Dateline Rice for June 23, 2015

FEATURED ITEMS

Academic leaders work to strengthen ties with China
Madame Liu Yandong, vice premier of the People’s Republic of China, emphasized person-to-person contact as she advocated for a new model of relations between China and the United States in a keynote address at the U.S.-China University Presidents Roundtable at Rice. Rice President David Leebron is quoted.
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/1IbVhT4
Liu challenges university leaders
China Daily (Similar articles appeared in over 30 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/1HbC0Ap
Chinese vice premier urges universities to help cement China-US ties
CCTV
http://bit.ly/1N642gT
Chinese VP urges colleges to help cement China-US ties
China.org.cn
http://on.china.cn/1N5N81P
Liu asks university presidents to do more
News Guangdong
http://bit.ly/1Ic9vDG

Rice experts are quoted in two front-page Houston Chronicle articles in today’s newspaper:
Once a Confederate state, Texas’ relationship with the past is complex
Texas has moved on from being a Confederate state, though memorials and statues honoring that alliance still stand. Caleb McDaniel, assistant professor of history, is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (This article also appeared in Express News. Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1CqP9Aj

Tomball seeks to preserve small-town character through design rules
Stephen Fox, lecturer of architecture, comments on the architecture along Main Street in Tomball, Texas.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1BJFOZx

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Slavery’s impact lingers in Southern education
Slavery was abolished more than 150 years ago, but its effects are still felt today in K-12 education in the South. Heather O’Connell, postdoctoral fellow at Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, is quoted.
Futurity
http://bit.ly/1N5KBEU
Legacy of slavery still impacts education in the South
Phys.org (This article also appeared in Bellaire Examiner, Fort Bend Sun and e! Science News.)
http://bit.ly/1J2t0wM

A disaster foretold — and ignored
The federal government is failing to address cyber security problems despite warnings from hackers years before. The article quotes Dan Wallach, professor of computer science and of electrical and computer engineering.
The Washington Post (This article also appeared in MSN News.)
http://wapo.st/1Rq5tbd

Obama hosts Iftar dinner to mark Ramadan — and reach out to Muslims
Alumna Batoul Abuharb ’12 was noted for her achievements at President Barack Obama’s Iftar dinner for the Muslim holiday of Ramadan.
The Washington Post (This article also appeared in eNews Park Forest.)
http://wapo.st/1NgwKwa

Pemex confirms Gulf oil platform accident, impact unclear
Mexico’s state-run oil company, Pemex, confirmed an accident on an oil platform in the southern Gulf of Mexico. Miriam Grunstein, contributing expert and scholar in the Mexico Center at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
Reuters (This article also appeared in the Economic Times, Philly.com, Planet Ark, El Economista, IOL, Daily News South Africa, Yahoo! Noticias, The Maritime Executive and Terra Espana.)
http://reut.rs/1fxdM9y

The top MBAs name their favorite business school professors
Kevin Bentley, director of Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business MBA program, explains why Vikas Mittal, the J. Hugh Liedtke Professor of Marketing at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, is his favorite professor.
Poets & Quants
http://bit.ly/1JgxQcR

University of Auckland welcomes Fulbright award recipients
Dominic Boyer, professor of anthropology and director of Rice’s Center for Energy and Environmental Research in the Human Sciences, is one of 15 Fulbright award recipients through the Fulbright New Zealand program.
Voxy.co.nz (This article also appeared in Scoop.)
http://bit.ly/1TLk0lS

The robots of the Museum of Science and Industry’s ‘Robot Revolution’ exhibit
Swarm Robots from Rice are on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago for the “Robot Revolution” exhibit.
Examiner.com
http://exm.nr/1LrIbmM

Israelischer Forscher: Wir kehren den Alterungsprozess um
A proof-of-concept trial led by researchers at Rice University and institutes in Israel finds hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help patients with fibromyalgia.
Focus.de (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/1Hc3ZA5

