NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL
Jupiter and Saturn will come within 0.1 degrees of each other, forming the first visible 'double planet' in 800 years
Patrick Hartigan, professor of physics and astronomy, is quoted in an article and radio broadcast about the Dec. 21 event in which Jupiter and Saturn will appear so close to each other in the sky they will look like a “double planet” for the first time since the Middle Ages.
CBS News
https://cbsn.ws/3n5bKk0
KFBK-AM (Sacramento, California)
https://bit.ly/372jcXE
Are there signs of thaw in Turkish-Saudi relations?
Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, fellow for the Middle East at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
Al-Monitor
https://bit.ly/2JGLrT7
HOUSTON/TEXAS
Texas 'Martian geologist' chosen for NASA's new Mars rover mission
An article mentions that Kirsten Siebach, assistant professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, will help operate NASA’s Perseverance rover, and she and her colleagues received funding to create methods to help analyze any samples to be returned to Earth. Rice data scientist Yueyang Jiang and research scientist Gelu Costin are mentioned.
CultureMap Dallas
https://bit.ly/2K8stVf
Anzilla Gilmore of Houston named inaugural Chase Award recipient
An article featuring Anzilla Gilmore, assistant director for project management and engineering, mentions that she was awarded the Texas Society of Architects 2020 Honor Award for Equitable Practice in Architecture in Honor of John S. Chase Jr.
Texas Architect
https://bit.ly/3gtgc9M
Elon Musk confirms that he has moved to Texas
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.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the Dec. 9 print edition.)
https://bit.ly/33WBYhl
Paxton sues four states that went for Biden to distract from own legal woes, experts say
Dallas Observer
https://bit.ly/37P0vG3
Army Corps report on reservoirs, Buffalo Bayou prompts a flood of feedback
David Abraham, lecturer in biosciences, is quoted.
Community Impact Newspaper
https://bit.ly/3gt7LLT
More on Plum Grove and Colony Ridge and the San Jacinto River flooding issue
Rice's Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disaster (SPPEED) Center is mentioned.
Montgomery County Police Reporter
https://bit.ly/3lZqzDl
Ellen Farrell of Toyota Financial Services honored by D CEO magazine
Alumna Ellen Farrell is featured.
D Magazine
https://bit.ly/3n23am1
BROADCAST
WOAI-AM (San Antonio)
Tony Payan, the Françoise and Edward Djerejian Fellow for Mexico Studies and director of the Center for the United States and Mexico at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted in a story on the Mexican government's plea for citizens to avoid celebrating Christmas this year because of COVID-19.
https://bit.ly/3n21V6z (This broadcast also aired twice on KFI-AM in Los Angeles.)
KERA-FM (Dallas)
Vivian Ho, the James A. Baker III Institute Chair in Health Economics at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy’s Center for Health and Biosciences, is quoted in a story on hospital mergers' impact on patients.
https://bit.ly/2W438OF (This broadcast aired twice on KERA and also aired on five other Texas Public Radio affiliate stations.)
KUT-FM (Austin, Texas)
Alumnus Ed Emmett ’71, fellow in energy and transportation policy at the Center for Energy Studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted in a story on the Texas Legislature.
https://bit.ly/3nfhmZn (This broadcast aired six times on KUT and also aired on five other Texas Public Radio affiliate stations.)
C-SPAN3
A broadcast features a virtual panel discussion hosted by Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy about how journalists covered the 2020 presidential election during the pandemic.
https://bit.ly/36ZGTzH
TRADE/PROFESSIONAL
Scientists get the lowdown on sun's super-hot atmosphere
An article features collaborative Rice research that may solve the long-standing mystery about why the sun’s atmosphere is millions of degrees hotter than the surface. Stephen Bradshaw, associate professor of physics and astronomy, is quoted. Alumnus Shah Mohammad Bahauddin is mentioned.
Space Daily (Similar articles appeared in Eurasia Review and Innovations Report.)
https://bit.ly/2VY3q9S
Vitamin boosts essential synthetic chemistry
Inspired by light-sensing bacteria that thrive near hot oceanic vents, synthetic chemists at Rice have found a mild method to make valuable hydrocarbons known as olefins, or alkenes. Julian West, assistant professor of chemistry, is quoted. Postdoctoral researcher Radha Bam, senior Alexandros Pollatos and graduate student Austin Moser are mentioned.
