Dateline Rice for Feb. 8, 2018

FEATURED ITEM

National Academy of Engineering elects 83 members and 16 foreign members
Pedro Alvarez, director of Rice’s NEWT Center and the George R. Brown Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
Scienmag
http://bit.ly/2BhNy91

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

The Daily 202: Short-term spending bills epitomize congressional dysfuncion and hurt the military
Professor of History Douglas Brinkley is quoted in a roundup of political news. He also discussed President Donald Trump’s plans to hold a military parade on National Public Radio’s “AirTalk” and is quoted in an article on the topic.
Washington Post
http://wapo.st/2EalFOL
The symbolism behind President Trump’s call for a grand military parade
SCPR.org (This broadcast aired on more than 700 radio stations.)
http://bit.ly/2Bg8Bsy
Trump vuole una parata militare: il Pentagono pianifica il progetto
Blasting News (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/2BhKxpk

New projections play up coal while downplaying renewables — that’s not reality
Daniel Cohan, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, authored an op-ed on the latest Annual Energy Outlook released by the Energy Information Administration.
The Hill
http://bit.ly/2BkaZyO

When a breach is not a breach
Kirsten Ostherr, professor of English and director of Rice’s Medical Futures Lab, authored an op-ed on exposure of personal information in the digital age.
Slate
http://slate.me/2ErxTGb

Stunning new images mapping an ancient Mayan ‘megalopolis’ reveal the site where thousands of pyramids and palaces now lay hidden beneath thick jungle foliage in Guatemala
An article mentions a study co-authored by André Droxler, professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, that found drought was a likely cause of the decline of Mayan civilization.
Daily Mail
http://dailym.ai/2BigjT4

HOUSTON/TEXAS

College STEM researchers in Houston learn to write, talk like non-experts
Carolyn Nichol, director of Rice’s Office of STEM Engagement and lecturer of chemistry, is quoted. A workshop on the communication of science co-hosted by Rice and a STEM outreach class on campus are mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2Bi8rks
Gender, diversity gaps persist in STEM
Nichol is quoted. Design Connect Create, a physics camp held at Rice, is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2BhAtN4

Programs, workshops, even graduate degrees help K-12 teachers get fluent in STEM
An article on STEM training for teachers mentions programs offered by the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies and the Rice Office of STEM Engagement. Patricia Reiff, professor of physics and astronomy and director of Rice’s Master of Science Teaching Program for K-12 teachers, is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2BiKrxN

Appeals court reinstates indictments against top Montgomery County leader Doyal, 2 others
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 a state appeals court reinstating indictments alleging Montgomery County officials violated an open meetings law. Jones also is quoted in articles on Texas gubernatorial candidate Mark White, Republican infighting and fundraising advantages held by incumbent candidates for state representative.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Feb. 8 print edition with a different headline, “Charge against Doyal is back on.”)
http://bit.ly/2BfdN01
Andrew White gains momentum in quest for Democratic nomination for governor
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/2BjguxF
Republicans dominate Tarrant County and Texas. So why are they fighting?
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
http://bit.ly/2Eth0uQ
Boosted by PACs, incumbents running for Texas House outraise rivals
Tyler Morning Telegraph
http://bit.ly/2BhafdC

Energy lobbyists increase pressure on Congress to speed up permitting
Ken Medlock, the James A. Baker III and Susan Baker Fellow in Energy and Resource Economics and senior director of the Center for Energy Studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and lecturer of economics, is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2EuREg7
http://bit.ly/2EuMeBU

Report: Dems dominate foreign-born voters
Robert Stein, the Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science, is quoted in an article on analysis that shows congressional districts with large foreign-born populations are strongly Democratic.
KTRH.com
http://bit.ly/2BhJAxg
KTRH-AM (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2BhLUnY (Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)

Cryptominers in Houston spin virtual currency with video cards
Dan Wallach, professor of computer science and of electrical and computer engineering and a Rice Faculty Scholar at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2BhtjIB

