Dateline Rice for Sept. 8, 2015 (Weekend Edition)

FEATURED ITEM

CNN
Edward Djerejian, the founding director of Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, shares insight on the refugees trying to leave Syria. The interview was done via satellite in Public Affairs’ TV studio in Allen Center.
http://bit.ly/1Ng7GqI

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Melting ice isn’t opening Arctic to oil bonanza
Oil and energy experts weigh in on Russia’s plan for an Arctic Klondike and cite failed offshore projects. 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, is quoted.
New York Times (This article also appeared in MSN News, ACQ Magazine and My Informs.)
http://nyti.ms/1IT2ZNe

Why is science so straight?
An op-ed examines the underrepresentation of members of the LGBT community in STEM education and jobs. Research by Erin Cech, assistant professor of sociology, is cited.
New York Times
http://nyti.ms/1PRENQI

Is Earth as special as we think?
According to recent research by Adrian Lenardic, professor of Earth science, if the “experiment” of our solar system was restarted, seemingly insignificant early changes — like internal heat, climate or water content — could completely reroute planetary history.
National Geographic
http://bit.ly/1PYXPot

Rural Foard County is a part of Texas the boom bypassed
Texas’ rural counties are experiencing a decline in population and business. Steve Murdock, the Allyn and Gladys Cline Professor of Sociology and director of Rice’s Hobby Center for the Study of Texas, is quoted.
Miami Herald
http://hrld.us/1KYSaiI

Iconic author of best Texas novel ever wins National Humanities Medal
Larry McMurtry, the acclaimed American novelist, essayist, screenwriter and bookseller who earned his master’s degree in English from Rice University in 1960, has received a 2014 National Humanities Medal for outstanding achievements in his field, the White House announced.
CultureMap Dallas
http://bit.ly/1VLDTta
Obama to award medal to author Jhumpa Lahiri
Ledger Gazette
http://bit.ly/1JRO5ed

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Hurricane warning: What have we learned?
Jim Blackburn, professor in the practice of environmental law; Bill Fulton, director of Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research; Justin Denney, assistant professor of sociology; and Phil Bedient, the Herman Brown Professor of Engineering, discuss the progress of hurricane relief and potential preventive measures.
Houston Chronicle (This is featured on the front of the Outlook section in Sunday’s online newspaper. Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1KCaEHe

Editorial: Bush to the rescue
Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush is leading the Ike Dike debate, which has been ignored by other politicians. Phil Bedient, the Herman Brown Professor of Engineering, and Jim Blackburn, professor in the practice of environmental law, are mentioned for Rice’s Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters (SSPEED) Center’s proposed mid-bay gate as a third alternative for storm-surge protection.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1M8EaVg
http://bit.ly/1VJQgpD
Another floodgate proposed
Off the Kuff
http://bit.ly/1OvkoAJ

2 authors, writing toward their endings
Joseph Campana, associate professor of English literature, authored an op-ed about the effect of illness and oncoming death on a writer’s work.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1VLoAk3

SpaceX’s grounding turns spotlight to launch competitors
George Abbey, the Baker Botts Senior Fellow in Space Policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted about SpaceX’s commitment to determining what caused a Falcon 9 rocket explosion in June.
Houston Chronicle (This article also appeared in Bellingham Herald, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Naples Daily News. Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1iapU1K

Soifer: Combating poverty, one person and one policy at a time
An op-ed about poverty mentions Rice University’s Coalition on Hunger and Homelessness and the student consultant program OWLSHelp.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1iuDSvn

Houston-area book events: Sept. 8-12
Four writers who served in the Vietnam War will use literature to discuss the cultural legacy of the war as a free event at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1NfXuyx
http://bit.ly/1VL10Ut

For 35th anniversary, Inprint literary series brings big names to Houston
Rice will host readings by authors for Inprint’s Margarett Root Brown Reading Series at Stude Concert Hall Oct. 12.
Houston Chronicle (This appeared on the front of the Zest section in Sunday’s Chronicle. Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1LVsjH6

