Dateline Rice for Dec. 4, 2019

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Mystery surrounds scientist and gene-edited babies
An article about gene editing in humans mentions Michael Deem, the John W. Cox Professor of Biochemical and Genetic Engineering and a professor of physics and astronomy, and that He Jiankui, the Chinese scientist who claimed he produced the first genetically engineered twins, attended Rice.
Voice of America (Similar articles also appeared in the Daily Mail and Headlinez Pro.)
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-deem
Never-seen-before extracts from ‘outrageous’ research of disgraced scientist He Jiankui
Express Digest (This article also appeared in 10 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-deem2

HOUSTON/TEXAS

With presidential run over, how much influence does Beto O’Rourke have in Texas races?
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.
El Paso Times (This article also appeared in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.)
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-jones-ept

As early voting begins, second round of Sylvester Turner-Tony Buzbee mayoral runoff much quieter
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Chronicle’s Kingwood Observer and a previous edition of Dateline when it was first posted online.)

http://dateline.rice/dec-4-jones

O’Rourke is now campaigning against Republicans in Texas Legislature

WOAI.iheart.com
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-jones-woai
WOAI-AM (San Antonio)
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-jones-woai2i (The radio segment aired six times.)

At 50 years, Moody Rambin rolls with the changes in Houston commercial real estate
Stephen Fox, lecturer of architecture, is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the San Antonio Express-News and the San Francisco Chronicle.)
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-fox

‘The Fierce Urgency of Now!’ Speaker Series
An article mentions that Mahmoud El-Gamal, professor of Islamic economics, finance and management and professor of economics and statistics, will participate in a panel discussion at “The Fierce Urgency of Now!” Speaker Series Dec. 6 in Houston.
The Buzz Magazines
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-el-gamal

Drs. Yao, Razavi named National Academy of Inventors fellows
Mehdi Razavi, adjunct assistant professor of bioengineering, has been elected a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.
Baylor College of Medicine News  (This article also appeared in Scienmag, Satoshi Nakamoto, Mirage News and Bioengineer.)
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-razavi

Small manufacturers make up more than a quarter of Houston manufacturing sector: Report
Research by Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research is cited.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in more than 25 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-kinder-study
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-kinder-study2

Conroe Symphony Orchestra celebrates ‘Christmas at the Movies’ Dec. 14
Alumnus Jacob Sustaita is featured.
Houston Chronicle (This article also appeared in more than 25 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-sustaita

Comedian Ali Wong is bringing the Milk and Money Tour to San Antonio next year

An article cites the Rice Thresher.
San Antonio Current
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-thresher

The historic West Mansion — a remnant of Houston’s cattle ranching, oil and space eras — is razed
An article about the West Mansion in Clear Lake mentions that Rice once owned the property.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Dec. 4 print editions of the Chronicle’s Pasadena Citizen and Bay Area Citizen.) 
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-west

Holiday events 2019: 11 ways to enjoy the holidays around Bellaire, Meyerland and West University
A Houston-area holiday events roundup mentions that the third annual Rice Village Sing Off, a holiday-themed a cappella competition Dec. 13, will include the Rice University Philharmonics and Rice Apollos.
Community Impact Newspaper
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-a-capella

In the footsteps of the past: Historic District
An article featuring the former Rice Hotel mentions that it was owned and developed by William Marsh Rice.
Downtown Houston
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-willy

‘Fun With Chemistry’ at Carnegie
An article features the “Fun With Chemistry” seminar program run by Rice’s Department of Chemistry. Graduate students and seminar presenters Katie Miller and Nicole Behnke are quoted and pictured.
The Buzz Magazines
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-chemistry

‘The Music of Mieczyslaw Weinberg’: Performance and panel discussion
An article mentions that Rice’s Boniuk Institute for Religious Tolerance, DaCamera and Holocaust Museum Houston will co-present “The Music of Mieczyslaw Weinberg” Nov. 14 at Holocaust Museum Houston.
The Buzz Magazines
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-boniuk

A winning performance
An article mentions that the Southwest Football League cheerleaders performed during a halftime show at Rice Stadium.
The Buzz Magazines
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-cheer

Rick Miller’s racist remarks about ‘Asians’ was not part of the GOP plan for Fort Bend County
Alumnus Leonard Chan is quoted.
Texas Monthly
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-chan

BROADCAST

WOAI-AM (San Antonio)
Tony Payan, the Françoise and Edward Djerejian Fellow for Mexico Studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and director of the institute’s Center for the United States and Mexico, is interviewed about the possibility of designating Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations.
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-payan

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Tom Kolditz, director of Rice University’s Doerr Institute for New Leaders
A Q&A with Tom Kolditz, director of Rice’s Doerr Institute for New Leaders, is featured.
The Entrepreneur Fund
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-kolditz

In hunted rainforests, termites lose their dominance

Framework for assessing security of energy system in transition
An article features a new issue brief by Mark Finley, a fellow in energy and global oil at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
AZo Cleantech
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-finley

