Dateline Rice for Dec. 12, 2018

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Bankers hired for Citgo auction following scrapped deal with Venezuela 
Francisco J. Monaldi, fellow in Latin American energy policy at the Center for Energy Studies, the Mexico Center and the Latin America Initiative at the Baker Institute for Public Policy and a lecturer in energy economics at Rice, is quoted in an article about the forced sale of Citgo Petroleum Corp. to pay one of Venezuela’s creditors. Monaldi is also quoted in an energy news roundup.
The Wall Street Journal 
https://on.wsj.com/2Ep2swR
Venezuela’s creditors come for its US oil assets — Energy Journal 
The Wall Street Journal 
https://on.wsj.com/2EtGglh

Qatar signals big break from Saudis by leaving OPEC 
Bill Arnold, professor in the practice of management at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, authored an op-ed about Qatar’s withdrawal from OPEC. The op-ed also is highlighted in an energy and environment news roundup by The Hill.
The Hill 
http://bit.ly/2EfNMyZ 
Overnight Energy 
The Hill 
http://bit.ly/2EfNMyZ 

‘Most Midwestern Book of the Year’? Read Biblioracle columnist John Warner’s idiosyncratic list of books of the year 
Josh Eyler, director of Rice’s Center for Teaching Excellence and author of “How Humans Learn: The Science and Stories behind Effective College Teaching,” is featured.
Chicago Tribune (Scroll down to “How to Rethink Higher Education Book of the Year.”) 
https://trib.in/2EftrKg

Top letters: Health care workers and vaccinations, new license plates and a county library that’s a joy to visit 
Rice research that determined viral mutations related to vaccine production in eggs will reduce the efficacy of the 2018 flu vaccine is mentioned in a letter to the editor.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch 
http://bit.ly/2EfWWLT

HOUSTON TEXAS

Michelle Obama sets Houston date for ‘Becoming’ book tour 
An article mentions that former President Barack Obama spoke at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy’s 25th anniversary celebration.
Houston Business Journal 
http://bit.ly/2EpvP1P

University leaders’ paychecks: Kenneth Starr No. 1 thanks to Baylor severance 
President David Leebron is mentioned and pictured.
Houston Business Journal 
http://bit.ly/2ErTE9p

Beto O’Rourke’s presidential campaign is going to wear us out 
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 two articles.
Dallas Observer 
http://bit.ly/2EkK7QL
Montgomery, Harris counties break voter turnout records 
Community Impact Newspaper 
http://bit.ly/2EdHlg1

Houston PetSet supports animal welfare nonprofits
An article cites a 2018 Houston Area Survey conducted by Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research that determined more than 1 in 4 Houston residents said stray animals in their neighborhood were a very serious problem. A study by Rice’s Houston Action Research Team to assess the state of animal welfare in Houston and Harris County also is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle’s Memorial Examiner (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the Chronicle’s Bellaire Examiner.) 
http://bit.ly/2EtVW87

For Houston’s homeowners, tough decisions on whether to rebuild 
Ron Witte, professor of architecture, is quoted.
Lakeland Observer 
http://bit.ly/2Eftx4A

Richardson ISD’s student demographics have significantly changed, but the school board’s haven’t 
John Alford, professor of political science, is quoted.
KERA News 
http://bit.ly/2Eee4lj

From skyscrapers to food halls to AstroWorld: The biggest Houston CRE stories of 2018 
Rice’s plan to redevelop the historic Midtown Sears building and its surrounding area into an innovation district in collaboration with other Houston agencies and institutions is mentioned.
Bisnow Houston 
http://bit.ly/2EiGjiz

Community calendar
A community events calendar mentions that graduate student Rachel Harmeyer will give a talk on British royal portraiture Dec. 14 at the Deer Park Library.
Houston Chronicle’s Deer Park Broadcaster (Scroll down to “Dec. 14: Expert takes on subjects, artists in discussion of royal portraiture.” This article also appeared in the Chronicle’s Pasadena Citizen, Friendswood Journal, Pearland Journal and Bay Area Citizen.) 
http://bit.ly/2Es97Gv

