Dateline Rice for Feb. 26, 2021

dateline rice

WINTER STORM

The broader vulnerabilities revealed by the Texas blackouts
Daniel Cohan, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, authored an op-ed in The Hill, and he is interviewed or quoted in several additional outlets.
The Hill
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-cohan


Texas governor pledges to 'mandate and fund' winterization of power grid
Marketplace with Kai Ryssdal (This segment aired on more than 700 affiliate stations across the U.S.)
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-cohan

What a warming Australia can learn from a frozen Texas

The Sydney Morning Herald (This article also appeared in The Age, WAToday and Brisbane Times.)
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-cohan


Not so giddy about Go-Griddy
Fergus Falls Journal
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-cohan

Biden to visit Texans battered by deadly winter storm, upset with state leaders
Douglas Brinkley, the Katherine Tsanoff Brown Professor in Humanities, is quoted.
Los Angeles Times (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in more than 20 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-brinkley

Before winter storm, Lina Hidalgo warned of Category 5 hurricane conditions. Was she right?
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, is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared on the front page of the Feb. 26 print edition.)
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-blackburn

Houston prepares to welcome President Joe Biden, first lady
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.
KHOU Online (This segment also aired three times on KHOU-TV in Houston, and this article also appeared in more than 10 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-jones

'The bill will come due' — can Texas support its massive growth?
An article quotes Bill Fulton, director of Rice's Kinder Institute for Urban Research.
Bisnow (Subscription is required.)
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-fulton

Texas crisis reminds us that 'natural' disasters are almost always manmade
Jim Krane, the Wallace S. Wilson Fellow for Energy Studies at Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
Denton Record-Chronicle (Subscription is required. This Los Angeles Times article appeared in a previous edition of Dateline.)
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-krane

A frozen Texas and the perils of denial
Alumna and Rice academic visitor Antonia Sebastian is quoted.
Examiner-Enterprise
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-sebastian

Texas mom seeks to raise fire safety awareness after 4 die in frigid home
An article reports that the mother and three young children of Jackie Nguyen, a student at Rice's Jones Graduate School of Business, died in a house fire Feb. 16.
Insurance Journal
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-nguyen

Opinion: 4 ways Biden can address racial inequity in disaster recovery
An article cites a 2018 study by Rice and the University of Pittsburgh that found post-disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency is distributed unevenly and white communities see higher levels of reinvestment.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-hc

Gov. Abbott shares when he expects Texas to expand who can receive COVID-19 vaccine
An article mentions that Rice administered 800 COVID-19 vaccines to on-campus students, faculty and staff when the Harris County Public Health Department building lost power.
Click2Houston (This segment also aired on KPRC-TV in Houston.)
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-rice-vacc

¿Qué falló en el sistema eléctrico texano para sufrir el apagón por la tormenta invernal?
Igor Hernández, graduate fellow at the Center for Energy Studies at Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy, is interviewed.
Univision (An English translation is not available. This segment also aired on KXLN-TV in Houston.)
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-hernandez

COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Novel chip for COVID-19 testing delivers results on smartphone

An article features Rice research that developed a microfluidic chip that measures the concentration of protein biomarkers for COVID-19 in blood serum from a standard finger prick and delivers results on a smartphone in less than an hour. Co-authors Peter Lillehoj, associate professor and the Shankle Chair in Mechanical Engineering, and graduate student Jiran Li are cited.
Yahoo! News India (This article also appeared in more than 50 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-lillehoj-li


Rice University develops 2 new innovative tools to detect COVID-19
CultureMap Houston (This article also appeared in CultureMap San Antonio.)
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-lillejoh-li


'Good Morning East Texas'
KLTV-TV (Tyler, Texas)
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-rice-covid-test


WOAI-AM (San Antonio)
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-rice-covid-test (This segment aired three times.)

UT-Austin won't require SAT or ACT scores for 2022 applications due to COVID-19
An article mentions that Rice has extended its test-optional admissions policies due to the ongoing pandemic.
Texas Tribune (This article also appeared in more than 30 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-textrib


'CBS 19 News'
KYTX-TV (Tyler, Texas)
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-kytx (This segment aired three times.)

