Dateline Rice for Jan. 30, 2015

Editor’s note: Due to a coding error, portions of Thursday’s issue of Dateline Rice were listed twice. The online version at news-network.rice.edu/news has been corrected.

Please note that some of the news reports that came out this week about Rice baseball players who made Conference USA’s preseason All-Conference USA team did not mention that junior Matt Ditman also was selected for the team, along with senior John Clay Reeves and junior Blake Fox. Rice had a league-high three players on the preseason All-Conference USA team.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Central bankers, unite!
The 30th anniversary of the Plaza Accord is sparking conversations of a second possible round of currency talks in Singapore and Switzerland. Russell Green, the Will Clayton Fellow in International Economics at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and an adjunct assistant professor of economics, is quoted.
Bloomberg View
http://bv.ms/1BB2Sp9
Singapore, Switzerland cry for new Plaza Accord — William Pesek
Malay Mail Online
http://bit.ly/1wIlHl7

The grand plan to give everyone a free year of online college
Philanthropist Steven Klinsky announced the launch of a new initiative called Freshman Year for Free to make a full range of freshman-level college courses available for free online. Caroline Levander, vice president for strategic initiatives and digital education, is quoted.
Wired
http://wrd.cm/1vfpCfp

States’ Hispanic education problem
Steve Murdock, the Allyn and Gladys Cline Professor of Sociology and director of Rice’s Hobby Center for the Study of Texas, is quoted about the education of the growing U.S. Hispanic population.
Governing
http://bit.ly/1Ke8DeI

Dr. George Rupp joins the IB Board of Governors as chair
The International Baccalaureate selected former Rice President George Rupp as chair of its board of governors.
IBO.org
http://bit.ly/1BDRUiD

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Rice University showered with accolades in global lists
Rice University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology are the only U.S. schools on Times Higher Education’s list of the top 100 international universities in the world for 2015.
Houston Business Journal
http://bit.ly/1zGiKJu

Texas business groups react to plan to abolish Emerging Technology Fund
Gov. Greg Abbott’s abolition of the Emerging Technology Fund would bolster the state’s effort to create additional nationally competitive research universities in Texas. Rice is mentioned as one of Texas’ three tier-one schools.
Austin Business Journal (This article also appeared in Dallas Sun, Austin News and San Antonio Business Journal.)
http://bit.ly/1ETOvNS

First look at city of Houston general plan for future
Houston’s Planning and Development Department is creating a new general plan to keep up with the city’s rapidly growing population. Rice is involved with the process and planning.
Bellaire Examiner
http://bit.ly/1DnfjVE

Shipman awarded TEES Center Fellow
Alumnus Frank Shipman ’88 has been selected as a 2015 Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station Center Fellow.
TAMU.edu
http://bit.ly/1zGiTNd

MLK marchers celebrate ‘color of unity’
Rice was represented in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade, “The Color of Unity.”
Jewish Herald-Voice
http://bit.ly/1BDUN36

Houston Hillel celebrates Shabbat at Rice
Houston Hillel held its weekly Shabbat dinner at Rice Jan. 19.
Jewish Herald-Voice
http://bit.ly/1yUcE62

Rice Gallery art opening reception: Shotgun
Rice School of Architecture students under the guidance of architecture studio Atelier Bow-Wow and Jesús Vassallo, assistant professor of architecture, designed a site-specific installation called “Shotgun,” which opens today.
CultureMap Houston
http://bit.ly/162DBJ8

Buff Brew celebrates 3 years with a new beer
Local craft beer brewer and alumnus Rassul Zarinfar ’04 is featured for the three-year anniversary of Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company.
Houstonia
http://bit.ly/1yU8taq

BROADCAST

China Alibaba
Yan Anthea Zhang, professor of management, discusses Chinese state regulators’ charges against e-commerce company Alibaba for alleged permitted sales of counterfeit goods and participation of unlicensed merchants.
Voice of America
http://bit.ly/1tENQhV

Journey to Lincoln Center: An interview with Christopher Besch
Alumnus Christopher Besch ’11 performs an aria and talks about his performance experiences.
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/1vfneoK

Fox Business Network
Alumnus Josh Earnest ’97 is mentioned on “Imus in the Morning.”
http://bit.ly/1zGjVZs

