Dateline Rice for April 22, 2016

FEATURED ITEM

The Rice Business Plan Competition: Meet the champ
TriFusion Devices from Texas A&M University won nearly $400,000 in cash and prizes as the grand prizewinner of the 2016 Rice Business Plan Competition.
Forbes
http://onforb.es/26jvTpu

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

China claims a major breakthrough in making space babies
Scott Solomon, professor in the practice of ecology and evolutionary biology, is quoted in an article about Mars.
Ars Technica
http://bit.ly/1T3emrU

Fed meeting, US GDP, primaries, Brazil: Week ahead April 23-30
Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy will host U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry April 26 for a private address on the role of religion in foreign policy.
Bloomberg Technology (This also appeared in Yahoo! Finance.)
http://bloom.bg/1rq9I18

We need to talk about Leonardo DiCaprio’s baseball hats
A photo of actor Leonardo DiCaprio wearing a Rice Owls hat is included.
Buzzfeed
http://bzfd.it/1SyIVYX

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Rice students offer ideas for Houston flood plan
A team calling itself Brays Yourself was one of two to win the top prize of $5,000 at the university’s Engineering Design Showcase in mid-April for its plan to relieve the bayou’s neighbors, particularly in the Meyerland and Texas Medical Center neighborhoods, of flooding fears that come when the mostly concrete channel overflows its banks. Undergraduate students Julianne Crawford, Marie Gleichauf, Avi Gori, Sam Greivell, Jinal Mehta and Kasia Nikiel are quoted and Phil Bedient, the Herman Brown Professor of Engineering, is mentioned.
TMC News
http://bit.ly/1qGmhnY

Thanks, actin, for the memories
The Rice lab of Peter Wolynes, the D.R. Bullard-Welch Foundation Professor of Science and a professor of chemistry, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences a theory about how long-term memories are made. The theory is based on simulations that analyze the energy landscapes of the proteins involved. Wolynes is quoted and graduate student Mingchen Chen and postdoctoral researcher Weihua Zheng are mentioned.
TMC News (This also appeared in Space Daily.)
http://bit.ly/1T3kYq5

Skelly: Why is flood-prediction technology MIA?
Phil Bedient, the Herman Brown Professor of Engineering, is quoted about the recent Houston flood.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1VpISlG
Houston schools to reopen Wednesday but flood warnings not yet lifted
Albawwaba
http://bit.ly/1Wh9EMa
Texas floods kill at least 7
You Don’t Know Football
http://bit.ly/1SomWll
Drenched Houston area gets more rain and flooding
You Don’t Know Football (This also appeared in Tri-County Sun Times.)
http://bit.ly/23NSUSt
Flooding in Houston continues
Tri-County Sun Times (This also appeared in Solo News.)
http://bit.ly/1U8ADtd
Houston floods: Disaster zone declared after ‘historic’ rainfall
Comox Valley
http://bit.ly/1MMSu7t
Rain easing in Houston area but flood threat continues
The Comment
http://bit.ly/1rqaLhk
Historic floods in Houston displace hundreds
The Daily Croton (This also appeared in The Daily Chappaqua.)
http://bit.ly/22TkrfF
NWS urging caution as more rain hits Houston
Lucena Informacion
http://bit.ly/1U8B9Ye
At least 8 dead in Houston-area floods
Lucena Informacion
http://bit.ly/1qGijvD
Houston flood control efforts fall behind urban sprawl
New Delhi Times (This also appeared in The World Link.)
http://bit.ly/1VpYGFa
The Latest: Houston-area flooding death toll now at 7
The World Link
http://bit.ly/214bcKe
More storms threaten flooded Houston area through Friday
Equilibrio Informativo
http://bit.ly/1SVw8No

FBISD juniors explore judicial system
The Katy Prairie Conservancy recently launched a fundraiser to build environmental landscapes at Houston universities. Rice is mentioned as one of the participating Houston-area universities.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required. This also appeared in My San Antonio.)
http://bit.ly/1YKCJi2
http://bit.ly/1rq9ffp

La Porte shares photos from its early days
A photo of Rice Stadium is included in a slideshow of historical photos.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1XMtA8w

Volcanoes tied to shifts in Earth’s climate over millions of years
An article mentions that Cin-Ty Lee, professor of Earth science, participated in a study led by researchers at The University of Texas’s Jackson School of Geosciences.
UT News (This also appeared in Science Daily.)
http://bit.ly/1Soltv4

Best restaurants in Houston
Alumna Gillian Kruse ’09 authored an op-ed about Houston restaurants.
CBS Houston
http://cbsloc.al/26jzgg8

BROADCAST

Gone to Texas
Steve Murdock, the Allyn and Gladys Cline Professor of Sociology and director of Rice’s Hobby Center for the Study of Texas, is quoted about immigration to Texas.
KTRH
http://bit.ly/214414H
http://bit.ly/1T3hgg1 (Click on the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)
http://bit.ly/1SyBVv3 (Click on the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)
http://bit.ly/1TmX5fI (Click on the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)

