Dateline Rice for Oct. 30, 2014

FEATURED ITEM

The labyrinth of corporate tax reform
John Diamond, adjunct assistant professor of economics and lecturer of economics, authored an op-ed about the base-broadening, rate-reducing Tax Reform Act of 2014.
The Hill
http://bit.ly/1wHX1fa

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

How Memphis became a great bicycle city
Graduate student Kevin Smiley co-authored a paper on Memphis becoming a great bicycle town.
The Atlantic City Lab
http://bit.ly/1xEqrdF

Study reveals why exactly women like taller men
According to research from Rice and the University of North Texas, the height of a potential partner matters more to women than to men, and mostly for femininity and protection.
AOL
http://aol.it/1u9MOuc

HOUSTON/TEXAS

For Biden, silver lining if Senate fight is a draw
A Senate split may help Vice President Joe Biden’s run for president in 2016. Douglas Brinkley, professor of history and fellow in history at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required. This article also appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times and 44 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/1tUkQ4X

FDA approves treatment for pediatric brain cancer, MD Anderson to start trials
Rice’s bubble CPAP machine, which helps increase the survival rate of newborns with severe respiratory illness, is mentioned. Rebecca Richards-Kortum, the Stanley C. Moore Professor of Bioengineering and of Electrical and Computer Engineering and director of the Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Beyond Traditional Borders and Rice 360°, and Maria Oden, director of Rice’s Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen and co-director of Beyond Traditional Borders, are pictured.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/1xFiLHQ

2 takes on slide in crude prices
Hess Corp. leaders warned investors that falling crude oil prices would drop fourth-quarter profits by $8 million with every $1 decrease in the price for a barrel of oil. William Arnold, professor in the practice of management at the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business, is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (This appeared on the front of the Business section. Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1wgmmhp

Fort Bend recommendations
Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research identification of Fort Bend County as the most diverse in the United States is mentioned in a profile of county judge candidate Bob Hebert.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1wO3rvS

Culture scene: Oct. 30-Nov. 5
The Houston Youth Symphony will perform at Rice’s Alice Pratt Brown Hall Nov. 2.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1sL4q8D

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 an op-ed about the Democratic Party’s partisan identification. Jones is also quoted about Texas gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis, the upcoming election and Houston Mayor Annise Parker’s decision to withdraw subpoenas issued to five local pastors.
Another warning sign for Texas Democrats
TribTalk.org
http://bit.ly/1wNUcf9
Some low-profile local races go unnoticed at the bottom of the ballot
KUT.org
http://bit.ly/13kEa0j
Mayor’s decision to drop subpoenas fails to quell criticism
Houston Chronicle (This appeared on the front page. Subscription required. This article also appeared in San Antonio Express-News)
http://bit.ly/1DCJPcU
Davis stumps in Pflugerville with local lawmakers
Austin American-Statesman
http://bit.ly/103Rjc1
Fort Bend’s electoral future
Off the Kuff
http://bit.ly/1zNrUUb
Elections du 4 Novembre: Une loi du Texas suscite toujours la controverse
Voice of America (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/1wNWk6T
Texas voter ID bill affects some voters
TingVoa.com (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/1E5EfC4
KRLD-AM (Dallas)
http://bit.ly/1DCJU08

(Video) Davis supporter: Abbott ‘rolls around’
Bob Stein, the Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science, comments on Democrat State Rep. Dawnna Dukes’ controversial choice of words at a recent Wendy Davis campaign stop.
KTRH-AM
http://bit.ly/13kPQzT

Lowe’s OSHbot innovates customer care
Lowe’s, the home improvement chain, is testing the use of helpful robots called OSHbots in their stores. Moshe Vardi, the Karen Ostrum George Distinguished Service Professor of Computational Engineering and professor of computer science, comments on how the evolution of technology will affect jobs and customers.
KTRH-AM
http://bit.ly/1tFRYMC
KTVB.com (This article also appeared in KENS-TV and 24 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/1sLdOc9

Rice University engineers, social scientists set sights on better voting machine
Rice computer security experts are working with collaborators to design a secure voting system that is cheaper and simpler to use than current voting machines. Phil Kortum, assistant professor of psychology; Dan Wallach, professor of computer science and of electrical and computer engineering; and Michael Byrne, professor of psychology, are quoted. Postdoctoral research fellow Claudia Acemyan is mentioned.
Cypress Creek Mirror (This article also appeared in the Spring Observer, Fort Bend Sun, Bellaire Examiner, Memorial Examiner and Tomball Potpourri.)
http://bit.ly/1nSTRVo

Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy Conference: ‘The Shale Revolution: What Do We Know Now and Where Are We Going?’
Leading economics and geology experts will discuss the development of shale resources in the United States at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy Oct. 30.
CultureMap Houston
http://bit.ly/1wJKTvp

Do young voters still support Democrats?
According to a new study from Harvard University, young voters may not be as eager to vote in the next election as they were six years ago. Rice students were asked about their excitement for voting in Texas’ upcoming election.
WOAI.com
http://bit.ly/1yJI1xM

Andrés Orozco-Estrada’s ‘3 Weeks of Beethoven’ opens with the epic Fifth Symphony on Nov. 13-16
Colombian violinist and conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada will lead “3 Weeks of Beethoven” with performances at Sugar Land Baptist Church and Rice’s Stude Concert Hall.
Humble Observer
http://bit.ly/1tU2NvM

Houston’s buzz
Rice and the Houston Association of Black Journalists hosted a town hall panel discussion on family violence.
Forward Times Online
http://bit.ly/103VZhZ

BROADCAST

KBMT-TV (Beaumont, Texas)
Jack Gill, professor of the practice of entrepreneurship at the Jones Graduate School of Business, made a donation to Lamar University to fund the creation of the Center for Commercialization, Innovation and Entrepreneurship for engineering and business students.
http://bit.ly/1tFQ6mU

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

A conversation with Rebecca Richards-Kortum
Rebecca Richards-Kortum, the Stanley C. Moore Professor of Bioengineering and of Electrical and Computer Engineering and director of the Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Beyond Traditional Borders and Rice 360°, is interviewed about her work as a researcher and professor at Rice.
Photonics.com
http://bit.ly/104dFtO

‘Sticky’ ends start synthetic collagen growth
Rice researchers published two detailed papers on how collagen fibers self-assemble. Jeffrey Hartgerink, professor of chemistry and of bioengineering, is quoted. Graduate students Katherine Jochim, Abihishek Jalan, Biplab Sarkar and alumna Lesley O’Leary ’10 are mentioned.
Science 360 (This appeared in the home page.)
http://1.usa.gov/1tkQE1R

Brain responses to disgusting images help reveal political leanings: Study
Rice’s collaborative research on political leanings is featured.
Med India (This article also appeared in Newswise.com and Science Codex.)
http://bit.ly/1wIyxm0

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Growing into my humanism: Shedding light on the shadow of theism
Anthony Pinn, the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and professor of religious studies, authored a blog post about creating a new identity after leaving theism.
Patheos
http://bit.ly/1p6NpLf

UNR and Rice University professors challenge old assumptions of plate tectonics
Richard Gordon, the W. M. Keck Professor in Geophysics and chair of the Department of Earth Science, and his colleague, Corné Kreemer, an associate professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, have determined that cooling of the lithosphere — the outermost layer of Earth — makes some sections of the Pacific plate contract horizontally at faster rates than others and causes the plate to deform.
Carson Now
http://bit.ly/1nSU0YU

Ali’s connections to Mahanoy City stir memories
Head basketball coach Mike Rhoades is mentioned.
Republican Herald
http://bit.ly/1nT1laQ

SPORTS

Panthers welcome defending C-USA Champions
Rice football will play against Florida International University Nov. 1 in Miami.
FIUSM.com
http://bit.ly/1tU09pZ
Rice (4-3) at FIU (3-5) (ET)
Bradenton Herald
http://bit.ly/1tU9LAR

2014-15 Conference USA team-by-team preview
Rice men’s basketball is profiled. Head basketball coach Mike Rhoades is mentioned.
WHIO.com (This article also appeared in WSB-TV, WSOC-TV and Journal-News.)
http://bit.ly/1zjg6bc

Mean Green swimming aims to improve times as Conference play starts
Rice women’s swimming team will compete against North Texas University Nov. 1.
NTDaily.com
http://bit.ly/10BUloM

Senior class takes the spotlight against Marshall for final home game
Rice women’s soccer’s game against North Texas University is mentioned.
FIUSM.com
http://bit.ly/1xFiDbx

Men’s tennis to wrap up fall season
Rice men’s tennis game against University of Texas-Pan American is mentioned.
The Shorthorn
http://bit.ly/1rD6Aa6