Dateline Rice for April 11, 2019

FEATURED ITEM

Houston-area chemical fires draw attention to lax safety laws
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 interviewed about the recent ITC industrial park fire in Houston.
NPR (This “Morning Edition” segment aired on over 970 affiliate stations across the U.S.)
https://n.pr/2Ggj3Cu

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Illuminating water filtration could reduce the energy cost of desalination
An article about reducing the cost of water filtration mentions that scientists at Rice are developing off-grid solar desalination plants for large communities.
Forbes
http://bit.ly/2Gj7fj7

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Cannabis can treat Texans. Will the Legislature listen? [Opinion]
William Martin, the Harry and Hazel Chavanne Senior Fellow in Religion and Public Policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and the Chavanne Emeritus Professor of Sociology, and Katharine Neill Harris, the Alfred C. Glassell III Fellow in Drug Policy at the Baker Institute, co-authored an op-ed about the possibility of the Texas Legislature passing bills allowing access to medical cannabis.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the April 11 print edition.)
http://bit.ly/2IqVkRJ

Trump signs executive orders to boost energy industry
Michael Maher, senior program adviser for the Center for Energy Studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the April 11 print edition, and it appeared in the San Antonio Express-News.)
http://bit.ly/2IrW3BX

Drainage projects to cost Friendswood $32 million, committee presents projects after months of research
An article mentions that the Friendswood drainage committee worked with Phil Bedient, the Herman Brown Professor of Engineering and director of Rice’s Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center, to help determine ways to decrease flooding in the area.
Community Impact Newspaper
http://bit.ly/2ItjhrI

Space City: NASA builds its empire outside of Houston
An article about the role of Houston in the development of the space industry mentions that Rice donated land in 1961 that would later become NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center. Rice Centennial Historian Melissa Kean ’96 is quoted. The late alumnus George R. Brown, who was chairman of the Rice Board of Trustees at the time of the land donation, and the late alumnus and former U.S. Rep. Albert Thomas are mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (This article also appeared in more than 25 other media outlets, and it appeared in a previous edition of Dateline.)
http://bit.ly/2IrC3zw

How tech boot camps can help solve the Houston innovation equation
Robert Bruce, the dean of Rice’s Glasscock School of Continuing Studies, authored a column about the school’s data analytics boot camp and mentions Rice’s Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship.
InnovationMap
http://bit.ly/2Iq4Q7D

Texas congressman Pete Olson wears unique pin while greeting President Trump in Crosby 
Alumnus Rep. Pete Olson ’85, R-Texas, is featured and pictured.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in more than 25 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2IpRvME
http://bit.ly/2IrVpo1

All Texans in Congress now have money to pay interns. Will they?
An article mentions that U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, spoke to Rice students in February.
Texas Tribune (This article also appeared in the Gilmer Mirror, MyHighPlains.com and The Eagle.)
http://bit.ly/2Ir5DoQ

Mike Pence to hold fundraisers in Dallas, Midland next week
Vice President Mike Pence’s speech on the political turmoil and economic crisis in Venezuela April 5 at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy is mentioned.
Texas Tribune
http://bit.ly/2Isqx79

Elizabeth Avellán plants seeds of change through ‘Connecther’ film fest
Alumna Elizabeth Avellán is featured and pictured.
Austin360
https://atxne.ws/2Gfyyul

Retiring professor built school’s maritime program
Alumnus Stephen Curley is featured and pictured.
Dallas Morning News (This article appeared in the April 8 print edition.)
http://bit.ly/2IyyI1R

Queer things to do in Houston this weekend: April 11-14, 2019
An LGBTQ events roundup mentions that Rice’s Pride Week, which runs through April 14, includes panels, affinity lunches and a drag show.
OutSmart
http://bit.ly/2GiBkiQ

WE seniors named National Merit finalists
Rice is mentioned.
Sachse News (This article also appeared in Murphy Monitor.)
http://bit.ly/2GgvK0n

BROADCAST

Politics and voting in the Lone Star state
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 interviewed by The Takeaway about the possible impact of Texas on the 2020 presidential election, and he is interviewed by KRLD about the Texas Legislature possibly capping property taxes.
The Takeaway (This segment aired on 280 stations across the U.S.)
http://bit.ly/2Gh2iHe
KRLD-AM (Dallas)
http://bit.ly/2Gji1pp (This segment aired 12 times.)