The past lives of AvantGarden
An article mentions Howard Hughes attended Rice.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Preview Houston section in the Feb. 8 print edition of the Chronicle and was included in a previous edition of Dateline when it was posted online.)
http://bit.ly/2E7IiDy
http://bit.ly/2E8vc9k

Art gallery and museum listings: Feb. 8-14
“Josiah McElheny: Island Universe,” “Leo Villareal: Particle Chamber” and “Pile the Wood High!” at Rice’s Moody Center for the Arts are mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Preview Houston section in the Feb. 8 print edition of the Chronicle and was included in a previous edition of Dateline when it was posted online.)
http://bit.ly/2E4Jh7t
http://bit.ly/2E9s9NS

Solutions: Small device promises big fix
A wireless, battery-less pacemaker that can be implanted directly into a patient’s heart was introduced by researchers from Rice and their colleagues. Aydin Babakhani, former assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering; graduate student Yuxiang Sun; Behnaam Aazhang, the J.S. Abercrombie Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering; and Joseph Cavallaro, professor of electrical and computer engineering and computer science, are mentioned.
TMC News (This article appeared in the Texas Medical Center’s TMC Pulse newsletter, and it appeared in a previous edition of Dateline when it was posted online.)
http://bit.ly/2E8Qm7d

Microcuentos tell big stories at Lawndale Art Center
“Between Love and Madness,” an exhibition of “micro-cuentos” (small comic books) organized by Christopher Sperandio, associate professor of visual and dramatic arts, in collaboration with Rice students is featured.
Houstonia
http://bit.ly/2Bi6HHW

Fast-spinning spheres show nanoscale systems’ secrets
Spin a merry-go-round fast enough and the riders fly off in all directions. But the spinning particles in the Rice lab of chemical engineer Sibani Lisa Biswal do the opposite. Biswal, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and of materials science and nanoengineering, and graduate student Elaa Hilou, co-author of the study, are quoted. Rice graduate alumnus Di Du, now a research statistical analyst at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and graduate student Steve Kuei, co-authors of the paper, are also mentioned.
Houston Style Magazine (Similar articles appeared in more than 10 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2BLvbKX

Sweet spots
James Turrell’s “Twilight Epiphany” Skyspace on the Suzanne Deal Booth Centennial Pavilion at Rice is mentioned.
OutSmart
http://bit.ly/2Bgadm6

Candidatos intensifican campañas en México ante reñida elección presidencial
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 Mexico’s upcoming presidential election.
Al Dia Dallas (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/2BhO9Yj

BROADCAST

Full show: DREAMers and mental health, and discovering lost civilizations with lasers
Two Rice experts appeared on different segments of “Houston Matters.” 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, discusses a federal budget proposal that includes almost $90 billion in disaster relief and its potential impact on Houston’s recovery efforts following Hurricane/Tropical Storm Harvey. Luz Garcini, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Psychology, discusses the impact of the uncertain future facing Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program recipients on their mental health.
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/2BjRR3Z

KTRH-AM (Houston)
John Diamond, director of the Center for Public Finance at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted on federal government spending.
http://bit.ly/2Bg0A78 (Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)

WSCL-FM (Salisbury, Md.)
Alumna Jade Simmons ’03 hosts “Performance Today.”
http://bit.ly/2BMEie5 (Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

How business school deans would change MBA rankings
Peter Rodriguez, dean of Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, is quoted.
Poets and Quants
http://bit.ly/2BfiyXr

Quantum dots display promise for polymers
Rice scientists plan to employ the power of the sun to build functional synthetic polymers using photosensitive quantum dots — microscopic semiconducting particles — as a catalyst. Eilaf Egap, an assistant professor of materials science and nanoengineering and chemical and biomolecular engineering, is quoted. Postdoctoral researcher and lead author Yiming Huang and graduate student Yifan Zhu are mentioned.
Nanowerk (This article also appeared in Phys.org and Tech Explorist.)
http://bit.ly/2EqJPrM

White graphene added to ceramics can give them outstanding properties
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.
Designfax
http://bit.ly/2BMpEDE

