Dateline Rice for March 26, 2018 (Weekend Edition)

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

After Hurricane Harvey, Texas county rethinks flood-prevention efforts
An article on Harris County mentions a study by Rice and Texas A&M University at Galveston that found Houston flood plain maps failed to predict roughly 75 percent of flood damage from five floods between 1999 and 2009.
Wall Street Journal (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in CetUSNews.)
https://on.wsj.com/2pIHP4G

To make graphite pellets from graphene, crush it
It’s easy and economical to make shiny pellets of graphite from functionalized graphene, according to scientists at Rice. Former Rice graduate student and lead author Mohamad Kabbani is quoted, and Pulickel Ajayan, chair of the Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, the Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor in Engineering and a professor of chemistry, is mentioned.
Futurity (Similar articles appeared in more than 10 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2I7zRtM

Mat ‘baits, hooks and destroys’ pollutants in water
A polymer mat developed at Rice has the ability to fish biologically harmful contaminants from water through a strategy known as “bait, hook and destroy.” Rice photos are featured.
National Science Foundation (This article was the top story in the March 26 edition of the NSF’s Science360 News, and similar stories appeared in more than 10 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2pFAz9S

Doing your homework does lead to better investing returns, academic study suggests
Hedge funds that frequently accessed SEC filings such as annual reports posted better-than-average returns in the following month compared with non-users, according to a working paper from Rice. Findings by co-authors Alan Crane, Kevin Crotty and Tarik Umar, assistant professors of finance, are featured.
MSN.com (A similar article appeared in Bloomberg.)
http://bit.ly/2ITRe2r

House members demand Senate confirm Jim Bridenstine as NASA chief
Alumnus Rep. Jim Bridenstine ’17, the nominee for NASA administrator, is featured.
The Hill
http://bit.ly/2ITGXDl

3 years on, Yemen war at deadly impasse
Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, fellow for the Middle East at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
Al-Monitor (This Agence France-Presse article appeared in more than 10 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2IUWaUA

BITS Pilani-Hyderabad team to compete in RBPC
The Rice Business Plan Competition is featured.
Yahoo! News (This article also appeared in Business Standard, Telangana Today, CanIndia.com and Daijiworld.com.)
http://bit.ly/2pHmKrm

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Rice accepted just 11 percent of applicants this year
Rice’s committee-based evaluation method for processing students’ applications is featured. Yvonne Romero da Silva, vice president for enrollment, is quoted and pictured. President David Leebron is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the March 24 print edition with a different headline, “Rice begins committee-based admissions.”)
http://bit.ly/2pHt16C
http://bit.ly/2I4Nolw

Silent Spills: Environmental damage from Hurricane Harvey is just beginning to emerge
An article on the effects of chemical spills caused by flooding during Hurricane/Tropical Storm Harvey mentions that Rice researchers analyzed soil samples.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in more than 190 media outlets, and it appeared on the front page of the March 25 print edition. The article appeared in a previous edition of Dateline when it was posted online.)
http://bit.ly/2IJa4sX
http://bit.ly/2G3RmKN

Trump’s rapid-fire policy changes leave oil industry guessing
Jim Krane, the Wallace S. Wilson Fellow for Energy Studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared on the front page of the March 24 print edition with a different headline, “Trump’s swift policy changes leave oil industry uncertain.”)
http://bit.ly/2pGH3VP

Veterans Business Battle to shake things up in its 4th year
Veterans Business Battle, co-established by Rice’s Veterans in Business Association and hosted by the university, is featured.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the San Antonio Express-News, and it appeared in the March 24 print edition of the Chronicle as part of a roundup of business news with a different headline, “Sales of new homes decline.” This article appeared in a previous edition of Dateline when it was posted online.)
http://bit.ly/2pyArtD
http://bit.ly/2pBytZp

The race to the world’s 1st ‘exascale’ computer
Jan Odegard, executive director of Rice’s Ken Kennedy Institute for Information Technology, is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the March 25 print edition of the Chronicle with a different headline, “The worldwide race is on for an ‘exascale’ computer,” and it appeared in a previous edition of Dateline when it was posted online.)
http://bit.ly/2pvS9Os

