Dateline Rice for Oct. 2, 2014

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Which states have the most best colleges in 2015?
Texas is among the five states whose universities account for nearly half of the top schools in U.S. News & World Report’s 2015 national rankings. Rice is cited as the highest ranked school in Texas (No. 19).
U.S. News & World Report
http://bit.ly/1rQanp8

Corporate US healthiest in decades under Obama with lower debt
Douglas Brinkley, professor of history and fellow in history at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted about the prospective positive economy that will be left after President Barack Obama’s term ends. Brinkley is also quoted about former President Jimmy Carter on his 90th birthday.
Bloomberg
http://bloom.bg/1ptbjel
Jimmy Carter’s hometown celebrates his 90th birthday
Chicago Tribune (This article also appeared in the State and 18 other media outlets.)
http://trib.in/1uEjzz9

Top 100 world universities 2014-15 — THE rankings
Rice is No. 69 on the Times Higher Education magazine’s list of the 2014-15 world university rankings.
The Telegraph
http://bit.ly/1pr2ZvJ

Syria raids show Saudi, UAE ambition to extend regional authority
An article about Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates’ decision to join air strikes in Syria quotes Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, fellow for Kuwait at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
Yahoo! India (This article also appeared in Uzbekistan News and 14 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/1vdC4XA

Middle East turmoil keeps gasoline at 45 cents in oil states
Saudi Arabian Oil Co. warned ministers from six Arab Gulf nations that there would be low levels of oil to sell in the next two decades if domestic power continues to rise 8 percent annually. Jim Krane, the Wallace S. Wilson Fellow for Energy Studies at the Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted about the political consequences of raising oil prices.
The Daily Star
http://bit.ly/1E4LXNB

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Davis claims momentum as Abbott touts $30M in war chest
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 quoted about Wendy Davis’ allegations against Greg Abbott.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required. This article also appeared in San Antonio Express-News.)
http://bit.ly/YUF8NO

Chronicle critics offer entertainment suggestions
Alumna Cristian Macelaru ’06 will lead the Houston Symphony in Karim Al-Zand’s three-part “City Scenes.”
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1rNlyyx
Culture scene: Oct. 2-8
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1sPbO9C

Audio engineers make it all sound great, artfully
Les Williams, director of audio engineering at San Jacinto College, discusses the benefit of studying audio engineering. Rice’s internships are mentioned.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/1tkqyro

The Q&A: David Anthony
Rice’s partnership with Raise Your Hand Texas is mentioned in an interview with CEO David Anthony.
The Texas Tribune
http://bit.ly/1vcXGn0

Fans swamp Academy as Astros, Bun B release limited edition Astros cap
Bernard “Bun B” Freeman, the Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning’s Distinguished Lecturer, collaborated with the Houston Astros and New Era to design a new Astros baseball cap.
KPRC-TV
http://bit.ly/1CHeO9h
Outkast, at last
SB Nation
http://bit.ly/1oEhUT0

Regarding political differences, just blame biology
John Alford, associate professor of political science, is featured for his collaborative research on political bias.
Star-Telegram
http://bit.ly/1rGWkkg

Mexico’s new energy market opens but terms apply
George Baker, former contributing expert and scholar for the Mexico Center at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted about the changing economic landscape of the Rio Grande Valley.
The Monitor
http://bit.ly/1rMJZfu

Defying Houston’s teardown craze, these miraculous home remodels and rebuilds keep history alive
Rice architectural school graduates’ urban renewal project, InHouse OutHouse, is mentioned in an article about renovated homes in Houston.
CultureMap Houston
http://bit.ly/1BBh4fK

A look inside of Snapstream
Snapstream, a local software company that helps locate mentions of a specific topic or place, is featured. Rice is used as an example to search for using SnapStream.
Startup Houston
http://bit.ly/1ptHjyQ

Cowboys versus Hippies: ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ subtext
Alumni Ron Bozman ’69 and Warren Skaaren ’69 are mentioned in an interview with directors and producers of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”
Austin Chronicle
http://bit.ly/1xG617p

Frenship senior named a National Merit Scholar semifinalist
Frenship High School National Merit Scholar semifinalist Madison Rattan mentions Rice as one of her top two college choices.
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
http://bit.ly/1yADC46

BROADCAST

KTRH-AM
A producer from KTRH talked to protestors about the decision to move the Pride Parade out of Montrose. One of them is asked to speculate on what Houston Mayor Annise Parker ’78 will pursue as her next job.
http://bit.ly/1rH5jBT

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Graphene hybrid outperforms platinum as fuel-cell catalyst
James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry, professor of computer science and of materials science and nanoengineering, and his lab combined the graphene quantum dots he created last year with microscopic sheets of graphene to create a hybrid that could cut the cost of generating energy with fuel cells. Graduate students and co-authors of the study Ruquan Ye, Conglan Ye, Yongji Gong, Zhiwei Peng and Errol Samuel, research technician Xiujun Fan and Pulickel Ajayan, the Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor in Materials Science and NanoEngineering and of chemistry, are mentioned.
Product Design & Development
http://bit.ly/1xFSzQS
Platinum meets its match in quantum dots from coal: New catalyst for fuel cells outperforms platinum
Science Daily
http://bit.ly/1vvOg6y
Platinum meets its match in quantum dots from coal: Rice University’s cheap hybrid outperforms rare metal as fuel-cell catalyst
Nanotechnology Now
http://bit.ly/1vxSWsG

