Dateline Rice for Jan. 5, 2018

FEATURED ITEMS

Trump’s disdain for science
Neal Lane, the Malcolm Gillis University Professor Emeritus, senior fellow in science and technology policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and professor emeritus of physics and astronomy, co-authored an op-ed on President Donald Trump. Lane served as a science adviser to former President Bill Clinton.
New York Times (This also appeared in the Jan. 5 print edition.)
http://nyti.ms/2qwpD1Y

2017’s top stories from the Office of Science
A Rice solubility study was No. 2 for 2017 among university releases.
U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science
http://bit.ly/2qwInOM

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Trump’s effort to stop publication of scathing book is a break in precedent
Professor of History Douglas Brinkley is quoted in an article on President Donald Trump’s legal team threatening libel charges against the author of a new book that portrays him as incompetent.
Washington Post (This article appeared in more than 40 media outlets.)
http://wapo.st/2m2b7KS

Understaffed and overextended: How Venezuela’s oil industry fell apart
Francisco Monaldi, a fellow in Latin American energy policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted on Venezuela’s oil production.
Public Radio International (This article appeared in more than 25 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2qzaDR9
National Public Radio
http://bit.ly/2qtywct (Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast, which aired on more than 700 radio stations.)

Cleaning carbon nanotubes makes them work better
Carbon nanotubes bound for electronics not only need to be as clean as possible to maximize their utility in next-generation nanoscale devices, but contact effects may limit how small a nano device can be. Andrew Barron, the Charles W. Duncan Jr.-Welch Professor of Chemistry and professor of materials science and nanoengineering and director of the ESRI, is quoted. Rice images are featured.
Futurity (Similar articles appeared in Solid State Technology, Electronics 360, Nanowerk, Scienmag, AZoNano and BrightSurf.)
http://bit.ly/2qr4qq9

Potential census question on citizenship stirs fears of dampened participation
Steve Murdock, the Allyn and Gladys Cline Professor of Sociology and director of Rice’s Hobby Center for the Study of Texas and former U.S. Census Bureau director, is quoted. (A correction on the spelling of Murdock’s name has been requested.)
NBC News
http://nbcnews.to/2m4vpmI

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Scientists monitor effects of Harvey, other storms on reefs
Rice marine biologist Adrienne Correa, assistant professor of biosciences, is quoted in a story on Rice research on the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.
Houston Chronicle (This article was distributed by the Associated Press and appeared in more than 40 media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2m2q9A4

From highways to public transit: Book examines how Houston’s transportation landscape took shape
Kyle Shelton, director of strategic partnerships for Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, appeared on “Houston Matters” to discuss his book “Power Moves: Transportation, Politics and Development in Houston,” which examines the history and impact of Houston’s transportation decisions.
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/2qvjAKT

Dunn Awards support breakthrough research
Three teams of scientists at Rice and other Gulf Coast Consortia institutions have earned research seed grants from the John S. Dunn Collaborative Research Awards. Winners from Rice include the team of Robert Raphael, an associate professor of bioengineering, and Francois St-Pierre, an assistant professor of neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine and an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Rice; and a team including Jonathan Silberg, an assistant professor of molecular virology and microbiology, integrative molecular and biomedical sciences, quantitative and computational biosciences and developmental biology.
TMC News
http://bit.ly/2qvkbfO

Obituary: Midcentury modernist Stella Sullivan mastered many mediums
Artist and teacher Stella Sullivan ’45, who earned an architecture degree at Rice, died Dec. 24. She was 93.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Jan. 5 print edition with a different headline, “Midcentury modernist mastered many mediums,” and it was included in a previous Dateline when the article was posted online.)
http://bit.ly/2m3V6Ed
http://bit.ly/2m3VL8F
Stella Sullivan, 1924-2017
Glasstire
http://bit.ly/2m3Fal6

Sex talk led to harassment claims; firing or discipline for sheriff’s officers
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 in an article on sexual harassment at the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office .
Fort Worth Star-Telegram (This article includes graphic language.)
http://bit.ly/2m3qiU3

Houston selects Haddock as public works director, engineer
Alumna Carol Ellinger Haddock ’91 was named director of the Houston Public Works and Engineering Department.
Houston Heights Patch
http://bit.ly/2qqWSUw

Spring preview 2018
“Between Love and Madness,” an exhibition of “microcuentos” (small comic books) organized by Christopher Sperandio, associate professor of visual and dramatic arts, in collaboration with Rice students is featured.
Glasstire
http://bit.ly/2qvFv4D

Do you know where this photo of Houston was taken around 1915?
University historian Melissa Kean posted a photo in the Rice History Corner blog that was labeled as taken from Rice but likely wasn’t. Kean is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the Laredo Morning Times.)
http://bit.ly/2qsilMJ
http://bit.ly/2qqIwn6

