Dateline Rice for Oct. 3, 2017

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Asphalt key to faster-charging lithium batteries
A touch of asphalt may be the secret to high-capacity lithium metal batteries that charge 10 to 20 times faster than commercial lithium-ion batteries, according to Rice University scientists. The lab of chemist James Tour developed anodes comprising porous carbon made from asphalt that showed exceptional stability after more than 500 charge-discharge cycles. The finding is reported in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Nano. Tour is the T.T. and W.F. Chao Chair in Chemistry and a professor of computer science and of materials science and nanoengineering.
Daily Mail (A similar article also appeared more than 20 other media outlets.)
http://dailym.ai/2xW7nAW

Trump brings harsh edge to Puerto Rico trip
Rice Professor of History Douglas Brinkley is quoted in a story on President Donald Trump’s trip to survey damage in Puerto Rico caused by Hurricane Maria.
Politico (Similar stories also appeared in Africa News and Newsline.)
http://politi.co/2fHBnq6
Trump in Puerto Rico: ‘You can be proud of all your people’
UPI
http://bit.ly/2xR6NCR
Storm heaven with prayers during president’s time in Las Vegas tomorrow
Canada Free Press
http://bit.ly/2fI085H

The iPhone didn’t emerge from nothing. Here’s what came before it
Anthony Brandt, professor of composition and theory at Rice’s Shepherd School of Music, co-authored an article on the evolution of technological devices.
Wired
http://bit.ly/2ylrCZZ

Water volume steers stem cells to become bone or fat
Frederick MacKintosh, the Abercrombie Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and a professor of chemistry and of physics and astronomy, was part of a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Futurity
http://bit.ly/2yGFXfO

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Rice graduate, former Houston DJ recounts being backstage during Las Vegas shooting
Alumnus Clayton Chaney ’13, who was a decathlete on Rice’s track and field team, was a witness to the Las Vegas mass shooting that killed 59 people and injured more than 500.
KHOU.com (This story also appeared in Houston News.)
http://bit.ly/2hMaFkE
KHOU-TV (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2yW4NJG (Click on the video button to watch the broadcast. This story also aired on KENS-TV in San Antonio, KSDK-TV in St. Louis, WLTX-TV in Columbia, S.C., KHTV-TV in Little Rock, Ark., WFMY-TV in Greensboro, N.C., and KBMT-TV in Beaumont, Texas.)

Who gets healthier when neighborhoods gentrify?
Four leading national experts took part in a panel exploring the impact of gentrification on health at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy Sept. 29. The event was hosted by the Baker Institute’s Center for Health and Biosciences and Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research. Quianta Moore, fellow in child health policy at the Baker Institute, is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This appeared in the Chronicle’s “Gray Matters” online magazine.)
http://bit.ly/2xZezwo
http://bit.ly/2fJlDDc

Homeowners claim decades of ‘intentional flooding’ in new suit
Some Harris County homeowners are suing two state agencies for what they say is mismanagement of the Lake Conroe Dam. Jim Blackburn, a professor in the practice of environmental law and the co-director of Rice’s Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center, is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This story also appeared in the San Antonio Express-News.)
http://bit.ly/2xdUMFD
http://bit.ly/2yl3eaU

Settlement of Pasadena suit could set stage for Latino gains
Bob Stein, the Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science, is quoted in a story about the Pasadena, Texas, City Council’s expected approval of a request by Mayor Jeff Wagner to pay about $1 million to settle a lawsuit and drop an appeal of a judge’s ruling that an election plan approved in 2013 diluted Latino voting influence.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2xXfQnH

Annise Parker, Kathy Hubbard to co-chair LGBT history collection at UH
Alumna and former Houston Mayor Annise Parker ’78 will serve as a capital campaign chairwoman for the LGBT History Research Collection at the University of Houston.
OutSmart
http://bit.ly/2xRakkE

Dell Children’s names new president, chief nurse
Alumnus Christopher Born ’08  was named president of Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas in Austin. He was previously president of Texas Children’s Health Plan.
Austin360
https://atxne.ws/2xZ6iJ2

In area education: HCC names new board secretary
Alumnus John Hansen ’71 was elected board secretary by the Houston Community College Board of Trustees.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2yGpw39
http://bit.ly/2wv1JSR

