Dateline Rice for Oct. 24, 2013

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Making oil-drilling rigs safer
Rice alumni Robert Kester ’11 and Allison Lami Sawyer ’10 are featured in an article about their company Rebellion Photonics, which has been named one of the three finalists for “WSJ Startup of the Year.”
Wall Street Journal
http://on.wsj.com/HjvP19

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 the Texas Republican Party, the race for House District 50 and Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns.
Ted Cruz returns to Texas as a hero who is reshaping the state Republican Party
The Washington Post
http://wapo.st/H4i32A
Fight for House District 50 focuses on state income tax
Statesman.com (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/19A5eH9
Joel Burns opts out of Texas Senate race
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
http://bit.ly/1cfEZub

The butterflies that rely on turtle tears to survive: Striking photos reveal how colorful creatures sip on salt-rich water
Rice graduate student Phil Torres is interviewed in an article about the unique relationship that exists between turtles and butterflies in the South American rain forests.
The Daily Mail
http://dailym.ai/1eNpxmt

Best values in private universities, 2014
Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine ranks Rice No. 3 on the list of best values among private universities.
Yahoo!Finance
http://yhoo.it/1dmVHHz

Seneca Lake salt mine hazards underestimated
A written evaluation by H.C. Clark, professor emeritus of theory and composition, is cited in an article about efforts to halt the expansion of a gas storage facility on Seneca Lake.
Ithaca.com
http://bit.ly/17hb1UK

Groups take efforts to save Astrodome to street
A recent poll conducted by Rice University is cited in a story about efforts to preserve the Astrodome.
Yahoo!Finance
http://yhoo.it/1c04k7h

Penn State star Urschel tackles math with ease
Rice alumni and former Cleveland Browns quarterback Frank Ryan ’58 is mentioned in an article about John C. Urschel, who plays football and teaches math at Pennsylvania State University.
CharlotteObserver.com (This article also appeared in the Merced Sun-Star, Lexington Herald-Leader and more than 10 other sites.)
http://bit.ly/16vEQjK
If Penn State’s John Urschel doesn’t make NFL, he can always teach integral vector calculus
Detroit News
http://bit.ly/17eWUwS

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Rice team honors departed with chamber piece
Richard Lavenda, professor of composition and theory, participates in a Q-and-A about “Words of Wisdom,” a new chamber piece he wrote that will be premiered Wednesday at the Shepherd School of Music.  Jon Kimura Parker, professor of piano; Cho-Liang Lin, professor of violin; Barbara Paver, associate professor of voice; and former Rice professor and mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer are mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1fXVRGj

Texas rejects Dallas County doctors’ bid to cut coal pollution
A study by Daniel Cohan, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, is mentioned in an article about the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s rejection of the Dallas County Medical Society’s request for tougher emission controls on three coal-burning power plants in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
The Dallas Morning News
http://dallasne.ws/Hjpumn

This weekend: Our Image Film and Arts Festival, an interview with Marc Newsome
An article discusses the “Our Image Film and Arts Festival” being held Oct. 25-26 at the Rice Media Center.
Free Press Houston
http://bit.ly/17M1PC3

Phoenicia’s 30th anniversary!
A recent study by Stephen Klineberg, professor of sociology and co-director of Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, is mentioned in an article about the history of Phoenicia Specialty Foods.
Free Press Houston
http://bit.ly/1a9SlGx

Scott Cutler books Rice musicians for Salon Series
Ben Kamins, professor of bassoon at Rice’s Shepherd School of Music, along with other Rice faculty members and students, will perform in the Woodlands Salon Series’ second concert Oct. 27.
The Courier of Montgomery County
http://bit.ly/1biIdIf

BROADCAST/WEBCAST                  

Report: Texas wildfires could worsen, due to climate change
Ronald Sass, the Harry C. and Olga Keith Wiess Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, is interviewed about wildfires worsening in Texas, due to climate change.
Click2Houston.com
http://bit.ly/18PiWqn

Mobile effort hopes to save the Astrodome
Martel college senior and civil engineering student Alex Weinheimer is interviewed in a news feature about efforts by “Dome Mobile” to preserve the Astrodome.
KUHF.org
http://bit.ly/1c07wj5

