Dateline Rice for Jan. 18, 2018 (Weekend/Winter Storm Edition)

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Former Rice, Cy-Fair star Sam McGuffie makes Olympic bobsled team
Former Rice football and track and field athlete Sam McGuffie was named to the U.S. men’s bobsled team that will compete in the Winter Olympics in South Korea.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the San Antonio Express-News, and it appeared in the Jan. 16 print edition of the Chronicle with a different headline, “McGuffie to compete on U.S. bobsled team.”)
http://bit.ly/2FQQeup
http://bit.ly/2rm26RA
Former top football recruit makes Winter Olympic bobsled team
Austin American-Statesman
https://atxne.ws/2ri1nRJ
Former Michigan, Rice RB Sam McGuffie makes US Olympic bobsled team
NBC Sports
http://bit.ly/2FTWLV8
2 Texans named to US Olympic men’s bobsled team
KXAN.com (This article also appeared in YourBasin.com)
http://bit.ly/2FOIsRH
KHOU-TV (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2rmTXwk (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)
KTRK-TV (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2rj3FzR (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)
KPRC-TV (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2riP1sr (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)
KBMT-TV (Beaumont, Texas)
http://bit.ly/2rhgH0N (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)
KTRH-AM (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2FQT3f1 (Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)
KRLD-AM (Dallas)
http://bit.ly/2rm8yZ0 (Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)
KUT-FM (Austin, Texas)
http://bit.ly/2rm8x7o (Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Making these nanotube fibers by hand is actually faster
The lab of Matteo Pasquali, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, of materials science and nanoengineering and of chemistry, developed a method to quickly produce strong, conductive fibers from carbon nanotubes. Pasquali and lead author and graduate student Robby Headrick are quoted. A Rice video of the process is featured.
Futurity (Similar articles appeared in more than 10 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2rlASKT

Students defend the future of facts on Wikipedia
Rice is participating in Wiki Education’s Classroom Programme, which offers tools and training that enable university lecturers to integrate Wikipedia assignments into their courses.
Times Higher Education
http://bit.ly/2FPn12G

‘Hey there, white people!’: Rice students’ Martin Luther King Day satire draws outrage
Various media report on a satirical fake ad on the Backpage of the Jan. 10 edition of the Rice Thresher, the student newspaper. Students Alice Staro and Mihir Limd are quoted on camera in the KPRC-TV story, and the station’s online version includes statements from Thresher editors-in-chief Juan Saldana and Drew Keller and from Student Association President Justin Onwenu.
Fox News
http://fxn.ws/2riPStb
King Day Satire by Rice students angers many
Inside Higher Ed
http://bit.ly/2rl69he
Rice Thresher’s racially charged Backpage ad sparks controversy
KPRC-TV (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2rnkud7
Satirical coupon in newspaper run by Rice University students getting backlash
KTRK-TV (Houston)
http://abc13.co/2rnkytn
WBAP-AM (Dallas)
http://bit.ly/2rmxkrR (Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)
University student paper calls white people ‘disgusting’ in ‘guilt-free MLK’ satire blurb
The Blaze
http://bit.ly/2rngh90
University’s student newspaper faces backlash over MLK Day satire Galleria Patch
http://bit.ly/2rmy407
Rice University student paper attempts satire by calling white people disgusting
Legal Insurrection
http://bit.ly/2rgzGZe

Energy Department is seriously underestimating solar power abroad
Daniel Cohan, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, authored an op-ed. Cohan also is quoted in an article on Houston’s NET Power, which is testing carbon-capturing technology at a natural gas plant.
The Hill
http://bit.ly/2FOEI2t
Too good to be true? Carbon capture ‘game changer’ raises hopes and questions
Forbes (This article also appeared in Easy Branches World News.)
http://bit.ly/2FSQWr1

Bahrain radar shows Qatar jets near UAE planes; Doha denies
Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, fellow for the Middle East at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
Washington Post (This Associated Press article appeared in more than 100 media outlets.)
http://wapo.st/2FRyM8P

