Dateline Rice for June 3, 2019 (Weekend Edition)

FEATURED ITEMS

How are we evolving? 
Scott Solomon, associate teaching professor in biosciences at Rice and author of “Future Humans: Inside the Science of Our Continuing Evolution,” is interviewed about what may influence evolution in modern humans.
BBC’s CrowdScience (This American Public Media-affiliated broadcast aired on over 1,300 radio stations around the world.)
https://bbc.in/2Ms66e1 (Comments begin at 18:00.)
‘Into Tomorrow with Dave Graveline’
WDEL-FM (This segment aired on 100 affiliate radio stations.)
http://bit.ly/2HR5N8i
Como os colonizadores humanos poderão se adaptar para a vida em Marte?
CarlosTrentini.com.br (An English translation is not available. Similar articles also appeared in 10 other foreign-language media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2HQNkZj

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

The ‘time machines’ unlocking Antarctica’s past
A broadcast about the Thwaites glacier in Antarctica features footage by Linda Welzenbach, a science writer in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences at Rice.
BBC
https://bbc.in/2WLGBrU

Bassist Dan Smith swings the bat for Symphomaniacs softball team
Alumnus Dan Smith is featured and pictured.
San Francisco Chronicle 
http://bit.ly/2MpRkEx

6 months later, gene-edited babies stir new interest, debate
An article about gene editing in humans mentions 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.
The Oakland Press (This Associated Press article also appeared in the Macomb Daily and the Sentinel, and it appeared in the June 1 print editions of the Orlando Sentinel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, TechLife News, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Apple Magazine and The State.)
http://bit.ly/2MmIxDk

HOUSTON/TEXAS

In new space race, a drive for $1 trillion market
David Alexander, director of the Rice Space Institute and professor of physics and astronomy, is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (This article appeared on the front page of the June 2 print edition and a previous edition of Dateline when it was first posted online.)
http://bit.ly/2HRgMyp

How’d the 86th Texas Legislature do? [Analysis]
Jim Blackburn, a professor in the practice of environmental law and the co-director Rice’s Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center, is quoted in two articles.
Houston Chronicle (This article also appeared on the front of the “Outlook” section in the June 2 print edition.)
http://bit.ly/2IkPvDt
TEXAS VIEW: Think beyond Coastal Spine for storm protection
Odessa American
http://bit.ly/2MBowt4

Dems need to ratify USMCA for good of country
David Gantz, the Will Clayton Fellow in Trade and International Economics at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted in a column calling for Congress to pass the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Houston Chronicle (This article appeared on the front of the “Business” section in the June 2 print editions of the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News, and it appeared in a previous edition of Dateline when it was first posted online.)
http://bit.ly/2HTemzx

Rice University launches corporate leadership program
An article features “The Leadership Accelerator: The Woodlands,” an Oct. 7-10 seminar offered by Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business. Brent Smith, associate professor of management and psychology and senior associate dean for executive education at the Jones School, is quoted and pictured.
Houston Business Journal
http://bit.ly/2HQBLSa

Free markets, infrastructure give Texas cleaner power grid
An article cites a Baker Institute for Public Policy analysis of Texas’ 1999 decision to deregulate its power grid.
Houston Chronicle (This article also appeared in more than 25 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2MpE4Qo

Former San Antonio mayor’s story exposes the mindless rigidity of Voter ID law 
An article cites a 2015 joint study by Rice and the University of Houston that analyzed the impact of Texas’ voter ID law.
San Antonio Express-News (This article also appeared in the June 2 print edition.)
http://bit.ly/2MFvLAf

Bayou Preservation Association honors deserving individuals with 2019 Terry Hershey Bayou Stewardship Awards at recent luncheon
An article mentions that alumnus Ed Emmett ’71, senior fellow at Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, was honored at the Bayou Preservation Association’s ninth annual Terry Hershey Bayou Stewardship Awards luncheon May 21.
The Katy News
http://bit.ly/2MreDxG

Why Houston — ugly-beautiful city of sweat and oil — needs poetry [Opinion] 
Alumna Leslie Contreras Schwartz, Houston’s Poet Laureate, authored an op-ed.
Houston Chronicle (This article also appeared on the front of the “Outlook” section in the June 2 print edition).
http://bit.ly/2WBceoc

