Dateline Rice for July 17, 2017 (Weekend Edition)

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Fluorine lends white graphene new powers
A little fluorine turns an insulating ceramic known as white graphene into a wide-bandgap semiconductor with magnetic properties. Rice scientists said that could make the unique material suitable for electronics in extreme environments. Pulickel Ajayan, the Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor in Engineering and founding chair of the Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering; postdoctoral researcher Chandra Sekhar Tiwary; and graduate student Sruthi Radhakrishnan are mentioned.
Science 360 News (This appeared in the Headlines section on the Science 360 News home page.)
http://bit.ly/2vanlnk
Fluorine lends white graphene new qualities
UPI
http://bit.ly/2vaspZ4
Fluorine grants white graphene new powers
Materialsgate (This also appeared in Product Design & Development, Phys Org, Nanowerk, New Electronics, ChemEurope and Science Daily.)
http://bit.ly/2v9SGqn

From trust falls to escape rooms: The evolution of corporate team building
Eduardo Salas, the Allyn R. and Gladys M. Cline Chair of Psychology and professor and department chair of psychology, is mentioned.
Star Tribune (This also appeared in LimaOhio.com, Free Lance-Star, Hamilton Spectator and Virginian-Pilot.)
http://strib.mn/2uvrV1z

In parts of Connecticut, interest in running for local office on the decline
Approximately half of mayoral elections in six U.S. states are unopposed, and unopposed elections are on the rise, according to a report from the Center for Local Elections in American Politics, part of Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research.
Hartford Courant
http://cour.at/2urLhoT

Qatar crisis: How the Gulf nation is responding to blockade by bigger neighbors
Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, fellow for the Middle East at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
Straits Times
http://bit.ly/2uvjW4K

Back to school 2017: When is the 1st day back to school? List of college start dates
An article mentions that Rice classes will start Aug. 21.
International Business Times
http://bit.ly/2uAwV61

Weekly rewind: Digital Trends Car Awards and ‘Game of Thrones’ theories
In their work toward 3-D printing transplantable tissues and organs, bioengineers and scientists from Rice and Baylor College of Medicine have demonstrated a key step on the path to generate implantable tissues with functioning capillaries.
Yahoo News Canada (This also appeared in AIVA.)
https://yhoo.it/2uvqvEq

Is US liquefied natural gas a game-changer for Russia, Europe?
Anna Mikulska, senior research analyst for energy studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted about LNG in Europe. Mikulska also co-authored an op-ed about U.S. LNG exports.
PolitiFact
http://bit.ly/2tjCMwj
GGP: US LNG in Central and Eastern Europe — taking diversification seriously
Natural Gas World
http://bit.ly/2t7Ztj6

Flat microscope for the brain could help restore lost eyesight
Rice engineers are building a flat microscope, called FlatScope, and developing software that can decode and trigger neurons on the surface of the brain. Jacob Robinson, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering; Richard Baraniuk, the Victor E. Cameron Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Ashok Veeraraghavan, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering; and Caleb Kemere, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, are mentioned.
MSN Money Malaysia (This also appeared in MSN Money Philippines.)
http://bit.ly/2txSKy3
Rice team developing flat microscope for the brain
TMC Today
http://bit.ly/2us4Ygt
New flat microscope and software could compensate for a person’s loss of vision or hearing
Innovation Toronto
http://bit.ly/2txNr1J
Flat microscope brain implant could restore lost eyesight
Uber Gizmo
http://bit.ly/2u1pK3A
Flat microscope for the brain could help restore lost eyesight
Engadget
http://engt.co/2uvq3Gh
Team develops microscope for your brain
Industrial Equipment News
http://bit.ly/2vum2PJ

Appointments, resignations, deaths July 21
Yvonne Romero da Silva, vice dean and director of admissions at the University of Pennsylvania, has been named vice president for enrollment at Rice University.
Chronicle of Higher Education
http://bit.ly/2urS1TL

Qué es el ‘súper wifi; o cómo los canales sin usar de la televisión pueden ser la solución para llevar internet donde no hay
Edward Knightly, professor of electrical and computer engineering and computer science and department chair of electrical and computer engineering, is quoted.
BBC Mundo (An English translation is not available.)
http://bbc.in/2uvR7p0