Historians call Trump’s ‘sh*thole’ comment ‘the most openly racist by a president in decades’
Professor of History Douglas Brinkley discusses alleged comments by President Donald Trump during an immigration policy meeting. Brinkley also comments on criticism of Trump by Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., during a segment on CNN, and he is quoted in an article on politics in sports.
Complex (This article also appeared in History News Network.)
http://bit.ly/2FQBDPD
‘New Day’
CNN
http://bit.ly/2FNjrGq (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)
50 years ago, sports and politics collided in a year of celebration, confrontation
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2FVdGGU

Venezuela’s oil production is collapsing
Francisco Monaldi, a fellow in Latin American energy policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted in an article on Venezuela’s oil industry.
Wall Street Journal (Subscription is required. This article also appeared at CetUSNews and ADVFN.)
http://on.wsj.com/2FQDPGL

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Rice professor explores how people of faith interact with science
Elaine Howard Ecklund, founding director of the Religion and Public Life Program and the Herbert S. Autrey Chair in Social Sciences, is featured. Ecklund also participated in a Q&A on the relationship between religion and science.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2FRHHHj
Elaine Howard Ecklund wants to dispel myths surrounding religious resistance to science
Religion Dispatches
http://bit.ly/2FSfv78

Rice architecture professor writes about the design of his own modern homes
William Cannady, professor of architecture, who authored a new book, “Four Houses: Design for Change,” is featured.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the San Antonio Express-News, and it appeared on the front of the Star Home section in the Jan. 16 print edition of the Chronicle with a different headline, “Design gets personal.”)
http://bit.ly/2FOT2YN

Texas university libraries renovate to keep student interest
Changes at Fondren Library are mentioned. A photo of the library is featured. Debra Kolah, Fondren’s head of user experience, and student Reagan Hahn, who works as a library ambassador, are quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Jan. 14 print edition with a different headline, “University libraries turn a page in meeting modern student needs,” and was included in a previous edition of Dateline when it was posted online.)
http://bit.ly/2lHtl3e
http://bit.ly/2FR5nf0

Has light rail benefited Houston?
Dian Nostikasari, a research fellow at Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, authored an op-ed.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the San Antonio Express-News, the Chronicle’s “Gray Matters” online magazine and the Jan. 15 print edition of the Chronicle.)
http://bit.ly/2FO9l8l

Heights bungalow’s restoration earns Good Brick Award
Alumnus Ben Koush ’02 is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the San Antonio Express-News, and it appeared in the Jan. 14 print edition of the Chronicle with a different headline, “Thanks to fixer-upper, Queen Anne is regal once more.”)
http://bit.ly/2FQeuN7

Houston misses Amazon cut; Austin, Dallas still in
Michael Maher, senior program adviser for the Center for Energy Studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted in an article on Amazon’s search for a second headquarters.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2FSQJnC
http://bit.ly/2FPQvgS

Texas ‘blue wave’ could sweep in wave of gay elected officials
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 multiple stories on Texas politics.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the San Antonio Express-News.)
http://bit.ly/2rjFe5s
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has raised historic $43 million for re-election campaign
Dallas Morning News (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2rnxCz0
Baptist preacher’s crusade against ‘sinful’ school vouchers steps on Texas GOP leaders’ toes
Dallas Morning News
http://bit.ly/2rn8EzG
Trump, Twitter may even influence Texas primary
Texas Public Radio
http://bit.ly/2rgYX5H
Texas Democrats line up to compete in vulnerable congressional race
El Paso Times
http://bit.ly/2rh0mct
KUT-FM (Austin, Texas)
http://bit.ly/2FQw2bX (Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)

Q&A: More scrutiny ahead for oil and gas industry
Alumnus John R. Hays Jr. ’71, an energy lawyer, discusses issues facing the Railroad Commission of Texas, which regulates oil and gas in the state.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared on the front of the Business section in the Jan. 15 print edition.”)
http://bit.ly/2FRUObQ

