Dateline Rice for Dec. 9, 2015

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Nanotube letters spell progress
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.
Science360.gov (This appeared as a top story on the home page and in R&DMag.com.)
http://1.usa.gov/1TAPkBG

Nanoscale drawbridges open path to color displays
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, is quoted.
National Science Foundation
http://1.usa.gov/1jO3a7u
Stained glass changes color instantly
Digital Journal (This article also appeared in EDN Asia and Fresh Ghana.)
http://bit.ly/1lOKB4r

After Pope Francis visit, Central African Republic labels Muslim rebel leader ‘enemy No. 1’ as Christian majority nation returns to turmoil
Less than a week after Pope Francis’ visit, during which he called for peace between the nation’s Muslims and Christians, the transitional government Sunday labeled a leader of a mainly Muslim rebel group “Enemy No. 1.” David Cook, associate professor of religion, is quoted.
International Business Times (This article also appeared in My Informs.)
http://bit.ly/1OgGJjU

Supermajority or not, in Venezuela it’s still about oil prices
Francisco Monaldi, a fellow in Latin American energy policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, comments on Venezuela’s financial dependency on oil.
Bloomberg Business (This article appeared in Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo! Extra Business and La Repubblica.)
http://bloom.bg/1NFbpyR
After vote, it’s still about the price of oil in Venezuela
Buenos Aires Herald
http://bit.ly/1REtT4m

Bureaucracy, male guardianship impeding female participation in Saudi’s historic municipal elections
Saudi women will vote in the upcoming municipal elections and run for public office, a first in the history of the kingdom. Marwa Shalaby, director of the Women and Human Rights in the Middle East Program at the Baker Institute for Public Policy, explains that promoting women’s presence in local elections may be an effective step toward national political participation.
Ahram Online
http://bit.ly/1Y1WQa9

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Mayor’s race going down to the wire
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, and Bob Stein, the Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science, are quoted about the close runoff in the Houston mayoral election. Stein is also quoted on KHOU, and Jones is cited for his ranking of the Texas House.
Houston Chronicle (This appeared on the front page. Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1IUEOzN
Dead heat in the mayor’s race: New poll shows Turner, King tied
KHOU.com
http://bit.ly/21OHPgB
YCT releases legislative ratings
Texas Scorecard
http://bit.ly/1IEwngZ

Home designed by renowned Rice University professor hits the market
A Southampton Place home designed by Anderson Todd, the Gus Wortham Professor Emeritus of Architecture, is for sale. Mel Hildebrandt ’55 is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1PXf7GI
http://bit.ly/1jN9YlQ

5 Texas private colleges opt out of campus carry
Texas Lutheran University decided to opt out of the state’s new campus carry law. Rice is mentioned for also opting out of the law.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/21NFL8J
Survey: Majority of UTSA students polled oppose guns on campus
KSAT.com
http://bit.ly/1NarKKp

The changing face of Texas public schools
Steve Murdock, the Allyn and Gladys Cline Professor of Sociology and director of Rice’s Hobby Center for the Study of Texas, is quoted in an article about the booming diversity in Texas public schools.
Texas Tribune
http://bit.ly/1IEspVP

Houston again ranks among top college towns in the US
Houston is No. 4 on WalletHub’s ranking of the best large college cities in the nation. Rice is mentioned for having the top Texas ranking on U.S. News and World Report’s 2016 list of best colleges. Rice’s highly ranked entrepreneurship program is noted also.
Houston Business Journal
http://bit.ly/1ITc6z9

The Rice School/La Escuela Rice holds successful STEM fall festival night
Anne Papakonstantinou ’69, director of the Rice University School of Mathematics Project, authored an op-ed about the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities held at the Rice School/La Escuela Rice.
Southwest News (Scroll down to Page 8.)
http://bit.ly/1fRI5An

BROADCAST

National Public Radio
Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, fellow for the Middle East at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is interviewed about the conflict in Syria.
http://bit.ly/1S O29sw (Click the audio button on the Web page to listen to the broadcast; the computer-generated transcript may not be accurate. This broadcast also appeared on WAMU-FM, WHYY-FM, WBFO-FM and WUNC-FM.)

Low oil prices putting US drillers out of business
For the first time in almost seven years the international price of oil fell below $40 a barrel. Bill Arnold, professor in the practice of management at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, is quoted.
Marketplace.org (This broadcast also appeared on American Public Media, Environment Guru, WWNO-FM, Lakeshore Public Media and WSDL 90.7.)
http://bit.ly/1TzRWzO

Drillers find ways to reach billions of barrels of oil trapped in old wells
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.
Texas Standard (This broadcast also appeared in KRTS 93.5.)
http://bit.ly/1HUHUcd

Explaining Trump’s rhetoric
Douglas Brinkley, professor of history, discusses presidential candidate Donald Trump’s rhetoric.
Southern California Public Radio
http://bit.ly/1IEx9uv

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Top 10 urban innovations to pay attention to
Ryan Holeywell, senior editor at Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, authored an op-ed about the top urban innovations around the world.
Future Structure
http://bit.ly/21NEn5V
Can Cincinnati learn from these ‘top 10 urban innovations’?
SoapBoxMedia.com
http://bit.ly/1NFdB9y

Flat tunneling transistor operates at 0.1v
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 when compared with most transistors.
EE Times (This article also appeared in iConnect007, BrightSurf, Analog DesignLine Europe, EE Design and Nanotechnology Now.)
http://ubm.io/1QuseNO

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

‘Miracle’ in Texas led to education disaster
An article about the effect of the No Child Left Behind education reform act quotes Linda McNeil, professor of education and director of Rice’s Center for Education.
CitizensVoice.com
http://bit.ly/1IUHT2O

SPORTS

Big 12 mandates its teams play Power 5 foe beginning in 2020
Rice football is scheduled to play against Baylor University in 2016.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1NVcfcT

Sports column: The Ladyjacks deserve your support
Rice women’s basketball will play against Stephen F. Austin University Dec. 19 in Nacogdoches, Texas.
The Pine Log
http://bit.ly/1OhTKti