Dateline Rice for June 19, 2015

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Does dim view of atheism mute Dawkins’ message?
Two prominent scientists with drastically different views on the relationship of science and religion – Richard Dawkins and Francis Collins – have an equally different influence on these views among people who are unfamiliar with their work, according to new research from Rice University and West Virginia University. Elaine Howard Ecklund, the Herbert S. Autrey Chair and Professor of Sociology, co-director of the Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance and director of Rice’s Religion and Public Life Program, is quoted.
Futurity
http://bit.ly/1fmkEqc
New research on the science versus religion debate looks at the effectiveness of different ‘science popularizers’
Patheos (This article also appeared in Device Space, BioSpace.com and Friendly Atheist.)
http://bit.ly/1TATT0Y

The price of admission
Rice is No. 6 on Consumers Digest’s list of top 25 values for private schools based on academic excellence, quality of education and estimated cost.
Consumers Digest (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1Fry9tB

Pope Francis urges revolution to save Earth from climate change ‘before it’s too late’
An article about the pope’s new encyclical “Laudato Si,” which approaches climate change outside the limitations of scientific explanation, quotes Douglas Brinkley, professor of history and fellow in history at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
Salt Lake Tribune
http://bit.ly/1Frb4ag
Pope Francis to world: Act on climate change while there’s time
Dallas Morning News
http://bit.ly/1GW3cmG
WBRC-TV (Birmingham, Ala.)
http://bit.ly/1BsEGca

Good times, bad times — rider right by my side — Hill docs call for keeping ozone
Kenneth Medlock III, the James A. Baker III and Susan Baker Fellow in Energy and Resource Economics and lecturer of economics, testified before Congress June 17.
Politico
http://politi.co/1Sw64KR

DARPA research could help soldiers see around corners
A team of researchers developed cameras and scopes that bounce photons of light to construct a 3-D image of a person hidden in a room to improve the radars used by law enforcement. Ashok Veeraraghavan, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, who was on the team, is quoted.
Popular Mechanics
http://bit.ly/1GmFqM0

Texas governor names conservative as state ed board chair, news upsets board’s lone lobbyist
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott appointed conservative Donna Bahorich as the new chair of the State Board of Education. The article mentions that Bahorich’s three sons received engineering degrees from Rice.
Breitbart
http://bit.ly/1MRZOJJ

Science interrupted
Young physicians and scientists are losing time to work on their research to apply for funding. Rice is cited for its study that analyzed the work of Nobel Prize winners between 1980 and 2010.
UCSF.edu (This article also appeared in Science Blog.)
http://bit.ly/1QGtik8

5 things to know today, starting with which Pittsburgh universities granted patents at an international pace
A report issued by the National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association compiled data from the U.S. Patent and Trademark office and found that Carnegie Mellon University was in a five-way tie with Rice, Dartmouth College, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne and Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation at Yonsei University for U.S. patents.
Pittsburgh Business Times
http://bit.ly/1K1OLhK

Reunion Unibo, il primo raduno mondiale di ex laureati dell’Università di Bologna. Dal 19 al 21 giugno, tre giorni con Francesco Guccini, Umberto Eco, Romano Prodi e le startup (FOTO)
University of Bologna graduates will attend Reunion Unibo, the first global gathering of the university’s former students. Rice is mentioned.
Huffington Post (An English translation is not available.)
http://huff.to/1Gab53W

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Should the US Census expand gender options beyond ‘male’ and ‘female’?
Jenifer Bratter, associate professor of sociology and acting chair of the Department of Sociology, explains the results of her co-authored study on attitudes toward expanding gender options on the U.S. Census.
Houston Chronicle (This article also appeared in San Francisco Chronicle and Daily News 724. Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1LjM3WL
http://bit.ly/1I1LLSw

Jeb Bush y Donald Trump: Sus diferencias sobre inmigración son del día a la noche
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 differences between Republican presidential candidates Jeb Bush and Donald Trump.
La Voz de Houston (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/1ITnZql

Jeunes de Houston, ils vont bâtir un labyrinthe en France
Fifteen Houston high school students visited France to explore and study labyrinths. This initiative was made possible by the Sacred Site Quest project supported by Rice’s Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance.
French Morning Texas (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/1dOmyyC

How a 3-year-old marketing firm earned an NCAA Final Four partnership
Houston-based Professional Sports Partners is working with Rice and other local leaders on the NCAA Final Four marketing process.
Houston Business Journal
http://bit.ly/1InMk52

Meet the jury for the Cliburn Junior Competition
Jon Kimura Parker, professor of piano, is on the jury for the Cliburn Junior Competition.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
http://bit.ly/1LjHRGs

University named as newest member of Southwest US science partnership
Texas Tech University was named the fourth member of the southwest node of the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps, joining Rice and other Texas universities.
Daily Toreador (This article also appeared in Individual.com.)
http://bit.ly/1GmB3k6

Bereaved family sees everyday as Father’s Day
Alumnus Kevin Alter ’79, who lost his parents to the Houston Memorial Day flood, reflects on his relationship with his father.
Jewish Herald-Voice
http://bit.ly/1Gal7lN

BROADCAST

KTRH-AM
Stephen Klineberg, professor of sociology and founding director of Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, discusses Houston’s economic growth, the best way to combat traffic concerns and the likelihood that Houston will surpass Chicago as the third largest city.
http://bit.ly/1RgrOrN

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Pro-marijuana advocates hope for ballot initiative
Texas citizens do not have access to referendums that advocate for relaxed drug laws, which is a major setback for marijuana legalization. Katharine Neill, the Alfred C. Glassell III Postdoctoral Fellow in Drug Policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
Gainesville Daily Register
http://bit.ly/1I2a7eX

Kids’ camp – Time away from city concrete
Alumna Alyssa Dugar ’15 comments on her role as a first-year counselor at the Kids Across America summer camp.
KLOVE.com
http://bit.ly/1MPfwFq

Talking to physicist Brandon Brown, author of ‘Max Planck: Driven by Vision, Broken by War’
Alumnus Brandon Brown ’92 is interviewed about his new book and the state of worldwide science communication.
Felix Online
http://bit.ly/1ITfonH

SPORTS

John David Crow, Texas A&M’s 1st Heisman winner, dies at 79
Texas A&M University’s first Heisman Trophy winner, John David Crow, has died at the age of 79. Former Rice football players Gene Jones ’59, Frank Ryan ’58, Billy Howton ’52 and Dick Maegle ’55 are included in a slideshow of Crow’s football career.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1I2fWJe
Aggies react to news of Heisman Trophy winner John David Crow’s death
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1N9JWTu

Why Cleveland Browns teammates call outside linebacker Scott Solomon ‘Bloodbath’
Alumnus Scott Solomon ’11 is featured.
Cleveland.com
http://bit.ly/1I1TgJa
Browns notebook: Journeyman linebacker Scott Solomon gains attention with his intensity
Ohio.com
http://bit.ly/1BoeGPv

Girls’ track: Team of the year – Lenape
Lenape High School senior Marissa Topolski plans to attend Rice.
Courier-Post
http://on.cpsj.com/1fmjevM