Dateline Rice for April 29, 2015

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

We need energy technology, not ideology
Charles McConnell, executive director of Rice’s Energy and Environment Initiative, authored an op-ed about the need for advanced transformative technology as a solution to efficient fossil fuel consumption.
The Hill
http://bit.ly/1DBquI0

Abbott orders Texas Guard to ‘monitor’ planned military exercises
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 Gov. Greg Abbott’s order for the Texas State Guard to monitor a U.S. military exercise in Bastrop County this summer and the ruling against Texas’ voter ID law.
Kera News (This also appeared in KUT.org.)
http://bit.ly/1ECN48l
Federal appeals court examines Texas voter ID law
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/1bewakN

Solar corona mystery solved: Millions of superhot ‘nanoflare explosions’ occur on the sun every second
Rice participated in a groundbreaking study that revealed how the sun’s corona is heated to extreme temperatures by relatively small explosions. Stephen Bradshaw, the William V. Vietti Junior Chair of Space Physics and assistant professor of physics and astronomy, spoke about the study at the Triennial Earth-Sun Summit in Indianapolis.
Daily Mail
http://dailym.ai/1ODT738
Strong evidence for coronal heating theory presented
Phys.org
http://bit.ly/1DIF3uK
Superhot solar atmosphere heated by millions of tiny explosions: Study
Global Post (This article also appeared in China.org and Xinhua Net.)
http://bit.ly/1P6nNVE

‘Louie Louie’ singer Jack Ely dies in Oregon at 71
Jack Ely, the lead singer of The Kingsmen, died at age 71. The Marching Owl Band is mentioned for their rendition of “Louie Louie.”
The Washington Post (This Associated Press article appeared in over 350 other media outlets.)
http://wapo.st/1JAKvXL
‘Louie Louie’ singer Jack Ely dies at 71
Huffington Post
http://huff.to/1bDBqPk
‘Louie Louie’ singer Jack Ely dies in Oregon at 71
AOL
http://aol.it/1JAFb6w
Addio a Jack Ely, voce di ‘Louie Louie’ il successo rock più misterioso di sempre
La Stampa (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/1Gw1ZhI

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Race relations under microscope
Anthony Pinn, the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and professor of religion, comments on the biased media coverage of the riots in Baltimore this week.
KTRH-AM
http://bit.ly/1QJAqts

Residents in Brays Oaks area assist in trails initiative
Brays Oaks area residents are helping the Houston Parks Board plan possible trail connections between neighborhoods in its Bayou Greenways 2020 project. The trail would connect destinations such as Brays Bayou, Texas Medical Center and Rice.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1GHGK1K

Becca Cason Thrash serves up Texas best at dinner for French Ambassador
Socialite Becca Cason Thrash and her husband, John, hosted Gérard Araud, French ambassador to the United States, for a Texas-style dinner at their Memorial area home. The article mentions that he also spoke at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
CultureMap Houston
http://bit.ly/1ECPxzD

Baker Institute expert available to discuss medical marijuana legislation
The Texas Legislature will hear three bills authorizing the use of medical marijuana. Katharine Neill, the Alfred C. Glassell III Postdoctoral Fellow in Drug Policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, comments on the bills’ prospects and how they fit in with national drug policy developments.
Houston Style Magazine
http://bit.ly/1HRhchk

BROADCAST

ABCNews.com
David Alexander, professor of physics and astronomy and director of the Rice Space Institute, appeared live online with ABCNews.com to comment on the unmanned Russian cargo spacecraft that has run amiss.
(A link to this broadcast is not available)

Vibrating vest could help deaf people communicate
A vest that allows people who are profoundly deaf to “feel” and understand speech is under development by engineering students and their mentors at Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine. Brown College senior Evan Dougal is quoted.
KPRC-TV
http://bit.ly/1JSi6sN

KPFT-AM
Tony Payan, the Baker Institute’s Françoise and Edward Djerejian Fellow for Mexico Studies and director of the institute’s Mexico Center, discusses the relationship between Mexico and the United States on KPFT’s “Open Journal.”
http://archive.kpft.org/ (This interview aired April 16 and begins at 28:00 in the archived recording.)