Trump’s sh–list
Stephen Klineberg, professor of sociology and founding director of Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Jan. 14 print edition.)
http://bit.ly/2FRNtbW
Will President Trump’s alleged immigration comments mean political fallout?
KHOU.com
http://bit.ly/2FResVf

Fed grant will help unlock embryonic secrets
Aryeh Warmflash, assistant professor of biosciences, won a major National Institutes of Health grant to analyze a protein-signaling pathway that directs the differentiation of embryonic stem cells into the cells of the skin and the nervous system. The five-year R01 grant for more than $1.5 million from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences will allow Warmflash to build upon his research into human embryonic development and the mechanisms by which nearly identical cells morph over time into the hundreds of types that become a mature organism.
Houston Style Magazine (Similar articles appeared in more than 10 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2FSaQCa

Business incubator for veteran-owned startups to open Houston chapter
The Rice Business Plan Competition is mentioned in an article on Bunker Labs opening a Houston chapter. The competition also is No. 1 on Alpha Gamma’s ranking of the nation’s best business plan competitions.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2FS7j7h
http://bit.ly/2FP7UGJ
16 best business plan competitions in 2018
Alpha Gamma
http://bit.ly/2FQvH8Z

Political fallout of Hurricane Harvey could begin this year in Houston
Bob Stein, the Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science at Rice, is quoted on upcoming elections in Texas.
Texas Tribune (This article also appeared in The Eagle, YourBasin.com and Houston Defender.)
http://bit.ly/2FNYEm6
Anti-incumbent mood builds across Houston as Harvey relief stalls in Congress
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/2FRITdS

Rice students discuss virginity, decision to have sex in survey
A survey of Rice students found that more than 70 percent of respondents felt comfortable with being or not being a virgin. Martel College junior Thresa Skeslien-Jenkins is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2FP8zrH
http://bit.ly/2FRZRsA

PolitiFact: TEA-backed training fulfills Abbott’s principal promise
Rice is mentioned.
Austin American-Statesman (Subscription is required.)
https://atxne.ws/2FSUtFQ

Houston Iranian Film Festival celebrates 25th anniversary
Rice Cinema will host screenings during the Houston Iranian Film Festival Jan. 19-21 and Jan. 26-28.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2FVdGGU

Endorsements for criminal district courts in primary elections
Alumnus Jason Luong ’97 was mentioned in the Houston Chronicle’s endorsements.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Jan. 18 print edition with a different headline, “For criminal court.”)
http://bit.ly/2FT0zWC

Texas, Sun Belt experienced slower growth in 2017
Leah Binkovitz, staff writer for Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, authored an op-ed on Census Bureau population growth estimates.
Rivard Report
http://bit.ly/2FSEYxw

Overcoming domestic violence topic of first ABR event
Lacy Johnson, assistant professor of creative writing, will open the University of Houston-Victoria/American Book Review Reading Series Jan. 25.
Victoria Advocate
http://bit.ly/2FR9Z4Y

Charles Bender Performing Arts Center opens 2018 slate this weekend
Violinist Robert Landes ’12 is featured. He will play at the Charles Bender Performing Arts Center Jan. 13 in Humble, Texas.
Community Impact Newspaper
http://bit.ly/2FRb3WD

BROADCAST

Coral reefs in the gulf dodged Harvey’s bullet – for now
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 Public Media
http://bit.ly/2FQcg09

‘Houston Newsmakers’
John Diamond, director of the Center for Public Finance at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, discusses tax reform.
KPRC-TV
http://bit.ly/2FPxbQW

1/18/18 – Hour 3
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 featured.
The Glenn Beck Program
http://bit.ly/2FQ0Fy6 (Vardi can be heard in the third hour.)