Opinión: ¿Un giro de la industria petrolera o mito del retorno de la abundancia?
Miriam Grunstein, contributing expert and scholar in the Mexico Center at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, authored an op-ed.
Expansion (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/2vuA8jX

Venezuela está en alerta roja por caída de petroprecios
Francisco Monaldi, a fellow in Latin American energy policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
Expansion (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/2u25yAq
Venezuela oil production dives as big debt bills loom
Hellenic Shipping News
http://bit.ly/2urV7XU
Libya and Nigeria exempt from OPEC cuts, but not from speculation over their futures
Platts
http://bit.ly/2va7Ags

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Texas tea party: The birth and evolution of a movement
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, is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required. This article appeared on the front page of the July 17 print edition with a different headline, “Tea party ready for evolution.”)
http://bit.ly/2urvG8P
Texas Gov. Abbott begins re-election bid with no rivals yet
Houston Chronicle (This Associated Press article appeared in over 50 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2u1AU8F
http://bit.ly/2urC8Nd
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announces campaign for re-election
CBS DFW
http://cbsloc.al/2v9Vx2q
Gov. Abbott announces re-election campaign, touting ‘sanctuary cities’ ban
Dallas Morning-News
http://bit.ly/2u13xUW
Trees, texts and taxes: Texas lawmakers prep for heated debate over ‘local control’
Dallas Morning-News
http://bit.ly/2uAWsfm
Texas tech firms gear up to fight ‘bathroom bill’
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
http://bit.ly/2u1T4Zx
What’s Your Point? July 16 Gov. Abbott re-election bid
KRIV
http://bit.ly/2v9OnLH
The conservative drift of the Texas Senate: 2011-2017
TribTalk
http://bit.ly/2uvP7g7
Political tribes revealed: Character-defining votes
Transparency Texas
http://bit.ly/2t8Jr8A
The 4 political tribes that run Texas
Transparency Texas
http://bit.ly/2us7keZ
KINT (El Paso, Texas)
http://bit.ly/2uvMD1F

I’d never taken the bus. Here’s what a week taught
Glissette Santana, web and social media editor for Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, authored an op-ed about public transportation in Houston.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required. This appeared in the Chronicle’s “Gray Matters” online magazine.)
http://bit.ly/2txyg8C

Apache’s Alpine High won’t use more water than a typical farm, researcher says
Articles discuss research by Gabriel Collins, the Baker Botts Fellow in Energy and Environmental Regulatory Affairs at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
MRT (This also appeared in My San Antonio.)
http://bit.ly/2t8xY8U
How Ford F-150s have helped the US trim gasoline use
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/2uvonMN

Investment in teacher education reaps high dividends
Rice’s Teacher Education program, part of the university’s Glasscock School of Continuing Studies, has been selected as a partner university in the Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation’s Raising Texas Teachers program. The program will provide $50 million over the next 10 years in scholarship funding for students committed to a career in teaching and technical support for premier Texas teacher preparation programs.
Houston Chronicle (This also appeared in San Antonio Express-News.)
http://bit.ly/2uryC5j
Raising future RGV teachers
Valley Morning Star
http://bit.ly/2uvJHlF

Joe Biden brings book tour to Sugar Land
A slideshow mentions that former Vice President Joe Biden spoke at Rice.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/2uvNNu1
http://bit.ly/2u241IS

Group rows against the current as it tries to build Buffalo Bayou boathouse
Alumnus Herman Yue ’98 and former Rice Crew volunteer coaches Mike Matson and David Alviar are mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/2vaA3me

How Willow Waterhole became a model for flood control in Houston
An article that originally appeared in OffCite.org, a publication of the Rice Design Alliance, is reprinted in the Houston Chronicle.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required. This appeared in the Chronicle’s “Gray Matters” online magazine.)
http://bit.ly/2tjzRUe

Sen. Menéndez blasts UTSA presidential selection process
A slideshow mentions that Rice is No. 12 on Money’s list of “Best Colleges for Your Money.”
San Antonio Express-News
http://bit.ly/2u1H20H

