Dateline Rice for Sept. 29, 2016

FEATURED ITEM

Rice and Baylor team to slow the spread of ‘superbugs’
Rice University scientists have invented a technology that could potentially identify hundreds of bacterial pathogens simply, quickly and at low cost using a single set of random DNA probes. Richard Baraniuk, the Victor E. Cameron Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is quoted. The article features a photo of graduate student Amirali Aghazadeh, Baraniuk and Rebekah Drezek, professor of bioengineering and of electrical and computer engineering.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/2dawDcL

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

12 best STEM colleges for international students: Why a tech education matters
Rice is No. 10 on Forbes’ list of the best STEM schools for international students.
Forbes
http://bit.ly/2dE1xeh

New Wall Street Journal college rankings rate Stanford No. 1
Rice is No. 18 on the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education ranking of U.S. colleges, which is based on outcomes, resources, engagement and environment. Money magazine ranked Rice No. 4 nationally and featured Rice as the best college in Texas.
Money
http://ti.me/2cCjWTU
The new Wall Street Journal college rankings versus Money’s own
Money
http://ti.me/2cEcmx4

OPEC to stress test oil market, further output cuts possible
Charles McConnell, executive director of Rice’s Energy and Environment Initiative, is quoted about the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan and the oil market.
Sputnik
http://bit.ly/2dcyrBZ
IQ2 debate: ‘Climate change: The EPA has gone overboard’
MPR News
http://bit.ly/2dgWXR9
Episode 258: Charles McConnell
The Energy Makers Show
http://bit.ly/2dxd7sm

How work and family life conflict in the modern university
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 quoted about the book she co-wrote, “Failing Families, Failing Science: Work-Family Conflict in Academic Science.”
Times Higher Education
http://bit.ly/2cNV9Qa

Social media posts can help predict pollution in some of the world’s biggest cities
Residents of China’s megacities who post comments about air quality to social media can give environmental scientists a window into pollution levels there. A multidisciplinary study by Rice researchers showed that the frequency of key words like dust, cough, haze, mask and blue sky can be used as a proxy measurement of the amount of airborne particulate matter in the country’s urban centers at any given time. Dan Wallach, professor of computer science and of electrical and computer engineering, and Daniel Cohan, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, are quoted.
Yahoo! Music (This also appeared in Digital Trends.)
http://yhoo.it/2cEiuAg
Researchers are using social media posts to predict pollution levels in China
Business Insider
http://read.bi/2dcJAlY

Iran won’t freeze oil output; What’s next for OPEC?
Ambassador Edward Djerejian, director of Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, discusses oil prices.
Yahoo! Finance India
http://bit.ly/2dxh28y

HOUSTON/TEXAS

OPEC deal could boost Houston drillers, economy
Jim Krane, the Wallace S. Wilson Fellow in Energy Studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted about OPEC’s preliminary deal to cut oil production.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required. This article appeared on the front page of the Sept. 29 print edition with a different headline, “Houston hopeful on OPEC proposal.”)
http://bit.ly/2cYA2YT

Ascension Academy students earn honors-level scores
An article cites information from Rice’s Center for College Readiness.
My High Plains
http://bit.ly/2dlf75J

Conference turns Houston’s music history into a party
Rice’s library is mentioned.
Houston Press
http://bit.ly/2cYvX7c

Accusations and hard feelings dominate DA debate
Mark Jones, the Joseph D. Jamail Chair in Latin American Studies, professor of political science, fellow in political science at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and fellow at Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, comments on the 2016 elections.
KRIV
http://bit.ly/2dCwjkQ

BROADCAST

Push to take end-of-life forms digital reveals complicated path ahead
Kirsten Ostherr, professor of English, is quoted about Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment.
WXXI
http://bit.ly/2dCszQz

C-SPAN
An unnamed Rice expert is mentioned.
http://bit.ly/2dGYxOq

KUT
A report by Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research is discussed.
http://bit.ly/2cEk1qm (Click on the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)

KUT
Ken Medlock, the James A. Baker III and Susan Baker Fellow in Energy and Resource Economics and senior director of the Center for Energy Studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and lecturer of economics, is quoted about oil prices.
http://bit.ly/2cYFyL4 (Click on the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Regional solar storm forecasts set to begin
For the first time beginning next month, forecasts of the regional effects of solar storms will help protect the power grid and communications satellites, thanks to a new tool developed by researchers at the University of Michigan and Rice. Stanislav Sazykin, senior faculty fellow in physics and astronomy, is quoted.
Phys Org
http://bit.ly/2dnkjX7