Texas veterans in higher education forum to start Oct. 4
In a story on the first All-Texas Veteran Higher Education Symposium, Rice is mentioned as being included in an analysis by Inside Higher Ed on veteran enrollment at highly selective colleges and universities.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2xWafxK
http://bit.ly/2xesUAW

Houston Methodist Urology Associates welcoms 2 new physicians to Sugar Land
Laura Martinez ’07 and Neel Srikishen ’07 joined Houston Methodist Urology Associates in Sugar Land.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2xdNPJe
http://bit.ly/2wva212

21 best things to do in Houston this week: Wacky homes and museum-fit fashion
An exhibit by artist Mickalene Thomas at Rice’s Moody Center for the Arts is included.
Houston Press
http://bit.ly/2xVTbaU

Performing Asia: Artists from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music
Performances of Chinese works along with workshops and lectures presented in collaboration with Rice’s Shepherd School of Music are scheduled for Oct. 20-21.
Asia Society Texas
http://bit.ly/2uqyr9C

BROADCAST

‘Great Day Houston’
Rice is mentioned in a story about advancements in medical technology.
KHOU-TV (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2yGZ35F (Click on the video button to watch the broadcast.)

‘Xploration Nature Knows Best’
Rice research on squids is featured. Richard Baraniuk, the Victor E. Cameron Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is quoted.
WPGH-TV (Pittsburgh)
http://bit.ly/2yVjY5I (Click on the video button to watch the broadcast. This story also aired on WRLH-TV in Richmond, Va., KSAS-TV in Wichita, Kan., WVAH-TV in Charleston, W.Va., WUTV-TV in Buffalo, N.Y., KDSM-TV in Des Moines, Iowa, KFXA-TV in Iowa City, Iowa, WOLF-TV in Wilkes Barre, Penn., WTGS-TV in Savannah, Ga., KPTH-TV in Sioux City, Iowa, KFXL-TV in Lincoln, Neb., and KBSI-TV in Paducah, Ky.)

KTRH-AM (Houston)
Alumnus John Lott ’74 is interviewed about gun laws.
http://bit.ly/2ylCXJF (Click on the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Kinesins ignore weak forces as they carry heavy loads
If you’re the motor protein up front, be prepared to do the heavy pulling. That’s one conclusion from a Rice University-led study of the mechanisms that drive kinesins, motor proteins that carry cargo inside cells. The theoretical study detailed in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and led by Rice postdoctoral researcher Qian Wang was a collaborative effort by the labs of three professors at Rice and one at the University of Houston, all working under the umbrella of Rice’s Center for Theoretical Biological Physics. Quoted are Michael Diehl, associate professor of bioengineering and of chemistry; Anatoly Kolomeisky, professor of chemistry and of chemical and biomolecular engineering; and José Onuchic, the Harry C. and Olga K. Wiess Chair of Physics, a professor of physics and astronomy, of chemistry and of biosciences.
Science Daily (This also appeared in Scienmag, Health Medicine Network, Science Newsline and BrightSurf.)
http://bit.ly/2fNqW7Z

Baker, still ‘climate skeptic,’ again advocates for carbon tax, import tariff to reduce emissions
Former U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker III, honorary chair of Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, and Bobby Tudor, chairman of Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. and chair of the Rice Board of Trustees, spoke at the first Global Energy Transitions Summit. The conference was held at Rice and co-hosted by the Baker Institute’s Center for Energy Studies and Baker Botts LLP.
Natural Gas Intelligence
http://bit.ly/2xWS5fA
The importance of offshore oil
WorkBoat
http://bit.ly/2xOCMG9

Texas hospitals feeling the long-term financial strains of Harvey
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.
STAT
http://bit.ly/2fHfzuJ

To ban or not to ban? Technology, education and the media
Joshua Eyler, director of Rice’s Center for Teaching Excellence, co-authored an article on the place of laptops, tablets and smartphones in education.
Education Week
http://bit.ly/2xOdyrv

The Houston international MBA programs you need to know
Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business is mentioned.
MetroMBA
http://bit.ly/2yW2hmv

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Houston after Harvey
Albert Pope, the Gus Sessions Wortham Professor of Architecture, is quoted in a story on the future of Houston following flooding caused by Hurricane/Tropical Storm Harvey.
Curbed
http://bit.ly/2xXynQD