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

5 desirable mobile banking app features
Alumnus Ben Gran co-authored an article.
Forbes
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-gran

From COVID-19 to protests, how 2020 impacted Black artists and creatives
An article featuring Dawn Okoro mentions that she has exhibited her work at Rice.
USA Today
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-okoro

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Baylor Conversation Series events in March to focus on 'Perspectives on Our History'
An article mentions that James Sidbury, the Andrew W. Mellon Distinguished Professor of Humanities, will participate in the panel discussion "Perspectives on Our History: Slavery in America" March 2 as part of the Baylor Conversation Series.
Baylor University News
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-sidbury

The Cahana family: 3 generations of artists influenced by the Shoah
Late alumna Alice Lok Cahana is featured.
Jewish Herald-Voice
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-cahana

Chevron's Houston-based venture arm launches $300M fund focusing on low-carbon tech
The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship is mentioned.
InnovationMap
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-rice-alliance

BROADCAST

The value of presidential visits after a disaster (Feb. 26, 2021)
An article features the exhibit "Artists and the Rothko Chapel: 50 Years of Inspiration," which is on view at Rice's Moody Center for the Arts through May 15. Frauke Josenhans, associate curator at the Moody Center, is interviewed.
Houston Public Media (This segment also aired on KUHF-FM in Houston.)
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-moody-center-josenhans
Arts picks: Sin Muros theater fest, 'The Road So Far' are recommended

Houston Chronicle's "Preview" (Subscription is required.)
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-moody-center

Politics is seeping into our daily life and ruining everything
Bob Stein, the Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science, is interviewed.
KTRH on Spreaker (Comments begin at 100:47.)
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-stein

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Scientists show benefits of bioinformatics with PlasmidHawk tool
An article features Rice research that developed PlasmidHawk, a bioinformatics approach that analyzes DNA sequences to help identify the source of engineered plasmids of interest. Co-authors Todd Treangen, assistant professor of computer science, postdoctoral researcher Ryan Leo Elworth and graduate students Qi Wang, Bryce Kille and Tian Rui Liu are mentioned.
Medical Xpress
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-treangen

Lab's experiments refine processing of hexagonal boron nitride
An article features Rice research into how a little soap helps prepare two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride. Co-authors quoted or mentioned include Angel Martí, associate professor of chemistry, of bioengineering and of materials science and nanoengineering, alumna Ashleigh Smith McWilliams and graduate student Cecilia Martínez-Jiménez.
World of Chemicals
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-Marti

Conjugated polymers present novel window on energy collection
An article features Rice research into using luminescent solar concentrators in windows for next-generation energy collection. Co-authors Rafael Verduzco, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and of materials science and nanoengineering, and postdoctoral researcher Yilin Li are quoted.
Materials Today (This article also appeared in SciTechDaily.)
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-verduzco

Theory could accelerate push for spintronic devices
An article features Rice theoretical research into how to control electron spin with an easy-to-apply electric field instead of a magnetic field. Co-authors Boris Yakobson, the Karl F. Hasselmann Professor of Materials Science and NanoEngineering and a professor of chemistry, and graduate student Sunny Gupta are quoted.
Phys.org
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-yakobson

No limit yet for carbon nanotube fibers
An article features Rice research that developed “wet-spun” carbon nanotube fibers that are stronger than Kevlar and are almost as conductive as copper. Those quoted or mentioned include Matteo Pasquali, the A.J. Hartsook Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, a professor of materials science and nanoengineering and of chemistry, and director of the Carbon Hub; graduate students Lauren Taylor, Oliver Dewey, Natsumi Komatsu and Nicolas Marquez Peraca; alumnus Robert Headrick; Geoff Wehmeyer, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering; and Junichiro Kono, the Karl F. Hasselmann Professor in Engineering and a professor of electrical and computer engineering, of physics and astronomy, and of materials science and nanoengineering.
Textile World
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-nanotube-research

Tackling racism in textbook publishing
OpenStax, Rice’s educational technology initiative, is mentioned.
Inside Higher Ed
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-openstax

