Dateline Rice for May 2, 2019

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Will Guaidó’s gamble pay off?
Christopher Sabatini, nonresident fellow at the Mexico Center and the Latin America Initiative at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, authored an op-ed about the political turmoil in Venezuela.
Foreign Policy
http://bit.ly/2vAQBW2

The only thing you can’t subscribe to now is stability
Utpal Dholakia, the George R. Brown Professor of Marketing at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, is quoted in an article about the growing number of companies using subscription-based business models.
The Atlantic
http://bit.ly/2vyUZVq

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Here’s what Texas lawmakers are doing about property taxes, teacher pay, school safety 
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 three stories.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
http://bit.ly/2vAslTT
Commissioner Ellis charged campaign for over 75 visits to local establishments
KPRC Click2Houston (This segment aired on KPRC in Houston.)
http://bit.ly/2PGlGRn
Twin theory: Why I think Julián encouraged Joaquin to run for Senate and Joaquin declined
Austin American-Statesman
https://atxne.ws/2vANUn8

Islamic Society of Greater Houston celebrates 50 years
Ahmad Durrani, professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering, is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2vyACaG

BYOB revelry and a surprise opera performance highlight Hermann Park Conservancy gala dinner
An article mentions that musicians from Rice’s Shepherd School of Music performed at the Hermann Park Conservancy gala.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in more than 25 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2vy2w6L
http://bit.ly/2vAu77v

Cooper alum Matthew Wilson named head basketball coach
Alumnus Matthew Wilson is featured and pictured.
HelloWoodlands.com
http://bit.ly/2vwSCSP

BROADCAST

Rice University students’ medical invention could help thousands of babies
Feeling the soft spot atop a newborn’s head can give a doctor a sense of whether there’s too much pressure inside, but Rice bioengineering students have found a way to get more comprehensive data without an invasive procedure. Seniors Patricia Thai, Tensae Assefa, Kiara Reyes Gamas and Sammi Lu are quoted. A Rice video is included in the Medgadget article.
Fox 26 Online (This segment also aired on KRIV in Houston.)
http://bit.ly/2vx55Gh
Rice students develop non-invasive intracranial pressure sensor to monitor infants
Medgadget (This article also appeared in Medical Health News.)
http://bit.ly/2PKj3xN

What is Mexico’s own southern border policy?
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 Mexico Center, is interviewed about Mexico’s policy on stemming the flow of illegal immigrants at its southern border.
KJZZ Online
http://bit.ly/2PHpZfb

’13 Eyewitness News at 11 a.m.’
The May 4 “BARK for BARC” pet walk at Rice is mentioned.
KTRK-TV (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2vx5pVl

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Graphene art — no ink needed
An article featuring Joseph Cohen’s artwork mentions that is was created at Rice using laser-induced graphene, a technique pioneered by James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Chair in Chemistry and a professor of computer science and of materials science and nanoengineering. Bruce Weisman, professor of chemistry, materials science and nanoengineering; Paul Cherukuri, executive director of the BioScience Research Collaborative; and alumnus Daniel Heller are mentioned.
Nanowerk (This article also appeared in Phys.org.)
http://bit.ly/2vvoWWr

Automated machine for pumping bag valve masks
A Rice senior capstone design team set out to create a cost-effective device that automates the compression of manual bag valve masks, which feed fresh air to the lungs of intubated patients. A Rice video is included.
Medgadget
http://bit.ly/2PJOW9z

McGraw-Hill and Cengage are merging — is that good or bad news for textbook prices?
An article features OpenStax, a Rice-based publisher of open educational resources.
MarketWatch (This article also appeared in Morningstar.)
https://on.mktw.net/2PHkRaH

STEM leaders: Moving to the head of the class
Rice’s plan to redevelop the historic Midtown Sears building into The Ion, the centerpiece of an innovation district built in collaboration with other Houston agencies and institutions, is mentioned. The Rice Business Plan Competition at the Jones Graduate School of Business is also mentioned.
Business Facilities Magazine
http://bit.ly/2PHfeJO

New Facebook health groups promise privacy, but does company go far enough to do that?
A quote by Kirsten Ostherr, the Gladys Louise Fox Professor of English and director of Rice’s Medical Futures Lab, is featured in a health news roundup.
Kaiser Health News
http://bit.ly/2PKaFOT

Researchers develop new solution for recycling batteries
An article features Rice research that developed a method to recycle lithium-ion batteries using deep eutectic solvents to extract valuable metals.
Veterans Insights
http://bit.ly/2PKVrt4

Amazon’s Symphony Orchestra: It’s a corporate gig
Alumnus Hsing-Hui Hsu is mentioned.
Seattle Magazine
http://bit.ly/2PHdNuV