Convo: So … what’s up with North Korea?
Richard Stoll, the Albert Thomas Chair in Political Science and scholar at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, discusses North Korea.
KETR.org
http://bit.ly/2rjlfUy

KTRK-TV (Houston)
Men’s track and field head coach Jon Warren provides commentary on the Chevron Houston Marathon.
http://bit.ly/2FQIIzu (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)

‘Imus in the Morning’
Host Don Imus mentions his son attends Rice.
WABC-AM (New York)
http://bit.ly/2FRSi50 (Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast, which aired on more than 60 radio stations.)

‘Coast to Coast AM’
President John F. Kennedy’s “Moon Speech” given at Rice Sept. 12, 1962, is mentioned.
KIRO-AM (Seattle)
http://bit.ly/2rfJF1e (Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast, which aired on more than 500 radio stations.)

History Channel
A program mentions nanosubmarines created at Rice.
http://bit.ly/2FREPKu (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Nano-sized drills punch through disease
Research by the lab of James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry, professor of computer science and of materials science and nanoengineering, is featured.
Yale Scientific
http://bit.ly/2FRINmr

Components designed to improve genetic circuits
Rice scientists have created a toolkit for synthetic biologists who need to precisely tune the input and output levels of genetic circuits. Matthew Bennett, associate professor of biochemistry and cell biology and co-lead scientist of the study, is quoted.
Science and Enterprise (Similar articles appeared in more than 10 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2FOSamS

Engineers discover catalyst that cleans toxic agricultural nitrates from drinking water
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. Quoted are 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. Co-authors Sujin Guo, Huifeng Qian and Zhun Zhao are mentioned. Wong also discusses nanotechnology in an episode of “DragonflyTV.”
MiTechNews (Similar articles appeared in more than 10 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2FTBv1N
‘DragonflyTV’
KCWC-TV (Cheyenne, Wyo.)
http://bit.ly/2FPygZ0

New process could slash energy demands of fertilizer, nitrogen-based chemicals
Naomi Halas, the Stanley C. Moore Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and professor of chemistry, bioengineering, physics and astronomy, and materials science and nanoengineering and the director of Rice’s Smalley-Curl Institute, and Peter Nordlander, professor of physics and astronomy, of electrical and computer engineering and of materials science and nanoengineering, are mentioned.
Scienmag (Similar articles appeared in more than 10 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2FSSBNc

Rice Theatre and Rice Players present ‘Dogfight’
Rice Theatre will present “Dogfight” Feb. 23-25 and March 1-3 at Hamman Hall.
Broadway World
http://bit.ly/2FT4wuy

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

White graphene creates ceramics multifunctional
Ultrathin hexagonal boron nitride sheets between layers of calcium-silicates could give ceramics outstanding properties. Rouzbeh Shahsavari, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering and of materials science and nanoengineering, is quoted.
Global News Connect (A similar article was featured in the National Science Foundation’s Science360 newsletter Jan. 16.)
http://bit.ly/2FSnCR8

Texas’ power market performance
A paper by Peter Hartley, the George and Cynthia Mitchell Chair in Sustainable Development; Kenneth Medlock, senior director of Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy’s Center for Energy Studies; and Olivera Jankovska, nonresident scholar at the Center for Energy Studies, is mentioned.
Knowledge Problem
http://bit.ly/2FRKpMY

Kids’ Tech infects students with a love of science
Kelly Weinersmith, adjunct faculty member and the former Huxley Fellow in Ecology and Evolution, will present “Sci-Fi Comes to Life: When Parasites Control Host Behavior” at Bowling Green State University’s Kids’ Tech University program March 24 in Bowling Green, Ohio.
BG Independent News
http://bit.ly/2FQU1b2

Queens author Shelina Shariff-Zia speaks on coming of age in Kenya
Alumna Shelina Shariff-Zia ’85 is featured.
Times Ledger
http://bit.ly/2FTk6X4

Congressional candidate Sri Kulkarni Hopes to ‘push back tide of fear’
Sri 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.
India West (A similar article appeared in South Asian Times.)
http://bit.ly/2FPEZlE

