Dateline Rice for Aug. 31, 2015 (Weekend Edition)

FEATURED ITEMS

George W. Bush visits disaster zone, 10 years after Katrina
Former President George W. Bush returned to New Orleans on the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Douglas Brinkley, professor of history, comments on the hurricane’s impact on Bush’s presidency.
Associated Press (Similar articles appeared in over 1,000 media outlets.)
http://apne.ws/1NRcjs4
Morial, Brinkley and Ward mark Katrina 10 years later
Yahoo! News
http://yhoo.it/1NLT0jD
MSNBC
http://bit.ly/1Unkf44

‘ConsumerMan Radio Show’
Richard Baraniuk, the Victor E. Cameron Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and founding director of Rice’s OpenStax College, discusses OpenStax’s success on a radio program. OpenStax is also mentioned as one of the services offering free online textbooks and low-priced printed versions in an article on trends shaping the future of education.
KOMO-AM (Seattle)
http://bit.ly/1NITrwi
These 10 trends are shaping the future of education
Education Dive
http://bit.ly/1MTyD3n

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Caruso project: A model for speedy development?
A 27-acre shopping center project in Carlsbad, Calif., received a quick approval without environmental impact reports. Bill Fulton, director of Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, is quoted.
San Diego Union-Tribune
http://bit.ly/1Un4muq

Why synchronicity is especially important today
Jeffrey Kripal, the J. Newton Rayzor Professor of Religion, is quoted in an article about synchronicity, the phenomenon of observed coincidences in which two or more independent events having no apparent linear causal connection nevertheless appear to form a meaningful pattern.
Epoch Times
http://bit.ly/1icIQMZ

US academics warn Silicon Valley of Narendra Modi’s Digital India program
Elora Shehabuddin, associate professor of humanities and political science, signed a letter warning tech giants about the danger of doing business with the Indian government.
International Business Times (This article also appeared in Yahoo! UK and Ireland.)
http://bit.ly/1Es8lns

Meet Joe Wong, China’s funniest export
Alumnus Joe Wong ’00 is featured for his career as a stand-up comedian.
Huffington Post (This article appeared in 10 other media outlets.)
http://huff.to/1Jr6c8i

HOUSTON/TEXAS
                          
Projects in Conroe, other areas look to pedestrian-friendly byways
Montgomery County is starting a series of projects to make the area a more pedestrian-friendly place. Stephen Klineberg, professor of sociology and founding director of Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, comments on people’s preference to live closer to jobs and shops according to recent results from the Houston Area Survey. Klineberg also comments on Houston’s Vietnamese community and the city’s response to the influx of Hurricane Katrina victims.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1N3oWB7
In south Houston apartments, a piece of Vietnam flowers
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1ErXWbw
Shelter from the storm: Katrina’s impact on Houston and Atlanta
The Root
http://bit.ly/1hNsURn

Historic Bibles — even a naughty one — featured at Houston’s Dunham Museum
Dunham Bible Museum director alumna Diana Severance ’70 is quoted about the museum’s rare copy of a misprinted King James Version of the Bible, known as the “Wicked Bible.”
Houston Chronicle (This appeared on the front of the City & State section. Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1X3zcfC

Ups and downs
The Houston Chronicle editors gave a thumbs-down to Houston Public Media for its plans to move KUHA, currently on 91.7-FM, the former KTRU frequency, to an online format.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1Q2ob9U

Halliburton and Baker Hughes merger: Efficiency alone is not enough, case study shows
Vikas Mittal, the J. Hugh Liedtke Professor of Marketing at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, and Utpal Dholakia, professor of marketing, authored an op-ed about the Hallburton Co. and Baker Hughes Inc. merger and how professionals perceive large energy companies.
Houston Business Journal
http://bit.ly/1X5xk6f

Trump, Cruz to co-headline rally
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 presidential candidates Sen. Ted Cruz and Donald Trump’s decision to team up for a rally next month.
KTRH-AM
http://bit.ly/1hrqtDq

In wealthy ZIP codes, freestanding ERs find a home
Vivian Ho, the James A. Baker III Institute Chair in Health Economics at the Baker Institute and professor of economics, is quoted about the unlikelihood of freestanding ERs being built in low-income communities.
Longview News-Journal
http://bit.ly/1NR1d6d

Guess which 2 Texas universities are among the 25 healthiest schools in America
Rice is among the top 25 healthiest colleges in the U.S., according to surveys conducted by Greatist.com. The article mentions Rice’s sexual health and education resources and the plate system used in its dining halls.
CultureMap Houston (This also appeared in CultureMap Austin.)
http://bit.ly/1Ugl6J7
KEYE-TV (Austin, Texas)
http://bit.ly/1Jo5s3U (This broadcast also appeared on KFDM-TV, KVII-TV, KBTV-TV, KABB-TV, KAUZ-TV, KYTX-TV and KJTV-TV.)