KPFT to broadcast at full strength with new transmitter
Radio station KPFT has acquired a new $180,000 transmitter that will enable the station to broadcast at its full 100,000-watt signal strength. KUHA, currently on 91.7-FM, Rice’s former KTRU frequency, is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (This appeared on the front of the City & State section in Saturday’s Chronicle. Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1LVtczm

On first official trip to Mexico, Gov. Abbott must balance politics, diplomacy
Gov. Greg Abbott made his first official trip to Mexico to begin a relationship with their government. 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.
Dallas Morning News
http://bit.ly/1NfID7e

Texas MBA programs ranked among best in the world
Rice’s Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business was ranked No. 43 on Financial Times’ list of the best business schools for a global MBA and No. 38 on the average salary findings from the past three years.
Houston Business Journal
http://bit.ly/1EMGNK6

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 by Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and the Episcopal Health Foundation.
Texas Medical Center News (This is featured in Monday’s TMC Today.)
http://bit.ly/1FgEtFE
http://bit.ly/1KZiUzS
Study shows uninsured receive less primary care
Killeen Daily Herald
http://bit.ly/1JR2zuP

BROADCAST

Straus calls Planned Parenthood videos ‘abhorrent’ and supports governor’s plan
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 House Speaker Joe Straus’ uncharacteristic political postion on the Planned Parenthood videos and the importance of choosing the best mayoral candidate to handle Houston’s financial situation.
Texas Public Radio
http://bit.ly/1OuFcbE
Congress returns to yet one more spending crisis, fears of presidency shutdown
Forex Report Daily
http://bit.ly/1IVY5z7
Reports warn of finance trouble
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1EMycHd

KOMO-AM (Seattle)
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.
http://bit.ly/1Ovh5tm

KTRK-TV
Marie Wise, a representative from the Astrodome Memories Project, mentions that Rice has important historical archives from the Astrodome.
http://bit.ly/1NnTGNn

KMBC-TV (Kansas City, Mo.)
Alumnus and White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest ’97 attended the Kansas City Royals game.
http://bit.ly/1KCj2qe

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Splitting water molecules to make energy
Rice University researchers have demonstrated an efficient new way to capture energy from sunlight and convert it into clean, renewable energy by splitting water molecules. The technology, which is described in the journal Nano Letters, uses sunlight-harvesting gold nanoparticles. Isabell Thomann, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and of materials science and nanoengineering, is quoted. Researchers Chloe Doiron, Hossein Robatjazi and Shah Mohammad Bahauddin are pictured.
Science260.gov (This appeared on the home page.)
http://1.usa.gov/1NnUx0q
Renewable energy: Splitting water molecules from sunlight
Nature World News (Similar articles appeared in over 40 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/1KVi6M9
Solar water-splitting method to provide clean energy
Economic Times
http://bit.ly/1KzpAGf
Solar water-splitting technology increases power conversion efficiency
AZO Materials
http://bit.ly/1hTGamZ
The inevitable solar-powered march of the hydrogen fuel cell
Clean Technica
http://bit.ly/1iuwyQd
Rice researchers demo solar water-splitting technology
ChemEurope.com
http://bit.ly/1JRnZIq
Energy: Rice researchers demo solar water-splitting technology
MaterialsGate.de
http://bit.ly/1VLCLpj

For 2-D boron, it’s all about that base
If two-dimensional boron can be made at all, the material’s substrate will have a significant impact on its final form, according to Rice scientists. Boris Yakobson, the Karl F. Hasselmann Professor of Materials Science and NanoEngineering and professor of chemistry, and postdoctoral researcher and lead author of the paper Zhuhua Zhang are quoted.
iConnect007
http://bit.ly/1FvFf1R

Taking synthetic biology to next level with engineered multicellular cooperation
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 mentioned.
Next Big Future
http://bit.ly/1QlWQzD

