Dateline Rice for Aug. 3, 2017

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Fluid spins trillions of times faster than mightiest tornado
The spin of the strongest tornado is a pale shadow of the vortex seen at the heart of matter colliding into a nearly perfect fluid, according to researchers at Rice and their colleagues at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Frank Geurts, associate professor of physics and astronomy, is quoted.
Futurity (This article appeared in the Aug. 3 issue of Futurity Today.)
http://bit.ly/2uneCMY

Top 25 colleges in the south 2017
Rice is No. 2 on Forbes’ list of the top colleges in the south, No. 21 on Forbes’ list of top private colleges, No. 2 for happiest students in the Princeton Review’s 2018 edition of “The Best 382 Colleges” and No. 19 on the Princeton Review’s list of top schools for career placement.
Forbes
http://bit.ly/2v2BMKz
Top 25 private colleges in the US 2017
Forbes
http://bit.ly/2fbB75y
The Princeton Review: The best colleges for career placement
Houston Chronicle (This also appeared in Times Union.)
http://bit.ly/2woTDLt
http://bit.ly/2vwwp9G
KMBC-TV (Kansas City, Mo.)
http://bit.ly/2wp791q

Cyberthreats to US elections are prominent and growing
Dan Wallach, professor of computer science and of electrical and computer engineering and a Rice Faculty Scholar at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted about vulnerabilities in voter registration databases.
Government Technology
http://bit.ly/2u7XL5B
US elections are an easier target for Russian hackers than once thought
Spokesman-Review
http://bit.ly/2v2c5Kh
US elections are easier target for hackers than once thought
Daily Hampshire Gazette
http://bit.ly/2fblkDS

Magnetized viruses can break through biofilms, attack bacteria
Magnetic nanoparticle clusters have the power to punch through biofilms to reach bacteria that can foul water treatment systems, according to scientists at Rice. The nanoclusters developed through Rice’s Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment Engineering Research Center carry bacteriophages and deliver them to targets that generally resist chemical disinfection. Pedro Alvarez, the George R. Brown Professor of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, is quoted.
United Press International (This also appeared in Eccux World News.)
http://bit.ly/2un8Pr1
Magnetized viruses attack harmful bacteria
Bionity (This also appeared in Science Newsline and Nanotechonlogy Now.)
http://bit.ly/2unHAMV
T3 Science Hit: Titan, nanoparticles and DeepLoco
T3
http://bit.ly/2v2j6ec
Magnetized viruses can kill bacteria in water systems
R&D
http://bit.ly/2vt0NkA
Busting biofilms with magnetic phages
Lab Roots
http://bit.ly/2v0bx9o

Are you an expat in Qatar? You could be a resident soon, but there’s a catch!
Kristian Coats Ulrichsen, fellow for the Middle East at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted about the reasoning behind Qatar extending residency to foreign expats.
International Business Times
http://bit.ly/2u7J0j8
Qatar passes landmark law to grant permanent residency to expats
Live Mint
http://bit.ly/2vsHWWI
Qatar to offer permanent residence status for certain expats
One India
http://bit.ly/2u7aPIG
Qatar passes landmark law to grant permanent residency to expats
Qatar is Booming
http://bit.ly/2u4srRh

Did life once exist on Venus? Simulation shows the hot, fiery planet may have had liquid water oceans early in its existence
A Rice study is mentioned.
Daily Mail
http://dailym.ai/2uZUrZk

Houston-based teams awarded to develop tools to better understand brain
The National Science Foundation has awarded a total of $5 million to two Houston-based research teams to develop new tools to better understand the behavior of neural networks. Jacob Robinson, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Kresimir Josic, an adjunct professor of biosciences, are mentioned.
Sina (This also appeared in Xinhia Net.)
http://bit.ly/2vsPHvL

