Dateline Rice for Nov. 18, 2014

FEATURED ITEM

The pervasive myth of an immigration crisis
Tony Payan, the Baker Institute’s Françoise and Edward Djerejian Fellow for Mexico Studies and director of the institute’s Mexico Center, authored an op-ed about the truth behind the media’s hyped immigration crisis.
The Hill
http://bit.ly/1AcRD7X

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

How the Halliburton megadeal went down
William Arnold, professor in the practice of management at the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business, comments on the $35 billion deal agreement decided by the chief executive officers of Halliburton Inc. and Baker Hughes.
Bloomberg
http://bloom.bg/1HfCCUF
How Halliburton and Baker Hughes reached a deal
Energy Voice
http://bit.ly/1t94m33

Baghdad real estate booms despite IS threat
An article about Iraq’s Shiite Muslim elite selling million-dollar homes in the Zayouna neighborhood quotes Andrew Bowen, the Baker Institute scholar for the Middle East and director of Rice’s Baker Institute’s Levant Program.
Bloomberg Businessweek
http://bit.ly/1BJnej8

Can hybrid cathodes make bendy solar cells cheap?
Rice scientists created a graphene/nanotube cathode that may make cheap, flexible dye-sensitized solar cells more practical. Jun Lou, associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science, and postdoctoral researcher Pei Dong are quoted. Alumnus Yu Zhu ’12, postdoctoral researcher Jingjie Wu and graduate students Jing Zhang and Sidong Lei are mentioned.
Futurity
http://bit.ly/1xMmHbf
Dye-sensitized cells as alternative to silicon solar cells
EET India
http://bit.ly/1xTDBps
Graphene/nanotube cathode into dye-sensitized solar cells
EE Times Europe
http://bit.ly/1zA7jih
Graphene opportunities research at Rice University
Net News Ledger
http://bit.ly/11p55Gy
Graphene/nanotube hybrid aids flexible solar cells
Controlled Environments (This article also appeared in Phys.org and 10 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/11gKhBt
Fotovoltaico: celle solari flessibili grazie a catodo ibrido
Green Style (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/1uEu3hn

How feelings of disgust lead to immoral behavior
While feelings of disgust can increase behaviors like lying and cheating, cleanliness can help people return to ethical behavior, according to a recent study by marketing experts at Rice, Pennsylvania State University and Arizona State University. Vikas Mittal, the J. Hugh Liedtke Professor of Marketing at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, is quoted.
Huffington Post
http://huff.to/1oZkrwG
Organized people are probably better than disorganized people
Huffington Post’s “The Third Metric”
http://huff.to/1yjCqxH
Do messy desks make for selfish workers?
Business News Daily (This article also appeared in ZiareLive and Romania TV.)
http://bit.ly/1t1P2WE

Texas university team visit Apex in Bury St Edmunds on fact-finding tour
Rice representatives visited the Apex in Bury St Edmunds, U.K., on their fact-finding venue tour across the U.K. and Europe.
EADT.co.uk (This article also appeared in East Anglian Daily Times and Bury Mercury.)
http://bit.ly/11ohyKG

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Consumer confidence high as Houstonians enter the holiday season
Jill Foote, senior lecturer in finance at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, comments on Houston’s strong economy and its positive effect on retailers for the holiday season.
Houston Chronicle (This appeared online last week and was on the front of the Business section in Sunday’s print edition. Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1zoVWtv

Student blog: The role of victims in Colombia’s peace process
Baker College senior Kristin Foringer authored a blog post about the advancement of Colombia’s peace process with the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/1yjsOD8

Does America have a future in space? Free public talk
Science writer Eric Berger will discuss the future of spaceflight at Rice Nov. 19.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/1yPGYvI

An interview with George Zodrow
George Zodrow, professor of economics, discusses the likelihood of federal tax reform and the Texas Legislature’s potential focus on property tax and margin tax in the next year.
State Tax Merry-Go-Round
http://bit.ly/11gF64j

