Dateline Rice for Nov. 12, 2014

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Mexico’s newest cartels are smaller, more localized but just as ruthless
Tony Payan, the Baker Institute’s Françoise and Edward Djerejian Fellow for Mexico Studies and director of the institute’s Mexico Center, comments on former Mexico President Felipe Calderón’s strategy to weaken crime groups, who are allegedly responsible for the death of 43 students and multiple threats to the Mexican government.
Fox News Latino
http://bit.ly/1v3ljlR

Your next electric car may not even need a battery
Researchers from Rice and Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, co-developed lightweight “supercapacitors” that can be combined with regular batteries to boost the power of an electric car. Matteo Pasquali, professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry and professor of chemical and bimolecular engineering, and graduate student Francesca Mirri are quoted.
Yahoo! News (This article also appeared in Take Part.)
http://yhoo.it/1v45wmS

Coming soon: Autocomplete for programmers
Computer scientists at Rice are leading an $11 million project called PLINY to develop software that makes it easier to write code. Vivek Sarkar, the E.D. Butcher Chair in Engineering, chair of the Department of Computer Science and the principal investigator for the PLINY project, and Swarat Chaudhuri, assistant professor of computer science, are quoted. The article includes a video produced by Rice’s Brandon Martin in the T3n article.
Popular Science (This article also appeared in Australian Popular Science.)
http://bit.ly/14dGW80
DARPA funds big code database project
I-Programmer (This article also appeared in ShortNews.de.)
http://bit.ly/10ZrFFX

Words & Art reading at Rice University Nov. 12
Words & Art will host a reading of poetry inspired by the installations at Rice Gallery Nov. 12 in Sewall Hall. Japanese artist Yusuke Asai’s “yamatane” installation, which will be on display at Rice Gallery through Nov. 23, is mentioned.
Examiner.com
http://exm.nr/1xhBGMr

Recollections of Ted Cruz: Out of memoir
Alumna Eleanor Darragh ’56, mother of Sen. Ted Cruz, is mentioned.
Examiner.com
http://exm.nr/1umXJyR

HOUSTON/TEXAS

The Iguala massacre ‘is a watershed for Mexico’
Alfredo Corchado, the Mexico correspondent for the Dallas Morning News who recently spoke at Rice, is interviewed about the Mexican government and his new book, “Midnight in Mexico.”
Houston Chronicle (This article appeared in the Houston Chronicle’s “Gray Matters” online magazine. Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1umGhe1
Q&A with author of ‘Midnight in Mexico’
Houston Chronicle (This appeared on the front of the City & State section. Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1wmiTu2

Abbott taps new chief elections officer
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 Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos’ appointment as the new Texas secretary of state.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/14deyCX
Gov.-elect Abbott will name Cameron County judge as secretary of state
San Antonio Express-News
http://bit.ly/1wToHiE

More than sweeping is needed to clean India
Sophomore Anjali Bhatla authored a blog post about India’s growing sanitation problem.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/1EBILsc

Rice MBA ranked No. 25 in US
Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business’ Master of Business Administration program is No. 25 in Bloomberg’s Businessweek’s ranking of the best full-time MBA programs in the U.S.
Fort Bend Sun
http://bit.ly/10VHD3t

On your own for health insurance? See how Houston’s marketplace stacks up
Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and the Episcopal Health Foundation released a new report analysis of more than 100 health insurance plans across Texas. Elena Marks, scholar in health policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, and Vivian Ho, the James A. Baker III Institute Chair in Health Economics at the Baker Institute for Public Policy and professor of economics, are quoted about the report.
Houston Business Journal
http://bit.ly/1umND10
Texas Obamacare plans cost more in big cities than in rural areas
KWBU.org
http://bit.ly/1yznxXP
Federal health-insurance subsidies to get Supreme Court scrutiny
Consumers Digest
http://bit.ly/1un2pF4

Rice University adds new engineering program
Rice will award a Certificate in Engineering Leadership to students who complete a special program offered through the Rice Center for Engineering Leadership. Kaz Karwowski, executive director of the center, is quoted.
Houston Business Journal
http://bit.ly/1yzsXlJ

CAMH finally shows its H
Debra Barrera, who was named artist-in-residence for Rice’s Physics and Astronomy Department, has an exhibition on display for the Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston’s “Right Here, Right Now: Houston.”
Free Press Houston
http://bit.ly/1v4bqEt