Trump administration wants to investigate universities for affirmative action
Articles about affirmative action policies mention Rice.
Seventeen
http://bit.ly/2vwrYvk
What it means for Texas colleges if Trump targets affirmative action
Texas Tribune (This also appeared in KERA News.)
http://bit.ly/2woSjrC
Feds to tackle race in college admissions 1 year after Fisher v. Texas
Houston Chronicle (This article also appeared in the Houston Chronicle’s “Campus Chronicles” blog.)
http://bit.ly/2v2ohdW
Justice Department may reopen case against race-based university admissions
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/2u4neJb
UT likely immune from any federal assault on use of race in admissions
Austin American-Statesman
https://atxne.ws/2v2f5Gl
What it means for Texas colleges if Trump targets affirmative action
Hill Country News
http://bit.ly/2wplKtI
The Trump administration might target affirmative action. What does that mean for Texas colleges?
KUOW (This also appeared in KUT.org.)
http://bit.ly/2fcmuPz
What it means for Texas colleges if Trump targets affirmative action
The Eagle
http://bit.ly/2vwktEL
How does justice department’s targeting of colleges using affirmative action affect Texas schools?
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/2u44r0s

Trump’s border wall could threaten more than a hundred endangered species, ecologist warns
Scott Egan, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, is quoted in an article about the potential effects of a Mexican border wall.
Gizmodo AU
http://bit.ly/2woPLK7
Trump’s border wall could threaten more than 100 endangered species, ecologist warns
Tera News (This article also appeared in Gizmodo India and Gizmodo Australia.)
http://bit.ly/2wp6ddx
Proposed wall along US-Mexico border puts endangered species at risk
Sina (This also appeared in China.org, Global Times and XinhuaNet.)
http://bit.ly/2fb5Boy
Border wall would put more than 100 endangered species at risk, says expert
Phys Org
http://bit.ly/2vwzwya
Border Wall could put more than 100 endangered species at risk, Rice professor says
KPRC
http://bit.ly/2woFAp4
Expert: Border wall would put more than 100 endangered species at risk
KRWG
http://bit.ly/2u7k7Ez

Graphene made out of wood could help solve the e-waste problem
Rice scientists have made wood into an electrical conductor by turning its surface into graphene. James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry, professor of computer science and of materials science and nanoengineering, and graduate students Ruquan Ye and Yieu Chyan are mentioned.
Yahoo Tech (This also appeared in AIVA, Yahoo News and Digital Trends.)
https://yhoo.it/2v0FXZ7
Scientists create graphene using lasers and wood
Techspot India (This also appeared in Techspot.)
http://bit.ly/2w9QGyT
Chemists make laser-induced graphene from wood
Product Design & Development
http://bit.ly/2v2J7d2

¿Qué le queda a Venezuela ahora? Más crisis y aislamiento
Francisco Monaldi, a fellow in Latin American energy policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
CNN en Espanol (An English translation is not available.)
http://cnn.it/2uZScVG

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Do the crosswalk buttons in Houston do anything?
Glissette Santana, web and social media editor for Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, authored an op-ed about crosswalks.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required. This appeared in the Chronicle’s “Gray Matters” online magazine.)
http://bit.ly/2vlHCJN

Legislative ‘game of chicken’ could hamper Abbott’s agenda
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.)
http://bit.ly/2v0bmLl
Will legislation stop union spigot? Texas teachers unions banked $200M since 2010
Texas Monitor
http://bit.ly/2unAk3K

Shale drillers show few signs of slowing as profits expand
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 in a slideshow.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required. This also appeared in LMT Online and My San Antonio.)
http://bit.ly/2u4bR46
http://bit.ly/2v2VCFM

Top lawyers: Jimmy Williamson
The late alumnus Jimmy Williamson ’75 is mentioned.
H Texas
http://bit.ly/2w9UgsP