On day 5 of redistricting trial, Texas rebuts claim that current political maps discriminate
John Alford, professor of political science, is quoted.
Texas Tribune (This also appeared in The Eagle.)
http://bit.ly/2urQpJM
On day 5 of redistricting trial, Texas refutes claim that Congressional map discriminates
Your Basin
http://bit.ly/2u1WRVa
Redistricting trial update: Invoking privilege
Off the Kuff
http://bit.ly/2uAI2vX
State’s argument in redistricting trial takes hit because of lawmaker’s silence
Dallas Morning News
http://bit.ly/2vux0Vi

Mayor Nirenberg’s ‘experienced, diverse team’ finalized
Alumna Marisa Bono ’01 is mentioned.
Rivard Report
http://bit.ly/2vul5H6

State emissions oversight questioned
Loren Raun, faculty fellow of statistics, environmental analysis and decision making, is quoted.
Herald Banner
http://bit.ly/2txGVbc

UTEP announces 2017 distinguished alumni
Alumnus Allen Gilmer ’84 is mentioned.
KRWG (This also appeared in El Paso Herald-Post.)
http://bit.ly/2uvwTeW

Rice’s Baker Institute receives $3M Gift from Alfred C. Glassell III to endow fellow in drug policy
Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy has received a $3 million gift from the Glassell Family Foundation led by Houston philanthropist Alfred C. Glassell III to endow a fellow in drug policy and advance the research of the institute’s Drug Policy Program. Katharine Neill, the Alfred C. Glassell III Postdoctoral Fellow in Drug Policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, and William Martin the Harry and Hazel Chavanne Senior Fellow in Religion and Public Policy at the institute, are mentioned.
TMC Today
http://bit.ly/2us4Ygt
Money makers: Manufacturing co., biotech firm and Rice University raise funds
Houston Business Journal (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/2u1sU7K

Happy birthday, Lynn Wyatt! The Houston philanthropist celebrates her 82nd birthday Sunday
A photo of Houston socialite Lynn Wyatt arriving at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy event is included.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/2va7a9M

BROADCAST

Uncertainty in health care sector takes toll on Texas Medical Center
Vivian Ho, the James A. Baker III Institute Chair in Health Economics at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and professor of economics, is quoted.
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/2tjz1qH
What’s behind the rash of recent health care layoffs in Houston?
Houston Public Media’s “Houston Matters”
http://bit.ly/2u20EBM

KTRK-TV (Houston)
A broadcast mentions that William Ward Watkin was Rice’s first professor of architecture.
http://bit.ly/2vuxYkj
http://bit.ly/2uBg4Ae

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Critics’ picks: David Scanavino
Rice’s Moody Center for the Arts will present “David Scanavino: Repeater” through Aug. 26.
Artforum
http://bit.ly/2t8JQYw

Zealandia: What you need to know about the ‘new continent’
Jerry Dickens, professor of Earth science, is quoted about his research on Zealandia.
Crixeo
http://bit.ly/2tjmfZ9

Nature-inspired material uses liquid reinforcement
Materials scientists at Rice found they could increase the stiffness, or “elastic modulus,” of a soft silicon-based polymer by infusing it with tiny pockets of liquid gallium. Graduate student Peter Owuor; research scientist Chandra Sekhar Tiwary; Pulickel Ajayan, the Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor in Engineering and professor of materials science and nanoengineering, of chemistry and of chemical and biomolecular engineering and department chair of materials science and nanoengineering; and Jun Lou, professor and associate department chair of materials science and nanoengineering, are mentioned.
Space Daily
http://bit.ly/2vuO1yH

Plasmon-powered devices for medicine, security, solar cells
A Rice professor’s method to “upconvert” light could make solar cells more efficient and disease-targeting nanoparticles more effective. Experiments led by Gururaj Naik, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, combined plasmonic metals and semiconducting quantum wells to boost the frequency of light, changing its color. Naomi Halas, the Stanley C. Moore Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and a professor of chemistry, bioengineering, physics and astronomy, and Peter Nordlander, professor of physics and astronomy, of electrical and computer engineering and of materials science and nanoengineering, are also mentioned.
Phys Org
http://bit.ly/2vagUkt
‘Upconverted’ light has a bright future
Nanotechnology Now
http://bit.ly/2vuyLlt

