Dateline Rice for Aug. 9, 2017

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

France backs away from first-lady role for Brigitte Macron
Recent first ladies have had staffs of 16 to 25 people, according to a report on the office of the first lady by Rice University’s Baker Institute in 2016.
New York Times
http://nyti.ms/2upd7yA

So the eclipse is coming and you suddenly want to be an astronomer. Here’s what they actually do.
An article about the upcoming total solar eclipse is accompanied by a video that uses a portion of an animation produced by Rice University. The Rice segment is credited from 0:32 to 0:41.
Washington Post
http://wapo.st/2uoyUdY
http://bit.ly/2vOLROJ

John Kelly is an apolitical force in a White House divided by ideology
Douglas Brinkley, professor of history, is quoted.
Washington Post (This also appeared in the Houston Chronicle and MSN.com.)
http://wapo.st/2vP5czl
Trump has escaped Washington, but don’t call it a vacation
Houston Chronicle (This Associated Press article also appeared in U.S. News & World Report, the Miami Herald and more than 150 other publications.)
http://bit.ly/2uoKHoG
It’s not a vacation, really: Trump holding a ‘major briefing’ on opioid crisis – a day after phoning his secretary of state for an hour from his New Jersey golf course
Daily Mail
http://dailym.ai/2hKpsvv

Experts: US needs Latin America for pressure on Venezuela to work
Francisco Monaldi, a fellow in Latin American energy policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
NBC News
http://nbcnews.to/2fsKsWN
Houston’s energy industry keeps an eye on Venezuela
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/2upjGFw
Main Venezuelan opposition leaders have been taken from their homes 
Cinequo 
http://bit.ly/2vjG81J

No, city pledges to get 100 percent renewable energy are not misleading
Charles McConnell, executive director of Rice’s Energy and Environment Initiative, is quoted.
Vox
http://bit.ly/2hHqJ6M

The best college dorms in America
Some of Rice’s placements in the Princeton Review’s “The Best 382 Colleges” rankings are mentioned.
Yahoo!
https://yhoo.it/2upflSV
Ranking colleges by racial and class interaction among their student bodies
The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education
http://bit.ly/2vNNA60
Why is George smiling?
Talbot Spy
http://bit.ly/2ft0QXv
Rice in Houston ranked No. 19!
Southwest Food Service
http://bit.ly/2uoTLtz

Through this beige office runs the Kremlin cash that funds US anti-fracking activists, Republicans say
Joe Barnes, the Bonner Means Baker Research Fellow at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
National Post (This also appeared in four other publications.)
http://bit.ly/2vOWYqS

New evidence suggests humans may have been dipping crunchy things into gooey things earlier than previously thought 
A satirical article uses a fictitious person at Rice to poke fun at scholarly research.
The Onion
http://bit.ly/2uoAOHH

HOUSTON/TEXAS

UT, A&M students latest to push against campus sexual assault procedures
A new course piloted at Rice University last spring that outlines sexual consent and healthy relationships is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required. This article appeared on the front page of the Aug. 9 print edition.)
http://bit.ly/2wtydO7

There are many good colleges. Find one that’s a good fit.
Rice is mentioned in a slideshow.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required. This appeared in the Chronicle’s “Gray Matters” online magazine.)
http://bit.ly/2fsRmLS

Freedmen’s town Tamina rich in history, family tradition
An article mentions that portraits from the freedmen’s town of Tamina have been featured at Rice.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/2vNTIuQ

Are lawmakers’ business ties with public entities a conflict of interest?
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.
Texas Tribune (This also appeared in the Eagle.)
http://bit.ly/2hJiwPn
Property tax reform could be the big compromise of the special session 
Texas Public Radio
http://bit.ly/2vNqNHw

New Danville’s founder Kathy Sanders retires; new executive director is Eva Aguirre 
An article mentions that Eva Aguirre received a certificate of achievement in senior human resources development at Rice’s Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies.
The Paper
http://bit.ly/2vEZ8ZH

Seguin native, former Navarro ISD top student falls to his death during hiking accident
Alumnus Barney Cruz ’11 died July 29 in a hiking accident.
Seguin Today
http://bit.ly/2uptCyN

Experience James Turrell’s glowing underground tunnel ‘The Light Inside’ at MFAH
James Turrell’s “Twilight Epiphany” Skyspace on the Suzanne Deal Booth Centennial Pavilion on the Rice campus is mentioned.
365 Things To Do in Houston 
http://bit.ly/2vjmP8U

BROADCAST

KPRC-TV
Richard Stoll, the Albert Thomas Professor of Political Science, discusses the rhetoric exchanged between North Korea and the United States and North Korea’s nuclear program.
http://bit.ly/2vmgZ4K