Family fun
A weekly events roundup mentions that the Houston Children’s Chorus will perform the “Kids & Christmas Pops Concert” Dec. 15 at Stude Hall at Rice’s Shepherd School of Music.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in more than 25 other media outlets.) 
http://bit.ly/2Eqcm17
http://bit.ly/2EqXY8Q

Lone Star College System to appeal findings that it owes $14 million in federal funds 
Rice’s Lovett Hall is featured in a slideshow.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in more than 25 other media outlets.) 
http://bit.ly/2EkPeA2
http://bit.ly/2ErtAuY

Firefighter Warren Phillips is Sugar Land’s Employee Of The Year 
An article featuring firefighter and paramedic Warren Phillips mentions that he has taught classes at Rice.
Sugar Land Patch 
http://bit.ly/2EiWLzl

Carolyn Hax: Mom wants to exclude generous aunt from daughter’s college sendoff 
Rice’s Lovett Hall is featured in a slideshow.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in more than 25 other media outlets.) 
http://bit.ly/2EpqaZT

Healthy Habits: Dr. Alastair Thompson enjoys mountain running and freshly picked fruit 
An article mentions the public exercise track that rings the Rice campus.
Baylor College of Medicine News 
http://bit.ly/2Erjuu4

BROADCAST

Another one bites the dust: A closer look at the Shelor Building demolition 
A radio broadcast about the dismantling of the Shelor Motor Company Building interviews Sarah Whiting, dean of Rice’s School of Architecture and the William Ward Watkin Professor of Architecture, and alumnus Charles Renfro ’89.
Houston Public Media 
http://bit.ly/2ErZnfq

KUT-FM (Austin, Texas)
Larry Dunbar, project manager at Rice’s Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center, is interviewed in a radio broadcast about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ proposed storm surge protection plan for the Houston Ship Channel.
http://bit.ly/2EeX2nc

’13 Eyewitness News at 3 p.m.’ 
A television broadcast mentions the Dec. 11 holiday market held at Rice’s Farmer’s Market.
KTRK-TV (Houston) 
http://bit.ly/2Errw67

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

The epoch of planet formation, times 20 
An article quoting Andrea Isella, assistant professor of physics and astronomy and of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, mentions that he is part of the research group using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array to analyze the first large-scale, high-resolution survey of protoplanetary disks.
Space Daily 
http://bit.ly/2ErNFBt

Science: Engineers reveal mechanics of constructing foam with bubbles in distinct sizes [Report] 
An article features the research of Sibani Lisa Biswal, an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, graduate student Daniel Vecchiolla and alumna Vidya Giri, who have created a microfluidic device that pumps out more than 15,000 microscopic bubbles per second and can be tuned to make them in one, two or three distinct sizes.
Infosurhoy 
http://bit.ly/2EehKUa

Everyone is angry, and that’s not exactly a bad thing 
An article cites Rice researchers who determined people who were moderately angry negotiate their needs better than people who were either very angry or had little anger.
Men’s Health 
http://bit.ly/2EtcrkG

China leads alliance of more than 100 international universities 
A pair of articles mention that Rice is No. 57 on Times Higher Education’s global rankings of computer science and engineering programs.
Business Times 
http://bit.ly/2EgILGu
Better ranking in computer science et al 
ChinaDaily.com.cn 
http://bit.ly/2EhT2lS

K-12 dealmaking: China’s TAL Education makes acquistion; VIPKid partners with Scholastic 
An article mentions that Accelerate Learning and STEMscopes, which delivers digital STEM curriculum in all 50 states, originated at Rice.
EdWeek 
http://bit.ly/2EfRU1X

Response: Ways to differentiate instruction for ELLs 
Alumna Jenny Vo is featured in an article about English language teaching strategies.
Education Week 
http://bit.ly/2EpgxdH

‘NextGen women’ outperform (men) in business. And they’re coming into the workforce 
An article mentions that Rice participated in a study conducted by Girls With Impact that focused on women participating in college venture competitions.
Entrepreneur 
http://bit.ly/2EsPNsq