What Trump doesn’t understand about the opioid epidemic
Katharine Neill Harris, the Alfred C. Glassell III Fellow in Drug Policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, authored an op-ed.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Chronicle’s “Gray Matters” online magazine.)
http://bit.ly/2ITyvnj

Hydrogel may help heal diabetic ulcers
A hydrogel that can help the body heal may also be particularly good at treating wounds related to diabetes, new research suggests. Jeffrey Hartgerink, a professor of chemistry and bioengineering, and graduate student Nicole Carrejo are quoted. Graduate students Amanda Moore, Tania Lopez Silva, David Leach, I-Che Li and Douglas Walker are mentioned.
TMC News (This article was featured in the March 26 edition of the TMC Today newsletter, and similar articles appeared in more than 10 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2I3EHrF

These micro-robots do the breaststroke
Rice scientists have discovered what may be the simplest form of locomotion in the travels of micron-scale particles linked and driven by a magnetic field. Sibani Lisa Biswal, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and of materials science and nanoengineering, and Rice alumnus Di Du, now a research statistical analyst at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, are quoted. Graduate student and co-author Elaa Hilou is mentioned.
TMC News (A similar article appeared in Global News Connect.)
http://bit.ly/2I4hk17

Business calendar
“Building a More Resilient Housing System,” an event exploring municipalities’ response to acute disasters such as Hurricane Harvey and approaches to long-term resilience planning, is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/2IT73Gg

Martin Rather, SHSU collaborate to produce ‘The Underreported’
Lovett College senior Martin Rather, who produces a weekly news broadcast at Sam Houston State University that focuses on stories that are overlooked, is featured.
Huntsville Item (This article also appeared in CNHI News.)
http://bit.ly/2I6rvlX

10,000 expected to march
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 stories on the “March for Our Lives” held in Austin to advocate for tougher gun control legislation.
KLBJ
http://bit.ly/2I0Y0lx
KRLD-AM (Dallas)
http://bit.ly/2IW4xPQ (Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)

TISD will honor standout alumni during April events
An article mentions Lanny Chasteen was a lecturer in accounting at Rice.
Texarkana Gazette
http://bit.ly/2pHNmst

Cae en UTEP inscripción de estudiantes Mexicanos
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 a drop in enrollment of Mexican students at the University of Texas at El Paso.
El Diario de El Paso (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/2pHPvEp

BROADCAST

KTRH-AM (Houston)
Kathleen Canning, dean of humanities, is quoted in a story on some universities considering eliminating liberal arts programs.
http://bit.ly/2GdXIYb (Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)

KTRH-AM (Houston)
Richard Stoll, the Albert Thomas Chair in Political Science and scholar at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, discusses the state of democracy across the world.
http://bit.ly/2pGDZcm (Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)

‘Imus in the Morning’
Host Don Imus mentions his son, Lovett College sophomore Wyatt Imus, attends Rice.
WABC-AM (New York)
http://bit.ly/2IUq63l (Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

The major difference between people who live abroad and those who don’t
Living abroad can clarify your sense of self, according to new research by a team of social scientists at Rice, Columbia University and the University of North Carolina.
Travel and Leisure
https://tandl.me/2pGKdce
Navigator: Living abroad
CityLab
http://bit.ly/2pLdgf1

Using solar power to bring clean drinking water to remote areas
Using solar energy and nanoparticles to make saltwater drinkable, researchers from Rice and Yale University developed a system that could potentially be used off-grid in remote areas or in domestic settings. Naomi Halas, the Stanley C. Moore Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and professor of chemistry, bioengineering, physics and astronomy, and of materials science and nanoengineering and the director of Rice’s Smalley-Curl Institute, is quoted. Halas is the leader of nanophotonics research at the Rice-based Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment, where the new system was developed.
Science Blog (Similar articles appeared in more than 10 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2I4QAO4

Consumerism in health care increasing
Rising costs and changing attitudes about convenience and the ability to personalize life choices are driving a trend toward greater consumer purchasing power and individual responsibility in health care services, according to a new issue brief by experts at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. Vivian Ho, the James A. Baker III Institute Chair in Health Economics at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy’s Center for Health and Biosciences, is quoted.
Medical Xpress (A similar article appeared in Tech Explorist.)
http://bit.ly/2ITlhXV

