Dateline Rice for Aug. 17, 2015 (Weekend Edition)

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Dan Rather announces prize to improve Texas education
Martin Rather, who will be a freshman at Rice this fall, discussed the Rather Prize, which will be awarded for the best idea to innovate Texas education.
Time magazine
http://ti.me/1UOIEBL

All change, as electro-storage powers up for a brighter future
Advances in electro-engineering mean that tomorrow’s generation of smartphones, robots and vehicles may be powered by smarter and longer-lasting devices than ever. Research by Rice University is cited, and Leela Mohana Reddy, a former researcher at Rice, is quoted.
The Sydney Morning Herald (This article also appeared in Manning River Times, Cootamundra Herald, Narooma News, Port Macquarie News and more than 240 other news outlets.)
http://bit.ly/1MxCJ2t

Obama warns China on agents in US pressuring fugitives to return
The Obama administration has warned China about the presence of its law enforcement agents in the U.S. covertly pressuring prominent expatriates to return home as part of Beijing’s anti-corruption drive. Steven Lewis, the C.V. Starr Transnational China Fellow at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and professor in the practice and associate director of the Chao Center for Asian Studies, is quoted.
Voice of America
http://bit.ly/1TPbm8q

‘Sacred sinkhole’ discovered under 1,000-year-old Mayan temple … and it may eventually destroy the pyramid
Researchers have discovered an enormous sinkhole beneath the 1,000-year-old Temple of Kukulkan in the northern Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. The article references a study about the collapse of the ancient Mayan civilization by André Droxler, professor of Earth science.
DailyMail.com
http://dailym.ai/1MtWarA

Studies on fuel price reaction to lifting US export ban
An article on the potential effect of Washington lifting a 40-year-old ban on crude oil exports mentions a report released in March by Rice University.
Reuters.com
http://reut.rs/1ExUhU3
Oil exports, Iran and US global competitiveness
Hellenic Shipping News (This article also appeared in Bunker Ports News Worldwide.)
http://bit.ly/1JcjLr7

How globally minded education can benefit students and address world’s problems
Former Rice President George Rupp, who was recently appointed chair of the board of directors for the International Baccalaureate, is interviewed.
Shaghai Daily
http://bit.ly/1UOK8f3

HOUSTON/TEXAS

An anarchist Icelander walks into a Texas university …
An article profiles Icelandic comedian, pundit and former mayor of Reykjavík Jón Gnarr, who was the first writer-in-residence at Rice’s Center for Energy and Environmental Research in the Human Sciences. Dominic Boyer, professor of anthropology and director of the center, is quoted.
Texas Monthly
http://bit.ly/1DSqBX9

Mark Jones, the Joseph D. Jamail Chair in Latin American Studies, professor of political science and fellow in political science at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, comments on the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance; confusion over Texas’ voter photo identification requirement; political candidates’ cash flow; the use of stun guns by law enforcement agencies; and the indictment against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
HERO campaigns brace for expensive, hard-fought battle
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1Jd44o1
Equal rights battle broils
Houston Chronicle (This article appeared on the front of the City & State section. Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1HS50c3
How local TV news in Houston is helping critics of the city’s equal rights ordinance
Media Matters
http://mm4a.org/1IXamGZ
Their terms
Campus Communications
http://bit.ly/1Wz9D5V
Researchers: Voter ID confusion may have turned an election
Jacksonville Progress (Jacksonville, Texas)
http://bit.ly/1PvDDLs
Voter ID confusion may have turned an election, researchers say
The Huntsville Item (Huntsville, Texas)
http://bit.ly/1E0CRVh
KPRC-TV
http://bit.ly/1IXavKJ
Kerrick trial puts CMPD’s use of Tasers under scrutiny
The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.) (This article also appeared on WBTV.com.)
http://bit.ly/1hHm13K
Texas attorney general indicted on 3 felonies
Junior College
http://bit.ly/1hj7TOi

Some proof of Texas voter suppression
A study by Rice University found that confusion over Texas’ voter photo identification requirement potentially discouraged as many as 9 percent of registered voters from voting in the November 2014 elections in the Latino-majority U.S. Congressional District 23.
San Antonio Express News
http://bit.ly/1UOuLUb
Point Austin: Intentional ignorance
The Austin Chronicle
http://bit.ly/1NcVEi8

Longtime disabled advocate Kathleen DeSilva dies at 63
Kathleen DeSilva ’77, a longtime advocate for the disabled population of Houston, died Aug. 7. She was 63. Dennis Huston, the Gladys Louise Fox Professor of English, is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1TN33Vs

Gardea-Torresdey: Project will help clean drinking water
A Rice University-led consortium has won a grant from the National Science Foundation to establish a national research center in Houston to develop mobile, off-grid water-treatment systems that can provide clean water to millions of people who lack it and make U.S. energy production more sustainable and cost-effective.
El Paso Times
http://bit.ly/1ExVwTs
Rice, ASU, Yale, UTEP win NSF engineering research center
Memorial Examiner (This article also appeared in the Bellaire Examiner, EIN News and Fort Bend Sun.)
http://bit.ly/1UOKWR8

