Dateline Rice for Dec. 12, 2014

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

3-D maps find ‘loops’ in human genome
In a triumph for cell biology, researchers have assembled the first high-resolution, 3-D maps of entire folded genomes and found a structural basis for gene regulation — a kind of “genomic origami” that allows the same genome to produce different types of cells. Erez Lieberman Aiden, adjunct assistant professor in computational and applied mathematics, is quoted.
Futurity
http://bit.ly/1vZ0VSx
3-D mapping of loops in human genome reveals structure and hidden switches
International Business Times
http://bit.ly/1wj4bYL
DNA loop-the-loops
The Scientist
http://bit.ly/12W3VTA
Scientists map the human loop-ome, revealing a new form of genetic regulation
Phys.org (This article also appeared in Med India, Science Daily, BioScience Technology, Science Codex and Science Newsline.)
http://bit.ly/1yGBfHf
Scientists map the human loop-ome
Harvard.edu
http://bit.ly/13giKlg
Scientists map DNA ‘looping’ within humans
Laboratory Talk
http://bit.ly/1xa22jK

Former NASA flight director says a return to the moon is necessary before heading to Mars
NASA’s test flights in preparation for a 2030 mission to put humans on Mars are off to a positive start. George Abbey, the Baker Botts Senior Fellow in Space Policy, is quoted.
International Business Times
http://bit.ly/1vYJjGj

Professors grow weary of idea that technology can save higher ed
Some university professors are struggling to learn and use new technology for their classes. David Johnson, postdoctoral research fellow in the Religion and Public Life Program and the Department of Sociology, is cited for his survey on faculty complaints about technology improving education.
U.S. News & World Report
http://bit.ly/1z0BAIE

Mexico shale boom outlook dims as US drillers struggle
An article about Mexico’s untimely welcome of the U.S. shale revolution quotes Kenneth Medlock III, the James A. Baker III and Susan Baker Fellow in Energy and Resource Economics and lecturer of economics.
Bloomberg
http://bloom.bg/1wI9cfD

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Family putting historic property to modern use
The owners of the Heights Clock Tower plan to renovate the top floors of the building into office areas and apartment space. Nonya Grenader, professor in the practice of architecture, is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/12CqT2j

CREW Houston awards scholarships
Graduate student Michelle Kobelan received a scholarship from Commercial Real Estate Women Houston.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/1snVAyZ

Other voices: What Texas editors are saying
Texas’ odds of facing drug cartel violence may just be hype. Tony Payan, the Baker Institute’s Françoise and Edward Djerejian Fellow for Mexico Studies and director of the institute’s Mexico Center, explains that the term “drug cartel” is outdated and does not apply to crime in Mexico.
Longview News-Journal
http://bit.ly/1sj8WSG

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Theory details how ‘hot’ monomers affect thin-film formation
Researchers at Rice and the University of Maryland led by Rice theoretical physicist Alberto Pimpinelli devised the first detailed model to quantify what they believe was the last unknown characteristic of film formation through deposition by vacuum sublimation and chemical vapor deposition. Pimpinelli, faculty fellow in materials science and nanoengineering, is quoted.
R&D Mag
http://bit.ly/1zHfJWN

Robot swarm! NYC exhibit uses bots to teach math
Robots developed by James McLurkin, assistant professor of computer science, will be featured at Manhattan’s National Museum of Mathematics starting Dec. 14.
Live Science
http://bit.ly/1BoEkyY

Laser-induced graphene electronics scalable for roll-to-roll manufacture of Nanoscale electronics
Researchers at Rice University have created flexible, patterned sheets of multilayer graphene from a cheap polymer by burning it with a computer-controlled laser. James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry, professor of computer science and of materials science and nanoengineering, and Boris Yakobson, the Karl F. Hasselmann Professor of Materials Science and NanoEngineering and professor of chemistry, are quoted. Alumnus Jian Lin ’96 is mentioned.
Next Big Future
http://bit.ly/1GtyDAU
Graphene patterns created in plastic sheets with a laser
AZom.com (This article also appeared in Printed Electronics World.)
http://bit.ly/1zHyERv

Saying “no” to extra work especially tough for women
According to a study from the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, it is more difficult for women to say “no” to extra work than men. Mikki Hebl, professor of psychology and management, co-authored the study.
Business News Daily
http://bit.ly/12CypdF

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Asian LNG prices seen falling by up to 30% in 2015
Asian liquefied natural gas prices are expected to fall by up to 30 percent in 2015, according to a survey of analysts and consultants, as the market enters a period of oversupply and the impact of lower oil prices kicks in. The article quotes a paper by Mark Agerton, graduate fellow in the Center for Energy Studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
The Star
http://bit.ly/1yGJuTE

UNG recognized for efforts to reduce textbook costs
University of North Georgia has won an award for Innovation and Early Success in Textbook Transformation from Affordable Learning Georgia for implementing open-source electronic textbooks. Al Walters, UNG associate professor of physics, was recognized for adopting a college physics text by Rice’s OpenStax College.
UNG.edu
http://bit.ly/1zfk4zx

Students must hear that ‘sexual identity is not the sum of total of our identity’
Gordon College President Michael Lindsay, a former sociology professor at Rice, is interviewed about sexual orientation and practice in hiring decisions.
The College Fix
http://bit.ly/1uvfN5I

Lee History seminar takes students from classroom to Civil War battlefield
Alumnus Drew Bledsoe ’10 plans to take his History 490: The Battle of Chickamauga in History and Memory class to the actual ground where Union and Confederate soldiers fought over 150 years ago.
The Chattanoogan
http://bit.ly/1yGI0sw

Our spaceflight heritage: Apollo 17 — NASA’s last manned mission to the moon — 42 years later
John F. Kennedy’s speech given at Rice in 1962 is mentioned.
Spaceflight Insider
http://bit.ly/1so14tr

SPORTS

Pethouse Pet of the Week: Mele Kalikimaka to Rice for making Hawaii Bowl
Rice football will play at this year’s Hawaii Bowl Dec. 24 at Hawaiian Airlines Field at Aloha Stadium against California State University, Fresno.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required. Similar articles appeared in more than 30 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/1zH5X75

NEWS RELEASES

Grants kickstart bioscience research projects
The John S. Dunn Foundation Collaborative Research Award Program provides seed grants for interdisciplinary projects between scientists at Rice University’s BioScience Research Collaborative and researchers at fellow Gulf Coast Consortia institutions.
http://bit.ly/13gEOfy

3-D maps reveal the genome’s origami code
In a triumph for cell biology, researchers have assembled the first high-resolution, 3-D maps of entire folded genomes and found a structural basis for gene regulation — a kind of “genomic origami” that allows the same genome to produce different types of cells.
http://bit.ly/1GjUOeu