New research yields super-strong aluminum alloy
Researchers created a super-strong aluminum alloy that rivals the strength of stainless steel. Edwin Thomas, professor of materials science and nanoengineering and of chemical and biomolecular engineering, is a co-author of the study.
Designfax
http://bit.ly/2BOTh7i

New York Philharmonic returns to Bravo! Vail featuring Laura Osnes and more
Frank Huang, artist teacher of violin, will perform as a soloist at Bravo! Vail July 25 in Vail, Colo.
Broadway World
http://bit.ly/2GWmc8R

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Top 20 colleges worth the cost: Princeton Review
Rice is No. 17 on the Princeton Review’s “Colleges That Pay You Back” ranking.
ThinkAdvisor
http://bit.ly/2Bjjha7

CPRIT awards Acelerox grant to develop PEG-HCC nanoparticle for treatment of chemotherapy-induced hearing loss
An article mentions poly(ethylene glycol)-functionalized hydrophilic carbon clusters
Were developed 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. Tour also is mentioned in an article on Weebit Nano.
Ridgway Record (This article appeared in more than 20 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2Bjn0o9
Weebit Nano takes another step toward next generation of memory technology
Small Caps
http://bit.ly/2EvT9Le

Vets can apply to join Business Battle
Applications are being accepted for the Veterans Business Battle, which was established by a group of Houston entrepreneurs and Rice University’s Veterans in Business Association.
New Hampshire Union Leader
http://bit.ly/2BfFyFH

A bevy of local, national firms help keep Northern Ky.’s economic engines churning
Rice’s participation in the Seed Accelerator Rankings Project is mentioned.
The Lane Report
http://bit.ly/2Erw4ZR

Professors by day, artists by night
Alumnus Edward Richards ’72 is featured.
LSU Now
http://bit.ly/2EvPMny

Unwoven Light
Artist Soo Sunny Park’s installation “Unwoven Light,” on display at Rice Gallery in 2013, is featured.
The Word Is Mine
http://bit.ly/2BQz6Ge

SPORTS

Rice signees will get instant chance to play
The Rice football team signed 17 players Feb. 7. Head coach Mike Bloomgren and defensive coordinator Brian Smith are quoted. Signees Wiley Green, Parker Towns, Shawn Stankavage, Clay Servin, Cole Garcia, Derek Ferraro, Jake Syptak, Ja’Quez Battley, Antonio Montero, Kebreyun Page, Prudencio Calderon, Treshawn Chamberlain, Cameron Valentine and Ikenna Enechukwu are mentioned. Rice’s signing class also is mentioned in several other articles.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Feb. 8 print edition with a different headline, “Newcomers to get instant chance to play.”)
http://bit.ly/2BOlLyh
National Signing Day recap for Houston and Texas colleges
KPRC.com
http://bit.ly/2BMhE5Q
Live updates: National Signing Day
KHOU.com
http://bit.ly/2BKP4S8
KRIV-TV (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2EcDO2K (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)
Signing day: The Woodlands sees 46 sign with colleges
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/2Bjtp2D
Mansfield ISD shines on nationwide signing day
Fort Worth Star-Telegram (This article also appeared in the Lockport Press, Luxora Leader and Kaplan Herald.)
http://bit.ly/2shjIyx
State signing day roundup: Houston, UTSA, SMU, UNT ink top-100 classes
Austin American-Statesman
https://atxne.ws/2shk4VT
4 Rattlers sign letters of intent
San Marcos Daily Record
http://bit.ly/2shGAhx
National signing day: Titans form their largest signing class
Port Arthur News
http://bit.ly/2sgYqRX
National signing day winners and losers across Texas
San Angelo Live
http://bit.ly/2shUErp
Conroe ISD student-athletes participate in National Signing Day 2018
Woodlands Online
http://bit.ly/2Bjwuzp
National signing day with Eden Prairie’s Antonio Montero, Benny Sapp III, Joe Schreiber, etc.
KSTP.com
http://bit.ly/2sfV6qb
KSTP-TV (Minneapolis)
http://bit.ly/2Bl7EiC (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)
Emerald’s Chamberlain finds home at Rice University
Index-Journal
http://bit.ly/2Bl2hjs
Northwest celebrates Pitre, Jackson’s next chapter
Rice signee August Pitre is featured.
Daily World
http://bit.ly/2BiwCPR
KATC-TV (Lafayette, La.)
http://bit.ly/2BhS737 (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)
National signing day for South Texas athletes
KZTV10.com
http://bit.ly/2sgq0P3
Signing day notes: Vista Ridge’s Jaylen Thomas lone local football player off to Air Force
The Gazette
http://bit.ly/2skWx6q