Peso is putting pinch on shoppers
The Mexican peso has fallen more than 20 percent against the U.S. dollar and will continue to fall despite support. Tony Payan, the Baker Institute for Public Policy’s Françoise and Edward Djerejian Fellow for Mexico Studies and director of the institute’s Mexico Center, is quoted.
The Dallas Morning News
http://bit.ly/1WzadAS

Business people
Randy McGraw ’82, executive vice president for employee benefits with HUB International, was recently announced as new business production leader for July 2015.
Bloomberg Business (This article also appeared in El Paso Times.)
http://bloom.bg/1MtZgLX

Free concert introduces Temple Beth Torah’s new cantor
Yvonne Chen, a doctoral student at the Shepherd School of Music, will be pianist at a free concert at Temple Beth Torah Aug. 30.
The Texas Tribune
http://bit.ly/1UOL6Ig

Cancer treatment models get real
Researchers at Rice University and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have developed a way to mimic the conditions under which cancer tumors grow in bones. Antonios Mikos, the Louis Calder Professor of Bioengineering and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Marco Santoro, a chemical and biomolecular engineering graduate student of Mikos, are quoted.
TMC Today
http://bit.ly/1hj8j7n

Researchers strategize to outsmart bacteria
Rice University scientists are developing strategies to keep germs from evolving resistance to antibiotics by heading them off at the pass.  Yousif Shamoo, professor of biochemistry and cell biology and Rice’s vice provost for research, and Kathryn Beabout, a Rice graduate student and lead author of the new paper, are quoted.
TMC Today
http://bit.ly/1K2bThg

University of Houston, Rice University join forces to develop new companies
A report on the second annual Bayou Startup Showcase mentions the business accelerators for Houston’s two major universities — OwlSpark for Rice and RedLabs for University of Houston. This Houston Business Journal article in the “In the News” section of TMC Today.
TMC Today
http://bit.ly/1Nqmv8y

Novel Systems for Systemic and Target Delivery of Therapeutics
The Aug. 25 Rice University BIOE Colloquia is listed as an upcoming event in TMC Today.
TMC Today
http://bit.ly/1K2qglI

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Nanotube fibers being tested as a way to restore electrical health to hearts
Rice University and Texas Heart Institute researchers are studying the use of soft, flexible fibers made of carbon nanotubes to restore electrical conductivity to damaged heart tissue. Matteo Pasquali, the A.J. Hartsook Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, chair of the Department of Chemistry and a professor of materials science and nanoengineering and of chemistry, is quoted.
Phys.org
http://bit.ly/1DXQ8hw

Is it time to ditch the hunch and let numbers lead the way?
An article mentions Rice research that found that candidates who had a facial blemish, like a scar on the cheek, were rated more negatively than those who didn’t.
Financial Review
http://bit.ly/1JmEaAm

Rice University James Tour creates graphene tantalum nonvolatile computer memory that could scale to 20 gigabytes per chip
Scientists at Rice University have created a solid-state memory technology that allows for high-density storage with a minimum of errors. James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry, professor of computer science and of materials science and nanoengineering, is quoted.
Next Big Future
http://bit.ly/1UOLhDy
Tantalizing discovery may boost memory technology
Memorial Examiner (This article also appeared in the Fort Bend Sun and Sugar Land Sun.)
http://bit.ly/1DYpxRH
Discovery may boost memory technology
Space Daily
http://bit.ly/1LaAuyX

How new ‘white space’ rules could lead to an urban super-Wi-Fi
The underutilized UHF band is perfect for wireless data and can carry for miles, not blocked by walls or trees, researchers at Rice University said. Edward Knightly, professor of electrical and computer engineering and computer science, and graduate student Xu Zhang are mentioned.
Computer World
http://bit.ly/1PvEpbe

Rice University to host US/Mexico conference addressing shared legacy of neglected tropical diseases and poverty
The Baker Institute for Public Policy’s Center for Health and Biosciences and the Mexico Center in partnership with Baylor College of Medicine’s National School of Tropical Medicine, the END Fund, the Sabin Vaccine Institute and Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development will host “The U.S. and Mexico — Addressing a Shared Legacy of Neglected Tropical Disease and Poverty” Sept. 28-29.
Bio News Texas
http://bit.ly/1hHZXWE

How to attract an online lender
Online lending is one of the most rapidly growing segments of the consumer and small business loan markets. Now that borrowers are trying to persuade their peers, rather than loan officers, to lend them money, would-be borrowers need the right appeal. The article references a 2011 article written by the Jones School of Business’ Utpal Dholakia, professor of marketing, and Scott Sonenshein, associate professor of management.
Small Business Trends
http://bit.ly/1Lh10cL