Engineers crack the genome of green concrete
Rouzbeh Shahsavari, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, is quoted about the computational models created by an international team of scientists to help concrete manufacturers perfect mixes for general applications.
Sourceable
http://bit.ly/1mVdITs

Faculty highlight: Michael Rubner
Edwin Thomas, the William and Stephanie Sick Dean of the George R. Brown School of Engineering, is mentioned.
MIT News
http://bit.ly/Zvv8vA

Teijin Aramid’s carbon nanotube fibres awarded with Paul Schlack prize
Matteo Pasquali, professor of chemical and biological engineering and of chemistry, received the Paul Schlack Prize for the development of super fibers using carbon nanotubes.
Innovation in Textiles
http://bit.ly/YTF5SL

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Coal industry meeting stresses being proactive in light of EPA plans
Charles McConnell, executive director of Rice’s Energy and Environment Initiative, will speak at the 41st annual Lignite Energy Council meeting.
The Bismarck Tribune
http://bit.ly/1nRqqTP

Making sense of higher education’s future
Richard Tapia, University Professor, the Maxfield-Oshman Professor in Engineering and a professor of computational and applied mathematics at Rice, will speak at the Oct. 13 Thought Leader Speaker Series at the University of Delaware.
University of Delaware
http://bit.ly/YTk2jk

Beyond marijuana: Legalize all drugs
Dean Becker, a nonresident research associate and member of the Drug Policy Program at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted about the legalization of marijuana.
Herald Net
http://bit.ly/1ptqPa2
Beyond marijuana: Legalize all drugs
Real Clear Politics
http://bit.ly/1rzOAD9

Program promotes string attachments
Cho-Liang Lin, professor of violin, will perform with the Oregon Mozart Players at Beall Concert Hall at the University of Oregon.
The Register-Guard
http://bit.ly/1tkmhEb

Rice University Art Gallery commissions Japanese artist Yusuke Asai to create installation
Japanese artist Yusuke Asai’s “Pay Dirt” installation will be on display at Rice Gallery Oct. 2-Nov. 23.
Art Daily
http://bit.ly/1vd8nWP

‘Failure is not an option’
John F. Kennedy’s speech given at Rice in 1962 is referenced.
Hill Country Community Journal
http://bit.ly/1ugexHD

Symphonic Salida kicks off with virtuoso Scott O’Neil
Alumnus Scott O’Neil ’98 will perform at the Salida SteamPlant ballroom in Colorado.
The Mountain Mail
http://bit.ly/1uEb6M9

SPORTS

What to make of the 2014 Rice Owls
The Rice football team is featured. Head football coach David Bailiff and players Christian Covington, Driphus Jackson, Dawon Davis and Darik Dillard are mentioned.
Underdog Dynasty
http://bit.ly/1vd4MYJ

College football predictions: Can TCU upset Sooners?
Rice football will play against the University of Hawaii Oct. 4 at Rice Stadium.
NewsOK.com (Similar articles appeared in Charleston Gazette, Hawaii News Now, WSOC-TV, WPXI-TV and WFTV-TV.)
http://bit.ly/1vAKium
Hawaii (1-3) at Rice (1-3) (ET)
News Observer
http://bit.ly/1oEz3Mr

Bearcats prove too much for Owls in 8-5A opener
Alumnus Mike Burt ’85, Joshua Independent School District football coach, is quoted about his team’s opening loss.
Joshua Star
http://bit.ly/YTnoTd

Whoop! Cannon firing returns to Kyle Field for A&M games
Rice football’s game against Texas A&M University is mentioned.
KHOU.com (This article also appeared in the Tampa Tribune and 22 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/1vxpzGK
Cannon firing returns to Texas A&M field
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1mVmRew

MadFriars’ end of the year review: Eugene
Former Rice baseball player Zech Lemond is mentioned.
Fox Sports
http://foxs.pt/1pIBMUk

Luke Willson ‘looking forward’ to stepping in for injured Zach Miller
Alumnus Luke Willson ’12 is featured.
Fansided
http://bit.ly/1rH34yr

NEWS RELEASES

African Ebola outbreak topic at Rice lecture Oct. 7
Dr. Dan Kelly, an infectious disease expert who has worked on the front lines of Ebola care and treatment in Sierra Leone, will speak at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business Oct. 7. The talk is free and open to the public and will be at 6:30 p.m. in McNair Hall’s Shell Auditorium, 6100 Main St.
http://bit.ly/10mxZY1
Gandhi’s grandson to speak at Rice’s Baker Institute Oct. 9
Rajmohan Gandhi, a research professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the grandson and biographer of Indian political and spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi, will discuss “How Gandhi Discovered Nonviolence” at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy Oct. 9. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
http://bit.ly/1CHvL3m