Dateline Rice for June 5, 2014

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

How elite B-schools pump up applicant pools
Applications at elite U.S. business schools, including Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, have risen, due in part to international recruiting efforts.
Wall Street Journal
http://on.wsj.com/1oYR64g

Qatar finds money can’t buy love as World Cup woes increase
Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani has had a difficult first year as emir in Doha, Qatar. Jim Krane, the Wallace S. Wilson Fellow for Energy Studies at the Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
Live Mint (This article also appeared in Malay Mail Online and La Repubblica.)
http://bit.ly/1pI0WHO

College graduates struggle to find employment worth a degree
Many college graduates are pursuing nontraditional pathways to find employment in their desired fields. The article mentions a 2009 graduate of Davidson College who did admissions work at Rice after being laid off by another employer.
Bloomberg
http://bloom.bg/UereEX

HOUSTON/TEXAS

HISD high school textbooks going digital
Houston Independent School District is the first of Texas’ large districts to shift from printed textbooks to digital materials. Rice’s OpenStax College is mentioned. Daniel Williamson, managing director of Rice’s Center for Digital Learning and Scholarship and project manager at OpenStax, is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1pTC0KG

Marijuana won’t be legal in Texas anytime soon
Mark Jones, the Joseph D. Jamail Chair in Latin American Studies, professor and chair of political science and fellow in political science at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, authored a blog post on marijuana legalization in Texas. He is also quoted about state Sen. Dan Patrick securing the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/1ulR327
Dan Patrick secures Republican nomination for lieutenant governor
Tomball Potpourri
http://bit.ly/1mX9CFr

Passion to learn led Lamar student to top of the class
Lamar High School valedictorian Maya Iyer plans to attend Rice.
Houston Chronicle (This appeared on the front page of the Heights section and was included in yesterday’s Dateline.)
http://bit.ly/1oveC58

Houston a top-20 city for traffic congestion, study says
Results from Rice’s 33rd annual Kinder Institute Houston Area Survey are mentioned in a column on Houston’s traffic.
Houston Business Journal
http://bit.ly/1mX4j8P

South Texas strives to be major exporter for natural gas
South Texas is trying to become one of the nation’s top regions to export natural gas. George Baker, contributing expert and scholar for the Mexico Center at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
Rio Grande Valley News Center
http://bit.ly/1oxe1jm

The 4 best new food trucks in Houston 2014
An article listing the best new food trucks in Houston mentions the Juice Girl van, which opened last year in Rice’s BioScience Research Collaborative.
Houston Press
http://bit.ly/SxDqPF

Where to brunch in the Washington Corridor
An article mentions the macarons sold by Maison Burdisso at the Rice Farmers Market.
Houston Press
http://bit.ly/1kEA7kJ

BROADCAST

Rice University police issue crime alert
The Rice University Police Department is looking for a suspect who is reported to have stolen a cellphone and money from a victim walking near the BioScience Research Collaborative.
KPRC-TV
http://bit.ly/1ulXMsT
http://bit.ly/1kN4bpv
Crime alert: Rice University employee robbed on campus
News 92 FM
http://bit.ly/1pHVgNV

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Rice unveils carbon-sequestering material for gas wells
An Earth-friendly solution for separating carbon dioxide from natural gas at wellheads was developed in the laboratory of James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Chair in Chemistry and professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and of computer science. Tour is quoted. Rice graduate student Chih-Chau Hwang is also quoted in the RedOrbit article.
Environmental Leader
http://bit.ly/UeCuB2
Scientists create carbon-capture breakthrough
RedOrbit (This article also appeared in Chem.info, Chemie.de, Brunei Times, Global Energy World, Chemical Engineer and TCE Today.)
http://bit.ly/Sbs2IO
Jak tanio i skutecznie przechwyci CO2
Kopalniawiedzy.pl (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/SbFlZB

New flexible battery has multiple advantages over lithium-ion
Rice chemists created a flexible material with the high energy of a battery or supercapacitor. James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Chair in Chemistry and professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and of computer science, is mentioned.
Just Means
http://bit.ly/1l8BEiN

Quantum criticality observed in new class of materials
Qimiao Si, the Harry C. and Olga K. Wiess Professor of Physics and Astronomy, co-authored a study on quantum critical points. Si is quoted.
Science Codex (This article also appeared in R&D Magazine, e! Science News, IndustrialInfo.com, Townhall, ScienceDaily, ScienceNewsline and Nanotechnology Now.)
http://bit.ly/1i6oDSr

Rice takes project-based learning to lower-level STEM classes
Rice received a $1.9 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to retain students in introductory science and engineering courses. Janet Braam, professor and chair of biochemistry and cell biology, and Rebecca Richards-Kortum, the Stanley C. Moore Professor and chair of the Department of Bioengineering and director of both Beyond Traditional Borders and Rice 360°: Institute for Global Health Technologies, are quoted.
Campus Technology
http://bit.ly/1nkKl9Y

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Allen students graduate from Rice
Recent graduates from Rice are noted.
Allen American
http://bit.ly/1pTEoB1

How Mexico organized crime threatens growth of oil industry
Tony Payan, a fellow for Mexico studies at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and director of the Baker Institute’s Mexico Center, is cited for his co-authored report on energy reform and security in Northeastern Mexico.
InSight Crime
http://bit.ly/1ofMGE2

Member spotlight: Offcite.org and Sunday Streets HTX
Three busy Houston streets will be closed to vehicular traffic on select Sundays to promote walking, biking and exploring the block rather than driving through. Raj Mankad, editor of the Rice Design Alliance’s Cite Magazine, is quoted.
AAONetwork.org
http://bit.ly/1i6kazg

From the daily: Supporting social science
An op-ed about proposed legislation to cut National Science Foundation funding for social sciences research mentions Rice’s research on public reactions to natural disasters, information that has been used to improve evacuation plans.
The Michigan Daily
http://bit.ly/UeKcv0

AL.com readers offer strong, differing reactions to state holiday honoring Confederate President Jefferson Davis
The Papers of Jefferson Davis project at Rice is referenced.
Al.com
http://bit.ly/1kxLxro

Space exploration: The future of humanity
John F. Kennedy’s speech given at Rice in 1962 is referenced.
Teen Ink
http://bit.ly/SxLhN7

PBS documentary looks at sisters’ unlikely road to fame
Alumna Mother Cecilia (Martina Snell ’99) is featured for her successful music group, The Benedictines of Mary.
Diocese of Greensburg
http://bit.ly/SxKj3x

Megliola: Sharton brothers the spark for Wayland boys tennis team’s super season
Alumna Brenda Sharton ’87 is mentioned.
Wicked Local Wayland (This article also appeared in MetroWest Daily News.)
http://bit.ly/1nlpraC

SPORTS

Houston NCAA college baseball Regional recap
An article recaps results from the NCAA Baseball Houston Regional Tournament played at Rice’s Reckling Park.
Minor League Ball
http://bit.ly/1ky4g6o

6 Whitecaps selected to Midwest League All-Star Classic at Fifth Third Ballpark
Alumnus Austin Kubitza ’14 is featured.
MLive
http://bit.ly/1ofqeLf
5 Whitecaps to represent host city at All-Star game
Our Sports Central
http://bit.ly/SxD8s2

Nats not afraid of draft prospects deemed injury risks
Alumnus Anthony Rendon ’12 is featured.
Comcast SportsNet
http://bit.ly/1ulLila