Dateline Rice for Sept. 9, 2014

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Rice University stays in top 20 in US news rankings
Rice is ranked No. 19 among national universities and No. 9 among best-value schools in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges 2015.” The New York Times also released a ranking of the most economically diverse schools based on the share of freshmen from low-income families and the net price of attendance for low- and middle-income families. Rice ranks No. 11 on that list, which includes only schools with a graduation rate of 75 percent or higher.
The Texas Tribune (This article also appeared in MyHighPlains.com.)
http://bit.ly/1qAU0MC
Top colleges that enroll rich, middle class and poor
New York Times
http://nyti.ms/YtkzbY
US News’ 2015 college rankings look a lot like last year’s
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1p3e19d
2015 best colleges: Top 20 national universities
Yahoo! News
http://yhoo.it/1tryM1W
Rice top Texas school on more national lists
Houston Business Journal
http://bit.ly/YtGboH
US News ranks Texas universities among the nation’s best
Dallas Business Journal
http://bit.ly/1qB6gwA

AP sports reporter Christopher Duncan dies at 43
Associated Press sports reporter Christopher Duncan, who recently wrote about Rice football player Drew Carroll, died.
New York Times
http://nyti.ms/1CNjs6B

The truth about truthiness
An article dissects a Slate passage discussing a recent study about the difference between liberals and conservatives. Rice’s study on political negativity bias is cited.
Bloomberg View
http://bv.ms/1nITPKo

Friends foes alike upset over President Obama’s delaying executive action on immigration
Douglas Brinkley, professor of history and fellow in history at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted about President Barack Obama’s decision to act on immigration after Election Day.
Fox News Latino
http://bit.ly/Zfb5Bg
Analysis: Politics trump promises in US immigration reform
The Japan Times (This article also appeared in Houma Courier, WRAL-TV, Arizona Daily Star, Bucks County Courier Times, Star Tribune, Gainesville Sun, Star-Banner, Concord Monitor and KSTP-TV.)
http://bit.ly/1uHcElm

What makes Internet giant Alibaba so successful?
Yan Anthea Zhang, professor of management, is quoted about Alibaba, the largest e-commerce website in China.
DW.de
http://bit.ly/1pLCmAv

Modi must mind youth expectations
Russell Green, the Will Clayton Fellow in International Economics at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and an adjunct assistant professor of economics, is quoted about Narendra Modi, the new prime minister of India.
The China Post
http://bit.ly/YtFf3A
Why Modi will need more time
The Daily Star
http://bit.ly/1BpEEha

1 quick tip to improve your presentations
John F. Kennedy’s speech given at Rice in 1962 is referenced.
The Globe and Mail
http://bit.ly/1oogHyN

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Davis stumps for book, governor; Abbott questions whether memoir violates law
Bob Stein, the Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science, is quoted about the political impact of Sen. Wendy Davis’ memoir.
KHOU.com
http://bit.ly/1uidzu8

How conservative is Galveston County?
Mark Jones, the Joseph D. Jamail Chair in Latin American Studies and professor and chair of political science and fellow in political science at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is featured for his poll data ranking Texas’ biggest counties by ideologies and is quoted about Texas’ efficient spending habits.
Galveston County Daily News (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/WDQLHK

Good news and bad in latest health spending projections
According to Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and the Episcopal Health Foundation, more Texans have health insurance since the Affordable Care Act’s first enrollment period. Vivian Ho, the James A. Baker III Institute Chair in Health Economics at the Baker Institute for Public Policy and professor of economics, is quoted.
Dallas Morning News
http://bit.ly/1trDzAx

BROADCAST

Al Jazeera Arabic
Edward Djerejian, founding director of Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and former U.S. ambassador to Syria and Israel, is interviewed about Syria.
http://bit.ly/1rBldLg

God particle could end universe
Paul Padley, professor of physics and astronomy, discusses the god particle called “Starmus,” which theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking believes could be responsible for the destruction of the universe.
KTRH-AM (This also appeared on KPRC-AM.)
http://bit.ly/1qAVKW8

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Rice chemist wins rare NSF Special Creativity Award: Grant extension will bolster Zubarev’s effort to produce gold nanorods
Eugene Zubarev, associate professor of chemistry and of materials science and nanoengineering, received a creativity extension from the National Science Foundation in addition to the three-year grant he received in 2011 to develop new methods for large-scale synthesis and self-assembly of gold nanorods.
Nanotechnology Now
http://bit.ly/1lTfoN3
Rice chemist wins rare NSF Special Creativity Award
Phys.org
http://bit.ly/1xDqryU

