Dateline Rice for Dec. 17, 2015

FEATURED ITEMS

10 best colleges in America for the money
Rice is No. 7 on Kiplinger’s list of 10 best-value schools for 2016. The ranking combines public and private universities. Rice is No. 4 on the best-value list of private universities.
Kiplinger.com
http://bit.ly/1P9iV4t

Massive downsizing in oil sector brings acute pain for the holidays
Oil and gas employees are stressed about the possibility of losing their job. Brent Smith, associate professor of management, associate professor of psychology and senior associate dean of executive education at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, comments.
National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition” (This also appeared on Houston Public Media, Minnesota Public Radio and more than 20 other media outlets.)
http://n.pr/1QrckWl

Are all scientists atheists?
Elaine Howard Ecklund, the Herbert S. Autrey Chair of Social Sciences, professor of sociology and director of Rice’s Religion and Public Life Program, is interviewed about Rice researchers’ first worldwide survey of how scientists view religion.
Houston Public Media’s “Houston Matters”
http://bit.ly/1Mj7t1r

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Block the vote
Rice is cited for its study of the effect of voter ID laws on past election turnouts in a series about states that are suppressing minority voting.
New York Times Magazine
http://nyti.ms/22alFWi

The 30 US colleges that offer the best value for your money
Rice is ranked the No. 1 best value school in Texas by NerdWallet and is the only private university that made the top 10. NerdWallet evaluated 36 universities and colleges in Texas by analyzing data on affordability, prestige, graduation rates, graduate salaries and student debt.
Business Insider Singapore (This article also appeared in Business Insider Malaysia and Indonesia.)
http://bit.ly/1IWwN2r
KABB-TV (San Antonio)
http://bit.ly/1O8WRn9 (This broadcast also appeared on KDBC-TV, KAUZ-TV, KYTX-TV and KJTV-TV.)

US Navy recruits gut microbes to fight obesity and disease
Jeffrey Tabor, assistant professor of bioengineering, is studying how a molecule produced by a common gut bacterium may slow age-related health decline and increase lifespan.
Scientific American
http://bit.ly/1ZcTcwy

US leaders agree to lift 4-decade ban on oil exports
The bill to lift the 40-year-old ban on U.S. oil exports could pass through Congress by the end of this week. Kenneth Medlock, senior director of the Center for Energy Studies and the James A. Baker III and Susan Baker Fellow in Energy and Resource Economics at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and lecturer of economics, is quoted.
USA Today (This also appeared in KHOU-TV and KCEN-TV.)
http://usat.ly/227QdI6

Nanoparticle-based windows could switch colors on demand
Rice plasmonics experts developed 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.
Engadget (This article also appeared in Hardware.info and Malaysia MSN.)
http://engt.co/1NQes7A

New material is super water-resistant, cheap and safe
A new superhydrophobic material developed by scientists at Rice University and the University of Swansea is nontoxic, economical and shows promise to replace more expensive and hazardous materials used for waterproofing. Andrew Barron, the Charles W. Duncan Jr.-Welch Professor of Chemistry and a professor of materials science and nanoengineering, is quoted.
Gizmag (This article also appeared in My Informs and Republika.)
http://bit.ly/1IVEAgU
Superhydrophobic coating is nontoxic and economical to produce
The Engineer (A similar article appeared in SpecialChem.com.)
http://bit.ly/1ZdT53Z

Crude rises after US fed rate hike, gains limited
Michael Maher, senior program adviser for the Center for Energy Studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, explains that oil prices should strengthen in the second half of 2016 due to global demand growth and a decline in non-OPEC supplies.
Bloomberg News (This article also appeared in Financial Spots, Bills Insider, Topix and Oil and Gas Industry Today.)
http://bloom.bg/1P95PUO

Our favorite MBAs of 2015
Kevin Bentley, director of Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business MBA program, is profiled in a collection of Poets & Quants’ favorite MBAs.
Poets & Quants
http://bit.ly/1Mj6Ogz

New death sentences in Texas drop to 40-year low
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, capital punishment has sharply declined in the United States. Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research is cited for its survey of Harris County’s preference for life without parole as opposed to the death penalty as punishment for first-degree murder.
The Inside Korea (This article also appeared in Pop & Herald.)
http://bit.ly/1QrqdnC