Chevron, Exxon among oil/gas companies to come out against bathroom bill
A group of Houston-area business leaders has asked Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to rethink the so-called “bathroom bill” that is under consideration in the Texas Legislature. President David Leebron is mentioned as one of the signers.
My San Antonio (This also appeared in the Houston Chronicle and MRT.)
http://bit.ly/2uZwscA
Houston’s top oil, gas CEOs denounce Texas transgender bills
Natural Gas Intel
http://bit.ly/2u3ZJzT

Rice 360˚ neonatal technology meets development Grand Challenge
A Rice-affiliated international team working to end preventable newborn deaths in Africa got a boost when one of its life-saving neonatal technologies won funding support. The winner, BiliSpec, a jaundice diagnostic device, won a validation grant at the seventh annual DevelopmentXChange event. Rebecca Richards-Kortum, the Malcolm Gillis University Professor, professor of bioengineering and of electrical and computer engineering and director of the Rice 360° Institute for Global Health, is mentioned.
Houston Style Magazine
http://bit.ly/2u7hCSA

Sweeping upgrades proposed for LISD Schools
Bob Stein, the Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science, is mentioned.
Hill Country News
http://bit.ly/2wafffe

Playwriting festival allows audience to select play
A play features a fictitious Rice professor.
Victoria Advocate
http://bit.ly/2vwvfen

Things with better odds than winning the $1.4B Powerball lottery
A slideshow credits Rice with calculating the odds of being randomly selected from all Americans.
LMT Online
http://bit.ly/2v063LH

BROADCAST

Legislation to curb legal immigration — What could it mean for Houston?
Tony Payan, the Baker Institute for Public Policy’s Françoise and Edward Djerejian Fellow for Mexico Studies and director of the institute’s Mexico Center, discusses how President Donald Trump’s new policies will affect Houston.
Houston Public Media’s “Houston Matters”
http://bit.ly/2woZfoY

6 facts you need to know about Texas’ campus carry law
An article mentions that Rice opted out of the Texas “campus carry” law.
KTRK.com
http://abc13.co/2w9WQz5

‘Special Report with Bret Baier’
Former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, honorary chair of Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is featured.
Fox News
http://bit.ly/2unHJ2K

‘Imus in the Morning’
Douglas Brinkley, professor of history, is mentioned.
WABC-AM (New York City) (This also aired on 66 other stations.)
http://bit.ly/2unFRXG (Click on the audio button to listen to the broadcast.) 

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

New nickel foam catalyst splits water
Splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen to produce clean energy can be simplified with a single catalyst developed by scientists at Rice University and the University of Houston. Kenton Whitmire, associate dean of the Wiess School of Natural Sciences and professor of chemistry, and graduate student Desmond Schipper are quoted.
New Energy and Fuel
http://bit.ly/2u4fzdK

Rice, UH startups pitch: Bedsores, erectile dysfunction and more
Article’s mention that Rice-based startups will participate in the Bayou Startup Showcase. Kerri Smith, managing director of OwlSpark and associate managing director of Rice Alliance, is quoted.
Xconomy
http://bit.ly/2vwyAtV
C.T. Bauer Tech entrepreneurs to pitch startup ideas at Bayou Startup Showcase
Metro MBA
http://bit.ly/2v259wx

Heavy metals in water meet their match
Carbon nanotubes immobilized in a tuft of quartz fiber have the power to remove toxic heavy metals from water, according to researchers at Rice. Andrew Barron, the Charles W. Duncan Jr.-Welch Professor of Chemistry and professor of materials science and nanoengineering, is mentioned.
Science & Technology Research News
http://bit.ly/2u7CM2N
Carbon nanotube material removes 99 percent of heavy metals from water
True Viral News
http://bit.ly/2w9UMap

Technique enables printable and rewritable color images
A chemical process that allows color images to be printed on specially coated paper and then erased so that different images can be printed on the same paper has been developed by researchers at Rice. Ned Thomas, the Ernest Dell Butcher Professor of Engineering and professor of materials science and nanoengineering, of chemical and biomolecular engineering and of chemistry, is quoted.
Materialsgate (This also appeared in Chem Europe and Science Newsline.)
http://bit.ly/2v07ppJ

