Dateline Rice for Jan. 31, 2018

FEATURED ITEM

Rice University creates Jewish history archives
The new Houston Jewish History Archive, under the auspices of the Program in Jewish Studies at Rice and in collaboration with the Woodson Research Center at Fondren Library, is featured. Joshua Furman, the Stanford and Joan Alexander Postdoctoral Fellow in Jewish Studies, is quoted, and Melissa Kean, Rice’s centennial historian, is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2nuxzMB
http://bit.ly/2ntJ3zD

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Amateur astronomer finds a long-lost NASA satellite
Patricia Reiff, professor of physics and astronomy, is quoted in an article on IMAGE, a NASA spacecraft that monitored space weather before going silent in 2005. The satellite recently was detected by an amateur astronomer. Reiff was a member of the original IMAGE team at Rice.
Salon (Similar articles appeared in more than 25 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2nv1x2V

Some elite colleges review an application in 8 minutes (or less)
An article on committee-based evaluations of college applicants mentions Rice. Yvonne Romera da Silva, vice president for enrollment, is quoted.
Wall Street Journal (This article also appeared in CetUSNews.)
http://on.wsj.com/2DPx2iZ

Mystery as 2,400-year-old mutilated remains of 9 people and a baby are found ‘intertwined in death’ in a spiral shape as part of a Mayan burial ritual
A study co-authored by Rice marine geologist André Droxler, professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, that found drought to be a likely cause of the decline of Mayan civilization is mentioned.
Daily Mail
http://dailym.ai/2nsIYfy

Anti-charter report gets an ‘F’ in accuracy
An op-ed on charter schools mentions a Rice survey that found public schools are less likely to earn an A or A-plus grade from parents than private or charter schools.
Charlotte Observer
http://bit.ly/2ny04ZR

Charles Burnett III
Alumnus Charles Burnett III ’78, who broke the land-speed record for a steam-powered car in 2009, died Jan. 17. He was 61.
The Times (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2nvEqoH

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Corporate trio seeks to disrupt health care system
Vivian Ho, the James A. Baker III Institute Chair in Health Economics at the Baker Institute, is quoted in an article on Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase announcing plans to form an independent health care company.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the San Antonio Express-News, and it appeared on the front page of the Jan. 31 print edition of the Chronicle with a different headline, “Power trio aims to shake up health care.”)
http://bit.ly/2DOq0eo
http://bit.ly/2DOLdoJ

Houston ISD administrators should do their homework before proposing changes to school funding
Jodi Moon, a postdoctoral fellow at the Houston Education Research Consortium, part of Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research and School of Social Sciences, is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This column appeared in the Jan. 31 print edition with a different headline, “HISD leadership should do homework before making changes.”)
http://bit.ly/2nudwhd

METRO on lookout for illegal lefts on light rail lines
A photo cutline in an article on Houston METRO police enforcement mentions Rice, METRORail and the city collaborated to improve safety at the crosswalk at the Hermann Park/Rice train stop.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the San Antonio Express-News and Laredo Morning Times.)
http://bit.ly/2DR1RUu
http://bit.ly/2DPlgoV

Trump pushes 4-pillar immigration plan in first State of the Union
Tony Payan, the Françoise and Edward Djerejian Fellow for Mexico Studies at the Baker Institute for Public Policy and director of the institute’s Mexico Center, is quoted in an article on President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.
El Paso Times (This article also appeared in the San Angelo Standard-Times.)
http://bit.ly/2E59XYW

Moody Center for the Arts looks to the cosmos for its spring show
“Pile the Wood High!” by Lisa Lapinski, Rice assistant professor of visual and dramatic arts, and Hirsch Perlman and Anna Helm is part of the spring show at the Moody Center for the Arts. Alison Weaver, the Suzanne Deal Booth Executive Director of the Moody Center, is quoted.
Houston Press (This article also appeared in Follow News.)
http://bit.ly/2DOwPN2
Art gallery and museum listings: Feb. 1-7
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2nuTdjy
http://bit.ly/2nsQ9oj