Unlimited contrast: Technique could lead to cameras that can handle light of any intensity, audio that doesn’t skip or pop
Richard Baraniuk, the Victor E. Cameron Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is quoted.
ScienceBlog
http://bit.ly/2u26Jhm
Ultra-high-contrast digital sensing
Phys Org (This also appeared in Environment Guru, Opli and iConnect007.)
http://bit.ly/2uB3PTZ
Cameras which can handle any level of light
MyBroadband
http://bit.ly/2uvpAUz

OCSiAl to set up the world’s largest nanotube production facility in Luxembourg
An article mentions that the company OCSiAl is working with Rice researchers.
Industry Europe
http://bit.ly/2uAPLKu

Officials in Texas county won’t say if hackers targeted their election systems
Dan Wallach, professor of computer science and of electrical and computer engineering, is quoted.
Security Info Watch
http://bit.ly/2t8xlw4

Winners of the 3D Hubs Student Grant announced — Applicants used 3-D printing in a creative way to positively influence the world
Architecture students Deniz Haklar and Jordan Gracia won a 3D Hubs grant.
3D Print
http://bit.ly/2uvQzz5

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

A new lithium battery in the works will ensure our smart gadgets stay on longer than ever
Rice scientists have created a rechargeable lithium metal battery with three times the capacity of commercial lithium-ion batteries by resolving something that has long stumped researchers: the dendrite problem. James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry, professor of computer science and of materials science and nanoengineering, is quoted.
India Times
http://bit.ly/2vurzpi

Above and beyond: Why Houston’s planetarium is the best in the world
Carolyn Sumners, adjunct professor of physics and astronomy, is mentioned.
Where
http://bit.ly/2urThGB

Technology cities to watch
Rice is mentioned.
Inside Indiana Business
http://bit.ly/2t8xqzI

$1,000 for a class? American Underground finds new incentive for entrepreneurs
Rice is mentioned.
Triangle Business Journal
http://bit.ly/2vahL4m

Chestnut Hill maestro will conduct Philadelphia Orchestra
Alumnus Cristian Macelaru ’06 is mentioned.
Chestnut Hill Local
http://bit.ly/2uvFGxm

Scientists question rush to build Nicaragua canal
Pedro Alvarez, the George R. Brown Professor of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, is mentioned.
Green4Sea
http://bit.ly/2vavaJS

Our views: Why we could use a man like Henry David Thoreau now more than ever
Douglas Brinkley, professor of history, is mentioned.
The Advocate
http://bit.ly/2txBdGr

Reconcile releases ‘Ain’t No Way’
Alumnus Ronald “Reconcile” Lillard ’12 is featured.
The Christian Beat
http://bit.ly/2vaKxlI

NAR’s REach program named as one of America’s top startup accelerators
Seed accelerators AngelPad and Y Combinator have landed the coveted top spots in the 2017 rankings from the Seed Accelerator Rankings Project, a benchmarking program run by entrepreneurship and management experts from Rice, MIT and the University of Richmond.
Realty Biz
http://bit.ly/2ty5oxi

SPORTS

Google Maps time-lapse shows how big Houston’s neighborhoods have gotten over the past 30 years
A slideshow includes a photo of Rice Stadium.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/2uAzYLH
http://bit.ly/2uAZ7Wi

TAMIU releases its 2017 cross-country schedule
Rice is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (This also appeared in LMT Online.)
http://bit.ly/2u1Abpm

College football countdown: Looking ahead to 2017 season
Rice and Stanford will open the 2017 football season Aug. 26 at the Sydney Cup at Allianz Stadium in Sydney.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/2t82Whh

Sunflower State Games give former Heights, Stanford wrestling star Tanner Gardner opportunity to get back on the mat
Tanner Gardner, senior associate athletics director and chief revenue officer, is featured.
Topeka Capital-Journal
http://bit.ly/2urE88b