‘Rowing’ wheelchair is a moving experience
Rice students created a unique wheelchair with paddles instead of armrests for a Houston teenager suffering from arthrogryposis. Will Rice College junior Michaela Dimoff, McMurtry College senior Jared Elinger, Martel College senior Christina Petlowany, Hanszen College senior Reed Thornburg and Baker College junior David Smith are quoted. Phil Kortum, assistant professor of psychology; Alan Russell, director of Rice Disability Supports Services; Ann Saterbak, professor in the practice of bioengineering education; Maria Oden, director of Rice’s Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen and co-director of Beyond Traditional Borders; Matthew Wettergreen, a lecturer in Rice’s George R. Brown School of Engineering; and alumni adviser Larry Ciscon are mentioned.
Phys.org (This article also appeared in BioPortfolio and Medical Design Technology.)
http://bit.ly/1rUPcUw

2-D phosphorus semiconductors can be used in nano-electronic devices: Researchers
A team of Rice researchers analyzed the properties of elemental bonds between semiconducting phosphorus atoms in 2-D sheets. Graduate student Yuanyue Liu is quoted.
Nature World News
http://bit.ly/WDKufp
Phosphorus a promising semiconductor: Rice University physicists find 2-D form pays no heed to defects
Nanotechnology Now (This article also appeared in DailyNewsEn.com, Phys.org and Controlled Environments.)
http://bit.ly/WN8ZXM

Texas startup communities expanding, accelerating into a whole
The Bayou Startup Showcase, a collaboration between OwlSpark and University of Houston’s Red Labs, is mentioned.
Xconomy
http://bit.ly/1pLENmz

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Middle East expert: Just bombing ISIS won’t cut it
Andrew Bowen, the Baker Institute scholar for the Middle East and director of Rice’s Baker Institute’s Levant Program, is quoted about the United States’ options for stopping ISIS.
One News Now
http://bit.ly/1oodvmP

SPORTS

Rice mourns the passing of Augie Erfurth
Alumnus Augie Erfurth ’49, and former director of athletics, head track coach and assistant business manager, died.
Sports Page Magazine (This article also appeared in Conference USA.)
http://bit.ly/1lPVnXa

Owls open strong, settle into 11th at Sam Hall Intercollegiate
Rice men’s golf tied for first in the opening round at the Sam Hall Intercollegiate. Golfers Kevin Reilly, James Lee, Jeff Wibawa, Tommy Economou and Mario Carmona are mentioned.
Conference USA
http://bit.ly/1uHdHSf

Texas A&M Aggies versus Rice Owls Sept. 13, 2014 college football pick and odds
The Sept. 13 Rice football game against Texas A&M is featured.
Sports Chat Place (Similar articles appeared in Sports Network and over 30 media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/1BpG23t

Michigan State, Ohio state not out of college football playoff picture
Rice football fell to University of Notre Dame 48-17 at Notre Dame Stadium.
The Washington Post (Similar articles appeared in over 50 media outlets.)
http://wapo.st/1rUYhwO

ODU’s C-USA opener at Rice to begin at noon Sept. 20
Rice football will play Old Dominion University Sept. 20 at Rice Stadium.
ODUBlitz.com
http://bit.ly/1qB0GdA

NEWS RELEASES

US News ranking: Rice among top 20 national universities
Rice University is ranked among the top 20 national universities and among the top 10 best values in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges 2015.”
http://bit.ly/1qJkFpc

Phosphorus a promising semiconductor
In a paper in the American Chemical Society journal Nano Letters, a Rice team analyzed the properties of elemental bonds between semiconducting phosphorus atoms in 2-D sheets.
http://bit.ly/1rUXZpA

‘Rowing’ wheelchair is a moving experience
Rice students created a unique wheelchair with paddles instead of armrests for a Houston teenager suffering from arthrogryposis.
http://bit.ly/WE8AGI

Rice chemist wins rare NSF Special Creativity Award
Ounce for ounce, gold nanorods that are commercially available cost about 7,000 times more than bulk gold, but that may change, thanks to an award-winning research program in the laboratory of Rice University chemist Eugene Zubarev.
http://bit.ly/1trLVbj