Dateline Rice for May 2, 2018

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Energy expert laughs at idea Kinder Morgan delay caused high gas prices
Kenneth Medlock, senior director of the Center for Energy Studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted in an article about rising gas prices across the United States and Canada.
MSN (This article also appeared in the The Star Vancouver.)
http://bit.ly/2KsUHFI

Where should we talk about learning innovation and postsecondary change
A tweet by Joshua Eyler, director of Rice’s Center for Teaching Excellence and adjunct associate professor of humanities, inspired this blog about how to study changes in higher education through the lens of learning.
Inside Higher Ed
http://bit.ly/2FAmTTA

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Saudi Aramco adds big names, first female director to board
Alumna Lynn Elsenhans ’78 has become the first woman director of the state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco.
Houston Business Journal (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2FB3Qsk

Kendrick Lamar confronts black death [Opinion]
Anthony Pinn, the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and professor of religion and fellow at Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, authored an op-ed exploring the depth and impact of the work Pulitzer Prize-winning lyricist Kendrick Lamar.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2FBUgFl

Harris County votes in favor of Aug. 25 for multi-billion-dollar flood control bond election
An article about a referendum to fund flood mitigation efforts in Houston cites a Rice study that found less than 10 percent of Houston-area residents suffered serious damage to their homes during Hurricane Harvey, and almost 49 percent of those surveyed did not support an increase in property taxes to pay for flood control projects.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2Iadyax

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 about the likely support of Mayor Sylvester Turner’s proposal to collect more revenue than allowed by the property tax cap. Jones is also quoted in an article about Texas employers’ use of E-Verify, the digital system that confirms authorization to work in the U.S. by comparing application information to federal records. Jones is interviewed in a broadcast about concerns over Katy Idependent School Disctrict Superintendent Lance Hindt’s dissertation.
Turner raises idea of adjusting revenue cap to fund more police
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2FAdETv
Most Texas employers skip E-Verify when hiring
Weatherford Democrat
http://bit.ly/2FBLd7l
KRIV-TV (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2KqH1Lz (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)

Advocates pressure Harris County on equity, transparency with flood mitigation
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, is quoted in an article about the possibility of bonds to fund flood mitigation projects such as home buyouts, a third Houston reservoir and bayou widening.
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/2I5vz9L

In Houston’s labyrinths, pilgrims find a connection to the ancient and to themselves
An article mentions Rice’s Boniuk Institute for Religious Tolerance.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2JM4dTt

BROADCAST

Expected energy demands this summer cause statewide concern
Peter Hartley, the George and Cynthia Mitchell Chair in Sustainable Development, is interviewed in a “Houston Matters” segment about changes needed to Texas’ power grid amid record demand for energy.
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/2JJUAV5 

May Day protesters rally for Houston’s immigrant workers
Stephen Klineberg, professor of sociology and founding director of Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, is quoted in a segment about how Houston has benefited from immigration.
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/2JMdDyf

WSCL-AM (Salisbury, Md.)
Stude Concert Hall at Rice’s Shepherd School of Music is mentioned.
http://bit.ly/2jkRbRA (Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Graphene future begins to pay off for Dotz Nano
James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Chair in Chemistry and a professor of computer science and of materials science and nanoengineering, is mentioned in an article about advances in graphene-focused technology companies.
Small Caps
http://bit.ly/2JGvBSH

Sound Bites: Frederick Ballentine
Alumnus Frederick Ballentine ’14 is featured and pictured.
Opera News
http://bit.ly/2JIFizU

Science conversation, not communication
Graduate student Laura Carter authored an article about the disconnect between scientists and the general public. Rice’s CampSpark is mentioned in a caption.
American Geophysical Union
http://bit.ly/2JJ5muI

4 trends advancing medtech
Eric Richardson, lecturer and director of Global Medical Innovation, is quoted.
Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry
http://bit.ly/2JJ5RoA

Aaron Blake comes to Feinstein’s/54 Below this June!
An article mentions that Aaron Blake attended Rice’s Shepherd School of Music.
Broadway
http://bit.ly/2JJX9GH