A&M edges Auburn; Villanova, Purdue stumble
A roundup of college basketball games mentions the Rice women’s team lost to Louisiana Tech University 77-55 Feb. 7 in Ruston, La.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/2EvP0qi
Techsters use balanced effort to defeat Rice
Shreveport Times
http://bit.ly/2sfuLZf

Sports: 3 storylines to watch in MT Athletics this weekend
An article on Middle Tennessee State University sports mentions the Rice men’s basketball team’s upcoming game against the Blue Raiders.
MTSU Sidelines
http://bit.ly/2smHidA

2018 conference previews: Conference USA
The Rice baseball team is mentioned. Head coach Wayne Graham, players Dominic DiCaprio, Ford Proctor, Matt Canterino, Ricardo Salinas, Trei Cruz and Branden Comeaux are mentioned.
Baseball America
http://bit.ly/2sfvAkN

Best in Texas stadiums: Can anyone offer a college football experience like the Aggies’ Kyle Field does?
Rice Stadium is mentioned.
Dallas Morning News (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2BiaiFW

Former football player hoping for bobsled gold
Former Rice football and track and field athlete Sam McGuffie ’14, who was named to the U.S. men’s bobsled team that will compete in the Winter Olympics in South Korea, is featured.
Daily Item
http://bit.ly/2BhPH4x
KTHR-AM (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2BiUvH5 (Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)

Central Saanich’s Jake Ounsted signs with UMass to play college football
Former Rice football player Christian Covington is mentioned.
Peninsula News Review (This article also appeared in Sooke News Mirror, Saanich News, Oak Bay News and Victoria News.)
http://bit.ly/2Bi9ErW

NEWS RELEASES

Quantum dots display promise for polymers
Rice scientists plan to employ the power of the sun to build functional synthetic polymers using photosensitive quantum dots — microscopic semiconducting particles — as a catalyst. The luminescent dots are only a few nanometers wide, but are highly tunable for their unique optical and electronic properties. They are beginning to show up in modern displays, but lend themselves to industrial chemistry as well.
http://bit.ly/2BLUVGY

Age of genetically engineered humans has begun
International Darwin Day is Feb. 12 and marks the 209th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, the “Father of Evolution.” Rice evolutionary biologist Scott Solomon is available to comment on directed human evolution through genetic engineering, ongoing human evolution through natural selection and other means and the need for new research into human evolution.
http://bit.ly/2BORa3m

Rice hosts innovative conference on braille reading and writing
Robert Englebretson, department chair and associate professor of linguistics at Rice, and research partner Simon Fischer-Baum, assistant professor of psychology, are hoping to launch greater investigations into what braille can teach researchers about how the brain works with an upcoming Scientia Small Conference on Interdisciplinary Research Perspectives on Braille Reading and Writing, a series of lectures and workshops to be held March 8-10 in Rice Memorial Center’s Farnsworth Pavilion.
http://bit.ly/2EaWfkp

Fast-spinning spheres show nanoscale systems’ secrets
Spin a merry-go-round fast enough and the riders fly off in all directions. But the spinning particles in the Rice lab of chemical engineer Sibani Lisa Biswal do the opposite. The experiments show micron-sized spheres coming together under the influence of a rapidly spinning magnetic field, which is no surprise because the particles themselves are magnetized. But how they come together is of interest as the particles first gather into a disorganized aggregated cluster and then into a crystal-like regimen as the magnetic field becomes stronger.
http://bit.ly/2E8zUnq