Does China burn seven to eight times as much coal as the U.S.?
Anna Mikulska, nonresident fellow in energy studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
PolitiFact West Virginia
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-mikulska

Massive collection of C-SPAN footage shows Congress members literally cross the aisle less than they used to
An article mentions research by Diana O’Brien, the Albert Thomas Associate Professor of Political Science, and Matthew Hayes, assistant professor of political science, that shows the emotional intensity of Congress members’ floor speeches correlate to their commitment to the issue they’re talking about.
Harvard Kennedy School’s Journalist’s Resource
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-obrien-hayes

Increased number of ‘blocking events’ to create deadly weather systems
An article features Rice research into how climate change contributes to high-pressure weather systems stalling over particular areas. Co-author Pedram Hassanzadeh, assistant professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, is quoted. Graduate student Ebrahim Nabizadeh is mentioned.
Indiana Environmental Reporter
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-hassanzadeh

3D-printed lattice can stop bullets in their path
Researchers at Rice are testing polymers based on tubulanes, theoretical structures of crosslinked carbon nanotubes predicted to have extraordinary strength. Graduate student Seyed Mohammad Sajadi is quoted.
AZo Materials (This article also appeared in 3D Printer, Long Room and 3D Natives.)
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-sajadi

Unearthing effective responses to our climate emergency … and economy
An article mentions that alumna Sallie Calhoun spoke about actionable responses to climate change at the 39th annual E.F. Schumacher Lectures in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.
Nonprofit Quarterly
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-calhoun

Cancer cure news: Latest scientific breakthroughs to beat the disease
An article about cancer innovations mentions that Rice researchers developed AuroLase Therapy, a gold nanoparticle prostate cancer treatment that left 13 of 15 trial patients cancer-free after one year.
Giant Freakin Robot
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-aurolase

OpenMonographs.org launches to flip funding model for university publishing
An article mentions that Rice is one of 17 institutions participating in Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem, which aims to create a more sustainable monograph publishing system.
Association of Research Libraries (This article also appeared in InfoDocket.)
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-tome

New graduate data science programs, continued
Alumna Jane Wall is featured and pictured.
Amstat News
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-wall

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

UC Berkeley researchers use underwater telecom cables to establish seismic network
Collaborative research that suggests the fiber-optic cables that make up the global undersea telecommunications network may help assess offshore earthquakes is featured. Co-author Jonathan Ajo-Franklin, professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, is quoted.
The Daily Californian (This article also appeared in Digital Trends.) 
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-ajo-franklin
Earth scientist Andrew Fisher elected 2019 AAAS Fellow
Richard Gordon, the W. M. Keck Foundation Professor in Geophysics, is mentioned.
UC Santa Cruz News
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-gordon

Palm Beach society: Scarlet-shod crowd dines, dances for a cause

An article features alumna Robyn O’Brien and mentions that she is an adjunct professor at Rice.

Palm Beach Daily News
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-obrien

The best places to retire in Texas
Rice is mentioned.
WTOP Online
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-wtop

SPORTS

Rice has three wins to build on for 2020
Rice’s football program is featured in two articles. Head coach Mike Bloomgren is quoted and pictured in the Houston Chronicle, and he is mentioned in SB Nation.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.) 
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-football
Conference USA roundtable: 2019 season recap
SB Nation
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-football2

Arizona defensive coordinator Hot Board
Former Rice assistant football coach and interim head coach Brian Stewart is featured and pictured.
247Sports.com
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-247

The story of how Baker Mayfield became the No. 1 pick of the 2018 NFL Draft
Rice is mentioned.
Clutch Points
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-cp

Ranking the top 5 fan experiences at sports venues in Houston
Rice Stadium and Reckling Park are mentioned.
SportsMap
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-sm

Seattle Seahawks receivers wear Canadian pajamas in honor of Luke Willson
Former Rice football player Luke Willson is featured.
Newsllive.com (This article also appeared in 10 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-willson

NFL Network flexes ‘at-home’ muscles with the switch for Conference USA schedule
Rice Stadium is mentioned.
SVG News (This article also appeared in 4rfv.co.uk.)
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-svg

The Texas A&M Aggies embark on a three-game losing streak while the SMU Mustangs bring home the Southwestern Showdown championship
Rice’s men’s basketball team is featured.
SportsMap
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-mbb

Men’s basketball attendance averages eight times higher than women’s
A caption mentions that Rice’s men’s basketball team was defeated by the University of Arkansas earlier this season.
The Arkansas Traveler
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-mbb

NEWS RELEASE

Rice physicist available to comment on Parker Solar Probe findings
Today, NASA revealed the first discoveries from the Parker Solar Probe, launched in 2018 on a seven-year mission to skim the sun’s atmosphere and send back data about the solar wind. Rice solar physicist Stephen Bradshaw is available to comment on the findings. He is among many scientists whose research will benefit from data returned by the probe’s four onboard experiments.
http://dateline.rice/dec-4-news-release-bradshaw

About Stefan De La Garza

Stefan De La Garza is a news analyst in Rice University's Office of Public Affairs.