4 finalists named in 2019 Ima Hogg Competition
An article mentions that alumnae Katherine Audas and Chloe Tula, both graduates of Rice’s Shepherd School of Music, competed in the final round of the Ima Hogg music competition June 1 at Rice’s Stude Concert Hall. An article from Broadway World mentions that Tula earned third place and Audas earned fourth place and the Herman Shoss Audience Choice Award.
Houston Chronicle (A similar article also appeared in The Katy News.)
http://bit.ly/2MmMwzH 
Harpist Rachel Lee Hall wins 2019 Houston Symphony Ima Hogg competition
Broadway World
http://bit.ly/2MFw3XR

With dramatic turnarounds, some high-poverty San Antonio schools have emerged as leaders 
An article mentions that Rice is working with the School Innovation Collaborative to create a design lab for principals managing multiple schools.
San Antonio Express-News (This article also appeared on the front of the “Metro” section in the June 2 print edition.)
http://bit.ly/2MqVOL5

Students selected for international physics internships at CERN
Laria Redjimi, adjunct assistant professor of physics and astronomy, is featured and pictured. Paul Padley, professor of physics and astronomy, is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (This article appeared in the June 3 print edition.)
http://bit.ly/2HRsd9t

Like father, like son
An article mentions that Wyche Fowler teaches at Rice.
The Buzz Magazines
http://bit.ly/2HTzh5x

Class of 2019: Teachers who made a difference
An article mentions that Jordan Killinger plans to attend Rice.
The Buzz Magazines
http://bit.ly/2MoUvMP

Talking politics across party lines
An article mentions that the “Day of Unity,” which featured a discussion between Republican and Democratic Texas high school students, was held at Rice March 31.
The Buzz Magazines
http://bit.ly/2HTRZtQ

BROADCAST

Rice University’s Rodriguez on Mexico tariffs, China 
Peter Rodriguez, dean of Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, is interviewed about the possible effects of U.S. tariffs levied against China and Mexico.
Bloomberg (This segment also appeared on MSN Money.)
https://bloom.bg/2MqXTqC

Local businesses, political experts say Mexico tariffs will cost Houstonians
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.
KHOU Online
http://bit.ly/2HT79PR
La denuncia de un inexistente fraude electoral sacude a los republicanos en Texas
Univision (An English translation is not available. This article also appeared in ArchyWorldys.)
http://bit.ly/2HRzsyb

Texas-Mexico trade relationship vulnerable amidst Trump tariff threats
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 quoted.
Houston Public Media (This segment also aired on KUHF-FM in Houston.)
http://bit.ly/2MpEgz9
Tariff summit set for next week: Could Mexico realistically meet Trump’s demands?
KRCR Online (This article also appeared on the websites of television stations KIMA, KLEW, WHAM, KFXL, WJLA, NTV, Fox 11, KATU, KBOI, WSTM, KTVL and WTVC.)
http://bit.ly/2Mpxoli

‘Houston Newsmakers’
A broadcast mentions that the June 16 episode of “Houston Newsmakers” will feature the results of the 38th annual Kinder Houston Area Survey by Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research.
KPRC-TV (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2MpX8Ol

Young violist preps for 30th annual Texas Music Festival before his original work played by Houston Symphony
Rice’s Shepherd School of Music is mentioned.
CW39
http://bit.ly/2Z7istl

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Experts: Global natural gas oversupply likely hurting European coal pricing
Anna Mikulska, nonresident fellow in energy studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
S&P Global
http://bit.ly/2MsboWV

Physicists create stable, strongly magnetized plasma jet in laboratory
An article features the collaborative research of Edison Liang, the Andrew Hays Buchanan Professor of Astrophysics, which developed a magnetized plasma jet that could offer insights on jets that stream from newborn stars and possibly black holes.
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (This article also appeared in more than 15 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2MsFLwx
Best of Last Week — Revisiting cold fusion, a better drug to treat breast cancer and a health benefit of eating red meat 
Science X
http://bit.ly/2MmhcB5

Flexible generators turn movement into energy
An article features the research of James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Chair in Chemistry and a professor of computer science and of materials science and nanoengineering, which has adapted laser-induced graphene into small, metal-free devices that generate electricity. The article quotes Tour and quotes and pictures postdoctoral researcher Michael Stanford. A Rice video is included.
The Engineer (This article also appeared in more than 10 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2MqnUX0