Why one superintendent’s budget falls short $1,300 per student
Scott Hochberg, a lecturer at Rice’s Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies, discusses Texas’ public school funding.
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/1GFxjgD

(Symphonic) poetry in motion
Music performed by Rice’s Shepherd School of Music is played on Houston Public Media’s “Music in the Making.”
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/1KtVekc

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Students create smartphone app to connect heart patient, pump, doctor
Rice engineering students have created an app and hardware to help control a unique heart assist pump under development by a Houston company. The system would allow doctors to remotely monitor their patients’ heart health. Wiess College senior Benjamin Lopez, Baker College senior Ernest Chan and Duncan College seniors Alex Bisberg and Joshua Choi are quoted. Jones College senior Tracy Fu and Wiess College senior Navaneeth Ravindranath are mentioned.
Medical Xpress
http://bit.ly/1dsCgzF

Hands Omni is a glove that lets the wearer ‘feel’ objects in virtual reality
Rice University engineering students created a tactile feedback glove for virtual-reality environments. Lovett College senior Thor Walker, Duncan College senior Marissa Garcia and Brown College senior Kevin Koch are quoted. The article includes a video produced by Rice’s Brandon Martin.
WT Vox
http://bit.ly/1DW8ngq
Haptic glove adds touch to virtual reality headsets
Argyll Free Press
http://bit.ly/1bTXOVw
This glove uses air to let you feel digital objects in virtual reality
Digital Trends
http://bit.ly/1bU3xKT
Virtual reality gets physical with Hands Omni
PC Authority
http://bit.ly/1DWccSV

These small robots can move your car
A team of senior electrical and computer engineers designed a capstone project that could take the hassle out of finding a place to park with a new technology called “ParkiT.”
Tech Times (This article also appeared in e! Science News.)
http://bit.ly/1dskPzh

How do batteries work?
Rice is cited for its study on battery capacity in an article about how batteries work.
Live Science
http://bit.ly/1J8twbT

Argonne lab demos predicative modeling to boost materials discovery for fuels
Scientists identified zeolites that may be synthesized to improve ethanol and petroleum production using a sophisticated algorithm developed at Rice University.
Biofuels Digest
http://bit.ly/1bDo8SO

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Rice University students develop pain-free shots
If the Rice University freshmen on the engineering design team Comfortably Numb have it their way, children will be less fearful and feel less pain when they go to the doctor’s office for a shot.
WTSP.com (This article also appeared in Herald Times Reporter and 10 other media outlets.)
http://on.wtsp.com/1GHakEv
WGHP-TV (Greensboro, N.C.)
http://bit.ly/1bDzMNv

Tri-Valley briefs: Livermore’s Hertz Foundation names 2015 fellowship winners
Rice University senior Ravi Sheth, a bioengineering major who just finished his term as president of the Rice Student Association, has received a prestigious 2015 Fannie and John Hertz Foundation Fellowship Award for graduate education.
San Jose Mercury News (This article also appeared in Red Bluff Daily News, Paradise Post, Times-Standard, Contra Costa Times and Inside Bay Area.)
http://bayareane.ws/1P6G5pX

SPORTS

Winnegan on track for 2nd state title
Dawson High School sophomore Brett Winnegan is featured for his success at several track and field meets, including Rice’s Victor Lopez Bayou Classic.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1HRc50O

Covington likely 1st Canadian to go in NFL draft
Rice football player Christian Covington is in the top spot in the Canadian College Draft’s final ranking list and is waiting to hear if he will be selected in this year’s NFL draft.
Toronto Sun (This article appeared in over 50 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/1ElxrRm

Bryce Callahan, Chicago Bears draft prospect profile
Rice football player Bryce Callahan is profiled.
Fansided
http://bit.ly/1P6rL0p

NEWS RELEASES

Trade agreement measures will not address currency manipulation concerns, Baker Institute expert says
As Congress resumes work this spring on a bill granting Trade Promotion Authority to President Barack Obama for completion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, many members have sought inclusion of a chapter on currency manipulation.
http://bit.ly/1ODX8EE

Students use smarts for damaged hearts
Rice engineering students have created an app and hardware to help control a unique heart assist pump under development by a Houston company. The system would allow doctors to remotely monitor their patients’ heart health.
http://bit.ly/1JAH43d

Baker Institute expert available to discuss medical marijuana legislation
The Texas Legislature will hear three bills authorizing the use of medical marijuana. Katharine Neill, a drug policy expert at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is available to discuss the bills’ prospects and how they fit in with national drug policy developments.
http://bit.ly/1DWclpw