Dateline Rice for June 29, 2015 (Weekend Edition)

FEATURED ITEM

ABC World News Tonight
David Alexander, professor of physics and astronomy and director of the Rice Space Institute, discusses the explosion of the SpaceX rocket, which was carrying supplies to the International Space Station.
http://bit.ly/1C2aTHW

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

The 25 best college dorms in the US
Rice is No. 4 on The Street’s list of the best on-campus housing at U.S. universities, based on data rankings of cost and quality by current students and alumni on Niche.com.
MSN
http://bit.ly/1Nq7Zhn

Continents rose above oceans 3 billion years ago
Researchers say that the continents may have risen high above the oceans about 3 billion years ago, which is a billion years earlier than previously thought. Cin-Ty Lee, professor of Earth science, is quoted.
Yahoo! News (This article also appeared in Economic Times and 13 other media outlets.)
http://yhoo.it/1g1Uvx3

Sky spectacle: Jupiter, Venus on a ‘collision’ course
Patrick Hartigan, professor of physics and astronomy, shares the best time to see the merging of Jupiter and Venus on June 30.
USA Today (This article also appeared in the Tennessean and over 60 other media outlets.)
http://usat.ly/1JhL46d
Star of Bethlehem? Jupiter and Venus converge in night sky
Christian Science Monitor
http://bit.ly/1LxSmoQ
‘Star of Bethlehem’ conjunction of Venus and Jupiter next week
Houston Chronicle (This article also appeared in San Antonio Express-News.)
http://bit.ly/1HspqyH
Jupiter and Venus converge for the first time in 2,000 years
Alaska Dispatch News
http://bit.ly/1KplkrK
KABB-TV (San Antonio)
http://bit.ly/1QZn1jD

New tools deliver medical diagnoses, fast, cheap and in the field
Rice is mentioned for its research to develop a simple, highly accurate test to detect signs of HIV and its progress in patients in resource-poor settings. Bioengineering graduate student Zachary Crannell is mentioned.
Wall Street Journal
http://on.wsj.com/1GHSnA1

Texans who commit ‘revenge porn’ could soon land in jail
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 new Relationship Privacy Act and discusses Houston Mayor Annise Parker’s potential plan to run for a state or county office position.
NewsOK (This article also appeared in Fort Worth Star-Telegram.)
http://bit.ly/1Hq18Uf
Will Houston Mayor Annise Parker run for office again?
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/1KkGJ3H

The tiny substance that continues to be the oil industry’s cholesterol
Rice University researchers have developed an easy and accurate technique to detect and quantify the amount of asphaltene precipitated from crude oils, which bedevils the oil industry by clogging wells and flow lines. Francisco Vargas, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and Mohammad Tavakkoli, postdoctoral research associate in chemical and biomolecular engineering, are mentioned.
The National
http://bit.ly/1NpRuSh

When an orderly classroom is counterproductive
Linda McNeil, professor of education and director of Rice’s Center for Education, is cited for her book, “Contradictions of Control,” in an article about classroom management written by educator and author Alfie Kohn.
The Washington Post
http://wapo.st/1CEhXoT
Vietnamese valedictorian wins full ride to Rice University
Thomas Jefferson High School co-valedictorian Tram Nguyen received a full scholarship to Rice.
Nguoi-viet.com
http://bit.ly/1QZbBwf

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Editorial: Future possibilities
Stephen Klineberg, professor of sociology and founding director of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, is quoted in an op-ed about Houston’s growing concerns about traffic.
Houston Chronicle (This article also appeared in Beaumont Enterprise. Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1IGirwJ
http://bit.ly/1LDPEzl

TCEQ-funded ozone research under scrutiny
Environmentalists are warning Texas environmental officials that refusing to lower the ozone standard will cost Texans millions of dollars annually. Rice is cited for its cross-reference of city of Houston emergency ambulance records and ozone measurements over an eight-year span.
Houston Chronicle (This appeared on the front of Sunday’s Chronicle. Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1Jt49oY

HISD board president backs changing Confederate-related names of 6 schools
A slideshow of schools named after Southern Civil War figures includes a photo from Rice University of Richard Dowling, a Confederate army officer and namesake of Dowling Middle School.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1InMFsG

BCM/Rice sign interinstitutional agreement
Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine have signed an interinstitutional agreement to facilitate research and teaching collaborations. Rice President David Leebron is quoted.
Houston Woman Magazine
http://bit.ly/1NtSjsM
News briefs for June 15, 2015
Library Journal
http://bit.ly/1FKdhOq

Houston Woman Magazine
Rice University bioengineers are teaming with colleagues from Baylor College of Medicine and MD Anderson Cancer Center to apply the latest techniques in tissue engineering toward the study of one of the most common and deadly human illnesses — the stomach flu. Jane Grande-Allen, the Isabel C. Cameron Professor of Bioengineering, will participate in the study.
http://bit.ly/1NtSjsM