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Gates Foundation and Hotez agree on goal to erase NTDs by 2030
Bill and Melinda Gates’ annual letter mentions the goal of eradicating three neglected tropical diseases. Peter Hotez, a fellow in disease and poverty at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
BioNews-Texas
http://bit.ly/1yLkx98

Stressed, brittle, and reactive — crushing clinker at its hottest provides energy and emissions savings
Clinkers pulverized to make cement should be processed right out of the kiln to save the most energy. The environmentally friendly advice is the result of a computational study by scientists at Rice University. Rouzbeh Shahsavari, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, is quoted.
Ceramics.org
http://bit.ly/1tESAnQ

New insight into cancer cells
Rice biophysicists reveal how cancer uses notch-signaling pathways to promote metastasis. Their computer models provide a fresh theoretical framework for scientists who study ways to target cancer progression. Eshel Ben-Jacob, a senior investigator at Rice’s Center for Theoretical Biological Physics; Herbert Levine, the Karl F. Hasselmann Professor of Bioengineering, and José Onuchic, the Harry C. and Olga K. Wiess Professor of Physics and Astronomy, are quoted.
Spire Healthcare
http://bit.ly/1HrmHVZ
How cancer uses notch signaling to promote metastasis
SciTech Daily
http://bit.ly/15PpiI0

Engineering tough, resistant self-assembling amyloid fibers
Researchers from Rice and University of California-Davis found a way to manipulate proteins into amyloid fibrils, which are ideal for tissue engineering.
KurzweilAI.net
http://bit.ly/1Bznbkf

Mercer names Heidi Burnett as Southern California Office Leader
Alumna Heidi Burnett ’89 has been named Mercer’s Southern California Office Leader.
BioSpace (This article also appeared in Fort Mill Times, Wall Street Online, KMAX-TV, Sun News, Minyanville, IndustrialInfo.com, MoneyShow and Townhall.)
http://bit.ly/15Pr6Rl

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Fast track to the corner office
H. Albert Napier, professor of entrepreneurship and psychology, is quoted in an article with tips to improve careers.
Men’s Health
http://bit.ly/1uIVcMz

BP names finalists for the 2015 US Ultimate Field Trip competition
Rice STEM students are campus team winners of the 2015 U.S. Ultimate Field Trip competition and will advance to the national finals at BP’s U.S. headquarters in Houston.
BP.com (This article also appeared in 4-Traders.)
http://bit.ly/1656eWW

SPORTS

C-USA coaches pick Marshall to finish 10th
Rice baseball was unanimously voted the favorite to win the conference, and player Blake Fox was named preseason Pitcher of the Year and John Clay Reeves as preseason Player of the Year.
Herald-Dispatch
http://bit.ly/1CHnb5Y

Indian heritage takes on the court at Rice basketball
Three Indian dance groups performed on court at Rice basketball’s game against Louisiana Tech. Shulmith Muthyala, general manager of ticket sales, invited the groups to perform.
IndoAmerican-News
http://bit.ly/1JUJqrf

Rice basketball fell to the University of Houston 59-48 at Hofheinz Pavilion.
Turnovers prove costly in setback at Houston
Bellaire Examiner (This article also appeared in West University Examiner and Sugar Land Sun.)
http://bit.ly/1CHaA2H
Cougar’s bad offense not quite as bad as Rice’s bad offense
Houston Press
http://bit.ly/1ze99b8

KTRK-TV
Alumnus Luke Willson ’12 will play in the Super Bowl for his second straight season. Willson expresses his gratitude for head football coach David Bailiff.
http://bit.ly/1ETVPZD
Get pumped for Super Bowl XLIX
Wall Street Journal
http://on.wsj.com/1DewPLs
Super Bowl XLIX: 49 facts about the biggest match of the NFL season
Fox Sports (This article also appeared in PerthNow, the Advertiser, Australian IT, The Daily Telegraph, Courier Mail, news.com.au and Herald Sun.)
http://bit.ly/1ETO1XO
Two good to be true?
National Catholic Register
http://bit.ly/1uIZ5Ry
Seahawks tight end Luke Willson enjoying breakout year
KING5.com
http://kng5.tv/15P5N2k