Dateline Rice for Dec. 19, 2018

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Late-night philosophy festival expands to 5 US cities
An article mentions that “A Night of Philosophy and Ideas,” a Cultural Services of the French Embassy program hosted in dozens of cities around the world, will be held at Rice Jan. 26.
The New York Times (Subscription is required.)
https://nyti.ms/2R2hTkr

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Flood district ramps up to manage billions in new projects
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 quoted in an article about Harris County’s flood protection bond program.
Houston Chronicle’s Humble Observer (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Chronicle’s Atascocita Observer, Kingwood Observer and Lake Houston Observer.)
http://bit.ly/2GEiLrA

New trade deal keeps NAFTA mostly intact, Rice analysis says
An analysis by David Gantz, the Will Clayton Fellow in Trade and International Economics at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, which determined that the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement preserves and modernizes much of the North American Free Trade Agreement, is cited.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in more than 25 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2R4klqG
http://bit.ly/2R5mQJa

Emmett, Morman gavel out their final Harris County Commissioners Court meeting
Alumnus Ed Emmett ’71, who will teach at Rice and be a senior fellow at the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, is featured and pictured.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the Dec. 19 print edition and more than 25 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2R4FzVg
http://bit.ly/2R4oZF6
Ed Emmett talks about his time as Harris County judge, hopes for 2019 and the future of the Republican Party in Texas
Community Impact Newspaper
http://bit.ly/2R5j42n

‘We were right there’
An article cites a study by Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research that determined structural service gaps exist for about 400,000 Harris County residents who are not part of a city or municipal utility district.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2GwJlCJ

ACLU sues Texas schools, AG over Israel boycott law
Graduate student Obinna Dennar is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the Dec. 19 print edition and more than 25 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2R8kwRD
http://bit.ly/2R6EqfQ
KETR contractor among plaintiffs in lawsuit against state
KETR
http://bit.ly/2R7I3SP

Officials will consult international, local experts to refine Texas coastal barrier plan
An article mentions that Rice’s Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center provided coastal studies for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ storm surge protection plan for the Houston Ship Channel.
Community Impact Newspaper   
http://bit.ly/2Gw8uNN

Texas Tech continues to garner Carnegie Tier One classification
Rice is mentioned.
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
http://bit.ly/2R8YUES

Firefighter named Sugar Land employee of the year
An article featuring firefighter and paramedic Warren Phillips mentions that he has taught classes at Rice.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Dec. 19 print edition and a previous edition of Dateline when it was first posted online.)
http://bit.ly/2R6HZ5z

BROADCAST

Study: Neighborhoods on Houston’s east side and inside loop susceptible to gentrification
Wendie Choudry, the Urban Disparity and Opportunity Research Fellow at Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, is interviewed about the challenges facing Houston’s gentrifying neighborhoods.
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/2R5lwpG

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Using sunlight to make polymers
Rice research on using sunlight to grow functional synthetic polymers using photosensitive quantum dots as a catalyst is featured. Eilaf Egap, assistant professor of materials science and nanoengineering and William Marsh Rice Trustee Chair, is pictured and quoted. Postdoctoral researcher Yiming Huang and graduate student Yifan Zhu are mentioned.
Canadian Plastics
http://bit.ly/2GEwTAK

The most significant material science news of 2018
A roundup features the development of hematene, a 2D nanomaterial, by Rice researchers.
Printed Electronics World (Scroll down to “Advancement from Academia: Hematene, Rice University, May.”)
http://bit.ly/2Gsl3ty

1 million story ideas
A column about generating article ideas for college media mentions that Rice’s student newspaper, The Thresher, devoted an issue to historical community events.
College Media Matters
http://bit.ly/2GyhG4j

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Out-of-this-world NASA experience for Inverclyde schoolboy
An article about the “Learning Journey to Houston” program for Scottish high schoolers mentions that they attended a talk by David Alexander, director of the Rice Space Institute and professor of physics and astronomy, and visited the Rice campus.
Greenock Telegraph
http://bit.ly/2R4GHbr

