Dateline Rice for Dec. 18, 2017 (Weekend Edition)

FEATURED ITEM

Colleges with the best student life in America 2018
Rice is No. 1 in Niche’s 2018 Colleges with the Best Student Life rankings.
University Magazine
http://bit.ly/2jaMCZV

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Why Texas’ ‘death penalty capital of the world’ stopped executing people
A story on a decline in executions in Harris County mentions a Rice study that found Houston is the most diverse city in the United States.
NBC News (This article also appeared at MSN.com, Daily Bulletin, Euronews and Capital Bay, and a similar article appeared in Sentencing Law and Policy.)
http://nbcnews.to/2zl0PMR

Consider graduation rates for Pell students at top schools
Rice is mentioned.
U.S. News and World Report
http://bit.ly/2ke6Z9D

The 50 best value colleges for 2018
Rice is No. 15 in a slideshow of Niche’s 2018 Best Value Colleges rankings.
MSN.com
http://bit.ly/2zl32Id

Venezuela’s collapsing oil industry
Francisco Monaldi, a fellow in Latin American energy policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
Havana Times
http://bit.ly/2jcR6zn

The limits of corporate activism
Scott Sonenshein, the Henry Gardiner Symonds Professor of Management at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, is quoted.
Pacific Standard
http://bit.ly/2CTWcsJ

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Graduate student tuition tax appears dead in tax bill
An op-ed by President David Leebron is cited in an article on the tax reform bill. Rice is mentioned in an article on the proposal’s effect on universities with large endowments.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared at MSN.com.)
http://bit.ly/2kgs2YX
http://bit.ly/2B8YMy3
Final GOP deal would tax large endowments
Inside Higher Education
http://bit.ly/2jdzYJI

Artist Cohen shines lights on what we cannot see
Houston-based artist Joseph Cohen’s “Looking at a flower” runs through April 8 at the BioScience Research Collaborative. The article mentions that Cohen worked with graphene made on equipment created by James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Chair in Chemistry and a professor of computer science and of materials science and nanoengineering, and that Cohen studied under Bruce Weisman, professor of chemistry and of materials science and nanoengineering. Tour also is mentioned in an article on molecular machines and a review of “Theistic Evolution: A Scientific, Philosophical and Theological Critique,” which he co-authored.
Houston Chronicle (This article appeared on the front of the Zest section in the Dec. 17 print edition with a different headline, “An artist who opens eyes, and minds, by shining lights on what we cannot see.”)
http://bit.ly/2kFaTrx
Big moves for little devices
Chemical & Engineering News
http://bit.ly/2B8Cj46
Book review: ‘Theistic Evolution: A Scientific, Philosophical and Theological Critique’
Paperblog
http://bit.ly/2keLsNZ

Future storms like Harvey considered more likely
Antonia Sebastian, a research associate at Rice’s Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center and a postdoctoral researcher at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, is quoted in a story on on research that found climate change contributed significantly to rainfall totals during Hurricane/Tropical Storm Harvey. Sebastian was co-author of a study by World Weather Attribution, an international coalition of scientists.
KTRH.com
http://bit.ly/2AUFkAX

Mexico’s biggest election could turn dirty. It’s happened before.
Tony Payan, the Françoise and Edward Djerejian Fellow for Mexico Studies at the Baker Institute and director of the institute’s Mexico Center, is quoted in an article on the 2018 presidential election in Mexico. He also is quoted in an article on North American Free Trade Agreement renegotiations.
Bloomberg
https://bloom.bg/2BwujqF
NAFTA prospects through the lens of Mexico
The Monitor
http://bit.ly/2B86PLd

The most-read arts stories in the Houston Press in 2017
“Tilt Brush” by Google, a virtual reality experience at Rice’s Moody Center for the Arts that creates three-dimensional paintings, is mentioned. Alison Weaver, the Suzanne Deal Booth Executive Director of the Moody Center, is quoted.
Houston Press
http://bit.ly/2CWhWV7

BROADCAST

‘Opioid Nation: An American Epidemic’
Katharine Neill Harris, the Alfred C. Glassell III Fellow in Drug Policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted on heroin-assisted treatment programs for opioid addicts.
KSAT-TV (San Antonio)
http://bit.ly/2AUpjLj (Click the video button to watch the broeadcast.)