New wireless epilepsy monitor wins 1st prize at the IEEE International Symposium
An article featuring former Rice undergraduate researchers, who developed wireless technology to collect data from where seizures originate in the brains of epilepsy sufferers, mentions that they recently won the top prize at the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society student design competition in Sapporo, Japan. Rice community members pictured include alumni Aidan Curtis, Sophia D’Amico, Andres Gomez, Benjamin Klimko and Irene Zhang and Joe Cavallaro, professor of electrical and computer engineering and computer science. Rice community members mentioned include Caleb Kemere, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering; Tracy Volz, professor in the practice and director of the engineering communications program; and Reginald DesRoches, the William and Stephanie Sick Dean of the George R. Brown School of Engineering, professor of civil and environmental engineering and professor of mechanical engineering.
AZo Sensors
http://bit.ly/2MmHyTx

What is organ bioprinting?
An article features the research of Jordan Miller, assistant professor of bioengineering, who led a team that developed a tangled, 3D-printed network of vessels that mimics a human lung. A Rice video is included in The Daily.
Labmate Online (Similar articles also appeared in the June 1 print editions of the NWZ, Reutlinger Nachrichten, Sudwest Presse Metzinger, Sudwest Presse Ulm and Alb Bote.)
http://bit.ly/2MqdKFW
First steps to 3D-printing organs accomplished at UW
The Daily
http://bit.ly/2MsmcnV

Bioengineering team discovers new approach to fix bone fracture
An article mentions that Rice seniors at the Brown School of Engineering developed a process of repairing fractured long bones in an arm or leg using magnets. The project won the top prize, the Excellence in Engineering Award, at the school’s annual Engineering Design Showcase. Alumnus Ashvin Dewan, Jones College senior Will Yarinsky and Martel College senior Ian Frankel are quoted. Baker College senior Babs Ogunbanwo, Hanszen College seniors Takanori Iida and Byung-UK Kang, Martel College senior Hannah Jackson and postdoctoral research associate Sabia Abidi are mentioned.
Medical Tech Outlook
http://bit.ly/2Mqobt0

Better cancer-killing drill developed
An article mentions that an international team of scientists including experts from Rice are developing molecule-sized motors that drill through the surface of cancer cells.
The Free Press Journal (This article appeared in the May 31 print edition, and the print editions of The Times of India New Delhi and Mumbai issues.)
http://bit.ly/2Z2QZZR

Researchers identify links between digital devices and obesity
An article cites Rice research that suggests a correlation between digital device multitasking and obesity.
Plains Gazette
http://bit.ly/2MpLSl3

Military news
An article mentions alumnus Michael Keith Plummer.
Akron Beacon Journal
http://bit.ly/2MqP6Vm

Response: The best co-teaching advice is to ‘be resilient’
Alumna Jenny Vo authored a response to a “question of the week.”
Education Week
http://bit.ly/2HQvvtE

Sicut sol inter astra
An article cites the 2005 Triennial Neil J. O’Brien Symposium in Medieval Studies at Rice.
Medium 
http://bit.ly/2MqgjHP

Advierten a AMLO que refinería de Dos Bocas costará el doble, construcción durará más de 8 años
Adrian Duhalt, postdoctoral fellow in Mexico energy studies at the Baker Institute for Public Policy’s Mexico Center and Center for Energy Studies, is quoted.
La Prensa (An English translation is not available. This article also appeared in more than 10 other media outlets, and it appeared in the June 2 print editions of Reforma, Mural, El Norte, Periodoco AM Express Irapuato and Periodoco AM Express Celaya.)
http://bit.ly/2HSgJTe

‘Inexistente’ el contrato: Pemex
Miriam Grunstein, contributing expert and scholar in the Mexico Center at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
El Heraldo (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/2HQNEHD

Management accounting: Expanding relevance
Marc Epstein, former distinguished research professor of management at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, is featured in a Q&A.
SF Magazine
http://bit.ly/2HSjGDi

Prescription drug costs steadily soar, yet price transparency is lacking
An article mentions that Rice is part of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Alliance for Health Research.
Health Medicine Network (This article also appeared in Bright Surf, 7th Space Interactive, 4rfv.com, Scienmag and Bioengineer.)
http://bit.ly/2Z52RKS

