard Johnson ’92, director of the Administrative Center for Sustainability and Energy Management, discuss Rice’s squirrels.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required. This article appeared on the front of the Star section.)
http://bit.ly/GTW2Ds

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Decriminalize the marijuana business
Nathan Jones, the Alfred C. Glassell III Postdoctoral Fellow in Drug Policy at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is mentioned in an article about decriminalizing marijuana.
Reuters
http://reut.rs/1gRlTde

Best values in private colleges, 2014
Rice is No. 3 on the list of best values among private universities published Oct. 17 by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine.
Kiplinger.com (This article also appeared in Yahoo!Finance.)
http://bit.ly/16g6v86

Professors grab less of media spotlight
Rice’s School of Social Sciences is ranked No. 1 in a new study based on faculty citations in the news media and federal research funding.
The GW Hatchet
http://www.gwhatchet.com/2013/10/17/professors-grab-less-of-media-spotlight/

Ted Cruz throws in the towel, proclaims victory
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 U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.
Latino Times
http://bit.ly/19QahSR

Capital W stands for WashU and Wikipedia
Former Rice professor Joan Strassmann is featured in an article about using Wikipedia as an educational tool.
St. Louis Beacon
http://bit.ly/19WgzUE

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Mezzo Jamie Barton plays ‘waiting game’
Stephen King, the Lynette S. Autrey Professor of Voice and chair of vocal studies at the Shepherd School of Music, is quoted in an article about mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton.
Austin360.com
http://bit.ly/1aVIhgA

BROADCAST/WEBCAST

Supporters of Prop. 6 more worried about ignorance than opposition
Bob Stein, the Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science, is quoted in a report on state Proposition 6.
KUHF.org
http://bit.ly/H7OInM

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Rice team rises to big-data breast cancer challenge
Amina Qutub, an assistant professor of bioengineering, is quoted in an article about a BioWheel developed by Rice University bioengineers to visualize protein interactions that has won an international competition for novel strategies to study the roots of breast cancer. Graduate student Wendy Hu is also mentioned.
YourFortBendNews.com (This article also appears in the MedicalXpress.)
http://bit.ly/19dWW7M

Carbon’s new champion
A material called carbyne could be stronger even than graphene or diamond, according to Rice researchers who have calculated its properties. Boris Yakobson, the Karl F. Hasselmann Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, professor of chemistry and member of the Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, and postdoctoral researcher Vasilii Artyukhov are quoted.
Hispanic Business.com (This article also appeared in Chemeurope.com.)
http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/2013/10/17/carbon_s_new_champion.htm
Carbyne becomes strongest material ever
Yahoo!News India
http://bit.ly/19e77cn
Carbyne Predicted To Be Strongest Known Material
C&EN.com
http://bit.ly/H1yMnA

‘White graphene’ protects materials from oxidation in high temps
Rice researchers have discovered that nano-thin films of hexagonal boron nitride — also called “white graphene” — protect materials from oxidizing. Pulickel Ajayan, the Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor in Engineering and professor of mechanical engineering and materials science, of chemistry and of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and Jun Lou, associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science, are quoted.
Solar Novus Today
http://bit.ly/17R4eun
Graphene-polymer composite-light tanks to keep gases in check
New Materials International
http://bit.ly/1gR95Ug

Jupiter seen and heard in night sky over Columbia
James Dunham, professor of viola and chamber music at Rice’s Shepherd School of Music, will be joining the Jupiter String Quartet for a recital at the Howard Community College’s Smith Theatre.
The Baltimore Sun
http://bsun.md/19XBYLr

Scientists create self-renewing antioxidant
Scientists at Rice are enhancing the natural antioxidant properties of an element found in a car’s catalytic converter to make it useful for medical applications. Vicki Colvin, the Kenneth S. Pitzer-Schlumberger Professor of Chemistry, vice provost for research and professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, is quoted.
Medical News Today (This article also appeared in the Dublin News.)
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/267513.php

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Event highlights women of color in academics
Nicole Waligora-Davis, associate professor of English, will speak at the “Women of Color Academia” symposium being held at the University of North Texas.
NT Daily.com
http://ntdaily.com/studio-startup-enables-local-artists/

Quartet coming to the Stude Hall Oct. 24
Timothy Pitts, professor of double bass at Rice’s Shepherd School of Music, will be joining the Takacs Quartet for a performance at Stude Hall Oct. 24.
Jewish-Herald Voice
http://jhvonline.com/quartet-coming-to-stude-hall-oct-p15989-152.htm

Hugh W. Sanborn, B.D, S.T.M., Ph.D.
Hugh W. Sanburn, an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Religion, died Oct. 17.
Coloradoan.com
http://noconow.co/H1v4uc

Sammy R. Ray
Rice alumnus Sammy Ray ’52 died Oct. 14.
GuidryNews.com
http://www.guidrynews.com/story.aspx?id=1000055981

Reducing coincidence with mathematics: An interview with Nets Katz 
Rice alumnus Nets Katz ’90 is featured in an article about him joining the faculty at Caltech and his research in a field of math called combinatorics.
Caltech News
http://bit.ly/18sNC0d

‘What do you do?’
Eric Dane, assistant professor of management at the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business, is mentioned as a participant in a study entitled “What Clients Don’t Get about My Profession: A Model of Perceived Role-Based Image Discrepancies.”
The Boston College Chronicle
http://bit.ly/1fItThL

SPORTS

Rice football still trying to put together four quarters
Rice head football coach David Bailiff is quoted in an article about the Owls’ need to play strong in all four quarters.
Examiner.com
http://exm.nr/1i1Yl31

Opinion: UNT football will win Conference USA
Rice is mentioned in an op-ed article about UNT’s chances of winning the conference championship.
NT Daily.com
http://ntdaily.com/opinion-unt-football-will-win-conference-usa/

State your case: Who is the most valuable player in college football?
Rice is mentioned in an article about the most valuable college football players.
The Utah Statesman
http://bit.ly/1fIsBTV

NEWS RELEASE

Rice team rises to big-data breast cancer challenge
A colorful wheel developed by Rice University bioengineers to visualize protein interactions has won an international competition for novel strategies to study the roots of breast cancer. Amina Qutub, an assistant professor of bioengineering based at Rice’s BioScience Research Collaborative, is quoted and graduate student Wendy Hu is mentioned.
https://news2.rice.edu/2013/10/17/rice-team-rises-to-big-data-breast-cancer-challenge/