Finalists of TiE-Hyderabad international start-up competition declared
The Indus Entrepreneurs Hyderabad announced the finalists of its Hyderabad Chapter’s TiE International Start-up Competition, who will have the opportunity to win a spot in the finals at Rice’s Business Plan Competition.
Yahoo! India (This article also appeared in Express Healthcare.)
http://bit.ly/1TS8Ee1

Wheaton College suspends Dr. Larycia Hawkins, professor who vowed to wear hijab
Alumna Larycia Hawkins ’94 vowed to wear a hijab to Wheaton College, where she is on faculty, during Advent as support for Muslims. The college placed her on administrative leave.
NBC News (This also appeared in Vice News, Rock Center and dBTechno.)
http://nbcnews.to/1m7E7xO

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Etsy sellers ring up sales from their home headquarters
Etsy sellers share tips for those selling their handmade goods during the holidays. Utpal Dholakia, the George R. Brown Chair of Marketing and professor of management at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, comments on the difference between buying from a traditional retailer and Etsy.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1P8YjsW

Who won the debate? Experts weigh in
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 the fifth Republican presidential debate, Adrian Garcia’s decision to run for Congress and newly elected Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1PaEDqt
http://bit.ly/1QuQMYy
De policia a Congresista
Telemundo Houston (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/1RqNzcU

Rice competition is looking for a few good business plans
Medal of Honor recipient retired Marine Cpl. Kyle Carpenter will provide the keynote address at the Entrepreneurs’ Organization-Houston Veterans Business Battle banquet Feb. 27. Applications to participate in the battle, which is taking place at Rice, are being accepted through Jan. 8.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1RTU3QM
http://bit.ly/1IaWix5

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Picoindenter measures CNT junction stiffness
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. Nanotechweb.org
http://bit.ly/1NVe2gn

Mexico’s onshore oil, gas bidding round a success
Francisco Monaldi, a fellow in Latin American energy policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted in an article about Mexico’s recent onshore oil and gas bidding round.
Rigzone
http://bit.ly/1IWjTSc

The allure and danger of pipeline building in Mexico; FERC staff plots end of Triad pipeline review
Tony Payan, the Françoise and Edward Djerejian Fellow for Mexico Studies at the Baker Institute for Public Policy and director of the institute’s Mexico Center, is quoted from his speech to a House committee in July about the corruption in Mexico.
SNL
http://bit.ly/1YlgLX4

Descubren nuevo metodo prometedor para almacenar energía
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.
Taringa.net (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/1O94vOh

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

NanoCar: The initial general nanocar race
Rice University will send an entry to the first international NanoCar Race. James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Chair in Chemistry and a professor of computer science and of materials science and nanoengineering, is quoted. 
FreshGhana.com
http://bit.ly/1NrlZbF

New campus culture: The limiting of the human mind
McMurtry College senior Rachel Landsman’s winning essay for the Network of Enlightened Women’s 2015 contest is published.
The College Fix
http://bit.ly/1T3vrTT

College endowments and donations on the taxing block?
Congress is examining college and university endowments as a possible option for changing tax treatment to increase federal revenue. Rice is mentioned.
Freedom Outpost
http://bit.ly/1RTTLJB

Presidential qualifications — they are important, you know?
Sen. Ted Cruz’s mother, alumna Eleanor Darragh ’56, is mentioned.
Freedom Outpost
http://bit.ly/1YkQU1t

The Ford’s Theatre to continue 2015-16 season with ‘The Glass Menagerie’
Mark Ramont, who has taught at Rice, is the director of “The Glass Menagerie” at Ford’s Theatre.
Broadway World
http://bit.ly/1m9UBWm

SPORTS

KTXS-TV (Abilene, Texas)
The Albany High School football team practiced at Rice in preparation for their game against Bremond High School at NRG Stadium.
http://bit.ly/22afMsj

NEWS RELEASES

Antibiotic-infused implants designed to help faces heal
Rice researchers test antibiotic-infused block copolymers in their plastic spacers to protect craniofacial tissue from infection while healing.
http://bit.ly/1lTgbPk

Inflammation can fan the flames of depression
Chronic inflammation in the bloodstream can “fan the flames” of depression, much like throwing gasoline on a fire, according to a new paper from researchers at Rice University and Ohio State University.
http://bit.ly/1QuUDFg