Dateline Rice for Dec. 8, 2015

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Chasing a climate deal in Paris
James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry, professor of computer science and of materials science and nanoengineering, is quoted in an article about Russian President Vladimir V. Putin’s proposal to use nanotechnology to lower worldwide greenhouse emissions. (Scroll down to the headline “Russians embrace nanotechnology as one path to lower emissions.”)
New York Times
http://nyti.ms/1IRV8RU

Why nanotubes now have their own alphabet
Rice University researchers test the stiffness of individual nanotube junctions and find different characteristics based upon their “letter” forms. Materials built with particular letters may be useful as building blocks in the construction of macroscale structures. Pulickel Ajayan, the Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor in Materials Science and NanoEngineering and of chemistry; research scientist Evgeni Penev; and postdoctoral researcher Chandra Sekhar Tiwary are quoted. Boris Yakobson, the Karl F. Hasselmann Professor of Materials Science and NanoEngineering and professor of chemistry, and graduate students Sehmus Ozden and Yang Yang are mentioned.
Futurity
http://bit.ly/1NE3y4T
Nanotube letters spell progress: Team analyzes stiffness of individual branching nanotubes
Phys.org (This article also appeared in Science Daily and 12 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/1XWhokg

Freeing political prisoners leads agenda for victors of Venezuela’s election
Francisco Monaldi, a fellow in Latin American energy policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, comments on the release of former Venezuelan politician Leopoldo López.
Wall Street Journal (Subscription required.)
http://on.wsj.com/1XXrB02

The invisible spill spewing the gases of a half-million cars
A stream of natural gas is leaking in Southern California, which is spewing as much greenhouse gas as a half-million cars. George Hirasaki, research professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, is quoted.
Chicago Tribune (This article also appeared in Insurance Journal, Rocket News, Property Casualty 360 and Automnews.com.)
http://trib.in/1QcSzkZ

10 reasons to apply for Vanguard Houston
Representatives from Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research will present at Next City’s 2016 Vanguard Conference in May.
NextCity.org
http://bit.ly/1M19aQZ

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Why strict new ozone rules won’t do much for Texans’ health
Daniel Cohan, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, authored an op-ed about the Environmental Protection Agency’s new tighter ozone standards.
Houston Chronicle (This appeared in the Chronicle’s “Gray Matters” online magazine. Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1NTBGvq

SnapStream goes social, expands beyond recording TV
SnapStream, a Houston Graphics Interchange Formats company, is seeking recognition for being a popularly used business to create GIFs, a new form of social media marketing. Utpal Dholakia, the George R. Brown Chair of Marketing and professor of management at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, comments.
Houston Chronicle (This is featured on the front of the Business section. Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1NILwtO

MFAH received mammoth donation in 1941
James Turrell’s “Twilight Epiphany” Skyspace on the Rice campus is included in a slideshow of Houston museums and exhibitions.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/21Mu6qF

Rice president third highest-paid private-college leader in Texas
The Chronicle of Higher Education’s comparison of 2013 salaries of university presidents shows Rice President David Leebron as the third highest-paid president of a private university in Texas.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1NE4shv
http://bit.ly/1ORDMc8

Houston stacks up surprisingly high among the best college cities in America
Houston is No. 4 on WalletHub’s ranking of the best large college cities in the nation. Rice is mentioned.
CultureMap Houston
http://bit.ly/1M14Z7J
WalletHub ranks Iowa City No. 3 top college town
NYSE Post
http://bit.ly/1R7U6J8

Cruz takes lead in Iowa poll
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, is quoted about presidential candidate Ted Cruz’s lead in Iowa, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to hear challenges on how state legislative districts are drawn and Texas’ conflicting politics.
KTSA.com
http://bit.ly/1NfQhMf
Texas case could change how the country votes
Bluefield Daily Telegraph (This article appeared in more than 50 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/1N9p141
Jacquielynn Floyd: My Texan of the year is the political moderate
Dallas Morning News
http://bit.ly/1QtBAtg

