Dateline Rice for April 25, 2019

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Texas Republicans wanted a no-drama session. Here’s what happened.
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 interviewed about Texas politics in the Christian Science Monitor, and he participates in a roundtable discussion by Houston Public Media about the week’s political stories.
Christian Science Monitor (This article also appeared in the April 23 print edition, and it appeared in Yahoo! News and Daily News.)
http://bit.ly/2vilQVE
Political Roundup: Presidential candidate forum in Houston and Prop B goes to mediation
Houston Public Media (This “Houston Matters” segment aired twice on KUHF-FM in Houston.)
http://bit.ly/2vjEVqp

Chevron’s biggest Venezuela oil venture hit hard by outages
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 impact of Venezuela’s rolling blackouts on Chevron’s oil production.
Bloomberg (This article also appeared in Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo! Finanzas, Yahoo! Espana, BNN Bloomberg and Petroleum World.)
https://bloom.bg/2vjF7WF

Return of Iran sanctions work against Trump’s oil objectives
Bill Arnold, professor in the practice of management at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, authored an op-ed about sanctions on Iranian oil exports. Arnold’s op-ed is highlighted in an energy news roundup in the second article from The Hill.
The Hill
http://bit.ly/2PCibLP
Overnight Energy: Bipartisan climate caucus eyes litmus test for new members
The Hill
http://bit.ly/2vlmFNc

Want to go to the movies? There’s an airplane for that
President David Leebron is quoted.
MSN Travel (This article also appeared in MSN South Africa, Press From and a previous edition of Dateline.)
http://bit.ly/2PtohxS

Uber wants to compete with public transit. These experts are horrified
Christof Spieler, senior lecturer of architecture and author of “Trains, Buses, People: An Opinionated Atlas of U.S. Transit,” is quoted.
CNN (This article also appeared in CNN International, WPRO Online, WTOP Online and KAKE Online.)
https://cnn.it/2vlkzwO

Quantum dots from coal are a promising antioxidant
An article features Rice research that determined that polyethylene glycol and graphene quantum dots from common coal are just as effective at halting damage from superoxide and hydrogen peroxides as materials studied in 2013. James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Chair in Chemistry and a professor of computer science and of materials science and nanoengineering, is quoted.
Futurity (This article also appeared in 10 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2PvAKB9

Half-life of xenon 124 is about 18 sextillion years
An article features the research of an international team of physicists, including experts from Rice, that reported the first direct observation of two-neutrino double electron capture for xenon 124, the physical process it uses to decay. Christopher Tunnell, assistant professor of physics and astronomy and of computer science, and Petr Chaguine, assistant research professor of physics and astronomy, are quoted. An article featuring this research in Forbes mentions Rice in the caption of a graphic.
Futurity (This article, which was featured in the April 25 edition of the Futurity Today newsletter, also appeared in 10 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2PwVmZU
Dark matter search discovers a spectacular bonus: The longest-lived unstable element ever
Forbes (This article also appeared in F3 News.)
http://bit.ly/2PvKPht

Going up? Futuristic space elevator could make going into space a lot easier — for a price
David Alexander, director of the Rice Space Institute and professor of physics and astronomy, is quoted.
MSN (This Houston Chronicle article also appeared in Press From and a previous edition of Dateline.)
http://bit.ly/2Psqw4t

Bioengineers program cells as digital signal processors
Rice research that dramatically expands the chemical, physical and environmental cues engineers can use to prompt programmed responses from engineered organisms is featured.
National Science Foundation (This article was featured in the April 25 edition of the NSF’s Science360 newsletter.)
http://bit.ly/2VnYkF9

Chi è Sarah Whiting, prima preside donna della Scuola di Design di Harvard
Sarah Whiting, dean of Rice’s School of Architecture and the William Ward Watkin Professor of Architecture, will assume the deanship of Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design on July 1.
Elle Decor Italia (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/2PqUMws

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Bun B shoots armed intruder who tried to steal his car at Houston home, HPD says
Rapper Bernard “Bun B” Freeman, former distinguished lecturer at Rice, is featured.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in KTRH Online, KPRC Online, Ambrosia for Heads, Rolling Out and Gossip on This.)
http://bit.ly/2PqLIHW

Deloitte exec calls for advancements across the city as Houston’s innovation ecosystem evolves
Rice is mentioned.
InnovationMap
http://bit.ly/2Ptl8y4