5 notable women in the blockchain and crypto industry!
Alumna Meltem Demirors ’09 is mentioned.
HackerNoon
http://bit.ly/2FRvDWz

100 things to do with Houston kids before they grow up
James Turrell’s “Twilight Epiphany” Skyspace on the Suzanne Deal Booth Centennial Pavilion at Rice is mentioned.
Mommy Poppins
http://bit.ly/2FRHX9e

SPORTS

Rice drops close contest to North Texas
The Rice men’s basketball team lost to the University of North Texas 85-78 Jan. 13 at Tudor Fieldhouse. Rice players Ako Adams and Connor Cashaw and assistant coach Mark Linebaugh are quoted. Players Malik Osborne, Najja Hunter and Bishop Mency are mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the San Antonio Express-News and Laredo Morning Times, and it appeared in the Jan. 14 print edition of the Chronicle with a different headline, “Owls’ rally comes up short.”)
http://bit.ly/2FPgncK
http://bit.ly/2FR287e
Jan. 13, 2018: North Texas 85, Rice 78 (slideshow)
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/2FP9okh
KRIV-TV (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2FSTbdU (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)
KIAH-TV (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2FQrFgT (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)
Smart’s record-breaking performance leads men’s basketball to road win over Rice
North Texas Daily
http://bit.ly/2FTKBLZ

Rice hopes growth goes hand in hand with C-USA tourney spot
Rice men’s basketball player Robert Martin and head coach Scott Pera are quoted, and Connor Cashaw, Malik Osborne, Najja Hunter, Tim Harrison and Ako Adams are mentioned. Former Owls Egor Koulechov and Marcus Evans are mentioned. Koulechov is also mentioned during a University of Florida basketball game.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Jan. 18 print edition.)
http://bit.ly/2FRbvUN
‘College Basketball on CBS’
KHOU-TV (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2FSMs3l

Bishop Mency’s desire to make his mark benefits Rice
Rice basketball player Bishop Mency is featured. Head coach Scott Pera, former head coach Mike Rhoades and players Robert Martin, Tim Harrison and Ako Adams are mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Jan. 13 print edition.)
http://bit.ly/2rkfOEF

Rice women’s squad handed first conference loss
The Rice women’s basketball team lost to Florida International University 68-58 Jan. 13 in Miami.
Galveston County Daily News (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2FRhysl
FIU cooks the Rice Owls: FIU 68 — Rice 58
Panther Now
http://bit.ly/2FTUedh

Florida Gulf Coast takes over top spot in mid-major rankings
Rice is No. 4 in ESPN’s ranking of the top women’s basketball teams from mid-major conferences.
ESPN.com
http://es.pn/2FMHtkN

President Trump’s view of Africa is not what WNBA’s Chiney Ogwumike sees 
Rice women’s basketball players Olivia and Erica Ogwumike are mentioned.
New York Daily News
http://nydn.us/2riB65F

Men’s tennis defeats Rice for first time since 1979
The Rice men’s tennis team lost to the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley 4-3 Jan. 14 at the George R. Brown Tennis Center.
GoUTRGV.com
http://bit.ly/2FTvOR9

Former Oriole Paul Janish heads back to school
Rice assistant baseball coach Paul Janish is featured. Head coach Wayne Graham is quoted.
Pressbox
http://bit.ly/2AQM1bc

CFP Selection Committee: Ronnie Lott and the new members
Former Rice football coach Ken Hatfield was appointed to the College Football Playoff Selection Committee.
MSN.com (This article also appeared at NCAA.com)
http://bit.ly/2FRNFbn

NEWS RELEASE

Researchers find first evidence of glassmaking in sub-Saharan Africa
Scholars from Rice, University College London and the Field Museum have found the first direct evidence that glass was produced in sub-Saharan Africa centuries before the arrival of Europeans, a finding that the researchers said represents a “new chapter in the history of glass technology.”
http://bit.ly/2FPkTYT