Scientists get the drop on 2-D gallium
The Rice lab of Pulickel Ajayan, chair of the Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, the Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor in Engineering and a professor of chemistry, and colleagues in India created two-dimensional gallenene, a thin film of conductive material that is to gallium what graphene is to carbon. Chandra Sekhar Tiwary, formerly of Rice, is quoted.
Materials Today
http://bit.ly/2IVTGFC

New method gains edge on producing single-crystal-like graphene films
Is there a way to make big sheets of pristine graphene or other two-dimensional materials? The answer is blowing in the wind. Boris Yakobson, the Karl F. Hasselmann Professor of Materials Science and NanoEngineering and a professor of chemistry, is quoted.
Materials Today
http://bit.ly/2I3LaTw

The future is now: Technology disruption in supply chains
Rice scientists who introduced laser-induced graphene have enhanced their technique to produce what may become a new class of edible electronics.
Freight Waves
http://bit.ly/2I7uAlB

Rice University’s architecture lectures view state of an ancient art
This month, Rice’s architecture lecture series will take a close look at modern construction techniques that draw upon the abundant resource right under our feet, earth. Jesús Vassallo, a Rice assistant professor of architecture, is quoted.
Office Insight
http://bit.ly/2ITYpYr

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Indian-American-led research team awarded $10 million NSF grant to develop camera to probe beneath skin
The National Science Foundation awarded $10 million to a Rice-led team that hopes to create wearable and point-of-care microscopes that use on-chip illumination and sensing to noninvasively aid in the diagnosis and monitoring of nearly 100 health conditions that today require a biopsy or blood test. Ashutosh Sabharwal, professor of electrical and computer engineering, is quoted.
India West (Similar articles appeared in more than 10 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2IPRMpQ

Making monitors brighter: Controlling the color of OLEDs
Peter Rossky, the Harry C. and Olga K. Wiess Chair in Natural Sciences, a professor of chemistry and dean of the Wiess School of Natural Sciences, and postdoctoral researcher Lena Simine are mentioned.
Newscaf (A similar article appeared in Phys.org.)
http://bit.ly/2I80iQ2

Opening March 27: ‘Big Botany’ addresses critical role plants play for life on Earth
Timothy Morton, the Rita Shea Guffey Chair in English, will give a lecture May 2 at the University of Kansas.
KU Today
http://bit.ly/2pHiW9O

AmiciMusic presents ‘The Operatic Cello’
Alumnus Lachezar Kostov ’14 will perform April 1 in Black Mountain, N.C.
Black Mountain News
http://bit.ly/2IUP4zd

SPORTS

Kirkpatrick hurls complete-game shutout to lead Tops to series win over Rice
The Rice baseball team went 1-2 in a weekend series against Western Kentucky University at Reckling Park. Pitcher Matt Canterino is pictured and teammates Jackson Parthasarathy and Trei Cruz and head coach Wayne Graham are mentioned in a D1Baseball.com article.
Bowling Green Daily News
http://bit.ly/2I1zfFR
Tops take 2 from Rice
WBKO.com
http://bit.ly/2pGIrb6
D1 Digest
D1Baseball.com
http://bit.ly/2I3HqBp

Track and field: Highlander relay is national leader after win at Rice
The Victor Lopez Classic track meet at Rice is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (This article also appeared in the Courier of Montgomery County.)
http://bit.ly/2IVTVQP

NEWS RELEASES

Rice U. study: Parent satisfaction can be leveraged for SAT gains
Rather than putting in place complex processes and procedures, traditional public schools can easily measure their ability to make SAT gains by assessing customer satisfaction, according to a study by scholars at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business and Texas A&M University’s Mays School of Business.
http://bit.ly/2pK1xgr

Rice U. ecologist available to speak about world biodiversity report
Rice ecologist Amy Dunham is available to speak about the landmark global biodiversity assessment reports released by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Medellín, Colombia. The reports show that biodiversity — the essential variety of life forms on Earth — continues to decline in every region of the world.
http://bit.ly/2I6T4vv