Health Medicine Network (Similar articles appeared in Scienmag, Science Daily, Bioengineer, NewsCaf, Nach Welt and Australian Online News.)
https://bit.ly/3mWmXU5
Chemists identify a new method to make valuable hydrocarbons
News-Medical.net
https://bit.ly/2VXyd6Y
Researchers observe second level of fluorescence in carbon nanotubes
An article features Rice research that found that single-walled nanotubes emit a delayed secondary fluorescence when triggered by a multistep process in a solution with dye molecules and dissolved oxygen. Co-authors quoted or mentioned include Bruce Weisman, professor of chemistry, materials science and nanoengineering, alumnus Ching-Wei Lin and research scientist Sergei Bachilo.
AZO Nano
https://bit.ly/2VWX3nh
Compartments discovered in essential fat-burning organelles
An article features the work of alumnus and research scientist Zachary Wright, who discovered peroxisomes, bubblelike single membranes filled with a granular protein matrix, hidden in plant cells’ organelles. Wright and Bonnie Bartel, the Ralph and Dorothy Looney Professor of BioSciences, are quoted.
GenEng News
https://bit.ly/3712E2l
Identifying long-term English learners can help students’ academic progress
Students who begin elementary school and haven’t become proficient at speaking English after five years in school should be identified as what educators call “long-term English learners,” according to a new paper from the Houston Education Research Consortium (HERC), a program of Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research. Daniel Potter, HERC associate director of regional research, and Lizzy Cashiola, HERC research scientist, are quoted.
eSchool News
https://bit.ly/3oEL2PU
Rice using Google Cloud for COVID-19 data analytics
Klara Jelinkova, vice president for international operations and information technology and chief information officer at Rice, is quoted.
Campus Technology (This article also appeared in Times of News, MSI Net and CompanyNewsHQ.)
https://bit.ly/371Nb1X
Google anuncia lançamento do 'Workspace' para governos
IT Forum (An English translation is not available.)
https://bit.ly/3n3LuGG
The 'stay interview': How an HR practice can help nonprofits engage their supporters
Evan Wildstein, director of development at the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, authored a blog post.
PhilanTopic
https://bit.ly/2IvcbFh
Financing Jones Act wind farm vessels
Alumnus Basil Karatzas authored a column.
The Maritime Executive (This article also appeared at Infomarine.net.)
https://bit.ly/37NzDX9
America surrenders to China
An op-ed mentions President John F. Kennedy’s “moon speech,” which was delivered at Rice Sept. 12, 1962.
Real Clear Politics
https://bit.ly/3m0uTCC
OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST
'Pink tax' hurts female consumers, but electing more women combats it
New Rice research concludes the “pink tax” imposed on women by import tariffs that target female products is generally lower in countries where more women are elected to political office. Diana O’Brien, the Albert Thomas Associate Professor of Political Science, is quoted.
Eurasia Review (A similar article appeared in World News Network and One News Page.)
https://bit.ly/3gsjQAX
Rice Business online MBA program earns high marks in its first year
Rice's Jones Graduate School of Business placed in the top 10 of five categories in The Princeton Review’s latest rankings of the Best Business Schools for 2021, including the No. 6 spot for its newest program, MBA@Rice. Rice Business Dean Peter Rodriguez is quoted.
Mirage
https://bit.ly/33ZJc3Z
Forget the deficit for now. We have to spend our way out of this pandemic
An article about federal spending during the pandemic cite recent research by Jorge Barro, fellow in public finance at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
KVOR Online (This article originally appeared in CNN and was in more than 20 other media outlets since appearing in yesterday's edition of Dateline.)
https://bit.ly/3gvnPgb
Cryptocurrencies: The savior of modern society?
Research from Rice's Jones Graduate School of Business is mentioned.
YouthTime Magazine
https://bit.ly/3gtNF3Y
'The Dr. Vibe Show': Galen Bingham 'resisting the temptation to play small'
Alumnus Galen Bingham is featured.
The Dr. Vibe Show
https://bit.ly/33XCfR2
An honored inventor
An article mentions that Eleftherios Papoutsakis was previously a member of Rice’s faculty.