BROADCAST

KUT 90.5 (Austin, Texas)
Jim Krane, the Wallace S. Wilson Fellow in Energy Studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted about the new methods drillers are using to retrieve oil in old U.S. wells.
http://bit.ly/1IS27dk

KIII-TV (Corpus Christi, Texas)
Rice announced that it will continue its current weapons prohibition policy and exercise the opt-out provision of the new Texas state law that permits individuals with concealed handgun licenses to carry a weapon on college campuses. President David Leebron is quoted.
http://bit.ly/1N9zfBu
WBAP-AM (Dallas)
http://bit.ly/1TYKq2m

KTXX-FM (Austin, Texas)
Rice is mentioned in a discussion about military training.
http://bit.ly/1IS1twu

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Laser-induced graphene might make the battery obsolete
Rice researchers who pioneered the development of laser-induced graphene have configured their discovery into flexible, solid-state microsupercapacitors that rival the best available for energy storage and delivery. James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry, professor of computer science and of materials science and nanoengineering, is quoted. Tour is also mentioned in an article about Russian President Vladimir V. Putin’s proposal to use nanotechnology to lower worldwide greenhouse emissions.
Tech Times (This article also appeared in My Informs.)
http://bit.ly/1Og25h8
Russia proposes nanotechnology in stopping climate change
Science Times
http://bit.ly/1NDU6OK

Atomically flat tunnel transistor overcomes fundamental power challenge of electronics
Pulickel Ajayan, the Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor in Materials Science and NanoEngineering and of chemistry, collaborated with University of California, Santa Barbara to create a new transistor that reduces power dissipation by over 90 percent compared with most transistors.
Phys.org (This article also appeared in Science Daily, Science Codex, Science Newsline, SMT Magazine, Solid State Technology, My Informs, Wireless Design & Development and e! Science News.)
http://bit.ly/1NFnzDM
Power/performance bits: Dec. 8
Semiconductor Engineering
http://bit.ly/1NISChN
Transistor reduces power dissipation over 90 percent
Compound Semiconductor
http://bit.ly/1lMdfmK

Stained glass could change colors at flip of a switch
A new method for building “drawbridges” between metal nanoparticles could open new paths for electronics makers who wish to build full-color displays from opto-electric components. The research by plasmonics experts at Rice University is described in a new study in Science Advances. Christy Landes, assistant professor of chemistry; Naomi Halas, the Stanley C. Moore Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and a professor of chemistry, bioengineering, physics and astronomy, and materials science; and Peter Nordlander, professor of physics and astronomy and in electrical and computer engineering, are quoted. Stephan Link, associate professor of chemistry and of electrical and computer engineering; Emilie Ringe, assistant professor of materials science and nanoengineering and of chemistry; and graduate students Chad Byers, Dayne Swearer, Mustafa Yorulmaz, Benjamin Hoener, Da Huang, Anneli Hoggard and Wei-Shun Chang are mentioned.
Controlled Environments (This article appeared in 11 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/1XSzPf5
Bridging nanoparticles creates reversible color change for displays
Photonics.com
http://bit.ly/1ICtkpJ

SPORTS

Fall report: Rice
Head coach Wayne Graham discusses the Rice baseball team’s past season and the outlook for spring.
D1Baseball.com
http://bit.ly/1ONGLUZ

College basketball: Baylor slips past Vandy in Top 25 duel
Rice women’s basketball fell to Baylor University 89-39 at Ferrell Center.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1lrCuLG

NEWS RELEASES

Mexico’s future is topic at Rice’s Baker Institute Dec. 14
A panel at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy Dec. 14 will discuss the promise and limitations of Mexico’s recent reform accomplishments and the challenges the country will face in the year ahead.
http://bit.ly/1lrBlnx

Grants give bioscience research a bump
Four teams of scientists at Rice University and other Gulf Coast Consortia institutions have earned research seed grants from the John S. Dunn Collaborative Research Awards.
http://bit.ly/1N9wkbZ