Dateline Rice for June 24, 2014

FEATURED ITEM

(More) political gridlock and the (growing) immigration crisis
Tony Payan, the Françoise and Edward Djerejian Fellow for Mexico Studies at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and director of the Baker Institute’s Mexico Center, authored an op-ed about immigration reform. Payan is also quoted about President Barack Obama’s handling of the immigration crisis.
The Hill
http://bit.ly/1lmWX0K
KTSA-AM
http://bit.ly/1ruA6Rt

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Decay to fermions backs up Higgs boson discovery
New data has been gathered from the Large Hadron Collider. Paul Padley, professor of physics and astronomy, and Karl Ecklund, assistant professor of physics and astronomy, are quoted.
Futurity (This appeared on the home page.)
http://bit.ly/1jLg6F9
LHC uncovers new Higgs Boson decay mechanism
Discovery  
http://bit.ly/1j8wpeY
New data bolsters Higgs boson discovery
Phys.org (This article also appeared in Science Daily, Science Codex, BioPortfolio and TMCnet.com.)
http://bit.ly/1nzNzVn

Airport scanners of the future could be much smaller (and more importantly, faster)
Junichiro Kono, professor of electrical and computer engineering and of physics and astronomy, co-authored a study on terahertz detectors based on carbon nanotubes to improve medical imaging, airport passenger screening, food inspection and other applications.
Smithsonian Magazine
http://bit.ly/1jL8imB
Terahertz detectors with carbon nanotubes designed to improve MRI technology and other image-detection applications
MedImaging.net
http://bit.ly/1nC7xh5

Can business leaders activate dormant capacities?
An article explores the ways business leaders can improve their employees’ work environment. Jing Zhou, the Houston Endowment Professor of Organizational Behavior and professor of psychology, is featured for her research on employee creativity and idea implementation.
Huffington Post
http://huff.to/1v1YhqA

Turkish scientist inspired by Stenocara beetle
Rice researchers built a device that harvests water from the air like the Namib Desert beetle. Graduate student Sehmus Ozden is quoted.
Daily Sabah
http://bit.ly/1jdrYQg

Corruption in China gender blind
Chinese female officials have been caught taking bribes and trading favors. A Rice study about women in politics is referenced.
The Japan News
http://bit.ly/VfbQsf

Climbing Mount Everest: Black soot on white snow
Alumna Ulyana Horodyskyj ’07 is climbing Mount Everest to determine how much soot is settling on snow at the top of mammoth glaciers.
Scientific American
http://bit.ly/1q4L3vk

Soldering a connection – The start of a mentoring relationship
Robotocist Annika O’Brien is interviewed about her soldering mentorship. O’Brien mentions working with Rice.
Make: Magazine
http://bit.ly/1iC9huA

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Filibuster anniversary offers risk, opportunity for Texas Dems
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, is quoted about the anniversary of Wendy Davis’ nationally watched filibuster and its contribution to her campaign.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required. This appeared on the front page.)
http://bit.ly/1lmEEJc
Anniversary of Davis filibuster nears
San Antonio Express-News (Subscription required. This appeared on the front of the Metro section.)
http://bit.ly/1pJ44Ss
Abortion activists to mark filibuster anniversary quietly
Longview News-Journal
http://bit.ly/UFK0EY

Rice University to study Houston’s development implications
Houston Endowment Inc. awarded a $1 million grant to researchers at Rice’s Hobby Center for the Study of Texas to study the urban development of neighborhoods and residents in the Greater Houston metropolitan area. Steve Murdock, the Allyn and Gladys Cline Professor of Sociology and director of Rice’s Hobby Center for the Study of Texas, is quoted. He will serve as principal investigator for the study. Murdock is also quoted about Texas’ population.
Houston Chronicle (This article also appeared in EIN News and Prime Property.)
http://bit.ly/1izWJUq

Just in time
Unemployment in Texas has dropped to 5.1 percent, and job growth is at its largest in nearly 2 decades. Rice is mentioned for research on the effect of population change.
KTRH-AM
http://bit.ly/1maWU3y

BROADCAST

Google Maps headed toward real-time traffic
Christopher Bronk, fellow in information technology policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted about Google acquiring Skybox, a satellite company that can shoot high-definition video from space.
KTRH-AM (This article also appeared in KPRC-AM.)
http://bit.ly/1ruzU4G
http://bit.ly/1l6zMTB

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

A different textbook for every student
Richard Baraniuk, the Victor E. Cameron Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and founding director of Rice’s OpenStax College, was the UBTech open keynote speaker. Rice’s OpenStax College is mentioned.
University Business
http://bit.ly/1yK5Jey