BROADCAST

‘Washington Journal’
Douglas Brinkley, the Katherine Tsanoff Brown Professor in Humanities, discusses C-SPAN’s survey of presidential leadership.
C-SPAN
http://bit.ly/2vjHusr

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Quantum hype and quantum skepticism
Moshe Vardi, University Professor and Karen Ostrum George Distinguished Service Professor in Computational Engineering, a professor of computer science and director of the Ken Kennedy Institute for Information Technology at Rice, authored an article about the challenges facing quantum computing.
Communications of the ACM
http://bit.ly/2PuTSiG

USA: Super-size it: Regional flood alert system for Houston based on high- performance computing (Part 1 of 2)
Phil Bedient, the Herman Brown Professor of Engineering and director of Rice’s Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center, and Rice’s role in the Houston area’s flood mitigation efforts, are mentioned.
PreventionWeb
http://bit.ly/2vm4Eyp
USA: Super-size it: Regional storm surge strategy for Houston based on high-performance computing (Part 2 of 2)
PreventionWeb
http://bit.ly/2PtaKGw

Talking about SIPs with Gene Frantz and Greg Sheridan of Octavo Systems
Gene Frantz, Professor in the Practice of Digital Signal Processing and electrical and computer engineering, is featured in a Q&A.
Embedded Computing Design
http://bit.ly/2PtptBm

Essay on reproducibility crisis in science world
Research by alumna Genevera Allen ’06, associate professor of statistics, computer science and electrical and computer engineering, is featured.
Bit Rebels
http://bit.ly/2vnaijX

C-Bond Systems awarded additional US patent for increasing glass strength
C-Bond nanotechnology, developed at Rice, is featured.
Glass on Web
http://bit.ly/2Ps8Dmt

The Poets & Quants — 24/7 Wall St. most affordable top MBA programs
Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business is featured in two articles.
24/7 Wall St.
http://bit.ly/2Pri858
Full-time MBA degree concentrations at Jones Graduate School of business at Rice University
Gas & Electricity
http://bit.ly/2Psxoih

Meet the NAYC speakers: David Bernard 
Alumnus David Bernard is featured in a Q&A.
InsideOut.com
http://bit.ly/2PvbaMo

Book review: ‘Dr. Space Junk vs. the Universe’ by Dr. Alice Gorman
A book review mentions that Brian O’Brien formerly taught at Rice.
CommsDay
http://bit.ly/2PtDMFY

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

LSU represented among National Science Foundation honorees
An article mentions that graduate student Sarah Hahn Hulgan was named a 2019 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Award honorable mention recipient.
The Advocate
http://bit.ly/2Ptxhmx

Panama City Pops season finale sold out
Richie Hawley, professor of clarinet at Rice’s Shepherd School of Music, is featured.
Port St. Joe Star
http://bit.ly/2PqOE7q

Purcell and Sprinkle lectures set Saturday at Barton College
An article featuring Matthias Henze, the Isla Carroll and Percy E. Turner professor of Hebrew Bible and Early Judaism and founding director of the Program in Jewish Studies at Rice, mentions that he will speak April 27 at Barton College.
The Wilson Times
http://bit.ly/2Pv5thu

SPORTS

Houston-area prospects available in 2019 NFL Draft
Former Rice football player Jack Fox is featured and pictured.
KHOU Online
http://bit.ly/2PCkXRf

Austin Swim Club’s Sarah Kutz will stay in-state with 2020 verbal to Rice Owls
An article featuring Sarah Kutz mentions that she plans to swim at Rice.
Swimming World Magazine
http://bit.ly/2PuQqEK

Florida’s Kylan Johnson headlines weak group of potential Texas graduate transfer LB options
Former Rice football player Calvin Anderson is featured.
SB Nation
http://bit.ly/2PqPHnS

CSU football’s top NFL draft prospects are receivers Preston Williams and Bisi Johnson
Former Rice football player V.J. Banks is featured.
The Coloradoan
http://bit.ly/2Pspndb

Funky Jon Duplantier is Diamondbacks’ ace pitching prospect
Former Rice baseball player Jon Duplantier is featured and pictured.
Tahoe Onstage
http://bit.ly/2vmlUnq

NEWS RELEASE

$3 million grant to Rice boosts STEM education in greater Houston
The Rice University Office of STEM Engagement has won a $3 million National Science Foundation grant to help develop leaders of elementary and secondary school science teachers at high-need schools. The grant from the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program will enable Rice’s STEM faculty and staff to enroll 20 greater Houston teachers.
http://bit.ly/2PvVpEZ