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas wants clinics to do things differently, so it’s opening its own
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 interviewed about Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas’ plan to open 10 clinics.
Houston Public Media (This “Houston Matters” segment aired twice.)
http://bit.ly/2GglFAu

National Poetry Month: ‘Modern Blessing’ by Leslie Contreras Schwartz
Alumna Leslie Contreras Schwartz is featured and pictured.
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/2Gh2OVG

‘Fox 26 News at Noon’
An article mentions that students from Rice will be showing their inventions at an engineering design showcase.
KRIV-TV (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2GhNHLX

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Tech: Engineers show faster techniques to model atom-flat materials for bottom-up design (report)
An article features researchers at Rice’s Brown School of Engineering who say they can make “reasonably accurate” predictions of the physical characteristics, like strength, of new 2D materials even after they’re damaged by radiation and high temperatures. Rouzbeh Shahsavari, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering and of materials science and nanoengineering, and graduate student Prabhas Hundi are quoted.
Tdnews (This article also appeared in Science Daily and 7thSpace Interactive.)
http://bit.ly/2GfBOpz

Awards for outstanding women in engineering in 2018
An article mentions that alumna Saheba Bhatnagar ’18 received the Outstanding Collegiate Member Award from the Society of Women Engineers.
Society of Women Engineer
http://bit.ly/2Gj3Osz

Scientists use CRISPR for possible ‘bubble boy’ therapy
An article about a successful CRISPR-Cas9 gene therapy study in mice mentions that experts from Rice contributed to the research.
Stanford Medical Center Report
https://stan.md/2GkMSlH

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

At the shelter
Sydney Lamb, the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor Emeritus of Linguistics and Cognitive Sciences, is quoted.
State Gazette
http://bit.ly/2GgmpFD

Shell Eco-Marathon competitors stretch fuel mileage
An article mentions that a Rice student was awarded a Southwest Research Institute Scholarship at the Shell Eco-Marathon Americas Mileage Challenge at Sonoma Raceway.
Martinez News-Gazette
http://bit.ly/2Gg7tr0

SAU Symphony Orchestra has spring concert April 2
Graduate student Geoffrey Herd is featured and pictured.
The Chattanoogan
http://bit.ly/2GhghNj

Steinway Piano Gallery to close
Alumnus Ben Garber is featured.
Madison.com
http://bit.ly/2GhhQuU

SPORTS

Rice’s Hanna Huston earns C-USA Spirit of Service Award
An article featuring Rice swimmer Hanna Huston mentions that she was one of 14 Conference USA student-athletes to receive the league’s Air Force Reserve Winter Spirit of Service Award.
SwimSwam
http://bit.ly/2Iu7t8n

Texas takes down Rice behind senior Matteo Bocchi and his new pitching motion
The Rice baseball team lost to the University of Texas 3-1 on April 9 in Austin.
Austin American-Statesman
http://bit.ly/2IriPdm
The Final Pitch: Texas 3, Rice 1
Austin American-Statesman
http://bit.ly/2Irn0FV
Longhorn bullpen plays large role in win over Rice
The Daily Texan
http://bit.ly/2IsqBDC
Texas pitchers combine for rock solid performance in home win over Rice
HornSports
http://bit.ly/2IyvOKv 
No. 14 Texas aiming to play consistently clean brand of baseball
247Sports.com
http://bit.ly/2Ghnjll

Peterson: There’s more than breaking up passes to Iowa State’s latest grad-transfer recruit
Former Rice football player Justin Bickham is featured.
DesMoinesRegister.com
http://bit.ly/2IqLXRT

Meet the 10 girls selected to the Courier Journal’s first-team All-State basketball squad
An article mentions that Lauren Schwartz plans to play basketball at Rice.
Courier Journal
http://bit.ly/2Iu9Acj

Big 12 Conference poised to vote ‘no’ on third assistant
An article mentions former Rice athletics director Chris Del Conte.
D1Baseball.com
http://bit.ly/2Z4kcVf

Dunbar ‘stays open’ in Lubbock ISD Hall of Honor
An article mentions that former Rice assistant football coach David Moody will be inducted into the Lubbock Independent School District Hall of Honor June 15.
LubbockOnline.com
http://bit.ly/2GhGVpv

Centaurs motivated by defense of soccer title
An article mentions Rice soccer player Ziyana Samanani.
The Tri-City News
http://bit.ly/2GiIovS

NEWS RELEASES

2D borophene gets a closer look
Researchers at Rice and Northwestern universities have developed a method to view 2D borophene crystals, which can have many lattice configurations — called polymorphs — that in turn determine their characteristics. Knowing how to achieve specific polymorphs could help manufacturers incorporate borophene with desirable electronic, thermal, optical and other physical properties into products.
http://bit.ly/2InhowB

How will tropical mammals react to rising temperatures?
In a study published online this week in Global Ecology and Biogeography, Rice ecologist and lead author Lydia Beaudrot and co-authors from a dozen institutions examined how 36 mammal species on three continents reacted to changing temperatures at specific places in their local habitats from 2007-15.
http://bit.ly/2ImPAsa

Arab Spring failed to deliver on hopes, Baker Institute survey finds
The Arab Spring protests of 2010-12 failed to deliver what many in the Middle East and North Africa region hoped they would, according to a new survey and paper from Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. However, the study’s authors found marked variation in how people from different nations in the region view the protests and uprisings.
http://bit.ly/2IugT3J