Scienmag (This article originally appeared in University of Delaware News and also appeared in Newswise and Bioengineer.)
https://bit.ly/39V9JTT
SPORTS
UH basketball pausing activities after positive COVID-19 tests
Articles and broadcasts mention that Rice's Dec. 12 men's basketball game against the University of Houston has been postponed.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the Dec. 9 print edition.)
https://bit.ly/3gsmMxs
UH men's basketball pauses activities after positive COVID-19 tests
ABC 13 Online
https://abc13.co/36Yh8Qy
KPRC-TV (Houston)
https://bit.ly/2K5p6yn
https://bit.ly/33XiLfb
KRIV-TV (Houston)
https://bit.ly/2VZPL2d
Conference showdowns produce wave of Top 25 matchups
The Associated Press (This article appeared in more than 10 other media outlets.)
https://bit.ly/371ioCt
Houston pauses basketball activities, postpones two games
Yardbarker
https://bit.ly/2IwT11P
College Football 2020: Ranking the 3 worst losses from Week 14
The Rice football team's 20-0 victory over then-No. 15 Marshall University Dec. 5 is featured.
Saturday Blitz
https://bit.ly/372eYPC
José Cruz Jr. joins Detroit Tigers' coaching staff
Former Rice baseball players José Cruz Jr. and Trei Cruz are featured.
Associated Press (This article appeared in more than 100 media outlets, and a portion was included in a roundup of sports news in the Dec. 9 print edition of the Houston Chronicle.)
https://bit.ly/3lWu5yl
José Cruz Jr. named to Hinch's coaching staff
MLB.com
https://atmlb.com/3m12g8e
Detroit Tigers hire José Cruz Jr., a 12-year MLB veteran, as assistant hitting coach
Detroit Free Press (This article also appeared in Yahoo! Sports.)
https://bit.ly/3guRqpL
Flower Mound volleyball swept out of state semifinals by Klein
Gaby Mansfield, who has committed to play volleyball at Rice, is mentioned.
Dallas Morning News (Subscription is required.)
https://www.dallasnews.com/high-school-sports/volleyball/2020/12/08/flower-mound-volleyball-swept-out-of-state-semifinals-by-klein/
High rankings all in the family for golfers Jessica and Nelly Korda
The 2017 ATP Challenger Series tournament at Rice’s George R. Brown Tennis Center is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Dec. 9 print edition.)
https://bit.ly/2KcuPCf
MAAC Notebook: Fairfield enters conference play on losing streak
Former Rice basketball player Zach Crisler is mentioned.
Stamford Advocate (This article also appeared in Greenwich Time.)
https://bit.ly/2LnCU7Z
NEWS RELEASES
‘Pink tax’ hurts female consumers, but electing more women combats it
The wage gap between men and women is no secret, but another form of gender discrimination directly and disproportionately affects women worldwide: the “pink tax” imposed by import tariffs that target female products. But new Rice research concludes the “pink tax” is generally lower in countries where more women are elected to political office.
https://bit.ly/2IwgWyq
Vitamin boosts essential synthetic chemistry
Inspired by light-sensing bacteria that thrive near hot oceanic vents, synthetic chemists at Rice have found a mild method to make valuable hydrocarbons known as olefins, or alkenes. Like the bacteria, the researchers use vitamin B12, eliminating harsh chemicals typically needed to make precursor molecules essential to the manufacture of drugs and agrochemicals.
https://bit.ly/2W0oqga
Rice Business online MBA program earns high marks in its first year
Rice's Jones Graduate School of Business placed in the top 10 of five categories in The Princeton Review’s latest rankings of the Best Business Schools for 2021, including the No. 6 spot for its newest program, MBA@Rice.
https://bit.ly/2VUlge2
Texas lawmakers see vaccine legislation as nonpartisan
Vaccine-related legislation should be promoted as nonpartisan, new research suggests, and most Texas lawmakers agree despite a vocal anti-vaccine movement.
https://bit.ly/2K9as90
Religious discrimination particularly high for Jews and Muslims, study shows
Although people of all faiths report growing religious discrimination during the past few years, the phenomenon is most common among Jews and Muslims, according to a new study from researchers at Rice and West Virginia University. In addition, Jews and Muslims are much more likely to become victims of violence because of their religious beliefs.
https://bit.ly/3qPsTRl