Quantum connections – ‘Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2’ spans multiple SFR series
Alumna Alexis Glynn Latner ’80 wrote a story titled “Mascot” for an anthology called “Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2.”
Spacefreighters Lounge
http://bit.ly/2xcbkm6

6 rising string stars on the power of Instagram
Violinist Chloe Trevor ’11 is featured.
Strings
http://bit.ly/2xOYBpa

Crooked Tree Arts Center in Petoskey featuring German pianist Andreas Klein
Pianist Andreas Klein ’89 will open the Crooked Tree Arts Center Performing Arts Series Oct. 7 in Petoskey, Mich.
MyNorth
http://bit.ly/2wv0XW7

Where in Houston? Angry dolphins at Rice University!
Door handles that depict dolphins on Rice’s campus are featured.
Big Kid Small City
http://bit.ly/2xOfpfK

SPORTS

Synagogue gets Harvey relief from New York group
Rice football players’ efforts to assist Steven Plumb, a member of Houston’s United Orthodox Synagogue who was affected by flooding, are mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2fIH2vX

Nationals Mailbag: Is Dusty Baker’s future contingent on the NLDS? Should Jayson Werth start?
Former Rice baseball player Anthony Rendon is mentioned in an article on the Washington Nationals as they prepare for the Major League Baseball postseason.
Washington Post
http://wapo.st/2xdIjSc

State of Texas power rankings: Week 5
The Rice football team is No. 9.
Frogs o’ War
http://bit.ly/2xRHXCw

Feinstein’s Findings: Back on track
A column mentions Rice football, which plays against Army Oct. 7 at Rice Stadium. The Rice-Army game is also mentioned in a story on increased security at Houston events following the Las Vegas mass shooting.
GoArmyWestPoint.com
http://bit.ly/2xVbEEx
KRIV-TV (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2yGq1Kn (Click on the video button to watch the broadcast.)

Acker: Workers keep BEC humming along
Rice freshman baseball player Dane Acker is mentoned in a feature on his father, Casey Acker, who works for Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative.
Brenham Banner-Press (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2kh9MRI

KTRK-TV (Houston)
Cinco Ranch High School football player Brant Kuithe, who has committed to play at Rice, is mentioned.
http://bit.ly/2xL2HhN (Click on the video button to watch the broadcast.)

Ocean View’s Micayla Shook, a 3-sport star with a 4.8 GPA, earns prestigious national award
A feature on a California high school athlete mentions Rice as her top college choice.
Los Angeles Times
http://lat.ms/2x6UlSb

NEWS RELEASES

Houston-area elections: Low turnout, underrepresentation and incumbency advantage
In Houston and Harris County, elections are characterized by low voter turnout and underrepresentation of Hispanics in the electorate and candidate pool. In addition, incumbent candidates have a major advantage over challengers, according to a new report from the Center for Local Elections in America, part of Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research.
http://bit.ly/2yU23fD

Modernizing the trans-Atlantic relationship is topic at Rice Oct. 13
A panel of experts will discuss new policy ideas to modernize the trans-Atlantic relationship in the 21st century at Rice University Oct. 13. The panelists will comment on foreign policy ideas proposed by 30 fellows of the Atlantic Expedition, a German-U.S. program organized by the nonpartisan Atlantic Initiative foundation, which aims to empower a younger and more diverse generation of leaders in trans-Atlantic relations. Hosted by Rice’s Politics, Law and Social Thought Program, the event is free and open to the public.
http://bit.ly/2yWfBr5

‘Charlie’s Law’ is topic at Rice’s Baker Institute Oct. 4
Five Texas state legislators and a leading Texas Heart Institute researcher will gather at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy Oct. 4 to discuss HB 810, or “Charlie’s Law,” at a panel moderated by Baker Institute fellow Kirstin Matthews. HB 810, passed during the 85th Texas Legislative session, expands the right-to-try laws in Texas and allows patients with chronic and terminal illnesses access to experimental stem cell interventions. Hosted by the Baker Institute’s Center for Health and Biosciences and the Texas Heart Institute, the event is free and open to the public but registration is required.
http://bit.ly/2ymMgsD