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Paper: Mercantilist approach to trade policy will not bode well for US energy security
While it is difficult to postulate how President Donald Trump’s approach to international trade will actually play out, any policies that raise barriers to trade “will not bode well for U.S. energy security,” according to a new paper by Kenneth Medlock, senior director of the Center for Energy Studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
Military Technologies (This article also appeared in Satellite News.)
http://bit.ly/2B93FXK

Nanotubes go with the flow to penetrate brain tissue
Rice researchers have invented a device that uses fast-moving fluids to insert flexible, conductive carbon nanotube fibers into the brain, where they can help record the actions of neurons. The microfluidics-based technique promises to improve therapies that rely on electrodes to sense neuronal signals and trigger actions in patients with epilepsy and other conditions. Study co-authors Matteo Pasquali, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, of materials science and nanoengineering and of chemistry; Jacob Robinson, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and of bioengineering; and Caleb Kemere, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, are quoted. Sushma Sri Pamulapati, a graduate student in Pasquali’s lab, is mentioned.
Phys.org
http://bit.ly/2oG0Nf9

Top stories of 2017: No. 9, US superstorms spur growth of resilience movement
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 in an article on the 2017 hurricane season.
Environment Guru (This article also appeared in Ethical Corporation.)
http://bit.ly/2yFjq2A

Take a look at the biggest battery breakthroughts in 2017
Rice research on lithium-ion batteries is mentioned.
Wonderful Engineering
http://bit.ly/2zki7cN

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Lafayette area people in business
A roundup of business news mentions alumnus Matthew Schaefer ’07 was named chief operating officer of Children’s Hospital New Orleans.
The Advocate
http://bit.ly/2CYetW2

Check It Out: Pause from the bustle and enjoy a book
“Soonish,” a book by Kelly Weinersmith, adjunct faculty member and the former Huxley Fellow in Ecology and Evolution, and her husband, Zach, is reviewed.
The Columbian
http://bit.ly/2yTdqmV

‘Three Pianos, Six Hands, One Performance’ and 1,000 smiles
Alumna Stephanie Ng ’17 performed as part of the Waring International Piano Competition’s “Three Pianos, Six Hands, One Performance” concert in Palm Desert, Calif.
Desert Sun
http://desert.sn/2B8lQwJ

Do you know numbers?
Alumnus Caleb Everett ’06, a professor at the University of Miami and author of “Numbers and the Making of Us,” is featured.
University of Miami News
http://bit.ly/2zfXbUz

The Buckingham honors resident Dr. Jan van Sant at dining venue sneak peek
An article mentions that Jan van Sant was a member of an advisory board at Rice.
CityBizList
http://bit.ly/2B9Os8G

Los Viernes Científicos de la UAL desvelan el modo de ‘comunicarse’ de las plantas
Evan Siemann, the Harry C. and Olga K. Wiess Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, is featured.
Teleprensa (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/2kFgGNN

Viaggi spaziali: Fuori dalla Terra le nazioni hanno imparato a dialogare
President John F. Kennedy’s “Moon Speech” given at Rice Sept. 12, 1962 is mentioned
Avvenire (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/2zl87Ab

SPORTS

Where football fits at Rice between expectations, academics and finances
The Rice football team is featured. Head coach Mike Bloomgren, former coach David Bailiff and former players Trevor Cobb, Stuart Mouchantaf, Nate German and Jeremy Jones are mentioned. Former players David Berken and Nate Richards and Robert Griffin, professor and department chair of civil and environmental engineering and Rice’s faculty athletics representative, are quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Dec. 17 print edition.)
http://bit.ly/2AVzSBF

No. 24 Texas Tech rolls past Rice 73-53 on old home court
The Rice men’s basketball team lost to Texas Tech University Dec. 16 in Lubbock.
Washington Post (This Associated Press article appeared in more than 100 media outlets, and a portion appeared in the Dec. 17 print edition of the Houston Chronicle with a different headline, “Tech tops Rice in old home.”)
http://wapo.st/2AUxiYN
KIAH-TV (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2CyBe1A (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)
KAMC-TV (Lubbock, Texas)
http://bit.ly/2yS617z (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)
KOSA-TV (Odessa, Texas)
http://bit.ly/2B8qKK6 (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)
Texas Tech rolls by Rice
YourBasin.com
http://bit.ly/2BEBr6E
No. 24 Texas Tech applies more pressure on defense, downs Owls
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
http://bit.ly/2keENU6
Instant reaction: Defense helps No. 24 Red Raiders win Throwback game against Rice
Viva the Matadors
http://bit.ly/2CZ55Bs