Firm begins selling college tuition insurance in Texas
German financial services firm Allianz is marketing college tuition insurance in Texas. Rice is mentioned.
WOAI-TV (San Antonio, Texas)
http://bit.ly/1JwDYLL

Houston Food Bank fresh Young Professionals announces 2015-16 Board of Directors
The Houston Food Bank announced Jacqueline Jones, the assistant director of domestic programs and partnerships for the Center for Civic Leadership, as a programming committee co-chair of its Young Professionals group for 2015-2016.
Here Houston
http://bit.ly/1KX84WI

BROADCAST

KDAF-TV (Dallas, Texas)
Rice is No. 84 on the Academic Ranking of World Universities’ top 100 list of the smartest colleges in the world for 2015.
http://bit.ly/1VrOiKd

WYDO-TV (Greenville, N.C.)
Alumnus Voddie Baucham ’92 is quoted.
http://bit.ly/1Q3yDOj

KNPN-TV (St. Joseph, Mo.)
Rice is cited for its study on laws working against workplace discrimination.
http://bit.ly/1EsYYUA

WNET-TV (New York)
Artist Wayne White gives a presentation on the 22-foot puppet head resembling country singer George Jones’ head that was on display at the Rice Gallery.
http://bit.ly/1O3vLzL

WPEC-TV (West Palm Beach, Fla.)
The late world-famous architect Michael Graves, who designed a campus master plan for Rice University, is featured.
http://bit.ly/1KX6i7U

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Modified bacteria become a multicellular circuit
Rice scientists made a living circuit from multiple types of bacteria that prompt cooperation to change protein expression. Matthew Bennett, assistant professor of biochemistry and cell biology, is quoted. Graduate students Ye Chen and Andrew Hirning are lead and co-authors of the study, respectively.
Engadget (This article also appeared in Gadgets Addict, Medical News Today, Chris Jones Gaming, Hardware.info, Tech Investor News and Frenzy Tech.)
http://engt.co/1PGawV5

Rice and Penn State open center for development of 2-D 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.
ASM International (This article also appeared in Alloy Digest.)
http://bit.ly/1PGSToa

Playing mind games: Why colleagues fall in love with online writing
Companies can promote creativity in employees by encouraging them to network beyond their immediate business networks, according to a new study by management experts at Rice University, Australian National University, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Monash University in Clayton, Australia, and the University of Los Andes in Bogota, Colombia. Jing Zhou, the Houston Endowment Professor of Organizational Behavior and professor of psychology, is quoted.
Skyword.com
http://bit.ly/1ieNHNU

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Low oil prices will linger longer
OPEC is discussing restraining production to stabilize prices in Saudi Arabia. Jim Krane, the Wallace S. Wilson Fellow in Energy Studies at Rice’s Baker Institute, is quoted.
Arkansas Online (This article also appeared in Northwest Arkansas Democrat.)
http://bit.ly/1O2oTm5

Universities enforce liberal censorship in classrooms
Angela Seaworth, director of the Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership at Rice’s Glasscock School of Continuing Studies, is quoted in an article about college speech prohibitions.
VDare.com
http://bit.ly/1UhuD2r

Biz tip: Secrets of success with daily deal sites
An article about how to achieve the same success as daily deal sites mentions a Rice study report on businesses that profit from campaigns.
Tucson.com (This article also appeared in Arizona Daily Star.)
http://bit.ly/1MWBnwP

SPORTS

Rice’s new virtual reality platform a real game-changer
Rice signed a contract with STRIVR Labs to provide virtual reality technology for the football program. Head football coach David Bailiff and player Driphus Jackson are quoted. Jackson is also mentioned in an article listing notable moments for university football teams.
Houston Chronicle (A teaser for this article appeared on the front of the Sports section in Sunday’s print edition. Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1NR70bX
KPRC-TV
http://bit.ly/1Q3ti9K
College football rankings: 1 to 128
Sports on Earth
http://bit.ly/1FcaZJ8

Volleyball rallies from 0-2 deficit to defeat LSU
Rice women’s volleyball beat Louisiana State University at the American Campus Classic.
Conference USA
http://bit.ly/1PGaX1L
LSU volleyball team drops season opener to UC Irvine
New Orleans Advocate (This article also appeared in the Advocate, SportsNOLA.com and KALB-TV.)
http://bit.ly/1LEz7c2
Middle blockers anchor Longhorns attack in American Campus Classic
The Daily Texan
http://bit.ly/1JrLYLL

NEWS RELEASES

Rice experts available to discuss 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina
Rice University experts are available to comment on a variety of topics as the U.S. marks the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, one of the deadliest and costliest hurricanes in the country’s history.
http://bit.ly/1O2qJU3

Rice’s Glasscock School invites Houston to head back to school Sept. 2
Rice University’s Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies invites the Houston community to head back to school for its “Fall Preview” Sept. 2.
http://bit.ly/1EusXM7