The definitive guide to Houston’s farmers markets
The Rice Farmers Market is mentioned.
Houstonia
http://bit.ly/2nt3BIP

What movies are showing outside the megaplex?
Rice Cinema will screen “24 Frames” Feb. 2 and “When God Sleeps” Feb. 3.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2nxIh50
http://bit.ly/2nvomn1

Keep Trenton Doyle Hancock Weird
Trenton Doyle Hancock’s exhibit at the former Rice University Gallery is mentioned.
Glasstire
http://bit.ly/2nuQXcl

Exhibit brings varied art to Lake Travis Community Library gallery
Artwork by alumna Sharon Moore ’65 will be featured at the Lake Travis Community Library.
Austin American-Statesman
https://atxne.ws/2nupRSC

Philosopher/artist to address ‘lifetime learning’
Fernando Casas ’72, distinguished lecturer of philosophy, will present “How Science and Art Interweave” Feb. 11 and 18 at Blinn College in Brenham.
KWHI.com
http://bit.ly/2nsK9fa

Honors College hires new associate dean
Peter Tschirhart ’05, former assistant director of admissions at Rice, was hired as associate dean of the honors college at Texas State University.
University Star
http://bit.ly/2nuQkzr

BROADCAST

Young coach turns around YES Prep East End’s girls basketball team
Lovett College senior Martin Rather, head girls basketball coach at Houston’s YES Prep East End, is featured. Rice men’s basketball coach Scott Pera, who invited Rather to observe the Owls’ practices and provided coaching tips, is mentioned.
KHOU.com (This story also aired on KYTX-TV in Tyler, Texas.)
http://bit.ly/2nsSBeo

‘Imus in the Morning’
Professor of History Douglas Brinkley discusses President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.
WABC-AM (New York)
http://bit.ly/2DQXKbl (Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast, which aired on more than 60 radio stations.)

KPRC-TV (Houston)
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, discusses the State of the Union address. Jones also comments on Trump’s immigration reform proposal during an appearance on Radio Sputnik, and he is quoted in three stories on the Texas Senate considering penalties for universities that block conservative speakers.
KPRC-TV (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2rShIwF (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)
KTRH-AM (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2DPCum6 (Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)
‘The major change would be restricting chain migration’ — expert
Radio Sputnik
http://bit.ly/2nub6zf
State Senate hearing today focuses on ‘free speech’ at Texas colleges
WOAI.com
http://bit.ly/2nt1fJZ
KRLD-AM (Dallas)
http://bit.ly/2nuwJPR (Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)
KLBJ-AM (Austin, Texas)
http://bit.ly/2E5ekDG (Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)

KPRC-TV (Houston)
Paul Brace, the Clarence L. Carter Professor of Political Science, discussed his expectations for the State of the Union ahead of the address.
http://bit.ly/2s0V3OX (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)
KLBJ-AM (Austin, Texas)
http://bit.ly/2nunD5G (Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)

‘Texas Standard’
Kyle Shelton, director of strategic partnerships for Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, discusses his book “Power Moves: Transportation, Politics and Development in Houston,” which examines the history and impact of Houston’s transportation decisions.
KUT-FM (Austin, Texas)
http://bit.ly/2ntMwON

‘Freakonomics Radio’
Kelly Weinersmith, adjunct faculty member and the former Huxley Fellow in Ecology and Evolution, and her husband, Zach, discuss their book “Soonish.”
WGBH-FM (Boston)
http://bit.ly/2GvK6rL (Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast, which also aired on Hawaii Public Radio.)

