Dateline Rice for Oct. 6, 2020

Stefan De La Garza
– October 6, 2020Posted in: Dateline Rice

COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Musicians may need more than social distancing to stay safe on stage
An article featuring collaborative Rice research into how far a musician’s or vocalist’s droplets are pushed into the environment during live performances found that robust ventilation systems, air currents and other social-distancing measures will be needed to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Co-authors quoted or mentioned include Robert Yekovich, the Elma Schneider Professor of Music and dean of Rice’s Shepherd School of Music; Ashok Veeraraghavan, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and of computer science; postdoctoral research associate Vivek Boominathan; and graduate students Ankit Raghuram and Sean Farrell.
Medical Xpress
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-yekovich-veeraraghavan
‘6 a.m. newscast’
Houston Public Media on Google Podcasts (This segment also aired on KUHF-FM in Houston.)
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-hpm
‘8 a.m. newscast’
Houston Public Media on Google Podcasts (This segment also aired on KUHF-FM in Houston.)
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-hpm
‘ABC 13 Eyewitness News’ 
CW 39
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-rice-research (This segment aired twice.)Houston COVID-19 expert says President Trump should stay under observation for 5 days

Paul Brace, the Clarence L. Carter Professor of Political Science, is quoted.

MSN (This article originally appeared in ABC 13 Online.)
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-brace

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL
Carina Nebula’s wild tendrils star in extraordinary image of stars being born
Several articles features collaborative Rice research that used the Gemini South telescope in Chile to capture near-infrared images of the Carina Nebula with the same resolution that’s expected of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, which is still more than a year from launch. Patrick Hartigan, professor of physics and astronomy, is quoted.
CNET (Below is a sampling of articles that appeared in more than 25 other media outlets around the world.)
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-hartigan
A star is born: Scientists capture incredibly detailed image of stellar nursery 8,500 light-years away
RT
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-hartigan

Telescope captures mind-blowing image of cloud where stars are born

Yahoo! News UK
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-hartigan

Nova imagem da Nebulosa Carina traz uma riqueza incrível de detalhes

Yahoo! Noticias Brasil (An English translation is not available. This article originally appeared in CanalTech.)
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-hartigan

Into the ‘new ocean’: Captivating images from America’s first space program
President John F. Kennedy’s “moon speech” given at Rice Sept. 12, 1962, is mentioned.
National Geographic
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-kennedy
Lighthouse Award recipient’s Purple Pride helps those on cancer journey
The Lakeshore
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-kennedy

China’s electric vehicle promises are just that — promises
An article cites a study by Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy that determined there would be an additional 740,000 tons per year of coal demanded for every one million plug-in electric passenger cars that the U.S. puts on the road.
Forbes
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-baker-study

HOUSTON/TEXAS
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says he won’t resign despite bribery accusations

BROADCAST
Tuesday’s ‘Houston Matters’: Calls for Ken Paxton’s resignation and congressional candidate Mike Siegel (Oct. 6, 2020)
A broadcast featuring James Baker III, honorary chair of Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and former U.S. secretary of state, mentions he will join the authors of the book “The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III” for a webinar hosted by the Baker Institute Oct. 7. A second segment features Brittany Utting, assistant professor of architecture, who discusses an upcoming lecture series about architectural activism hosted by Rice’s School of Architecture.
Houston Public Media (This segment also aired on KUHF-FM in Houston.)
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-baker-uttingABC 13 to host ‘Future Flooding’ town hall special Thursday
An article mentions that Stephen Klineberg, founding director of Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research and an emeritus professor of sociology, will participate in an Oct. 8 town hall to answer questions about the continued threat of flooding in Houston.
ABC 13 Online
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-klineberg

‘5 a.m. newscast’
Ken Janda, adjunct professor of management at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, is interviewed about how insurance companies have benefited this year from a decrease in claims.
Houston Public Media on Google Podcasts (This segment also aired on KUHF-FM in Houston.)
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-janda

Houston’s soon-to-open Innovation Hub puts focus on diversity in tech
An article and broadcast mention that Rice’s redevelopment of the historic Midtown Sears building into the Ion, the centerpiece of an innovation district slated to open in the first quarter of 2021, received a $1.5 million grant from the Economic Development Administration to fund the Rice Alliance Clean Energy Accelerator, the Ion Smart and Resilient Cities Accelerator and the DivInc Accelerator, which helps minority- and women-led startups.
Houston Public Media (This segment also aired on KUHF-FM in Houston.)
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-the-ion

‘Local 23 News at 4’
A broadcast mentions that Rice is one of four Texas universities listed on Washington Monthly’s 2020 National University Rankings.
KVEO-TV (Harlingen, Texas)
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-kveo (This segment aired four times.)

