Dateline Rice for March 20, 2018

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Magnetic field lets tiny ball robots swim ‘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.
Futurity (This was the lead article in the March 20 edition of the Futurity Today newsletter.) 
http://bit.ly/2G3MhWb
Scientists create microscopic ‘swimmers’ controlled by a magnetic field
Science Daily (This article also appeared in Science Newsline.)
http://bit.ly/2GPss2R
These microrobots can do the breaststroke
Tech Explorist
http://bit.ly/2DGQudb

What delayed course evaluations might — and might not — reveal
Jane Grande-Allen, professor of bioengineering, is quoted in an article examining the value of conducting evaluations long after a college course ends.
Chronicle of Higher Education
http://bit.ly/2IDdRb3

For Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the welcome return of some familiar faces
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra premiered Pierre Jalbert’s new violin concerto. Jalbert is a professor of composition and theory at Rice’s Shepherd School of Music.
Los Angeles Times
http://lat.ms/2ICXAD5

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Moser-Fletcher runoff in Houston’s Seventh Congressional District is about who can beat Culberson
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.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2FNEyfo
http://bit.ly/2FNhm0N
Could State Rep. Phil King replace Straus as House speaker?
Texas Monitor
http://bit.ly/2u4OgV5

Monday letters: School choice policies, confirm NASA administrator
Alumnus Rep. Jim Bridenstine ’17, the nominee for NASA administrator, is discussed in a letter to the editor.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/2ppUIRh

UT joins A&M, UH in raising tuition for next fall
An article on university tuition increases across the state mentions that Rice plans to announce its fall 2018 tuition fees this month.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/2GLwOaR

Houston Exponential names new interim CEO, full-time search continues
A report from the Baker Institute for Public Policy’s McNair Center Houston that found Houston risks being “shut out” of America’s future innovation economy due to a lack of growth venture capital investment is mentioned.
Houston Business Journal (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2G8icoh

Control your anger in negotiations
Rice researchers found that the effects of anger expressions in negotiations depend on the intensity of the emotional display. Hajo Adam, an assistant professor of management at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, is quoted.
KTRH.com
https://ihr.fm/2FKC55i

The Texas Association of Museums’ conference is coming to Houston
Rice’s Moody Center for the Arts will participate in the upcoming Texas Association of Museums’ conference.
Glasstire
http://bit.ly/2ICmMJW

BROADCAST

Full show: Political rhetoric, and Houston dialects
Nancy Niedzielski, associate professor of linguistics, appeared on “Houston Matters” to discuss her research on how different people speak in Houston based on where they live, their age and their ethnicity.
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/2ptmv3Z

‘Xploration Nature Knows Best’
Rice research on squids and lensless cameras is featured. Richard Baraniuk, the Victor E. Cameron Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Ashok Veeraraghavan, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, are featured.
KDSM-TV (Click the video button to watch the broadcast, which aired on 11 other TV stations.) 
http://bit.ly/2FVzamw

WEAA-FM
Bernard “Bun B” Freeman, former distinguished lecturer at Rice, is featured.
http://bit.ly/2FNdQU1

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Venezuela’s oil crisis can’t be stopped
Francisco Monaldi, a fellow in Latin American energy policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted from his new policy brief, “The Collapse of the Venezuelan Oil Industry and its Global Consequences.” Remarks by Monaldi are featured as the “quote of the week” in the Reilience.org article.
Business Insider (This article also appeared in Latest Nigerian News.)
http://read.bi/2HPjyS8
US bans use of Venezuela’s digital currency to tighten pressure on Maduro
DieselGasoil.com
http://bit.ly/2G01dkU
Quote of the week
Resilience.org 
http://bit.ly/2FXpmbI

Study IDs ‘white graphene’ architecture with unprecedented hydrogen storage capacity
Rice engineers have zeroed in on the optimal architecture for storing hydrogen in “white graphene” nanomaterials — a design like a Lilliputian skyscraper with “floors” of boron nitride sitting one atop another and held precisely 5.2 angstroms apart by boron nitride pillars. Rouzbeh Shahsavari, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering and of materials science and nanoengineering, is quoted. Graduate student Shuo Zhao is mentioned, and an image by graduate student Lei Tao is featured.
Energy Daily
http://bit.ly/2FXzFfE