Riots, The Boss and Big Earl: What did Houston look like in 1978?
A slideshow includes a photo of Rice students relaxing under the William Marsh Rice statue in the Academic Quad.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2qsilMJ
http://bit.ly/2qsQs7l

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Feds reset 5-year plan, but oil recovery is a ’15-year story’
Jim Krane, the Wallace S. Wilson Fellow for Energy Studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted in an article on the U.S. Department of the Interior’s plan to open new areas to offshore drilling.
E&E News
http://bit.ly/2m3rMxh

Rice U.’s 1-step catalyst turns nitrates into water and air
Engineers at Rice’s Nanotechnology Enabled Water Treatment Center have found a catalyst that cleans toxic nitrates from drinking water by converting them into air and water. Michael Wong, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, of chemistry, of materials science and nanoengineering and of civil and environmental engineering and chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the lead scientist on the study; and co-author Kim Heck, a research scientist in Wong’s lab, are quoted. A Rice photo is featured.
Science Codex (Similar articles appeared in more than 10 media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2m1HWHv

Rice researchers show how to optimize nanomaterials as replacements for platinum in fuel-cell cathodes
Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes or modified graphene nanoribbons may be suitable replacements for platinum for fast oxygen reduction, the key reaction in fuel cells that transform chemical energy into electricity, according to Rice researchers. Boris Yakobson, the Karl F. Hasselmann Professor of Materials Science and NanoEngineering and professor of chemistry, and graduate student Luqing Wang are quoted, and lead author and former postdoctoral associate Xiaolong Zou is mentioned.
Green Car Congress (A similar article appeared in Phys.org.)
http://bit.ly/2m1hRsk

Nitrogen tug-of-war reveals Earth’s biogeochemistry
Rice scientist Laurence Yeung and colleagues from UCLA, Michigan State University and the University of New Mexico developed a one-of-a-kind instrument that allowed them to hear what the atmosphere is saying with rare nitrogen molecules. The team counted rare molecules in the atmosphere that contain only heavy isotopes of nitrogen and discovered a planetary-scale tug-of-war between life, the deep Earth and the upper atmosphere that is expressed in atmospheric nitrogen. Yeung, assistant professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, is quoted, and Rice photos are featured.
Space.com
http://bit.ly/2m4EY55

2017 on Construction Citizen: The year in review
An article about a discussion on challenges facing Houston amid a crackdown on “sanctuary cities,” Hurricane/Tropical Storm Harvey recovery and the impending end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that was presented by the Kinder Institute for Urban Research was No. 5 on a list of Construction Citizen’s favorites in 2017.
Construction Citizen
http://bit.ly/2qtBuxJ

C&RL News – January 2018
“Rescoping research through student-librarian collaboration,” an article by graduate student Marcel LaFlamme and Fondren Library scholarly communications liaison Shannon Kipphut-Smith on a new approach to a student research fellows program, is featured in the January issue of C&RL News.
Association of College and Research Libraries Insider
http://bit.ly/2m28wjW
Rescoping research through student-librarian collaboration
College and Research Libraries News
http://bit.ly/2F2rZcc

Moon Shots program advocates prevention, multidisciplinary care
President John F. Kennedy’s “Moon Speech” given at Rice Sept. 12, 1962, is mentioned.
Oncology Times
http://bit.ly/2m1AbBC

Blaffer Art Museum exhibits the work of Chicano artist Gabriel Martinez
An article on Gabriel Martinez mentions his art has been featured at Rice Media Center.
Art Daily
http://bit.ly/2m1b8P2

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

These boutique hotels act like IRL social networks
Caroline Levander ’86, vice president for strategic initiatives and digital education, the Carlson Chair in the School of Humanities and professor of English, is quoted.
Surface
http://bit.ly/2qt1QA7

Sri Kulkarni running in Democratic primary against Pete Olson in the 22nd Texas district
Sri Preston Kulkarni, son of the late Venkatesh Kulkarni, a novelist who taught in the Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies, is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Rep. Pete Olson ’85 in Texas’ 22nd Congressional District.
Indo American News
http://bit.ly/2qt8aY6

Winter Chamber Music Festival preview — Northwestern will heat up January 2018
The Rolston String Quartet, formerly the graduate quartet-in-residence at Rice’s Shepherd School of Music, will perform Jan. 14 in Evanston, Ill.
Splash Magazines
http://bit.ly/2m42AXu

Implants cérébraux: Des nanotubes pour pénétrer en douceur le tissu cérébral
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. Study co-author Jacob Robinson, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and of bioengineering, is quoted.
Santé Blog (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/2m1gv0J