Dr. Robert Thompson appointed associate vice-president (research) and director of research services
An article mentions that Robert Thompson formerly held a research position at Rice.
University of Calgary News
http://bit.ly/2R4HSaS

‘Late Show’s’ Joe Wong demolishes Trump’s border wall plan in hilarious stand-up
Comedian and alumnus Joe Wong ’00 is featured. A video of one of his performances is included.
NextShark
http://bit.ly/2R5GSmV

Israeli moonshot will make space history in 2019
President John F. Kennedy’s “Moon Speech” given at Rice Sept. 12, 1962, is mentioned.
From the Grapevine
http://bit.ly/2GwFOVb

SPORTS

Mullins scores 22, Rice defeats Rio Grande Valley 76-67
An article features the Rice men’s basketball team’s 76-67 victory over the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Dec. 18. Players Chris Mullins, Quentin Millora-Brown and Trey Murphy III are mentioned.
Associated Press (This article also appeared in the Houston Chronicle’s Dec. 19 print edition and more than 50 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2R92NcW
UTRGV lacks ‘effort’ in home loss to Rice
The Monitor
http://bit.ly/2R8rvdj

Where Houston’s Top 100 high school football recruits are signing
A slideshow of top football recruits mentions that Zane Knipe signed a letter of intent to play football at Rice.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2GwsD6F
Houston high school athletes celebrate signing day
ABC 13 Online
https://abc13.co/2R5U5Ml

UK commit part of star-studded Holiday Classic that could preview girls’ Sweet 16
An article mentions that Lauren Schwartz plans to play basketball at Rice.
Lexington Herald Leader
http://bit.ly/2Gwtswh

North Texas goes to 11-1, beating New Mexico 74-65
An article mentions that the University of North Texas men’s basketball team will play Rice Dec. 29.
USA Today (This Associated Press article also appeared in more than 50 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2R0nCr1

The best moments of FIU football in 2018
This season’s football game between Florida International University and Rice is mentioned.
FIU News
http://bit.ly/2R0pMa7

Women’s hoops: Wilson to miss rest of season with knee injuries
The women’s basketball game between Texas A&M University and Rice earlier this season is mentioned.
247Sports.com
http://bit.ly/2RdMZFX

LSU selected No. 1 in baseball preseason poll
Rice’s baseball team is mentioned.
BR Proud
http://bit.ly/2Gv9HoM

Linebacker will shun multiple FBS schools and sign with Bison
Rice is mentioned.
Grand Forks Herald
http://bit.ly/2GHSYif

Propst: So much went wrong for Packers in 7A final
Rice is mentioned.
The Moultrie Observer
http://bit.ly/2Gv2ox8

NEWS RELEASES

Are the late Stephen Hawking’s religious beliefs typical of UK scientists?
The late Stephen Hawking famously didn’t believe in God. Neither does the renowned Richard Dawkins. But is that typical for U.K. scientists? In a new study, researchers from Rice, Baruch College and West Virginia University find that U.K. scientists are indeed significantly less religious than the U.K. general population.
http://bit.ly/2Rcz2HY

Baker Institute expert available to comment on landmark maternal health act
The House and Senate last week passed a bill that would increase federal efforts to study and prevent maternal mortality. The bill, the Preventing Maternal Deaths Act of 2018, would authorize $58 million per year for the next 4 years to be spent on surveillance, data collection, further research and prevention. Quianta Moore, fellow in child health policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is available for interviews about the bill and its implications both nationally and in Texas.
http://bit.ly/2Rcs1Hu

Once unstuck, boron nitride nanotubes show promise
Boron nitride nanotubes sure do like to stick together. If they weren’t so useful, they could stay stuck and nobody would care. Rice chemists have determined that surfactants — the basic compounds in soap — offer the best and easiest way to keep boron nitride nanotubes from clumping.
http://bit.ly/2R8EXhj