Cost-efficient nanoengineered silicon improves solar cell efficiency
Rice scientists created a one-step process to etch nanoscale spikes into silicon to allow more than 99 percent of sunlight to reach cells’ active elements and produce electricity. Andrew Barron, the Charles W. Duncan Jr.-Welch Professor of Chemistry and professor of materials science, is mentioned.
Knovel (This article also appeared in Product Design & Development, Industrial Safety and Security Source, Semiconductor Engineering, Controlled Environments, Photonics Online and Materials Today.)
http://bit.ly/1nzFW1n

Surveying LNG’s future
Albert Oil Magazine spoke to oil experts about proposed LNG projects. Kenneth Medlock III, the James A. Baker III and Susan Baker Fellow in Energy and Resource Economics and lecturer of economics, is quoted.
Alberta Oil Magazine
http://bit.ly/1queHI5

Noninvasive approach to biopsies
A new technology called the VivaScope allows for noninvasive eye procedures. Rice is mentioned.
The Dermatologist
http://bit.ly/VfnDXB

Science of the times: A test to see if you’ve been following along
A pop quiz includes a Rice cancer study as question No. 14.
Delco Times
http://bit.ly/T8tyvu

Here’s what the buy side expects from Carnival Cruise Line on Tuesday
A Rice stock market study is referenced.
Investing.com
http://bit.ly/Ts7EE9
Will Walgreen benefit as CVS drops cigarettes?
Investing.com (This article also appeared in Seeking Alpha.)
http://bit.ly/1l7aB3h

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

5 applications for graphene, the ‘wonder material,’ that could change the way we live
The explosive interest in graphene has generated unique studies. Rice researcher’s study of graphene mixed with vanadium oxide to create battery cathodes that recharge in 20 seconds is referenced.
TimesReporter.com (This article also appeared in the Examiner and 16 other publications.)
http://bit.ly/1pJJXn3

Are prosperity preachers destroying the traditional black church? A review of ‘Black Church Inc.’
Christian Post reporter Nicola Menzie reviews the new documentary “Black Church Inc.,” which investigates the relationship between churches and the community. Anthony Pinn, the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and professor of religious studies, is quoted. Pinn is also cited for his book, “Why Lord? Suffering and Evil in Black Theology.”
Christian Post
http://bit.ly/1nzjup5
Suffering on trial
UUWorld.org
http://bit.ly/1pyehz8

American student molested by physician at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in New Delhi
Alumna Jenny Wen ’13 was awarded a fellowship for a year of travel outside the U.S. to meet victims of sexual assault.
American Bazaar
http://bit.ly/1qufdGd

Florida universities rank among best for patents, innovation
Florida’s three major universities were granted patents to become a more innovative powerhouse. Rice is mentioned.
83 Degrees Media
http://bit.ly/T7hOJJ

George Venson on making his own life and his own wallpaper
Alumnus George Venson ’07 is featured for his wallpaper design company.
The Queer Interior
http://bit.ly/1qy1osm

People: Week of June 23, 2014
Alumnus Paul Forgue ’98 has been named the chief financial officer and chief operating officer at Truett-Hurst Inc.
North Bay Business Journal
http://bit.ly/UG73PW

SPORTS

Gardner named athletic’s chief revenue officer
Rice Athletics Director Joe Karlgaard announced the hiring of Tanner Gardner as senior associate athletic director/chief revenue officer for Rice Athletics.
Bellaire Examiner (This article also appeared in the Rancher, Memorial Examiner and Sugar Land Sun.)
http://bit.ly/1yJvOum

Older brothers of Syracuse basketball’s Tyler Ennis, Jerami Grant: We’re proud, not jealous
Former Rice basketball player Dylan Ennis is mentioned.
Syracuse.com
http://bit.ly/1wsCQl5

NEWS RELEASES

Mexico’s energy reform may ease its dependence on food imports, Baker Institute says
Natural gas availability in Mexico is restricted, and output of ammonia and fertilizers has plummeted since the late 1990s, with farmers among the hardest hit. Twenty years after NAFTA came into force, the country is more dependent on food imports than ever. Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto’s energy reform could help change that, according to Adrian Duhalt, the Puentes Consortium Visiting Scholar in the Mexico Center at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
http://bit.ly/1mjossd

Terahertz tech gets a major push at Rice
Rice University scientists have received a grant to develop terahertz-based technology that could enable a dramatic advance in wireless communications and other disciplines. The $1 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation will let them tackle some of the knotty problems barring them from using the largely untapped terahertz region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Rice will supplement the grant with a $1.5 million commitment.
http://bit.ly/1jLhTtC