Dateline Rice for July 17, 2014

FEATURED ITEM

Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-hour ‘Outliers’ rule debunked, Rice researcher says
The importance of practice versus inborn talent is the focus of a research paper co-authored by Fred Oswald, department chair and professor of psychology.
Houston Chronicle (This appeared as a featured item on the home page.)
http://bit.ly/1zMJOnK
Does practice really make perfect?
Medical Xpress (This article also appeared in DaijiWorld.com and HealthCanal.)
http://bit.ly/1mkqsvQ

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

After age 25, we’re more forgetful when we’re distracted
Older adults are nearly twice as likely as younger people to have their memory and cognitive processes impaired by environmental distractions, according to a study funded by Rice’s Social Sciences Research Institute and the Gertrude Maurin Fund.
Epoch Times
http://bit.ly/1t8Rnk7
Memories affected by environmental distractions nearly twice as likely in older adults
Medical News Today
http://bit.ly/1pemqbF

Randall Stout, architect tied to nature, dies at 56
Alumnus Randall Stout ’89 died after battling renal cancer.
New York Times (This article also appeared in Knoxville News Sentinel.)
http://nyti.ms/UdTRS3

Channeling JFK: To what great cause is this generation called?
John F. Kennedy’s speech given at Rice in 1962 is referenced.
America Magazine
http://bit.ly/1jTKuTR

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Lieutenant governor hopefuls battle for cash
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 funds raised by governor nominee Leticia Van de Putte and Sen. Dan Patrick and the border crisis becoming a major talking point for the 2014 lieutenant governor candidates.
Houston Chronicle (This story appeared on the front of the City/Sate section. Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1ywfv2R
Patrick, Van de Putte hone their immigration messages
Texas Tribune
http://bit.ly/1ssFZBW
The brief: Abbott is Texas’ $36 million man
Texas Tribune
http://bit.ly/1st5djw
Davis keeps pace with Abbott, but can’t match his cash
Austin American-Statesman
http://bit.ly/1zMHD3p

NAFTA, Mexico and the limits of free trade
Lovett College sophomore Marcela Benavides, an intern with the Baker Institute’s Mexico Center, authored a blog post about the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/1t8SBvJ

Gary Hale: Pot legalization is no longer a trend, it’s policy
Gary Hale, a nonresident fellow in drug policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, authored an op-ed about the legalization of marijuana.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1pe7UQU

Culture scene: July 17-23
Vietnamese artist Dinh Q. Lê’s installation “Crossing the Farther Shore” is on display at the Rice Gallery through Aug. 28.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1nOG0NB

In DFW, little traction on improving air quality
The Dallas County Medical Society asked Texas environmental regulators to increase pollution controls, which are among the worse in the nation. Daniel Cohan, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, is quoted.
Killeen Daily Herald (This article also appeared in KTAB-TV.)
http://bit.ly/1mkKCpC

Opinion: Texas to become hotter and dryer
Texas is one of the most significant contributors to global warming, due to its excessive greenhouse emissions. John Anderson, the W. Maurice Ewing Chair in Oceanography, professor of Earth science and academic director of Rice’s Shell Center for Sustainability, is quoted.
Clarendon Live
http://bit.ly/1ywO4Gf

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Scientists discover buckyball structures made from boron
Researchers in the U.S. and China have the first experimental evidence for a boron fullerene. Rice is mentioned.
Geek.com
http://bit.ly/1ywyRFc

Rice Nanophotonics experts create powerful molecular sensor
Rice nanophotonics experts created a unique sensor that amplifies the optical signature of molecules by about 100 billion times. Naomi Halas, the Stanley C. Moore Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering and director of Rice’s Laboratory for Nanophotonics and professor of physics and astronomy, and graduate student Yu Zhang are quoted. Peter Nordlander, professor of physics and astronomy and in electrical and computer engineering, and graduate students Oara Neumann and Jared Day are mentioned.
Product Design & Development (This article also appeared in Controlled Environments.)
http://bit.ly/1pdMlA3
CARS method amplifies optical signature of single molecules about 100 billion times
BioOptics World
http://bit.ly/1rtDsVu