KRIV-TV (Houston)
Head coach Scott Pera and the Rice men’s basketball team hosted a teenager seeking adoption.
http://bit.ly/2B9ciBB (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)

Rice women off to another hot start
The Rice women’s basketball team is featured. Head coach Tina Langley and player Erica Ogwumike are quoted. Players Olivia Ogwumike and Wendy Knight are mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the San Antonio Express-News and Laredo Morning Times.)
http://bit.ly/2kykfVH
http://bit.ly/2Beo2PT

Bouquets and brickbats
A news recap mentions Rice baseball player Ford Proctor is No. 87 on Baseball America’s list of the top 100 prospects for the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.
Houston Chronicle (This article also appeared in the Beaumont Enterprise.)
http://bit.ly/2BuM8Gx

KWGN-TV (Denver)
Former Rice football player Jordan Taylor, who plays for the Denver Broncos, is featured.
http://bit.ly/2oDHNxZ (Click the video button to watch the broadcast, which also aired on KFQX-TV in Grand Junction, Colo.)

Volleyball: Oak Ridge’s Carly Graham is the Courier’s Player of the Year
Oak Ridge High School senior Carly Graham, who will play volleyball at Rice, is featured.
Houston Chronicle (This article also appeared in the Courier of Montgomery County.)
http://bit.ly/2AUUZ34

Arizona Diamondbacks Top 20 prospects for 2018
Former Rice baseball player Jon Duplantier tops a list of Arizona Diamondbacks prospects.
MinorLeagueBall.com
http://bit.ly/2jeEIi1

NEWS RELEASES

Particle size matters for porous building blocks
Porous particles of calcium and silicate show potential as building blocks for a host of applications like self-healing materials, bone-tissue engineering, drug delivery, insulation, ceramics and construction materials, according to Rice engineers who decided to see how well they perform at the nanoscale. The results of more than 900 tests, reported this month in the American Chemical Society’s ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, showed that bigger individual nanoparticles were 120 percent tougher than smaller ones.
http://bit.ly/2D0oEJN

9 post-Harvey research projects receive funding from Rice Houston Engagement and Recovery Effort
Nine projects for post-Hurricane Harvey research have been awarded funding by the Rice Houston Engagement and Recovery Effort (HERE). The projects are aimed at making the city of Houston and surrounding areas stronger and more sustainable following the devastation caused by the storm’s record rainfall. Following the completion of the projects, all data will be available via Rice’s Urban Data Platform (UDP), which is housed within Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research and is a computing environment and secure repository of research-ready geocoded data for the Houston metropolitan area that aims to facilitate cross-disciplinary research and community investigations.
http://bit.ly/2BDYmPF

Core values inform Rice’s +House
The +House project is the next iteration in the “core” concept being developed by Rice Construct, the new name for the 21-year-old operation known until recently as Rice Building Workshop. The core, a 3,000-pound box built on campus at Ryon Lab last summer, contains the bathroom, kitchen and electrical, heating and air conditioning systems in a single unit meant to slide into the building, simplifying construction and saving on-site costs. Once the core is in place, all the municipal utilities hook up at a central location.
http://bit.ly/2j8HC8e

Nanotubes go with the flow to penetrate brain tissue
Rice researchers have invented a device that uses fast-moving fluids to insert flexible, conductive carbon nanotube fibers into the brain, where they can help record the actions of neurons. The Rice team’s microfluidics-based technique promises to improve therapies that rely on electrodes to sense neuronal signals and trigger actions in patients with epilepsy and other conditions. Eventually, the researchers said, nanotube-based electrodes could help scientists discover the mechanisms behind cognitive processes and create direct interfaces to the brain that will allow patients to see, to hear or to control artificial limbs.
http://bit.ly/2B8I5ml

Baker Institute expert: Mercantilist approach to trade policy ‘will not bode well for US energy security’
While it is difficult to postulate how President Donald Trump’s approach to international trade will actually play out, any policies that raise barriers to trade “will not bode well for U.S. energy security,” according to a new paper by Kenneth Medlock, senior director of the Center for Energy Studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. “The Trump Administration, Trade and Energy” was recently published in the Institute of Energy Economics’ Energy Journal. The paper examines the degree to which the Trump administration is pursuing a mercantilist agenda and the implications of this for trade, energy markets and energy-market participants.
http://bit.ly/2BsPQjI