‘KHOU 11 News’
Leading local and national experts will gather at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy April 22 to discuss Texas’ unique vantage on international health issues. Participants will also examine the U.S. response to the 2014 Ebola outbreak and recommend alternative strategies to cope with future global health threats.
KHOU
http://bit.ly/1TmX1Nd
http://bit.ly/1VGNUe4

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Engineers unveil efficient method for making high-value chemicals
Ramon Gonzalez, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, has genetically engineered new bacteria that use naturally occurring enzymes in ways that never appear in nature, and the result is a highly efficient system for quickly and efficiently producing high-value chemicals. Gonzalez, research scientist James Clomburg and graduate student Seokjung Cheong are quoted.
Laboratory Equipment (This also appeared in eScience News.)
http://bit.ly/26jrPW7

Tesla coil controls self-assembly of carbon nanotubes
Scientists at Rice University have discovered that the strong force field emitted by a Tesla coil causes carbon nanotubes to self-assemble into long wires, a phenomenon they call “Teslaphoresis.” Research scientist Paul Cherukuri ’08 is quoted.
Materials Today
http://bit.ly/1MN01TC
Watch in wonder as this reconfigured Tesla coil causes nanotubes to self-assemble into wires
Electronic Products
http://bit.ly/1Tn1pfa

Studies reveal a critical need to educate Texans on the basics of health insurance
According to a report released by Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and the Episcopal Health Foundation, approximately 25 percent of Texans say they lack confidence in understanding some of the most basic terminology about health insurance plans.
Health Affairs Blog
http://bit.ly/1rq9FCg

5 signs it’s time to take a rest day
A Rice study on overtraining is mentioned.
Health
http://bit.ly/1r4d4X5

Farming amoebae carry around detoxifying food
An article mentions that the lab of David Queller and Joan Strassmann was once housed at Rice.
Science Daily (This also appeared in eScience News, Daily Me and Science Newsline.)
http://bit.ly/1poRjQg

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

How eviction, housing loss affects job security among the working poor
An article mentions research by Rachel Kimbro, associate professor of sociology.
Journalist’s Resource
http://bit.ly/247zntb

UI celebrates Open Education Week as movement to adopt open resources picks up pace
Rice University-based publisher OpenStax is mentioned.
UI Argonaut
http://bit.ly/247E9a3

Apocalypse now: Zombies as teachers
An article mentions that Reed Cartwright taught at Rice.
ASU Now
http://bit.ly/1MMUP2a

MSO presents Music on the Hill: ‘To My Nation’
An article mentions a student who will attend Rice.
Southern Minn Scene
http://bit.ly/1SgCKKd

An intimate Mahler sung by renowned soloists graces Seraphic Fire’s ‘Song of the Earth’
Alumnus Joseph Quigley ’09 and former Rice professor and mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer are mentioned.
Knight Blog
http://kng.ht/1QsaXAV

SPORTS

5 reasons why Rice baseball is contending again
An article discusses Rice baseball’s season. Head coach Wayne Graham and players Dane Myers and Glenn Otto are mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1SAmcie

Rice plays key C-USA series at Southern Miss
Rice baseball will play the University of Southern Mississippi April 22-24.
C-USA
http://bit.ly/1NnUG5p

Top-seeded Rice tennis hopes home-cooking leads to C-USA title
An article discusses Rice men’s tennis’ 2016 season. Head coach Efe Ustundag is quoted. Martel College junior David Warren and Lovett College junior Tommy Bennett are mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required. This also appeared in My San Antonio.)
http://bit.ly/1Wh5NyF
http://bit.ly/1VpKyf6

Lack of offense turns UH’s baseball season into a grind
Rice baseball is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1TmPD4v
Texas State notebook: Women’s golf wins Sun Belt title
Austin American-Statesman
http://atxne.ws/1NFjEI5
Hilltoppers host UTSA this weekend
WBKO
http://bit.ly/1TmUmTM
Outfielder Mills on a hot streak for the Cajuns
The Advertiser
http://bit.ly/1MMRxMi
College roundup: FAU rallies past top-ranked ‘Canes
Baseball America
http://bit.ly/1Wh9zYH

Louisiana Tech RB Kenneth Dixon visits Texans, Patriots
A photo from the 2014 Rice-Louisiana Tech University football game is included.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/1WK6Qri

Ranking every Seahawks draft class
Alumnus Luke Willson ’12 is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/26joQx0
Ranking the Seattle Seahawks draft classes
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/1U8ytK6

Passover celebrates liberation of Jews from oppression
An article mentions former Rice basketball head coach Ben Braun in a slideshow of Jewish Texan athletes.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/22Tg5oP

The NFL draft report’s ‘by the numbers’ series — final ratings of the 2016 offensive center class — Alabama’s Ryan Kelly leads the pack
The late alumnus Joe Watson ’50 is mentioned.
Sports Blog
http://bit.ly/23NRNlZ

Men’s tennis surges toward AAC Championships
Rice men’s tennis is mentioned.
The Hullabaloo
http://bit.ly/1Wh9x37