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Why the war on drugs is poised to end – even if ‘wire’ creator David Simon worries it won’t
Similar to the change in attitude about same-sex marriage, more Americans are beginning to consider decriminalizing drug use. William Martin, the Harry and Hazel Chavanne Senior Fellow in Religion and Public Policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, comments.
Alternet.org
http://bit.ly/1EMA4Q5

Do longer campaigns make for smarter voters?
Randolph Stevenson, professor of political science, is quoted about the pros and cons of short and long campaigns.
iPolitics
http://bit.ly/1PXCFXP

Rice freshman helps youth prepare for college
Duncan College sophomore Marjada Tucker is featured for her College Readiness Program, a summer institute she created to help students in Oktibbeha County transition from high school to college.
The Clarion-Ledger
http://on.thec-l.com/1hRJLlI

Kemper Art Museum announces fall events
Gordon Hughes, the Mellon Assistant Professor of Art History, will co-host a gallery at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University this fall.
Newsroom
http://bit.ly/1ERx7xm

Miranda specializes in environmental advocacy, safety
Marie Lynn Miranda, the Howard R. Hughes Provost, professor of statistics and director of the Children’s Environmental Health Initiative, is featured.
Diverse Education
http://bit.ly/1JOrVaE

After a string of suicides, students in Palo Alto are demanding a part in reforming their school’s culture
Henry M. Gunn High School senior Alex Hwang, who plans to attend Rice, explains the pressure fellow students put on each other for which colleges they plan to attend.
Vice
http://bit.ly/1M8sVMq

What to watch out for in this week’s night skies, according to Patrick Poitevin
President John F. Kennedy’s famous “Moon Speech” delivered at Rice Sept. 12, 1962, is mentioned.
Ashbourne News Telegraph
http://bit.ly/1hTFu0Q
C-SPAN2
http://bit.ly/1LVBJCo

SPORTS

Rice football beat Wagner College 56-16 at Rice Stadium.
Rice rolls past Wagner in season opener
Houston Chronicle (Similar articles appeared in 410 other media outlets. Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1NZna49
Owls start strong, refuse to let up versus Wagner
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1EMNSu4
Wagner College suffers 56-16 defeat to Rice in season opener
Silive.com
http://bit.ly/1O9lZOy
KRIV-TV
http://bit.ly/1g7yUCY

Texas coach Strong wants ‘restart’ after Notre Dame blowout
Rice football will play against University of Texas at Austin Sept. 12 at the Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Head football coach David Bailiff is quoted.
USA Today (Similar articles appeared in over 750 other media outlets.)
http://usat.ly/1NnV6HD
Rice coach Bailiff expects UT’s best effort
Houston Chronicle (This appeared on the front of the Sports section. Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1OaTobR

Astros’ sterling season yet to fill empty seats
Stephen Klineberg, professor of sociology and founding director of Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, is quoted about Houston leading the growth in diversity in America in an article about attendance at major league baseball games.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1M8F1p4

Minnesota Twins — PlayerWatch
Former baseball standout Tyler Duffey is featured.
Reuters (Similar articles appeared in 357 media outlets.)
http://reut.rs/1g79Tb5
Former Bellaire, Rice star Tyler Duffey makes emotional return to Houston
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1VLqilB
Astros’ season will be defined in September
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1LVwW3T
Minnesota at Houston
CBS Sports
http://cbsprt.co/1UxNoit

Aggies Blitz: 5 things to watch versus Arizona State
Former Rice football coach Todd Graham is featured.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/1QlV6Gz

Tyler Varga one Canadian to get good news on cutdown day
Former Rice football player Christian Covington is mentioned.
Toronto Sun
http://bit.ly/1i5InfR
Texans put Savage on IR for season; James among final cuts
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1PZeIPZ

NEWS RELEASE

Researchers find new clue to halting leukemia relapse
Rice researchers identify and validate a new molecular mechanism of action to overcome drug resistance in patients with acute myeloid leukemia.
http://bit.ly/1JRr37a