Model predicts carbon components’ performance as electrodes
Rice and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory created a theoretical model that could benefit lithium-ion batteries. Boris Yakobson, the Karl F. Hasselmann Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and professor of chemistry, and graduate student Yuanyue Liu are quoted.
Daily Fusion
http://bit.ly/1mkt78Y

Nanoporous oxide makes good memory device
Rice’s silicon oxide technology can now be used to fabricate devices with conventional production methods, which brings it a step closer to mass production. 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 quoted.
Nanotechweb.org
http://bit.ly/1nAni7M
Tech universe: July 17, 2014
New Zealand Herald
http://bit.ly/1tVRROt

1-step chemical method creates black silicon
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.
Solar Novus Today
http://bit.ly/1p05dUB

Cell membrane proteins give up their secrets
Rice scientists have successfully analyzed transmembrane protein folding. Peter Wolynes, the D.R. Bullard-Welch Foundation Professor of Science and a professor of chemistry, is quoted.
Phys.org (This article also appeared in HealthCanal, Science Codex, DailyNews En.com and Bio-Medicine.)
http://bit.ly/1rjaKsL

NSF new program helps great ideas transition from lab to practice
The National Science Foundation announced the first InTrans award of $3 million to a team of researchers who are designing customizable computing technologies for health care use. The research team includes experts in electrical engineering and medicine from Rice.
News Medical
http://bit.ly/1zMzbkE

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

America’s opportunity city
Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth are projected to grow larger than Chicago by 2050. Rice’s 2012 study on Houston’s diversity is referenced.
City-Journal.org
http://bit.ly/1mQROim

Business groups, capital market participation have complementary effects for Indian companies
According to a new study from Rice and the Indian College of Business, participating in capital markets and organization groups has a positive impact on an Indian company’s performance in the stock industry.
DailyNewsEn.com (This article also appeared in Science Codex and Phys.org.)
http://bit.ly/1r6wN4f

SPORTS

KENS-TV (San Antonio)
Head football coach David Bailiff is interviewed.
http://bit.ly/1jTFbne

WDAM-TV (Hattiesburg, Miss.)
The Rice Owls are profiled.
http://bit.ly/1tVUXSC

Chino Hills basketball community grieves for Nnamdi Okongwu after skateboarding accident
Chino Hills basketball player Bishop Mency, who will be a freshman at Rice this fall, reflects on his former teammate Nnamdi Okongwu.
San Gabriel Valley Tribune (This article also appeared in the Daily Bulletin, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Whittier Daily News, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun and Pasadena Star-News.)
http://bit.ly/1qKkVms

Texas 7V7 highlights: Chris Robison
Rice signee Destri White is mentioned.
Scout Football (This article also appeared in TexPreps.com and Bears Illustrated.)
http://foxs.pt/1qKAASM

Prospect note: Brock Holt, INF, Boston Red Sox
Alumnus Brock Holt ’12 is featured.
Minor League Ball
http://bit.ly/1rtK1aA

Nationals’ Anthony Rendon: ‘I don’t watch baseball — it’s too long and boring’
Alumnus Anthony Rendon ’12 is featured.
Washington Post
http://wapo.st/1qK95Zx

NEWS RELEASES

Does practice really make perfect?
Does practice really make perfect? It’s an age-old question, and a new study from Rice University, Princeton University and Michigan State University finds that while practice won’t make you perfect, it will usually make you better at what you’re practicing.
http://bit.ly/1p06X0g

Cell membrane proteins give up their secrets
Rice University scientists have succeeded in analyzing transmembrane protein folding in the same way they study the proteins’ free-floating, globular cousins.
http://bit.ly/1kzvFQR