SPORTS

Stith scores 26 points, Old Dominion beats Rice 82-75 in OT
The Rice men’s basketball team lost to Old Dominion University 82-75 Jan. 4 at Tudor Fieldhouse.
Washington Post (This Associated Press article appeared in more than 70 media outlets.)
http://wapo.st/2m3R3aE
Rice falls short against Old Dominion in overtime
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Jan. 5 print edition with a different headline, “Momentum proves fleeting as Owls drop 6th in a row.”)
http://bit.ly/2m2jLJ6
http://bit.ly/2m3sBX5
Monarchs need OT to outlast Rice, win in 1st Conference USA road game of season
Virginian-Pilot
http://bit.ly/2m2Dh8j
Owls clipped in OT by Old Dominion
Galveston County Daily News
http://bit.ly/2m2zEiT
KTRK-TV (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2qxBfSt (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)
KIAH-TV (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2quYXyH (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)

New Rice defensive coordinator brings aggressive approach
Rice football defensive coordinator Brian Smith is featured. He and head coach Mike Bloomgren are quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Jan. 5 print edition with a different headline, “New DC aims to put Rice in attack mode.”)
http://bit.ly/2m2kMRr

UTSA opens C-USA action with visits to Louisiana Tech and Rice
The Rice women’s basketball team faces the University of Texas at San Antonio Jan. 7 at Tudor Fieldhouse.
GoUTSA.com
http://bit.ly/2m37JPA

Texas AD Del Conte named to D1 baseball selection committee
A story on former Rice athletic director Chris Del Conte mentions current Owls athletic director Joe Karlgaard will serve on the NCAA Division I Baseball Selection Committee.
247sports
http://bit.ly/2m2d0XA

Texans add 2 more candidates for general manager search
Former Rice football player Will McClay ’89 is a candidate to become the general manager of the Houston Texans.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2m28Hfb
http://bit.ly/2m15Gf0
Is this the season of change for Cowboys coveted exec Will McClay?
CBS DFW
http://cbsloc.al/2m4CB2b
Texans add Eagles’ Joe Douglas and Cowboys’ Will McClay to GM list
Scout
http://foxs.pt/2m1Q5vQ

Prior highlights Dodgers’ coaching adds
Former Rice baseball player Danny Lehmann ’08 will serve as a game planning/communications coach with the Los Angeles Dodgers next season.
MLB.com
http://atmlb.com/2m0RjY8

ASU men’s tennis returns against same opponent it last played in 2008
A roundup of college sports news mentions the Rice women’s swimming team will compete Jan. 5 in Tucson, Ariz., and Jan. 6 in Phoenix.
Arizona Republic
http://bit.ly/2qxjVg6

WNC native Mike Houston is on brink of another football national championship
Former Rice football coach Fred Goldsmith is mentioned in an article on James Madison University head coach Mike Houston.
Citizen Times
http://avlne.ws/2m2Nq4R

NEWS RELEASES

Baker Institute experts: Geopolitical risks to US oil supply lowest since the early 1970s   
The geopolitical risks to the United States’ oil supply are the lowest since the early 1970s, due to fracking, climate action and a more diverse global supply, according to a new paper by experts at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. “Geopolitical Dimensions of U.S. Oil Security,” co-authored by Jim Krane, the Wallace S. Wilson Fellow for Energy Studies at the Baker Institute, and Kenneth Medlock, senior director of the institute’s Center for Energy Studies, was published online this month in the journal Energy Policy.
http://bit.ly/2qtbJgW

Dunn Awards support breakthrough research
Three teams of scientists at Rice and other Gulf Coast Consortia institutions have earned research seed grants from the John S. Dunn Collaborative Research Awards, and a fourth group won a grant to support a Texas Medical Center symposium on blood cell formation and inflammation. This year’s winning teams will use the grants to study hearing, the microbiome and drug-resistant pathogens.
http://bit.ly/2m1GC7z

Study boosts hope for cheaper fuel cells
Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes or modified graphene nanoribbons may be suitable replacements for platinum for fast oxygen reduction, the key reaction in fuel cells that transform chemical energy into electricity, according to Rice researchers. The findings are from computer simulations by Rice scientists who set out to see how carbon nanomaterials can be improved for fuel-cell cathodes. Their study reveals the atom-level mechanisms by which doped nanomaterials catalyze oxygen reduction reactions.
http://bit.ly/2m3k1aI

Baker Institute expert available to discuss US, global drug policy developments
On the same day Attorney General Jeff Sessions made an announcement rescinding Obama administration guidelines that said the federal government would not enforce marijuana prohibition laws in adult-use states, the Australian government said it was legalizing overseas exports of cannabis products for medical uses. Katharine Neill Harris, the Alfred C. Glassell III Fellow in Drug Policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is available to discuss these developments with media.
http://bit.ly/2qshLi1