Top 9 really cool life science discoveries of the year 
Several articles about gene editing in humans mention 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.
BioSpace (Scroll down to “6. CRISPR babies.” Similar articles also appeared in more than 10 other media outlets.) 
http://bit.ly/2EebyLT

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Asgardia: A new ‘nation’ in space
An article mentions that David Alexander, director of the Rice Space Institute and professor of physics and astronomy, is one of the five founders of space nation Asgardia.
Niagara College News 
http://bit.ly/2BXQzeT

Gov’t mismanagement, profiteering elites destroyed Zim: Moss 
Todd Moss, nonresident scholar at the Center for Energy Studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy who testified before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, is quoted.
News Day 
http://bit.ly/2EftLbT

Karen Braitmayer wins AIA award 
Alumna Karen Braitmayer, who was honored with the American Institute of Architects’ 2019 Whitney M. Young Jr. Award for her promotion of inclusive, accessible design in architecture, is featured and pictured.
Daily Journal of Commerce 
http://bit.ly/2EfsDVK

African-American oil industry veterans open the world of oil and gas using blockchain technology 
Alumnus Donald Glover is featured and pictured.
BlackNews.com 
http://bit.ly/2EfHnUw

A November to remember for 6 from Chelmsford High School 
Rice is mentioned.
Lowell Sun 
http://bit.ly/2EsPWMu

La pena puede llegar a matar 
Research by the lab of Chris Fagundes, assistant professor of psychological sciences, that determined grief can cause inflammation that can kill, is featured
El Diario Vasco (An English translation is not available.) 
http://bit.ly/2EhVM2E

Peggy Whitson, perempuan pemimpi pemecah rekor 
Alumna Peggy Whitson ’86, an astronaut who has spent more time in space than any other American, is featured.
SindoNews.com (An English translation is not available.) 
http://bit.ly/2Esx2Fx

SPORTS

Troy Tulowitzki’s release gives him a much-needed fresh start 
An article mentions former Rice baseball player Wade Townsend.
Sports Illustrated 
http://bit.ly/2EkOMlJ

The Dotted Line: Important recruiting dates on the horizon for Texas fans 
Former Rice football player Calvin Anderson is mentioned.
Austin American-Statesman 
http://bit.ly/2EfMq7q

Texas Bowl Notes: Baylor versus Vanderbilt 
An article mentions a 2016 football game between Rice and Baylor University.
247Sports.com 
http://bit.ly/2ErXJdJ

Pine Trees’ Keshon Williams commits to Tulane
An article mentions that Jawan King plans to play football at Rice.
ETSN.fm 
http://bit.ly/2Et1uzk

Latta girls topple Washington in semis 
An article mentions that Katelyn Crosthwait plans to play basketball at Rice.
The Ada News 
http://bit.ly/2EfrI7H

For the Aggie women to thrive, it starts with beating the bullies 
An article mentions that the Texas A&M University women’s basketball team defeated Rice earlier this season.
FanBuzz 
http://bit.ly/2EgutFM

LSU practice report, Dec. 11, 2018: CB Kelvin Joseph back at practice, Patrick Queen at MLB 
The football game between Louisiana State University and Rice earlier this season is mentioned.
Daily News (This article also appeared in more than 30 other media outlets.) 
http://bit.ly/2EiH77p
Ed Orgeron: John Battle to be reprimanded but will play in Fiesta Bowl after Texas A&M fight 
Journal Review (This article also appeared in more than 30 other media outlets.) 
http://bit.ly/2ErhzFN

Comcast Network (Philadelphia)
A television broadcast features the Camden Wealth Advisors Cup tennis tournament held at Rice’s Tudor Fieldhouse.
Comcast Network (Philadelphia) 
http://bit.ly/2EeXeTs

NEWS RELEASE

Common ground discovered in planet-forming disks 
A distant star surrounded by a protoplanetary disk of dust and gas has given up more of its secrets to a team led by Rice astronomer Andrea Isella, who proposed several years ago to mount a major study of disks observed around stars and believed to be the raw feedstock for planetary systems like our own solar system.
http://bit.ly/2EjlPXj