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL
Magnetostrictive, piezoelectric effects partner to power implanted neural stimulator
An article features Rice research that developed a tiny surgical implant that can electrically stimulate the brain and nervous system without using a battery or wired power supply. Co-authors of the study quoted are Jacob Robinson, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and of bioengineering; Caleb Kemere, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering; and graduate student Amanda Singer.
Electronic Design
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-robinson-kemereDeep learning gives drug design a boost
An article features Rice research into how a new deep learning-based technique can help detail how drugs in development will perform in the human body. Co-authors quoted or mentioned include Lydia Kavraki, the Noah Harding Professor of Computer Science, professor of bioengineering and professor of mechanical engineering, and director of the Ken Kennedy Institute for Information Technology at Rice, graduate student Eleni Litsa and alumna Payel Das.
Science Daily (This article also appeared in Phys.org.)
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-kavraki

Flood damage calls for new proposal in Houston area
An article quotes 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.
Construction Equipment Guide
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-blackburn

Jacobs School surgery resident wins ACS/Pfizer award for volunteerism
Alumnus Aaron Epstein is featured and pictured.
UBMD Physicians’ Group News
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-epstein
FYI This Week highlights upcoming science policy events and summarizes news from the past week
A roundup features a study between Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences that concludes significant policy and funding actions are required to ensure the U.S. does not lose its preeminent position in discovery and innovation.
American Institute of Physics
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-baker-study

American boarding schools nurturing resilient leaders of tomorrow
Rice is mentioned.
Study International
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-study-international

Smart trucks and smart warehouses
Alumnus William Bain authored an article.
RFID Journal
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-bain

1st-generation American following his dreams with First Team band
An article mentions Pat Salas, senior AV technician at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business’ Office of Technology.
U.S. Army
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-salas

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST
Board approves 16 faculty appointments
An article mentions that Yasaman Ghasempour, a postdoctoral research associate in electrical and computer engineering at Rice, will join the faculty at Princeton this winter.
Princeton University News
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-punBerry College ranks high in US News 2021 Best Colleges
An article mentions that Rice is ranked No. 51 in the nation for its “first-year experiences” according to U.S. News & World Report university rankings.
All on Georgia
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-aog

SPORTS
UH ready for opener, but that’s nothing new
Rice football is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the Oct. 6 print edition.)
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-hc
Hilltoppers prevail over Blue Raiders, the Thundering Herd up next
College Heights Herald
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-chh
Tramel: OSU at 100-to-1 to win the national title is a good bet
The Oklahoman 
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-ok
Florida WR Jordan Pouncey receives word from the NCAA about his eligibility waiver
Saturday Down South
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-sds
Houston hopes to finally open season vs. Tulane
Lindy’s Sports
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-ls

NEWS RELEASES
Earth grows fine gems in minutes
Rice researchers have created a mathematical model that could transform the chemical profiles of the growth rates of pegmatites, veinlike formations of crystals that include aquamarine, emerald, garnet, zircon and topaz.
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-news-release-leeThere’s a reason bacteria stay in shape
Rice chemist Anatoly Kolomeisky has developed a theory into how bacteria all seem to be about the same size. A primal mechanism in bacteria that keeps them in their personal Goldilocks zones appears to depend on two random means of regulation, growth and division, that cancel each other out.
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-news-release-kolomeisky

Rice transforms temporary classrooms into public art destinations
The temporary classrooms at Rice called “provisional campus facilities” (PCFs) and the lawn outside them will also serve as public art installation spaces. Two of the PCFs have been transformed into giant canvases by the Color Factory, and additional pieces are coming to campus later this month, including a community-made work led by the Dutch collective We Make Carpets Oct. 24 and a mural by Houston street artist GONZO247 Oct. 26.
http://dateline.rice/oct-6-news-release-public-art

About Stefan De La Garza

Stefan De La Garza is a news analyst in Rice University's Office of Public Affairs.