Vendors need to exploit crucial data science skill sets
Data scientists are increasingly sought after in the nearshore environment as the needs of social, mobile, analytics and cloud technologies create demand for those who can deal with big data. Hadley Wickham, adjunct assistant professor of statistics, is quoted.
Nearshore Americas
http://bit.ly/1Lfu4P4

New plan calls for more college degrees for Texas by 2030
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board introduced a plan for Texas that suggests by 2030 at least 60 percent of citizens between the ages of 25 and 34 should hold a certificate or college degree. Steve Murdock, the Allyn and Gladys Cline Professor of Sociology and director of Rice’s Hobby Center for the Study of Texas, is quoted.
Education News
http://bit.ly/1fl3cBN

Rice, Penn State University to develop thin-atom coatings
The National Science Foundation has funded a new center at Rice and Pennsylvania State University to collaborate with industry on the development of novel, multifunctional two-dimensional coatings. Pulickel Ajayan, the Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor in Materials Science and NanoEngineering and of chemistry, and Jun Lou, an associate professor of materials science and nanoengineering, are quoted.
World Industrial Reporter
http://bit.ly/1HS62ow
Rice, Penn State open center for 2-D coatings
Paint & Coatings Industry
http://bit.ly/1gQYv3L

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

The new face of Catholic Charities
Father Ricardo Phipps ’96 has been named the director of Catholic Charities for the Catholic Diocese of Jackson.
The Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, Miss.) (This article also appeared on AZCentral, KTVB.com and KSDK.com.) 
http://on.thec-l.com/1NdZVTy

African-American and space histories mingle
A review of the book “We Could Not Fail” mentions Rice’s first African-American graduate student, Raymond Johnson ’69, and notes that Rice donated land for Johnson Space Center.
Concord Monitor (Concord, N.H.)
http://bit.ly/1NdZY1N

Classical Notes: California Symphony’s future looks bright with Bergauer on board
A profile of Aubrey Bergauer ’05 mentions Pierre Jalbert, professor of composition and theory at the Shepherd School of Music.
Times-Standard News (This article also appeared in the Daily Democrat News, Contra Costa Times News, Times-Herald News and Monterey Herald News.)
http://bit.ly/1TPgdX7

Musical genius
An article features Ken Cowan, associate professor of organ at the Shepherd School of Music.
The Athens Messenger (Athens, Ohio)
http://bit.ly/1UOLV3K

Phoenix ‘peer’ cities guide Prop.104 light-rail expansion
Kyle Shelton, postdoctoral research fellow at Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, is quoted in an article about Phoenix’s limited, yet expanding, light rail service.
Marshfield News Herald (This article also appeared on News10.net.)
http://mnhne.ws/1MxFIIn

SPORTS

A different kind of pro prospect helps revive Rice football
An article profiles the Rice football program and head football coach David Bailiff. Bailiff and Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard are quoted.
USA Today
http://usat.ly/1fl3AQN

The hidden, prized possession of Rice University football
An article features “The Coaches’ Table,” an antique table covered in autographs of dozens of football coaching and other athletic legends of yesteryear. Head football coach David Bailiff is quoted.
USA Today
http://usat.ly/1TPgolb

Quarterback Driphus Jackson shines in Owls’ first scrimmage
Rice quarterback Driphus Jackson led the Owls to two touchdowns on three drives during Saturday’s scrimmage.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1NB8BQS

Owls singing different tunes as season nears
During training camp, when most football players are only worried about learning the play-book and earning a starting spot, Rice has added off-the-field exercises to build trust: karaoke nights.
Houston Chronicle (This article appeared on the front of the Sports section. Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1Jcm1yD

The Texas Sports Hall of Fame announces the 2015 Southwest Conference Hall of Fame inductees
Former Rice basketball standout Ricky Pierce was announced as one of nine new members to be inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.
Broadway World
http://bit.ly/1UFaf8d

Apogee Stadium: Denton County’s home field advantage
An article mentions the Sept. 19 football game between the University of North Texas and Rice.
The Cross Timbers Gazette (Southern Denton County, Texas)
http://bit.ly/1LfuAwz

C-USA names MacLeod interim commissioner
The Conference USA Board of Directors named Judy MacLeod interim commissioner of Conference USA, effective Sept. 15. Rice President David Leebron is cited as one of the C-USA Executive Committee members.
KHOU.com (This article also appeared in Hattiesburg American, KSDK.com, WBIT.com, WBKO.com and the Daily News Journal.)
http://bit.ly/1Ne0nkJ

Smith, Astete join 3-time conference Rice Owls
Emily Smith of Birmingham, England, and Fernanda Astete of Santiago, Chile, will join the Rice women’s tennis team this fall.
Sugar Land Online (This article also appeared in the Memorial Examiner and the Fort Bend Sun.)
http://bit.ly/1IXcrCK