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Hospital cost shifting may be a thing of the past
A study by Vivian Ho, the James A. Baker III Institute Chair in Health Economics at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and a professor of economics, is cited in an article about the practice of hospitals shifting medical costs to make up for reimbursement shortfalls.
Dallas/Fort Worth Healthcare Daily.com
http://bit.ly/1c05EqE

To avoid risk of terrorist tampering, Cheney disabled on his pacemaker’s wireless
Farinaz Koushanfar, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, is quoted in an article about a new protocol designed to protect implanted medical devices from hackers.
M2M Evolution.com
http://bit.ly/1igbTZ2

BioWheel of fortune
Amina Qutub, assistant professor of bioengineering, is quoted in an article about a BioWheel developed by Rice bioengineers to visualize protein interactions that has won an international competition for novel strategies to study the roots of breast cancer.
SeparationsNOW.com
http://bit.ly/18P0Nc0

BitLock is the bike lock you didn’t even know you needed (i.e., is super cool!)
Rice alumni Mehrdad Majzoobi ’09 has created a new way for people to share their bicycles.
Clean Technica
http://cleantechnica.com/2013/10/23/best-bike-lock-bitlock/

Clarke Foundation honors ViaSat CEO Mark Dankberg with Innovator Award 
Rice alumnus Mark Dankberg ’77 has been honored with the Innovator Award at the 2013 Arthur C. Clarke awards.
KSTC45.com (This article also appeared in Air & Cosmos Online, iStock Analyst, KUAM-TV, KPLC-TV, Sys-Con Belgium and more than 15 other sites.)
http://bit.ly/1eN2Qia

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Takacs Quartet Performs at Rice University’s Stude Hall Tonight
The Grammy award winning Takacs Quartet will perform at Rice’s Stude Hall tonight.
BroadwayWorld.com
http://bit.ly/1a9WL01                                          

Graduateprograms.com announces the fall 2013 Top Graduate Programs, according to students
Rice University’s business administration and chemistry graduate programs are among the top graduate programs, according to students polled by Graduateprograms.com.
WLTZ.com (This article also appeared in North Colorado 5, WZDX-TV and more than 10 other sites.)
http://bit.ly/17h4tFG

Field trip puts STEM students to the test
Rice is one of several universities that will participate in BP’s 2014 Ultimate Field Trip competition for STEM students.
The Daily Cougar
http://bit.ly/H4o7Is

Electrifying events
Mike Beradino, visual and dramatics arts visiting lecturer, will present an interactive computer art show at the Hardesty Art Center in Tulsa, Okla.
Urban Tulsa Weekly
http://bit.ly/H4nQ8t

Free online question platform provides the missing piece for open textbooks
Rice’s OpenStax College Initiative is mentioned in an article about a new platform that provides companion questions to open textbooks.
MLive.com (This article also appeared in the Sacramento Bee, International Business Times and more than 10 other sites.)
http://bit.ly/1eN6N6B

SPORTS

Texas-El Paso (1-5) at Rice (5-2) (ET)
An article about the upcoming University of Texas-El Paso vs. Rice game.
MyrtleBeachOnline.com (This article also appeared in the Merced Sun-Star, Charlotte Observer and more than five other sites.)
http://bit.ly/1dnn9oL

Lady Pirates set sail on final road trip of the season
This article mentions the upcoming match between the East Carolina University and Rice women’s soccer teams.
East Carolinian
http://theeastcarolinian.com/?p=30219

Showers aims to make UTEP a contender
The upcoming Rice vs. University of Texas-El Paso game is mentioned in this article about UTEP quarterback Jameill Showers.
KDH Pressbox
http://bit.ly/1eNoH9l

NEWS RELEASE

Physicists decode decision circuit of cancer metastasis
Cancer researchers from Rice University have deciphered the operating principles of a genetic switch that cancer cells use to decide when to metastasize and invade other parts of the body. Eshel Ben-Jacob, a senior investigator at Rice’s Center for Theoretical Biological Physics and adjunct professor of biochemistry and cell biology at Rice, is co-author of the study.
http://bit.ly/1a9XFcV