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Methodist Health System Foundation to honor Jack Lowe Jr.
The Methodist Health System Foundation will honor alumnus Jack Lowe Jr. ’61 with its 2015 Robert S. Folsom Leadership Award.
Dallas Morning News
http://bit.ly/1CqMKWb

UT Austin ranks No. 19 in world for high-impact research
Rice is No. 111 on Nature Index’s ranking of the world’s elite research universities and one of six schools in Texas that made the top 200, along with the University of Texas at Austin (19), Texas A&M University (73), the University of Texas at Southwestern Medical Center (83), Baylor College of Medicine (137) and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (197). The rankings are based on high-impact scientific research.
The University of Texas at Austin
http://bit.ly/1Jgovlh

BROADCAST

What shifting demographics and growth mean for Houston
Stephen Klineberg, professor of sociology and founding director of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, went on a tour of Houston with “Here & Now” reporter Jeremy Hobson to explain Houston’s growth and its diverse population.
WBUR.org (This broadcast also appeared on Texas Public Radio and Houston Public Media.)
http://bit.ly/1Lz0xPA

The source: Governor Abbott vetoes 42 bills
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, discusses the bills vetoed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and his decision to refuse Affordable Care Act coverage in Texas. He also comments on the governor’s cooperative collaboration with House Speaker Joe Straus and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and the controversial donations made to two presidential candidates.
Texas Public Radio
http://bit.ly/1RtgFUG
Abbott: Texas won’t help if SCOTUS cripples Obamacare
WOAI-AM (San Antonio, Texas. This article also appeared in KWHN-AM.)
http://bit.ly/1TLc7Ne
Texas Republicans return contributions from racist leader
WOAI-AM (San Antonio. This article also appeared in KWHN-AM.)
http://bit.ly/1Rtmp0u
Greg Abbott: The calm after the Rick Perry storm
Austin American-Statesman
http://atxne.ws/1GxqIlg

The Latino vote and the Astros hacked: Monday’s show (June 22, 2015)
Bob Stein, the Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science, participated in a Center for Houston’s Future discussion about the low Latino voter turnout.
Houston Public Media’s “Houston Matters”
http://bit.ly/1Rtx6QP

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

OpenStax microbiology book in the works
Rice University-based publisher OpenStax College and the American Society for Microbiology Press announced they are teaming up to produce Microbiology, a new introductory-level textbook due for release in spring 2016 that will be free online and low-cost in print.
Campus Technology
http://bit.ly/1de1tx9

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Pro-marijuana advocates plant seeds for next session
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.
Jacksonville Progress
http://bit.ly/1NgPLyx

Chess team member earns scholarship to attend graduate school at Rice University
University of Texas at Brownsville graduate Daniela De la Parra Hurtado plans to attend Rice.
Valley Morning Star
http://bit.ly/1ddNOWI

Ponte Vedra senior receives inaugural scholarship award
Ponte Vedra High School graduate Charis Wang plans to attend Rice.
The St. Augustine Record
http://bit.ly/1N5HeOh

SPORTS

What a hoot! Rice Owl Michael Whitehead is more than just Tiger’s replacement
Alumnus Michael Whitehead ’11 is featured. Alumnus Trevor Randolph ’96 is mentioned.
Cyber Golf
http://bit.ly/1ByWFOf

Volleyball unveils 2015 schedule
The University of Colorado volleyball team will compete at Rice in September.
Colorado Volleyball
http://bit.ly/1J2q1ob
Buffs volleyball unveils 2015 schedule
North Denver News (This article also appeared in Daily Camera, Fort Morgan Times, Broomfield Enterprise Online, Colorado Daily and Prairie Mountain Publishing Boulder Dailies Online.)
http://bit.ly/1N5HHA3

NEWS RELEASE

Legacy of slavery still impacts education in the South
Slavery was abolished more than 150 years ago, but its effects are still felt today in K-12 education in the South.
http://bit.ly/1NgQn7p