Concordia University hosts Pettitte, Linebrink
Former Rice baseball player Lance Berkman, who is completing his kinesiology degree at Rice, attended the Concordia University baseball team’s annual Dining with the Stars event.
Austin American-Statesman
http://bit.ly/1ubuYp6

January 2014 Houston Symphony calendar
Colombian violinist and conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada will perform and give commentary for his “Musically Speaking with Andrés” series at Rice’s Stude Concert Hall Jan. 15.
Humble Observer (This article also appeared in Kingwood Observer, Lake Houston Observer and Atascocita Observer.)
http://bit.ly/1v3GPHN

Texas Republican outreach works!
Alumna Melissa Fwu ’12 was named the Asian American Engagement Director for the Republican Party of Texas to further its outreach to Texas’ growing Asian population.
Texas GOP Vote
http://bit.ly/1pReKkZ

Alumni Madness results are in, and the winner is …
Rice lost to the University of Houston in the final round of Houston Business Journal’s inaugural Alumni Madness. Rice and UH were the two finalists in a competition that HBJ noted was “not a scientific sampling” among 32 colleges and universities, mostly in Texas.
Houston Business Journal
http://bit.ly/1EqEZ2Q

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Exzellenz-Graduiertenschule MAINZ vergibt Gastprofessuren 2014
Stephan Link, associate professor of chemistry and of electrical and computer engineering, received a visiting professorship from the Excellence Graduate School in Materials Science in Mainz.
Uni-Protokolle.de (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/1oLR9l8

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Greening Houston
Jim Blackburn, professor in the practice of environmental law in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and co-director of the Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center, is cited for his report on Texas’ storms and mentioned for his fear of destruction along the Houston Ship Channel.
Resilience.org
http://bit.ly/1sCZkva

SPORTS

Rice at Marshall
Rice football will play against Marshall University Nov. 15 in West Virginia.
CBSSports.com (Similar articles appeared in 18 other media outlets.)
http://cbsprt.co/10Wewgt
Rice (6-3) at (21) Marshall (9-0) (ET)
The News Tribune
http://bit.ly/1xt3b3b
Marshall versus Rice: Game preview with TV schedule
RantSports.com
http://bit.ly/10WfR73
Louisiana Tech getting it done with defense
Underdog Dynasty
http://bit.ly/1yzsGiB

Rice’s Covington opts for season-ending surgery
Rice football player Christian Covington underwent knee surgery and will take the rest of the season off for recovery. Head football coach David Bailiff is quoted.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/11hX1IG

Recap: Rice at Oregon State
Rice men’s basketball will play against Oregon State University Nov. 14 in Oregon. Head basketball coach Mike Rhoades is mentioned.
KPRC-TV (This article also appeared in KION-TV and 15 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/1xMYP6r
Pac-12 basketball: Oregon State Beavers versus Rice Owls preview
Best College Sports Network
http://bit.ly/10ZvydP

NEWS RELEASES

Shell’s ‘New Lens Scenarios’ to be presented at Rice’s Baker Institute Nov. 19
Cho-Oon Khong, a chief political analyst at Shell International, will discuss “Shaping Sustainable Future Cities: Lessons from Shell’s New Lens Scenarios” at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy Nov 19. Part of the institute’s Shell Distinguished Lecture Series, the event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
http://bit.ly/1B9DklT

Media Advisory: Rice Space Institute statement on comet landing
With the first-ever successful landing of a spacecraft on a comet shortly after 10 a.m. the Rice Space Institute issued a statement about the European Space Agency’s Rosetta orbiter’s mission and its Philae lander touching down on Comet 67P.
http://bit.ly/1tHkN6z

Evolution software looks beyond the branches
Rice researcher Luay Nakhleh and his group have developed PhyloNet, an open-source software package that accounts for horizontal as well as vertical inheritance of genetic material among genomes. His “maximum likelihood” method, detailed this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, allows PhyloNet to infer network models that better describe the evolution of certain groups of species than do tree models.
http://bit.ly/1v3CsMQ

Rice among first to offer engineering leadership certificate
In May, Rice will begin awarding a Certificate in Engineering Leadership to graduates who complete an internship, 10 credit hours of required courses and labs, and a portfolio and final presentation. The program — the first of its kind in Texas and one of just a handful in the United States — is offered through the Rice Center for Engineering Leadership.
http://bit.ly/1wTxf96

Rice MBA ranked No. 25 in US
The Master of Business Administration program at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business is No. 25 (up from No. 34 in 2012) in Bloomberg Businessweek’s new ranking of the best full-time MBA programs in the nation.
http://bit.ly/1pRp8Jx