A single democratic state offers the best path forward for Palestinians and Israelis 
An article cites a 2018 study by Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace titled “Two States or One? Reappraising the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse.”
Middle East Eye
http://bit.ly/2PJwGx4

Strange bedfellowship: Technology and politics
President John F. Kennedy’s “Moon Speech” given at Rice Sept. 12, 1962, is featured.
EE Times
https://ubm.io/2PJ35UG

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Wearable für den notfall: Die adrenalinspritze am handgelenk
Martel College senior Justin Tang is quoted in an article about his team’s development of a wearable device for allergy sufferers. A Rice video is included.
Vodafone (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/2ZSenus

Yellow strings in trees are an invasive parasitic plant
An article mentions that Rice biologists discovered unique parasitic properties of the cassytha filiformis vine.
The Guam Daily Post
http://bit.ly/2PEVwOG

College briefs May 2, 2019
An article mentions that Derek Gathercole, who received a scholarship from Yates Companies Inc., plans to attend Rice.
Clay Today Online
http://bit.ly/2vzXwPe

Mount St. Helens fast facts
An article mentions that Rice collaborated with the University of Washington and the University of Texas at El Paso to study Mount St. Helens.
Erie News Now
http://bit.ly/2vwaRIc

Free children’s concert at The Funhouse Friday, May 10
An article features Rachel Buchman, lecturer in music and founder of the Young Children’s Division at Rice’s Shepherd School of Music.
The Islands’ Sounder
http://bit.ly/2vz1jMx

UM names Renae Scott as its new chief information officer
An article featuring Renae Scott mentions that she worked in information technology at Rice.
Missoula Current
http://bit.ly/2PNsjBq

SPORTS

Houston takes advantage of Rice’s wildness to win 8-2 in 10 innings
Rice’s baseball team was defeated by the University of Houston 8-2 on May 1 at Reckling Park. Head coach Matt Bragga and Owls Kel Bordwine, Drake Greenwood, Dalton Wood, Trei Cruz, Cade Edwards, Justin Collins, Dominic Cox, Brandt Frazier, Jackson Tyner, Ben Schragger, Benjamin Content and Bradley Gneiting. Schragger and Garret Gayle are pictured in the slideshow.
Houston Chronicle (This article also appeared in the May 2 print edition.)
http://bit.ly/2PNss7W
Wacky 10th inning gives UH win over rival Rice
Houston Chronicle (This article also appeared in more than 25 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2ZJ8cJ0

NEWS RELEASES

Organ bioprinting gets a breath of fresh air
Rice bioengineer Jordan Miller and collaborators have cleared a major hurdle on the path to 3D printing replacement organs with a breakthrough technique for bioprinting tissues. The research is featured on the cover of this week’s issue of Science with a proof-of-principle hydrogel model of a lung.
http://bit.ly/2PJsOMB

Art is what you mecha-make it
Sensors and motors and microprocessors don’t mean much without the spark of an idea to bring them together into something cool. A small gallery at Rice’s Moody Center for the Arts was full of them recently. A classroom led by mechanical engineer Marcia O’Malley took over the space so students could present their mechatronic art creations: interactive, table-top machines that used everything they had learned in the service of fun.
http://bit.ly/2vyL9me

Facebook must be more forthcoming about its care of health groups’ data, Rice expert says
At a time when Facebook continues to face public and government scrutiny over its handling of users’ data, the social media giant announced this week that it is expanding its “Groups” by making them more of a focus on the platform. Kirsten Ostherr, a media scholar and digital health technology researcher at Rice, is available for comment.
http://bit.ly/2vBsIxj

Mexico needs new trade deal despite its shortcomings, Baker Institute report says
For Mexico, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement represents the best alternative to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) it seeks to replace — far superior to the termination of NAFTA threatened by the U.S. administration, according to a report from the Mexico Center at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
http://bit.ly/2vBu7nu

No ink needed for these graphene artworks
The Rice lab of chemist James Tour introduced laser-induced graphene to the world in 2014, and now the researchers are making art with the technique, which involves converting carbon in a common polymer or other material into microscopic flakes of graphene.
http://bit.ly/2vvAclE

‘Space barons’ Musk and Bezos in focus at Rice’s Baker Institute May 7
Washington Post reporter Christian Davenport will discuss his book, “The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos,” May 7 at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. The book is an account of the birth of a new Space Age, the personal clashes of the innovators behind it and the struggle to end governments’ monopoly on space exploration.
http://bit.ly/2vyxUCn

Uber/Lyft drivers’ strike unlikely to increase pay, expert says
Next week, drivers for ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft plan to clear the streets of their cars in eight major U.S. cities in an effort to raise their minimum wage and improve working conditions. Joyce Beebe, a fellow in public finance at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, has recently published research on the “sharing economy” and is available to comment on the planned May 8 strike.
http://bit.ly/2vB2Xx8