Dateline Rice for March 19, 2020

Stefan De La Garza
– March 20, 2020Posted in: Dateline Rice

COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Texas colleges postpone graduations as COVID-19 pandemic rages on
An article features a March 13 procession of graduating Rice seniors through the Sallyport after plans were announced by the university to complete the spring semester online. While Rice’s May commencement ceremony is still expected to take place at some point, many students may not be able to return to campus. The article quotes the following members of the Rice community: President David Leebron, who also attended the impromptu ceremony; Martel College’s Gabrielle Falcon; Lovett College’s Ariana Engles; and McMurtry College’s Sahil Patel. Rice’s Marching Owl Band provided music for the event.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the  March 19 print edition of the Chronicle, and it appeared online in the San Antonio Express-News.)
http://dateline.rice/march-19-through-the-sallyport

Is Mexico’s president ready to confront coronavirus?
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 quoted.
Forbes
http://dateline.rice/march-19-payan
If coronavirus forecasts are accurate, Mexico will be a few beds short
Mexico News Daily
http://dateline.rice/march-19-payan

When will coronavirus end? What wartime and human kindness can tell us about what happens next
Douglas Brinkley, the Katherine Tsanoff Brown Professor in Humanities, is quoted.
USA Today (This article appeared in the March 19 print edition and a previous edition of Dateline when it was first posted online.)
http://dateline.rice/march-19-brinkley

Oil prices crash below bottom of recent historic bust; floor not apparent
Kenneth Medlock, senior director of the Center for Energy Studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared on the front page of the March 19 print edition of the Chronicle, and it appeared in the March 19 print edition of the San Antonio Express-News.)
http://dateline.rice/march-19-medlock

Houston-area hospitals lack beds for widespread coronavirus outbreak, Harvard researchers say
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.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared on the front page of the March 19 print edition of the Chronicle, and it appeared online in the San Antonio Express-News and the San Francisco Chronicle.)
http://dateline.rice/march-19-ho

‘It’s going to hurt’: New coronavirus shocks Texas economy as length of public health crisis remains unknown
An article quotes John Diamond, the Edward A. and Hermena Hancock Kelly Fellow in Public Finance at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and director of its Center for Public Finance, and Larry Stuart, lecturer of management at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business. Diamond is quoted in KPRC Online.
Texas Tribune (This article also appeared in 10 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/march-19-diamond-stuart

The coronavirus could re-shape what our future economy looks like

KPRC Online (This article also appeared in KTRH Online.)
http://dateline.rice/march-19-diamond

Texas transit agencies are still getting front-line responders and low-income Texans to work. But service may change as the crisis continues.
Kyle Shelton, director of strategic partnerships at Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, is quoted.
Texas Tribune (This article also appeared in KSAT Online and The Eagle)
http://dateline.rice/march-19-shelton

’13 Eyewitness News’
Stephen Klineberg, founding director of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research and an emeritus professor of sociology, is interviewed about how the coronavirus pandemic may affect Houston’s industries and residents.
KTRK-TV (Houston)
http://dateline.rice/march-19-klineberg

Governor Abbott issues proclamation allowing for postponement of local elections set for May 2nd
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 and interviewed.
KRLD Online (This segment also aired 10 times on KRLD-AM in Dallas.)
http://dateline.rice/march-19-jones

Will November’s general election be postponed? Not likely
Bob Stein, the Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science at Rice, is quoted and interviewed.
KPRC Online

http://dateline.rice/march-19-stein
KTRH-AM (Houston)
http://dateline.rice/march-19-stein  (This segment aired three times.)

North American oil and gas companies cut more than $15B from 2020 capex
Michelle Michot Foss, fellow in energy and minerals in the Center for Energy Studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
S&P Global Platts
http://dateline.rice/march-19-foss

MBA class of 2020 faces tough summer or worse as recession looms
Philip Heavilin, executive director of career development at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, is quoted.
MSN (This Bloomberg article also appeared in yesterday’s Dateline.)
http://dateline.rice/march-19-heavilin

The latest: Event cancellations around Houston due to the coronavirus outbreak
Articles mention that Rice will transition to online classes for the remainder of the spring semester.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.) 
http://dateline.rice/march-19-hc
Portraits from a pandemic: Houstonians’ lives in the time of coronavirus
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.) 
http://dateline.rice/march-19-hc
First-gen college students face extra challenges amid outbreak’s disruption
KERA News (This article also appeared in KETR Online.)
http://dateline.rice/march-19-kera
What you need to know: Texas universities take actions to limit spread of COVID-19
KXAN Online
http://dateline.rice/march-19-kxan

A new Senate bill could mean a $2 billion windfall for startups outside of Silicon Valley and New York
An article mentions that Syzygy Plasmonics’ hydrogen fuel cell technology currently under development was pioneered at Rice.
Inc.
http://dateline.rice/march-19-inc