Power/performance Bits: Mar. 20
Ming Tang is quoted in an article on a new method to mitigate dendrite formation in lithium-metal batteries, which could extend battery life and diminish safety risks. Tang is assistant professor of materials science and nanoengineering.
Semiconductor Engineering
http://bit.ly/2ppDsfs

Manufacturing Bits: March 20
Rice scientists have developed a novel technique to view a field of plasmonic nanoparticles simultaneously to learn how their differences change their reactivity.
Stephan Link, professor of chemistry and computer and electrical engineering, is quoted.
Semiconductor Engineering
http://bit.ly/2GKycux

Scientists created platform for unique near-infrared devices
A novel quantum effect observed in a carbon nanotube film could lead to the development of unique lasers and other optoelectronic devices, according to scientists at Rice and Tokyo Metropolitan University. Junichiro Kono, professor of electrical and computer engineering, of physics and astronomy and of materials science and nanoengineering, and postdoctoral researcher Weilu Gao are quoted.
Controlled Environments
http://bit.ly/2prtnit
Plasmons triggered in nanotube quantum wells could provide optoelectronics platform
Photonics Media
http://bit.ly/2ICEQDF
Plasmons triggered in nanotube quantum wells
Global News Connect
http://bit.ly/2GIXuJn
System bits: March 20
Semiconductor Engineering
http://bit.ly/2IBpu2a

Hydrogel helps heal without additives
Sometimes when you’re invested in a project you fail to notice things that turn out to be significant. Researchers in the Rice lab of Jeffrey Hartgerink, a professor of chemistry and bioengineering, had just such an experience with the hydrogels they developed as a synthetic scaffold to deliver drugs and encourage the growth of cells and blood vessels for new tissue. Hartgerink is quoted.
Science & Technology Research News
http://bit.ly/2HPgzZN

Top 10 alternatives for Pennsylvania State University, Smeal College of Business, full-time MBA
Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business is mentioned.
Predictive Analytics Today
http://bit.ly/2IFSnui
Top 10 alternatives for Georgia Institute of Technology, Scheller College of Business, full-time MBA
Predictive Analytics Today
http://bit.ly/2HORy0K

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

The hardest college to get into in every state
Rice is featured in an article on the hardest colleges to get into in every state.
Simplemost
http://bit.ly/2GKCulD

SPORTS

Aggies head to Houston to battle Rice on Tuesday
Rice baseball will play Texas A&M University March 20 at Reckling Park.
KBTX.com
http://bit.ly/2GaOfEg

Rice baseball drops 3 straight to end week
Rice baseball’s three-game series against Louisiana Tech University is recapped.
Galveston County Daily News (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2psiCLU
LA Tech set for midweek contests against NSU and ULM
LATechSports.com
http://bit.ly/2poGEr2
Skelton named C-USA Co-Hitter of the Week
LATechSports.com
http://bit.ly/2G3SrWd

As outdoor season picks up, several Cougars among country’s best
The 36th annual Victor Lopez Classic will be held at Rice March 23-24.
Daily Cougar
http://bit.ly/2IDgQA8

Lobo women’s basketball prepares for a serving of Rice
Rice women’s basketball is mentioned.
KRQE.com
http://bit.ly/2ppMwB0

Grad transfer OT Calvin Anderson signs with Texas
Former Rice football player Calvin Anderson, who previously committed to transfer to the University of Texas for his final season of athletic eligibility after graduating in May, signed his letter of intent.
Yahoo! Sports
https://yhoo.it/2IFTBpo
Texas starts spring practice with familiar questions
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/2FOOHIS
Calvin Anderson signs with football
TexasSports.com
http://bit.ly/2psXoxj

NEWS RELEASES

Psychologists explain why ‘America isn’t ready for female president’
Despite being described by former President Barack Obama as the most-qualified presidential nominee in U.S. history, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 campaign for the highest office in the land. That outcome may have been the result of systemic gender discrimination, according to psychologists at Rice.
http://bit.ly/2pqJ9tH

Hydrogel may help heal diabetic ulcers
A hydrogel invented at Rice that is adept at helping the body heal may also be particularly good at treating wounds related to diabetes.
http://bit.ly/2FOlGwR

Study: Living abroad leads to a clearer sense of self
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.
http://bit.ly/2GMtNY4