Der Mann vom Mond
President John F. Kennedy’s “Moon Speech” given at Rice Sept. 12, 1962, is mentioned.
SZ.de (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/2Mr7CwQ

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

17 top Scouts among Glenwood’s graduating class
An article mentions that Noah Fons plans to attend Rice.
The State Journal-Register
http://bit.ly/2MAQDIu

California’s latest increase in education funding needs to come with more effectiveness 
An article cites Rice research that determined that weighted-student funding systems are successful in promoting equity and give principals more say in spending decisions.
OC Register (This article also appeared in 10 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2MqPBPw

History courses in Houston
Rice is featured.
SuperProf Magazine
http://bit.ly/2HTVLmV

Mercy High School graduates encouraged to continue breaking down walls
An article mentions that Doris Xu, valedictorian of Mercy High School in Middletown, Connecticut, plans to attend Rice.
Hartford Courant
http://bit.ly/2HSzmX0

Modi victory in India touches off celebrations across Houston
An article mentions that Shobhendu Prabhakar attended Rice.
Indo American New
http://bit.ly/2MqZw7t

Home is where their art is
An article featuring Rathna Kumar mentions that she has given Indian dance workshops at Rice.
The Hindu (This article appeared in the May 31 print edition and a previous edition of Dateline when it was first posted online.)
http://bit.ly/2Mj4UK2

As 10 melhores escolas de negócios do mundo
Rice is featured.
Versatille (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/2MqK2AE

SPORTS

Pair of Harvard transfers ready for fresh start at Rice
An article mentions that Charlie Booker and Tom Stewart will join Rice’s football team. The article also mentions that Stewart’s father, Bruce, attended Rice.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2WEtnNL

‘KPRC Channel 2 News at 6 p.m.’
Rice head football coach Mike Bloomgren is featured in a broadcast about the Owls’ football camp for high school students.
KPRC-TV (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2HSlhcc

Sprinter Obi Igbokwe helps validate UH as a destination for track athletes
Rice’s Victor Lopez Classic track meet is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (This article also appeared in the June 3 print edition, and it appeared in Daily Republic.)
http://bit.ly/2MptsRB

Sam Cosmi continues to gain attention entering sophomore season
Former Rice football player Calvin Anderson is mentioned.
247Sports.com
http://bit.ly/2QzcMFC

RHP Lincoln Henzman promoted to Double-A Birmingham from Winston-Salem
Former Rice baseball player Jordan Stephens is featured.
Our Sports Central
http://bit.ly/2MqWJLP

Tigers draft choices in recent years have included big hits and big busts
Former Rice baseball player Matt Anderson is featured and pictured.
The Detroit News
http://bit.ly/2MqRcEI

NEWS RELEASES

New genetic weapons challenge sickle cell disease
Help for patients with sickle cell disease may soon come from gene editing to fix the mutation that causes the disease and boost the patient’s own protective fetal hemoglobin. New research by Rice bioengineer Gang Bao shows that using CRISPR-Cas9 and a corrective short DNA template to repair the sickle cell mutation in a patient’s hematopoietic stem cells could be efficient and safe.
http://bit.ly/2IeO7SZ

Nanomaterial safety on a nano budget
With a little practice, it doesn’t take much more than 10 minutes, a couple of bags and a big bucket to keep nanomaterials in their place. The Rice lab of chemist Andrew Barron works with bulk carbon nanotubes on a variety of projects. Years ago, members of the lab became concerned that nanotubes could escape into the air, and developed a cheap and clean method to keep them contained as they were transferred from large containers into jars for experimental use.
http://bit.ly/2Igr1LI

Member of Mexico’s National Hydrocarbons Commission to speak at Rice’s Baker Institute
Héctor Moreira, commissioner of Mexico’s National Hydrocarbons Commission, will visit Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy June 12 to discuss proposals for the natural gas sector in Mexico and how the availability of natural gas impacts the country’s economic growth.
http://bit.ly/2IeJrfY

Microscopic ‘donuts’ a treat for quantum tech   
Scientists at Rice are helping a national laboratory bring about a revolution in electronics and, perhaps, quantum computing. By patterning nanoscale donuts into a two-dimensional crystal, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and their colleagues, including theoretical scientists at Rice’s Brown School of Engineering, have achieved a new level of control over its electrical and optical properties.
http://bit.ly/2HUI1bG