HOUSTON/TEXAS
Researchers seek to address space debris, a dire threat to satellites, space travel
An article mentions that OwlSat is one of 18 research satellites NASA selected to launch and is expected to lift off in January 2022. It will be the first satellite built and launched by Rice students. Graduate student Hoik Jang is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the San Antonio Express-News, the San Francisco Chronicle and a previous edition of Dateline when it was first posted online.)
http://dateline.rice/march-19-owlsat

These are the name origins of Houston’s iconic streets, buildings and other features
A slideshow caption mentions William Marsh Rice and pictures Fondren Library.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in more than 25 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/march-19-rice
http://dateline.rice/march-19-rice

Test your knowledge of Texas beer with this pint-size helping of trivia

Rice is mentioned.
Austin American-Statesman
http://dateline.rice/march-19-statesman

BROADCAST
‘CBS 4 This Morning’
A broadcast mentions that Rice’s Jones Graduate School is No. 25 in the nation according to the 2021 Best Graduate Schools list by U.S. News & World Report.
KDBC-TV (El Paso, Texas)
http://dateline.rice/march-19-jones-school (This segment aired three times.)
Explore the 2021 best business schools
MSN Money
http://dateline.rice/march-19-jones-school

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL
Blacks’ views on racism affect likelihood of self-employment
An article features Rice research that suggests African Americans who believe racism has had a major impact on their lives are more likely to seek self-employment. Tony Brown, professor of sociology, and graduate student Asia Bento are quoted and pictured.
Phys.org (This article also appeared in 10 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/march-19-brown

Researchers find ‘groovy’ way to grow human tissue

An article features Rice research into the use of grooved plastic threads to seed sophisticated, tissue-engineered scaffolds with living cells to help heal injuries. Co-author Antonios Mikos, the Louis Calder Professor of Bioengineering and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and co-lead author Maryam Elizondo are quoted. This research is also featured in a roundup from the American Ceramic Society
Design News (This article also appeared in Plastics Today.)
http://dateline.rice/march-19-mikos
Other materials stories that may be of interest
The American Ceramic Society
http://dateline.rice/march-19-acs
Andamio para el crecimiento conjunto de capas con distintos tipos de células
Tenemos Noticias (An English translation is not available. This article also appeared in Noticias de la Ciencia y la Tecnologia.)  
http://dateline.rice/march-19-mikos

Scientists take steps to grow large-scale sheets of 2D insulator
An article features collaborative Rice research into growing atom-thick sheets of hexagonal boron nitride as two-inch-diameter crystals across a wafer. Co-author Boris Yakobson, the Karl F. Hasselmann Professor of Materials Science and NanoEngineering and a professor of chemistry, is cited.
Materials Today
http://dateline.rice/march-19-yakobson

Petrobras pressiona desinvestimentos após queda no preço do petróleo
An article quotes Francisco J. Monaldi, fellow in Latin American energy policy at the Baker Institute for Public Policy’s Center for Energy Studies, Center for the United States and Mexico and Latin America Initiative and a lecturer in energy economics.
O Petroleo (An English translation is not available.)
http://dateline.rice/march-19-monaldi

SPORTS
Rice’s Austin Walter eyes another NFL shot after strong showing in XFL
Former Rice football player Austin Walter is featured.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://dateline.rice/march-19-hc

Texans finalize $1.05 million deal with corner Phillip Gaines
Former Rice football player Phillip Gaines is featured.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in more than 25 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/march-19-hc
http://dateline.rice/march-19-hc

Texas A&M’s Dave South content with decision to retire after baseball season canceled
An article mentions that Rice’s baseball team was defeated by Texas A&M University March 10.
The Eagle
http://dateline.rice/march-19-te
With spring sports gone, Dave South has called his last game
247Sports.com
http://dateline.rice/march-19-247

This week in recruiting: Texas High OLB Clayton Smith earns All-American status; Garland 2022 phenom Chace Biddle doubles offer list
An article mentions that Aidan Siano plans to play football at Rice.
Dave Campbell’s Texas Football 
http://dateline.rice/march-19-dctf

LSU’s 2020 schedule sets Tigers up for another title run
An article mentions that Rice’s football team will play Louisiana State University Sept. 19 at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Fan Buzz
http://dateline.rice/march-19-fb

NEWS RELEASES
How stress and loneliness can make you more likely to get COVID-19
Stress, loneliness and lack of sleep can weaken your immune system and make you more susceptible to COVID-19, according to Rice’s Christopher Fagundes, an associate professor in the department of psychological sciences who studies the link between mental and immune health.
http://dateline.rice/march-19-news-release-fagundes

Rice’s OpenStax helps nation’s colleges and universities provide free online instruction during coronavirus outbreak
The Rice-based nonprofit OpenStax is responding to COVID-19 by helping students nationwide navigate their online courses and supporting faculty as they quickly transition to online course delivery. OpenStax’s 38 free digital textbooks can be used in any online teaching environment, and 28 of OpenStax’s online homework providers will make access free through the end of the term.
http://dateline.rice/march-19-news-release-openstax

About Stefan De La Garza

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