Texas matters: Concerns build on border wall environmental impact
Scott Egan, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, is quoted about the potential effects of a Mexican border wall on endangered species.
Texas Public Radio
http://bit.ly/2vm8p6j

Religious groups run ad blitzes both for and against ‘bathroom bill’
David Brockman, nonresident scholar at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy’s Religion and Public Policy Program, is quoted.
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/2vDInhy
Special session a ‘battle royal’ for dominionists who seek Christian rule
Texas Observer
http://bit.ly/2upBV9M

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

New shapes solve infinite pool-table problem
Ronen Mukamel, assistant professor of mathematics, is mentioned.
Quanta
http://bit.ly/2vNzgue

Reusable carbon nanotube and quartz fiber water filter removes 99 percent of heavy metals
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.
Clean Technica
http://bit.ly/2uFCZ8S
Researchers find novel filtration method for heavy metals removal
Treatment Plant Operator Magazine
http://bit.ly/2upufIY

Another new water-splitting catalyst
Scientists at Rice and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have predicted and created new two-dimensional electrocatalysts to extract hydrogen from water with high performance and low cost.
New Energy and Fuel
http://bit.ly/2wtP8jq

Graphene made from wood
Rice University scientists have made wood into an electrical conductor by turning its surface into graphene. Rice chemist James Tour and his colleagues used a laser to blacken a thin film pattern onto a block of pine.
Electronics Online
http://bit.ly/2upi9LO

Reasons why cannabis is not a gateway drug
A study by Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy is cited.
All Bud
http://bit.ly/2uozYhY

Scientists develop new method to distill seawater by using solar power
Rice is mentioned.
Asia Pacific Daily
http://bit.ly/2vjsvQb

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Breaking free: To save students money, colleges are looking to the Open Education Resources movement 
Rice-based publisher OpenStax is mentioned.
The Cap Times
http://bit.ly/2vElzhs
FIU joins national movement to reduce cost of books
Miami’s Community Newspapers
http://bit.ly/2uoHXvs

Study: Millennial illegal immigrants at highest risk for psychological distress, ‘live in constant fear of deportation’
Researchers at Rice University looked at nearly 260 people of Mexican heritage between the ages of 18 to 25 who fall under the qualifications of the Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, more commonly known as DREAMers. Postdoctoral research fellow Luz Garcini is quoted.
CBS New York
http://cbsloc.al/2vNA0iV
Nearly two-thirds of millennial DREAMers are mentally distressed, study finds
Study Finds
http://bit.ly/2wHXN0M

Community Learning Center Schools welcome new management 
Alumnus Jeremy Goodreau ’11 is mentioned.
Alameda Patch
http://bit.ly/2vP1N3q

30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30, 2017 edition
Alumna Alexandra Smither ’16 is featured.
CBC Music
http://bit.ly/2wqdsCC

SPORTS

KTRK-TV
A segment covers the Rice Owls’ first scrimmage. Coach David Bailiff comments.
http://bit.ly/2ftUzdZ

Dekaney tight end Malcolm Epps commits to Texas
A Rice commit is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/2vOU1GO
http://bit.ly/2uoFr8H
TE Malcolm Epps’ commitment elevates Texas’ 2018 class to No. 2 in nation
Houston Chronicle (This also appeared in My San Antonio.)
http://bit.ly/2fsYRT4
Calderon commits to Rice 
San Marcos Daily Record
http://bit.ly/2fsXq71

College football legends who shaped Texas programs
Former Rice football player Tommy Kramer is featured in a slideshow.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/2vmfCTM

Stanford QB Keller Chryst to start; David Shaw likes what he sees
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/2vF4S5C

Comcast SportsNet Chicago
Former Rice cross-country and track runner Nicole Mericle ’10 is featured as a competitor in Spartan Race.
http://bit.ly/2vjxIHF

Black Bears down Brooklyn 7-3, 5 named New York-Penn League All-Stars
Former Rice baseball player Tristan Gray is mentioned.
WDTV
http://bit.ly/2vEnxyk

Vikings finally settled at strong safety spot with Sendejo
Former Rice football player Andrew Sendejo is featured. Head football coach David Bailiff is mentioned.
Austin Daily Herald (This also appeared in The Republic.) 
http://bit.ly/2vOQvvR

‘What’s an Xbox?’ – Why Big 12, college football’s tech are ‘a huge concern for the future’
An article includes a photo from a Rice football game.
Dallas Morning News
http://bit.ly/2vEkkis

Boswell gives Hawks 5 at the plate
Rice baseball is mentioned.
MiLB
http://atmilb.com/2wHKr4P

About Arie Passwaters

Arie Wilson Passwaters is editor of Rice News.