Cancer researcher recruited to Rice University after receiving $2 million CPRIT grant
Natasha Kirienko, a cancer researcher from Harvard Medical School, will join the Rice University faculty in August as the result of a $2 million grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. Mary Farach-Carson, the Ralph and Dorothy Looney Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, vice provost for translational biosciences and scientific director of the BioScience Research Collaborative, is quoted.
Houston Woman Magazine
http://bit.ly/1CExYeB

Baker Institute experts provide prescription for new US drug policy
A new paradigm is needed in the United States to replace prohibition as the default response to illicit psychoactive drugs, according to drug policy experts. William Martin, the Harry and Hazel Chavanne Senior Fellow in Religion and Public Policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
Spring Observer (This article also appeared in Cypress Creek Mirror, Magnolia Potpourri, Katy Rancher, Fort Bend Sun and Memorial Examiner.)
http://bit.ly/1IGqkT2

Hackers issued Internet security warning in 1998
In 1998, Senate testimony from hackers went unheeded, and 17 years later the world is still paying the price in rampant insecurity. Dan Wallach, professor of computer science and of electrical and computer engineering, is quoted.
Killeen Daily Herald
http://bit.ly/1QZ8Riy

Houston priest named Bishop of Victoria
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston honored Bishop-elect Brendan Cahill, who attended Rice for a year, at a farewell mass held at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in downtown Houston.
Memorial Examiner
http://bit.ly/1GA7MSU

BROADCAST

KTRK-TV
Brian Riedel, assistant director of Rice’s Center for the Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality and professor in the practice of humanities, discusses the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage in all 50 states.
http://bit.ly/1eVbjWt

WOLB-AM (Baltimore)
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, discusses this research.
http://bit.ly/1dsG9UG

WSCL-AM (Salisbury, Md.)
WindSync, a quintet formed at Rice’s Shepherd School of Music, is mentioned.
http://bit.ly/1KpmnYF

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Emergency floor aims to give refugees protection from the ground
The Emergency Floor project initiated by Rice School of Architecture students through the Rice Building Workshop has been flagged for funding by the federal government’s USAID program. Alumnus Scott Austin Key ’13 and alumnus Sam Brisendine ’14 are mentioned.
Digital Trends
http://bit.ly/1JsWBCM

More transparency needed in science research, experts say
An international group of academic leaders, journal editors and funding-agency representatives and disciplinary leaders, including Rick Wilson, the Herbert S. Autrey Chair of Political Science and professor of statistics and psychology, has announced guidelines to further strengthen transparency and reproducibility practices in science research reporting. Wilson is quoted.
Science Daily
http://bit.ly/1LQzBuR

Researchers stretch a thin crystal to get better solar cells
Researchers at Stanford University created a semiconductor crystal with a variable band gap, which could lead to solar cells that absorb more energy from the sun. Their study was published in Nature Communications with contributions from Rice.
Energy Harvesting Journal (This article also appeared in IDTechex.com.)
http://bit.ly/1eeuB8e

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Southern Miss professor receives early career research fellowship
Davin Wallace, an assistant professor in the Department of Marine Science at the University of Southern Mississippi, has been awarded a prestigious Early Career Research Fellowship by the National Academy of Sciences Gulf Research Program. Wallace credits his mentor, John Anderson, the W. Maurice Ewing Chair in Oceanography and professor of Earth science.
The University of Southern Mississippi (This article also appeared in WDAM-TV, WBRC-TV, WTVM-TV, WSFA-TV, WCSC-TV, WLBT-TV and WTOC-TV.)
http://bit.ly/1U0R0GO

SPORTS

KTRK-TV
Seven-year-old Fre’derick “Ziggy” Stoval-Redd, who was recruited by Rice football and head coach David Bailiff, ended his proton therapy.
http://bit.ly/1KpmhjO

Rice to host 2016 Conference USA men’s tennis tournament
Rice will host the Conference USA men’s tennis tournament at the George R. Brown Tennis Center April 21-24, 2016.
Examiner.com
http://exm.nr/1CEmmbA

How difficult will the 2015 schedule be?
Rice will play against the University of Texas at Austin Sept. 12. Head football coach David Bailiff is mentioned.
247 Sports
http://bit.ly/1SXIMh8

NEWS RELEASES

Rice University boots up powerful microscopes
Rice University researchers now have one of the most powerful microscopes in the United States. The Titan Themis will allow them to view and characterize materials with atom-scale resolution.
http://bit.ly/1JjBQq7

Baker Institute experts provide prescription for new US drug policy
A new paradigm is needed in the United States to replace prohibition as the default response to illicit psychoactive drugs, according to drug policy experts.
http://bit.ly/1NpZVNC

Rice U. expert available to discuss US Supreme Court ruling on legality of same-sex marriage
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled June 26 that the Constitution guarantees a nationwide right to same-sex marriage. Brian Riedel, assistant director of Rice University’s Center for the Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality, is available to discuss this timely issue.
http://bit.ly/1U0C23w