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Weak hydrogen bonds key to strong, tough infrastructure
The right mix of hydrogen bonds in polymer and cement composites is critical to making strong, tough and ductile infrastructure material, according to Rice scientists who want to mimic the mechanics of mother-of-pearl and similar natural composites with synthetic materials. Rouzbeh Shahsavari, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering and of materials science and nanoengineering, is quoted. Graduate student Navid Sakhavand is mentioned.
ChemEurope (This article was featured in the Jan. 31 edition of the National Science Foundation’s Science360 News, and it also appeared in Architecture & Design and Materialsgate.)
http://bit.ly/2numPOh

Black first-year students at the nation’s leading research universities
An article mentions Rice had a 30.7 percent increase in black first-year students in 2017 compared with 2016, according to the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education’s research department.
Journal of Blacks in Higher Education
http://bit.ly/2nywjrR

MBA programs with the most women
Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business is mentioned.
Poets and Quants
http://bit.ly/2nuS0sN

There are changes bigger than self-driving cars coming
Bill Fulton, director of Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, authored an op-ed on the future of urban life.
Governing
http://bit.ly/2nyoiTN

Researchers use graphene ink to produce flexible, water-repellent circuits
Pulickel Ajayan, the Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor in Engineering and chair of the Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, was part of a research team that developed new graphene printing technology that can produce electronic circuits that are low-cost, flexible, highly conductive and water-repellent.
Design Engineering
http://bit.ly/2nt5lSg

HPE introduces new set of artificial intelligence platforms and services
Paul Padley, professor of physics and astronomy, is quoted in an article about Hewlitt Packard Enterprise.
Telecom Era
http://bit.ly/2nxxBTY

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Former attorney general Alberto Gonzales to speak at FHU/Dickson
Alumnus Alberto Gonzalez ’79, former U.S. attorney general, will speak March 1 in Dickson, Tenn.
Chester County Independent
http://bit.ly/2nufE8M

Halifax violinist Heemin Choi to play in Cecilia Concerts series
Graduate student Heemin Choi will perform Feb. 4 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Halifax Chronicle-Herald
http://bit.ly/2nvliYa

SPORTS

Remember Sam McGuffie, one of the first YouTube sports stars? He’s an Olympic bobsledder now
Former Rice football and track and field athlete Sam McGuffie ’14 was named to the U.S. men’s bobsled team that will compete in the Winter Olympics in South Korea.
The Big Lead
http://bit.ly/2DQCxhJ

Willson hopes to remain with Seahawks but ‘we’ll see’
Former Rice football player Luke Willson ’12, who plays for the Seattle Seahawks, is featured.
Toronto Sun (This article also appeared in the Calgary Sun and Edmonton Sun.)
http://bit.ly/2DQBwWX

Women’s tennis team aims high
An article on the University of Texas at Arlington women’s tennis team mentions Rice will face the Mavericks this season.
The Shorthorn
http://bit.ly/2nvhQwr

Aggie men 3rd, women 6th in USTFCCCA national team rankings
An article on Texas A&M University track and field mentions Rice will compete in the Charlie Thomas Invitational Feb. 2-3 in College Station, Texas.
KBTX.com
http://bit.ly/2nxP1jk

9 new inductees ready for Pasadena ISD Hall enshrinement
Former Rice football player Calvin Powitzky ’68 will be inducted into the Pasadena ISD Athletic Hall of Fame April 14.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the print edition of the Pasadena Citizen.)
http://bit.ly/2nuXpzV
http://bit.ly/2nvoUJB

Former Razorback Hatfield a wise voice for any football decision
Former Rice football coach Ken Hatfield, who recently was appointed to the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, is featured.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (This column also appeared in the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and Whole Hog Sports.)
http://bit.ly/2nxQRRg

SBART: Things turning around for Gauchos hoopsters
Former Rice men’s basketball assistant coach Louis Reynaud is mentioned.
Santa Barbara News-Press (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2nsHsKw

NEWS RELEASE

Rice’s Baker Institute and its Center for Energy Studies rise in the rankings of global think tanks
Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy is ranked No. 3 among the best university-affiliated think tanks in the world (up from No. 4) and its Center for Energy Studies is ranked No. 1 as the best energy- and resource-based think tank (up from No. 2), according to the 2017 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report published today.
http://bit.ly/2nuKcHl