Report identifies promising practices to help disconnected young adults in Houston
Interventions that target the educational development of the approximately 110,000 unemployed young adults between the ages 16 and 24 in Greater Houston could help them become more successful and prosperous, according to a new report from Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research and JPMorgan Chase & Co. Bill Fulton, director of the institute, is quoted.
Phys Org
http://bit.ly/2dcy8ac

Drug manufacturers need to understand how their products affect entire biological networks
Decoys in DNA may serve a larger purpose than drug designers suspect, according to Rice scientists. These decoy sequences bind the same proteins that prompt gene expression elsewhere along DNA. But they may have greater function in cells than simply keeping proteins out of circulation, said researchers at Rice’s Center for Theoretical Biological Physics. Peter Wolynes, the D.R. Bullard-Welch Foundation Professor of Science, professor of chemistry, of biochemistry and cell biology, of physics and astronomy and of materials science and nanoengineering; graduate student Zhipeng Wang; and postdoctoral research associate Davit Potoyan are quoted.
Phys Org
http://bit.ly/2cEdIHV

Comet may have struck Earth just 10 million years after dinosaur extinction
Gerald Dickens, professor of Earth science, is quoted in an article about the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum.
Science
http://bit.ly/2d5rlOT

7 Days: Sept. 23-29
Rebecca Richards-Kortum, the Malcolm Gillis University Professor, professor of bioengineering and of electrical and computer engineering and director of Rice 360° Institute for Global Health, was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship.
Nature (Scroll to the second page.)
http://go.nature.com/2dsoKgo

Can public transit and ride-share companies get along?
Kyle Shelton, postdoctoral research fellow at Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, authored an op-ed about ride-share companies.
R&D (This also appeared in BioPortfolio.)
http://bit.ly/2d8sDbB

Expanding the Blue Marble Health Collection
Peter Hotez, a fellow in disease and poverty at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, co-authored an op-ed about the “Blue Marble Health” concept.
PLOS
http://bit.ly/2dcCfCY

Access delayed — still waiting
An article discusses Senate Bill 308; the bill made police departments at private universities like Rice subject to the state’s public information laws.
Student Press Law Center
http://bit.ly/2cYDX8a

Future MS treatment: Selectively targeting T-cells may come as temporary tattoo
A temporary tattoo to help control a chronic disease might someday be possible, according to scientists at Baylor College of Medicine who tested antioxidant nanoparticles created at Rice. James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry, professor of computer science and of materials science and nanoengineering, is mentioned.
Multiple Sclerosis News Today
http://bit.ly/2cEn4id

Spiraling oil demurrage costs challenge Venezuela’s PDVSA
Francisco Monaldi, a fellow in Latin American energy policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted about Venezuela.
Hellenic Shipping News (This also appeared in Bunker Ports News Worldwide.)
http://bit.ly/2doSjyo

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Are cities growing or not?
Bill Fulton, director of Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, authored an article about cities.
Governing
http://bit.ly/2doLhJW

Trust gap: What happens when black communities call 911 less often?
Tony Brown, professor of sociology, is quoted in an article about race relations.
The Christian Science Monitor
http://bit.ly/2ddCix0

Ms. Watson, I presume!
Moshe Vardi, director of Rice’s Ken Kennedy Institute for Information Technology, the Karen Ostrum George Distinguished Service Professor of Computational Engineering and professor of computer science, expects that within 30 years machines will be capable of doing almost any job that a human can.
Working Nation
http://bit.ly/2d8teKy

Baker Institute promotes lame-duck passage of sovereignty-killing TPP
An article mentions that U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman spoke at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy Sept. 19. Former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, honorary chair of Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is mentioned.
New American
http://bit.ly/2cLORjV

David Erdman appointed chair of graduate architecture and urban design
An article mentions that David Erdman held a visiting professorship at Rice.
Pratt
http://bit.ly/2dAuJQP

Teen finds ways to give back through mentorship at small factory productions
Rice is mentioned.
AH Herald
http://bit.ly/2dE1cIM