Clean water off the grid
A federally funded research effort to revolutionize water treatment has yielded an off-grid technology that uses energy from sunlight alone to turn salt water into fresh drinking water. Qilin Li, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and of materials science and nanoengineering, is quoted.
IOM3
http://bit.ly/2vwsuK2

9 battery and power source advances you need to know
A wireless, battery-less pacemaker that can be implanted directly into a patient’s heart was introduced by researchers from Rice and their colleagues at the Texas Heart Institute at the IEEE’s International Microwave Symposium in Honolulu June 4-9. Aydin Babakhani, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, is mentioned.
Medical Design & Outsourcing
http://bit.ly/2u4dK0o

ICAEW wrestles with artificial intelligence
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, is quoted about artificial intelligence.
Accounting Web
http://bit.ly/2u4fmYg

Glaciers may have helped warm Earth
Mark Torres, an assistant professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, is quoted.
Space Daily
http://bit.ly/2unxdbO

Biochar could clear the air in more ways than 1
Biochar from recycled waste may both enhance crop growth and save health costs by helping clear the air of pollutants, according to Rice researchers. Ghasideh Pourhashem, postdoctoral fellow at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy; Carrie Masiello, professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, of chemistry and of biosciences; and Daniel Cohan, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, are quoted.
Bio Fuel Daily
http://bit.ly/2vt0GoV

Lithium-ion batteries for extreme environments
Lithium-ion batteries are popular power sources for cellphones and other electronics, but problematic in extreme heat or cold. A Rice laboratory has suggested ways to extend their range. Pulickel Ajayan, the Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor in Engineering and founding chair of the Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, and postdoctoral research associate Hemtej Gullapalli are quoted.
Panel Building & System Integration
http://bit.ly/2vtbymC
Rice U. scientists map ways forward for lithium-ion batteries for extreme environments: Paper details developments toward high-temperature batteries
Nanotechnology Now
http://bit.ly/2u4BJMU

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Vermillion library to offer solar eclipse program
Rice is mentioned.
Tribune Star
http://bit.ly/2vwlE7g

Calcasieu Parish AP scores continue to rise
An article mentions that Rice hosts trainings for Advanced Placement teachers.
Southwest Daily News
http://bit.ly/2u4blmC
La. high school students improving in AP courses
American Press
http://bit.ly/2woVPlX

Announcing the SIGHPC/Intel Computational and Data Science Fellowship winners
Graduate student Emma Zohner is mentioned.
Inside HPC
http://bit.ly/2v2HxrI

Music Man: Danbury celebrates legacy of Charles Ives with concert series
Rice is mentioned.
Danbury Daily Voice
http://bit.ly/2vlAey3

Museum hosting Planetarium for month of August
Patricia Reiff, professor of physics and astronomy, is mentioned.
Cherokee One Feather
http://bit.ly/2hrfLCh

Oil States adds Potter to board
Alumnus Robert Potter ’73 is mentioned.
Oil & Gas Financial Journal
http://bit.ly/2unwLKz

To shoot for the moon or not shoot for the moon, that is the question.
President John F. Kennedy’s famous “Moon Speech” delivered at Rice Sept. 12, 1962, is discussed.
Alameda Patch
http://bit.ly/2vsCgvS

Savannah VOICE Festival: VOICE Society members to get exclusive backstage peek at the making of an opera
Alumna Jennifer Johnson Cano ’08 is mentioned.
Do Savannah
http://bit.ly/2vt4OFl

SPORTS

With a year’s worth of data, time to evaluate the new UIL pitch count rule
Former Rice baseball player Jon Duplantier is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle 
http://bit.ly/2vsOJ2D