An incredible future: Baker vows good times ahead for UNT as his 1st year comes to close
An article discusses Rice’s new weight room.
Denton Record-Chronicle
http://bit.ly/2uvKPpj

Project Combina combines scholastic pursuits with soccer
Alumnus Felipe Alberto Herrera ’07 is featured.
Fox San Antonio
http://bit.ly/2urEDiw

Unlikely hero propels Warriors over Clippers
A Rice transfer is mentioned.
Fansided
http://bit.ly/2urY8rj

Star Wars night: Blue Sox look to avoid 5th straight loss
Baker College sophomore Kendal Jefferies is mentioned.
Mass Live
http://bit.ly/2uvk7Np

University of Texas sign Taylor Fogleman as women’s assistant coach
An article mentions former Rice coach Taylor Fogleman.
Tennis World
http://bit.ly/2vavgRV

MiLB: Rawhide host JetHawks for 3-game series
Former Rice baseball player Jon Duplantier is mentioned.
Visalia Times-Delta
http://vtd-tar.co/2uvLRBz

UTSA to contend in West Division
Rice football is mentioned.
Herald-Dispatch
http://bit.ly/2vuDnrL
The American-Statesman’s top 25 countdown: No. 16 Stanford
Hook ’em
http://bit.ly/2vuseXF
Vegas pegs WKU as the overwhelming favorite to win the C-USA Championship
Underdog Dynasty
http://bit.ly/2tjBVvC
Preview 2017: Predicting the final college football playoff rankings, No. 1-130
MSN Sports
http://bit.ly/2tjiOSi

Updated: Skip Johnson completes OU baseball coaching staff
An article mentions that Clay Van Hook coached at Rice.
Enid News
http://bit.ly/2uvXeta

Texas State Bobcats are also winning off the court
Rice men’s basketball is mentioned.
The Best College Sports News Network
http://bit.ly/2t8HFnO
UTSA Men’s basketball releases 2017-18 conference schedule
Houston Chronicle (This also appeared in My San Antonio.)
http://bit.ly/2vufUXH

Lion men’s basketball earns 2016-17 NABC Team Academic Excellence Award
Rice men’s basketball received an NABC Team Academic Excellence Award.
eParisExtra
http://bit.ly/2uvDhCS
Toledo men’s basketball receives NABC Academic Excellence Award
13ABC
http://bit.ly/2tjEptZ

Wylie’s Smith, Carlton headline All-Big Country baseball team
Hanszen College freshman Mack Mueller is mentioned.
Abilene Reporter-News
http://bit.ly/2uvp1Kj

Texas Tech student-athletes volunteer in Haiti
An article includes a photo form a Rice game.
Fansided
http://bit.ly/2tjTdsF

KTXX (Austin, Texas)
Former Rice coach Tom Herman and alumnus Drew Mehringer ’10 are mentioned.
http://bit.ly/2t8wWtI

NEWS RELEASES

Baker Institute expert: Growing interest among states to tax remote online sales
Online retail giant Amazon recently announced that it would voluntarily start collecting sales taxes in four additional states — Hawaii, Idaho, Maine and New Mexico — making the company a nationwide state sales tax collector. The move comes at a time of growing interest among states in taxation of remote online sales as a potential source of revenue, according to an expert at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
http://bit.ly/2u1Klol

More children living in high-poverty neighborhoods following Great Recession
More children are living in high-poverty neighborhoods following the Great Recession — a troubling shift because children in these neighborhoods are a year behind academically, according to new research from researchers at Rice University, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Wisconsin.
http://bit.ly/2uBrWSE

‘Upconverted’ light has a bright future
A Rice University professor’s method to “upconvert” light could make solar cells more efficient and disease-targeting nanoparticles more effective.
http://bit.ly/2u1Uj9g

Fluorine grants white graphene new powers
A little fluorine turns an insulating ceramic known as white graphene into a wide-bandgap semiconductor with magnetic properties. Rice University scientists said that could make the unique material suitable for electronics in extreme environments.
http://bit.ly/2uBtT1s