The Hammond Performing Arts series presents the 2016 New England regional finalists — MET National Council auditions
Alumna Allegra De Vita ’14 and Stephen King, the Lynette S. Autrey Professor of Voice and Chair of Voice, are mentioned.
Brookline Patch
http://bit.ly/2duib1d

Naomi Halas talks solar steam technology
An article mentions that 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 nanoengineering, spoke to Bryn Mawr and Haverford colleges.
The Bi-College News
http://bit.ly/2d4eNHd

Shen Yun Orchestra visits Toronto Oct. 23
An article mentions that Chia-chi Lin attended Rice.
The Whole Note
http://bit.ly/2dcI6Zk

More than 1.5 million students have used OpenStax’s free textbooks
More than 1.5 million college students have used a free textbook from OpenStax, the Rice University-based publisher announced. The number of students using OpenStax textbooks has more than doubled since January, and OpenStax estimates it will save students $70 million in the 2016-17 academic year. Richard Baraniuk, founder and director of OpenStax and the Victor E. Cameron Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is quoted.
What They Think
http://bit.ly/2dcCGxn

Canastota schools’ Wall of Distinction ceremony Oct. 15
The late alumnus David Vanderwerken ’73 is mentioned.
Oneida Daily Dispatch
http://bit.ly/2cO4QOt

GRU shakes up executive management team
An article mentions that Justin Locke attended Rice.
Business Report
http://bit.ly/2dumqFt

Do more with less: Introducing new speaker Scott Sonenshein
Scott Sonenshein, the Henry Gardiner Symonds Professor of Management at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, is featured.
Lavin
http://bit.ly/2dh43oM

SPORTS

C-USA football has 7 Campbell Trophy semifinalists
Jones College senior Darik Dillard is one of 156 college football players named a semifinalist for the 2016 William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation.
The Best College Sports News Network
http://bit.ly/2duhz7a

Texas Tech using 2015 game as motivation for Kansas
Former Rice coaches David Beaty and Tom Herman are mentioned.
Red Raiders (This also appeared in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal and 53 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2du51RI
A capsule look: UConn (2-2) at No. 6 Houston (4-0)
Hartford Courant
http://cour.at/2cEcoAe

Alumni notebook: Willis grad Platt scores crucial touchdowns in Baylor win
Will Rice College senior Zach Wright is mentioned.
Courier of Montgomery County
http://bit.ly/2doBZO7

TCU baseball will see A&M again, this time in Houston in 2017
Rice baseball is mentioned.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
http://bit.ly/2doD7l9

Swimmers look to start season strong against Hurricanes
Rice swimming is mentioned.
FIUSM
http://bit.ly/2cNUe27

Lady Toppers set for weekend trip to Texas
Rice soccer will play Western Kentucky University Sept. 30.
WKU Herald
http://bit.ly/2du74p4

Texans defense will have to replace J.J. Watt as a unit, not individually
Former Rice football player Christian Covington is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/2dGTAFm
Entire Texans defense expected to do part with J.J. Watt out
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/2dnoNwF
http://bit.ly/2dxb0oM

Top 10 games and sports events this month: October 2016
Rice football will play Prairie View A&M Oct. 22.
365 Things To Do in Houston
http://bit.ly/2duhmpe

NEWS RELEASES

Random DNA + high-tech math = ‘universal microbial diagnostic’
Rice University scientists have invented a technology that could potentially identify hundreds of bacterial pathogens simply, quickly and at low cost using a single set of random DNA probes. Rice’s “universal microbial diagnostic,” or UMD, uses pieces of randomly assembled DNA and mathematical techniques that were originally pioneered for signal processors inside digital phones and cameras.
http://bit.ly/2doTY7k

Report identifies promising practices to help disconnected young adults in Houston
Interventions that target the educational development of the approximately 110,000 unemployed young adults between the ages 16 and 24 in Greater Houston could help them become more successful and prosperous, according to a new report from Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research and JPMorgan Chase & Co. Failing to address the needs of these individuals could cost taxpayers an estimated $30 billion, the report finds.
http://bit.ly/2cEjmd6

Decoys quietly contribute to genetic networks
Decoys in DNA may serve a larger purpose than drug designers suspect, according to Rice University scientists. These decoy sequences bind the same proteins that prompt gene expression elsewhere along DNA. But they may have greater function in cells than simply keeping proteins out of circulation, according to researchers at Rice’s Center for Theoretical Biological Physics.
http://bit.ly/2dfaxo5