Houston Rockets star dedicating weekend in August to city and fans
Rice’s Tudor Fieldhouse is mentioned.
CultureMap Houston
http://bit.ly/2vlxAZ9

Houston HC Major Applewhite expands on how his role in recruiting has changed
An article mentions that Major Applewhite coached at Rice.
Texas HS Football
http://bit.ly/2hrcK4C

When does the 2017 college football season start? 10 teams begin schedule
Rice and Stanford will open the 2017 football season Aug. 26 at the Sydney Cup at Allianz Stadium in Sydney.
International Business Times
http://bit.ly/2v2yW8n
QB Keller Chryst defies odds with return to Stanford practice
Houston Chronicle 
http://bit.ly/2u3W0CC

Mountaineers sorting out their O-line options
A Rice transfer is mentioned.
Dominion Post
http://bit.ly/2v2rbiM

App State’s nonleague basketball schedule has ‘Broadway’ quality, several new coaches
An article mentions that Mike Rhoades coached at Rice.
Winston-Salem Journal
http://bit.ly/2wafjeW

How Ara Parseghian’s big wins — and 1 fateful tie — brought Notre Dame back to the top
Rice is mentioned.
Sports Illustrated
http://on.si.com/2uZSADH
Legendary Armenian-American football coach Ara Parseghian dies at age 94
American Weekly
http://bit.ly/2ungmG1

Mitchell Robinson’s Western Kentucky exodus, explained
Rice is mentioned.
SB Nation
http://bit.ly/2vsFlvU

College towns can offer fun, interesting vacation options
A slideshow includes a photo from a Rice football game.
My San Antonio (This also appeared in the Houston Chronicle.)
http://bit.ly/2v2i81b

Best in Texas stadiums: Can anyone offer a college football experience like the Aggies’ Kyle Field does? 
Rice Stadium is mentioned.
Dallas Morning News
http://bit.ly/2vlPxa3

Corpus Christi student receives $100K scholarship
An article mentions a student who plans to attend Rice.
KIII
http://bit.ly/2wp3HDW
London HS student recipient of $100K scholarship
KZTV
http://bit.ly/2v04nC3
London grad among 4 in the nation to earn $100K scholarship
Corpus Christi Caller-Times
http://bit.ly/2vmgb2x
London graduate receives $100,000 scholarship from McDonald’s
Corpus Christi Caller-Times
http://bit.ly/2fbWa8t
KZTV-TV (Corpus Christi, Texas)
http://bit.ly/2v0jGL5
KRIS-TV (Corpus Christi, Texas)
http://bit.ly/2v34fA2
http://bit.ly/2uZHbng
http://bit.ly/2v0haV6
KIII-TV (Corpus Christi, Texas)
http://bit.ly/2vwyPoS
http://bit.ly/2fcbstw
http://bit.ly/2vm4yZs
Houston’s top 100 high school football recruits
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/2u4h1Nw
http://bit.ly/2vt12vZ

Dale Robertson’s tweets and takes Aug. 3
Former Rice football player James Casey is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/2unrfrs

College football schedule
Rice football is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/2vmhRcl
http://bit.ly/2vm0x7b
http://bit.ly/2u7eK8m

KUIK-AM (Hillsboro, Ore.)
A broadcast mentions that Super Bowl VIII was hosted at Rice Stadium.
http://bit.ly/2v2km0B (Click on the audio button to listen to the broadcast.) 

NEWS RELEASES

Rice’s Reiff available to discuss Aug. 21 total eclipse
Rice University space scientist Patricia Reiff, who has traveled tens of thousands of miles to witness over a dozen total eclipses, is available to discuss the historic Aug. 21 solar eclipse, the first total solar eclipse to cross the United States from coast to coast in nearly a century.
http://bit.ly/2vwCJhu

NSF funds Houston-based teams’ quest to better understand the brain
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a total of $5 million to two Houston-based research teams to develop new tools to better understand the behavior of neural networks.
http://bit.ly/2fcvZhB