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Balancing online privacy and connection at Stanford Medicine X | Ed
Kirsten Ostherr, the Gladys Louise Fox Professor of English and director of Rice’s Medical Futures Lab, is featured and pictured. Ostherr spoke April 29 at Stanford’s Medicine X | Ed about about how health information can be vulnerable on the internet.
Stanford Medicine’s Scope Blog
https://stan.md/2JG81Fq

California’s local government meat grinder
Bill Fulton, director of Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, is interviewed about his sixth book on urban planning and politics, “Talk City: A Chronicle of Political Life in an All-American Town.”
California Planning and Development Report
http://bit.ly/2jpgG42

From Ankara, without love: The battle for Turkey reaches Texas charter schools
William Martin, the Harry and Hazel Chavanne Senior Fellow in Religion and Public Policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted in an article about Texas charter schools.
The Yale Politic
http://bit.ly/2jmNnPN

Engineering’s Emily Day earns NSF Career Award
Alumna Emily Day ’11 is featured and pictured after receiving a National Science Foundation Career Award to engineer membrane-wrapped nanoparticles for targeted RNA delivery to breast cancer cells.
University of Delaware Daily
http://bit.ly/2KroH4Q

Straughan addresses alumni opening assembly, ODK holds spring initiation
Alumna Robyn McCord O’Brien ’93 is featured and pictured.
Washington and Lee University News Office
http://bit.ly/2JKNi3g

Deep VISTA
Tim Morton, the Rita Shea Guffey Chair in English, will participate in a panel discussion.
SuckerPunchDaily.com
http://bit.ly/2KthCkn

Leading comprehensive, refractive and pediatric ophthalmologist Tam Dang is to be recognized as a 2018 Top Doctor in Texas
Alumnus Tam Dang ’03 received the 2018 Top Doctor in Texas award.
Menafn.com
http://bit.ly/2JM9qdZ

What every executive needs to know
Richard Baraniuk, the Victor E. Cameron Professor of Electrical and Computer  Engineering and founder of OpenStax, a Rice-based publisher of open educational resources, participated in a panel discussion at the Enaxis Leadership Forum.
CloudTweaks.com
http://bit.ly/2jpWXkS

Tech professor to lead state history association
Alumnus Elaine Thompson ’97 was elected vice president of the Louisiana Historical Association.
News at Louisiana Tech
http://bit.ly/2Ku50cF

Homer Walker elected a fellow of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
Alumnus Homer Walker ’66 is featured and pictured. Former Rice professor J.E. Dennis is mentioned.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute News
http://bit.ly/2FAfbc9

History of black schools topic of ‘One Community’ talk at Prizery
Alumnus Andrew Canady ’09 is featured.
The Gazette-Virginian
http://bit.ly/2jmCZYc

In defense of New Age — real magic 
An article mentions that Gregory Shaw, a professor of religious studies at Stonehill College, spoke at Rice.
Medium.com
http://bit.ly/2JKbJ17

SPORTS

The 2003 Detroit Tigers, one of the worst MLB teams ever, provide rebuilding teams lessons to learn from 15 years later
Former Rice baseball player Jeff Niemann is mentioned.
CBSSports.com
https://cbsprt.co/2FAbsew

HS GOLF: Trinity boys, girls win state title; MCS boys finish second
Austin Escamilla, who captured his second-straight individual state title in golf and plans to play for Rice, is featured.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2FBihfR
‘CBS 7 Morning News’
KOSA-TV (Odessa)
http://bit.ly/2KvKDM3 (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)

Spectrum News Austin
Rice baseball is mentioned.
http://bit.ly/2joq8VA (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)

NEWS RELEASE

Baker Institute expert: Unconventional oil and gas development ‘dramatically more transportation-intensive’
Unconventional oil and gas development, which employs horizontal drilling and fracking, is dramatically more transportation-intensive than prior hydrocarbon development models, according to an expert in the Center for Energy Studies at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
https://bit.ly/2JLEj1S