Pipeline may bring windfall to NJ towns
The Delaware Township is calculating how much tax revenue it will receive from the $1 billion PennEast natural gas transmission line being built in 2017. Kenneth Medlock III, the James A. Baker III and Susan Baker Fellow in Energy and Resource Economics and lecturer of economics, comments on taxes affecting pipeline operators’ profits.
Eagle Ford Texas (This article also appeared in Bakken.com.)
http://bit.ly/1uLgT1B

Opinion — Kimberlin: Raising minimum wage has consequences
An opinion piece discusses the potential ramifications of raising the minimum wage. Steve Murdock, the Allyn and Gladys Cline Professor of Sociology and director of Rice’s Hobby Center for the Study of Texas, is quoted.
Daily Toreador
http://bit.ly/1vmqmOE

As big as Texas
Stephen Klineberg, professor of sociology and founding director of Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, is mentioned for his research on Houston’s projected growth in the next 20 years.
HTexas.com
http://bit.ly/14FLrbC

BROADCAST

Analices de legisladores en Texas
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, comments on the analysis of the declining number of Anglo Democrats in the Texas Legislature.
Univision (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/1ur6eb0

Los hispanos y el futuro de Houston
A new report released by Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research focuses on Hispanics and the future of Houston. Stephen Klineberg, professor of sociology and founding director of Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, is quoted.
Univision  (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/1uLBkvk

Music in the making: Nov. 6, 2014
Rice’s Shepherd School of Music’s performance of Paul Hindemith’s “Konzertmusik Für Streichorchester Und Blechbläser” conducted by Larry Rachleff, the Walter Kris Hubert Professor of Orchestra Conducting, is played.
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/1xTD9HA

TSU, Prairie View A&M and UH Central top list for crime
KPRC compared crime statistics at area universities based on Clery reports from 2013. The story notes that Rice’s crime rate is the lowest it’s been in the last five years.
KPRC-TV
http://bit.ly/1qS1QOO

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Poor implementation may outweigh short-term benefits of Mexico’s telecommunications reform
A new policy paper from the Mexico Center at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy examines the impact that the constitutional reform of the country’s “anemic” telecommunications could have on market competition, human rights and public welfare. Graduate student Oscar Bejarano is quoted.
Phys.org
http://bit.ly/1BK0yiW

DARPA funds PLINY autocorrect to help coders
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.
FileHippo
http://bit.ly/1HfE9ub

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

STEM field offers innovative leadership certificate
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.
eCampus News
http://bit.ly/1xTCVQE

Writers complete 2014 fall retreat at Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center
Alumna Pat Carr ’54 mentored the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center 2014 Fall Writers’ Retreat.
Arkansas State University
http://bit.ly/1AdhdJW

Christian rappers collect thousands of canned food items for Texas’ hungry
Vaughn Walwyn ’04, pastor of CT Legacy Church, is hosting the Hunger Awards for the seventh year at his church.
Christian Post
http://bit.ly/1u5RGtS

Hidden ideas: Unconscious bias in writing to be explored at Ada writers meeting
Alumna Rhonda Ragsdale ’08 will present “Hidden Ideas: Unconscious Bias in Writing” at the Ada Public Library in Oklahoma.
The Ada News
http://bit.ly/1uKHHiK

Houston pianist returns for coffee concert at First Presbyterian Church
Pianist Joseph Stern Kingma will perform at First Presbyterian Church of New Canaan in Connecticut. Stern is the 2010 Rice University Concerto Champion.
HamletHub.com
http://bit.ly/1vmdUit

SPORTS

College football odds: Opening week 13 NCAA betting lines and totals
Rice football fell to Marshall University 14-41 in West Virginia.
Bleacher Report (Similar articles appeared in 10 other media outlets.)
http://ble.ac/1yjrG2u

Cougar comeback falls short in 50-48 loss
Rice women’s basketball will play against University of Houston Dec. 3.
Sports Page Magazine
http://bit.ly/14Fy8Ie

NEWS RELEASE

Grant to Rice fast tracks cell-sorting advance
Jacob Robinson, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, has won a prestigious Young Faculty Award from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to pursue technology that will greatly speed the process of cell sorting, an essential task for synthetic biologists.
http://bit.ly/1u6Hkd4