SPORTS

SWIM: C-USA Championship day 1 recap
An article mentions that Rice's swim team was No. 1 in the standings after the first day of the 2021 Conference USA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships. Owls Ellery Parish, Nicole Limberg, Lauren Hurt and Madison Howe are highlighted. The second article mentions that Limberg has been named to the 2021 Conference USA Swimming and Diving All-Academic team.
Conference USA
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-rice-swim


SWIM: All-Academic Team announced
Conference USA
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-limberg

WSOC: Feb. 23 Players of the Week
An article features Rice soccer player Madison Kent, who was named Conference USA's Offensive Player of the Week.
Conference USA
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-kent

Three games in three days for women’s tennis
An article mentions that Rice's women's tennis team is slated to play Wichita State University Feb. 26. Owls Maria Budin and Federica Trevisan are highlighted.
GoShockers.com
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-budin-trevisan

Podcast: Blair Henley gets the best out of players
Former Rice tennis player Blair Henley is featured.
Tennis.com
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-henly

Quentin Grimes, UH crush Western Kentucky
An article mentions the 2019 basketball game between Rice and the University of Houston.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the Feb. 26 print edition.)
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-hc

Up next for No. 12 Houston men's basketball: Western Kentucky
An article mentions that Rice's men's basketball team was defeated by Western Kentucky University 77-71. Feb. 12 and 89-66 Feb. 13.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-mbb

Yankees: Andy Pettitte’s son’s pickoff move brings us so much joy
Former Rice baseball player Josh Pettitte is mentioned.
FanSided
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-fs

Triumphant return
Former Rice basketball player Gabrielle Ozoude is featured.
The Ledger
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-ledger

Roster reset: How do the Tigers fill a Nick Bolton-sized hole in the middle of their defense?
Former Rice football player Blaze Alldredge is featured.
SB Nation
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-sbn

'Something's got to give:' UNT men's basketball team to face Marshall in clash of styles
The Rice women's basketball team is mentioned.
Denton Record-Chronicle
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-drc


Three keys for UNT in unique series vs. Marshall
247Sports.com
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-247

UTEP women look to secure top-four seed in C-USA Tournament with win at Charlotte
An article mentions that Rice's women's basketball team is leading Conference USA's West Division.
KTSM Online (This segment also aired on KTSM-TV in El Paso.)
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-wbb

Out-of-state recruiting philosophy for Steve Sarkisian, Texas includes hunting for 'potential first-rounders'
An article mentions former Rice assistant football coach Tom Herman.
247Sports.com
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-247

No. 12 Tech searching for first win, hosts Houston Baptist for three-game set
An article mentions that Rice's baseball team won two of three games in its season-opening series against Houston Baptist University.
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-laj

Diamond Stars: VYPE's top 21 baseball preseason prospects
An article mentions that Graiden West has signed to play baseball at Rice.
VYPE
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-vype

UTSA hosts league power Rice on Sunday, Monday
An article mentions that Rice's volleyball team is slated to play the University of Texas at San Antonio Feb. 28 and March. 1.
GoUTSA.com
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-gotusa

NEWS RELEASES

Bioinformatics tool accurately tracks synthetic DNA
Rice geophysicist Jonathan Ajo-Franklin will enter negotiations to finalize and ultimately lead a three-year project expected to be worth more than $5 million to develop a fiber optic system incorporating seismic and temperature sensing that can withstand high temperatures and provide real-time monitoring of conditions deep underground.
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-news-release-ajofranklin

Rice team forges path toward geothermal future
Tracking the origin of synthetic genetic code has never been simple, but it can be done through bioinformatic or, increasingly, deep learning computational approaches. New research by computer scientist Todd Treangen of Rice's Brown School of Engineering is focused on whether sequence alignment and pan-genome-based methods can outperform recent deep learning approaches in this area.
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-news-release-treangen

Cerium sidelines silver to make drug precursor
Rice chemist Julian West and graduate students Yen-Chu Lu and Helen Jordan introduced a process for the rapid and scalable synthesis of fluoroketones that have until now been challenging and expensive to make.
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-news-release-west

Quantum quirk yields giant magnetic effect, where none should exist
Rice physicists have discovered the Hall effect — a characteristic change in the way electricity is conducted in the presence of a magnetic field — in a nonmagnetic quantum material to which no magnetic field was applied.
http://dateline.rice/feb-26-news-release-si

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