Dateline Rice for Aug. 20, 2015

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Pennsylvania and truth in the incidence of a state severance tax
Kenneth Medlock, senior director of the Center for Energy Studies, the James A. Baker III and Susan Baker Fellow in Energy and Resource Economics and lecturer of economics, and Anna Mikulska, senior research analyst for energy studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, authored an op-ed about Pennsylvania’s proposed severance tax on the production of unconventional natural gas.
Forbes
http://onforb.es/1JsT488

The WOTUS rule: Overdue necessity or unnecessary overburden?
Regina Buono, the Baker Botts Fellow in Energy and Environmental Regulatory Affairs at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, and postdoctoral research associate Katherine Zodrow authored an op-ed about reactions to the Obama administration’s new rule attempting to clarify the definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS).
Forbes
http://onforb.es/1KxFbjs

Pimp C in a journalist’s back pages
Bernard “Bun B” Freeman, the Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning’s Distinguished Lecturer, is mentioned in an op-ed about the late rapper Pimp C.
New York Times
http://nyti.ms/1gYAqbc

Former Rep. Louis Stokes, the man who saved the space station, dies at age 90
Former Rep. Louis Stokes died. George Abbey, former director of the Johnson Space Center and now the Baker Botts Senior Fellow in Space Policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is mentioned for his comments on Stokes’ impact on human space flight in America.
Examiner.com
http://exm.nr/1JlFhhN

HOUSTON/TEXAS

McNeely: Texas’ roadblocks to voting
Confusion over Texas’ voter photo identification requirement potentially discouraged as many as 9 percent of registered voters from going to the polls in the November 2014 elections in the Latino-majority U.S. Congressional District 23, according to a new study by Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and the University of Houston Hobby Center for Public Policy.
Longview News-Journal
http://bit.ly/1J6PrRU
Voter ID ruling should quiet law’s supporters
San Antonio Express-News (This article also appeared in Express News.)
http://bit.ly/1KxGIpY

Rice University’s secret symbols, inside jokes and elaborate pranks
Rice’s architectural details are full of secret symbols created by its first president, Edgar Odell Lovett. Stephen Fox, lecturer of architecture, is quoted.
San Antonio Express-News (This article also appeared in Beaumont Enterprise, DailyNews724 and San Francisco Chronicle.)
http://bit.ly/1PovaJd

Roy Kent: Two-year colleges are quite the bargain
An article compares the value and cost of education among two-year and four-year colleges. Rice is mentioned.
Magnolia Potpourri
http://bit.ly/1NHpycu

BROADCAST

Study: Voter ID law could’ve affected Texas congressional race
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, discusses the confusion over Texas’ voter photo identification requirement and comments on presidential candidate Donald Trump’s close poll race against Democrat president hopeful Hillary Clinton.
Houston Public Media’s “Houston Matters”
http://bit.ly/1hsFcP9
El magnate Donald Trump acecha a Hillary en los sondeos
Clarin (An English translation is not available.)
http://clar.in/1NHCkb0

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Report shows uninsured Texans are twice as likely to delay seeking primary care, mental health care
Texans without health insurance are twice as likely to skip seeking primary and mental health care because of cost. That’s one of the findings of a new survey released Aug. 20 by Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and the Episcopal Health Foundation. Elena Marks, president and CEO of the foundation and a nonresident health policy fellow at the Baker Institute, and Vivian Ho, the James A. Baker III Institute Chair in Health Economics at the Baker Institute and professor of economics, are quoted.
Medical Xpress
http://bit.ly/1MGckzD

Imaging software could speed up breast-cancer diagnosis
Rebecca Richards-Kortum, the Malcolm Gillis University Professor, director of the Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering and of Rice 360°: Institute for Global Health Technologies, and graduate student Jessica Dobbs are quoted about a new Rice-developed technology that would speed up breast-cancer diagnosis with 90 percent accuracy.
e! Science News (This article also appeared in Medical News Today.)
http://bit.ly/1J7XlIw

Researchers turn CO2 seized from the air into valuable high-tech material
James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry, professor of computer science and of materials science and nanoengineering, comments on George Washington University’s discovery of a method for turning atmospheric CO2 into carbon nanofibers.
ZME Science
http://bit.ly/1MFFPS4

Universities get financial boost for CO2 storage research
Rice is mentioned as a partner of C-Crete Technologies and Baker Hughes Inc. to study how nanoparticles and nanocomposites in sealant products can lead to new carbon dioxide barrier technologies.
E&P Mag
http://bit.ly/1EFasPy

Big data drilldown part 2: Sensor and data collection technologies advance
Peter Breunig, general manager of technology management and architecture at Chevron IT, is quoted from his opening keynote address at the seventh annual Rice Oil and Gas High-Performance Computing Workshop at Rice.
Plant Engineering
http://bit.ly/1JkE1ad

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

College students have discovered how to save money on textbooks
College textbooks are becoming increasingly challenging for students to afford. Rice’s OpenStax College is mentioned as an example of a successful initiative that provides alternatives to expensive textbooks.
The Daily Journal
http://bit.ly/1Jrd4YP

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.
Central Advocate (This article appeared in 11 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/1hsTWxg

Former US attorney general to speak at annual Reagan Day dinner
Alumnus Alberto Gonzales ’79 will be the keynote speaker for the Cumberland County Republican Party’s Reagan Day Dinner Sept. 12 at Martin Elementary School.
Crossville Chronicle
http://bit.ly/1HXYz7j

Phipps new face of Catholic Charities
Father Ricardo Phipps ’96 has been named the director of Catholic Charities for the Catholic Diocese of Jackson.
Hattiesburg American
http://hatne.ws/1HXUMaa

LHS alum now running IB program
Alumna Kate Hauenstein ’02 is featured for her plans to help the Leander High School International Baccalaureate students continue to exceed standards.
Hill Country News
http://bit.ly/1Jt4zwi

SPORTS

Wagner College coach: ‘Oklahoma Drill’ not dangerous in college if run correctly
Rice football will play its first game of the season against Wagner College Sept. 5 at Rice Stadium.
Silive.com
http://bit.ly/1gYMZmR

JFP 2015 college football preview: University of Southern Mississippi
Rice football’s win against the University of Southern Mississippi last season is mentioned.
Jackson Free Press
http://bit.ly/1MzFbUy

Leftovers for breakfast
Former baseball standout Tyler Duffey is mentioned.
MasnSports.com
http://bit.ly/1NxSghX

Garland native Pierce to be inducted into Southwest Conference Hall of Fame
Former Rice basketball standout Ricky Pierce ’12 was announced as one of nine new members to be inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.
Rowlett Lakeshore Times
http://bit.ly/1JsYsIu

NEWS RELEASES

Laser-burned graphene gains metallic powers
Rice University chemists who developed a unique form of graphene have found a way to embed metallic nanoparticles that turn the material into a useful catalyst for fuel cells and other applications.
http://bit.ly/1gYQCcA

New report shows uninsured Texans are twice as likely to delay seeking primary care, mental health care
Texans without health insurance are twice as likely to skip seeking primary and mental health care because of cost. That’s one of the findings of a new survey released Aug. 20 by Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and the Episcopal Health Foundation.
http://bit.ly/1LmLrR1