Dateline Rice for March 1, 2021 (Weekend Edition)

Dateline Rice

WINTER STORM

The growing risk to the country's power systems
Numerous media outlets quote or interview Daniel Cohan, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and a Rice faculty scholar at Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy, and he authored an op-ed in the Houston Chronicle. Cohan and Jim Krane, the Wallace S. Wilson Fellow for Energy Studies at Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy, are quoted in the Austin American-Statesman.
CBS News (This segment also aired on 200 affiliate stations across the U.S.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-cohan

Texas crisis highlights vulnerability of US power grids: 'If this isn't a wake-up call ... I don't know what is'

CBS News (This article also appeared in Yahoo! News.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-cohan
Feb. 27: 'CBS This Morning Saturday'
CBS News
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-cohan
How the Texas winter storm disaster will shape Joe Biden's climate agenda
Time
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-cohan
Opinion: Gov. Abbott's call for winterization misses the breadth of our needs
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This op-ed also appeared on the front of the Outlook section in the Feb. 28 print edition.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-cohan
Texas blackout hearings highlight intertwined risks of natural gas, power grid and deregulated market
Green Tech Media
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-cohan
Puget Sound Energy IRP dramatically increases DERs but sets conflict over gas
Utility Dive
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-cohan
Fact-check: Were helicopters used to de-ice wind turbines in Texas?
Austin American-Statesman (Subscription is required.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-cohan-krane

Texans demand answers as they grapple with storm’s lingering wrath
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.
The New York Times (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the Feb. 27 print edition.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-jones
Newstalk (Ireland)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-jones

Cisneros: Freeze, outages underscore need for infrastructure upgrades
An article cites an infrastructure study authored by Bill Fulton, director of Rice's Kinder Institute for Urban Research, and Henry Cisneros, fellow at the institute. Cisneros is quoted in the San Antonio Express-News.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-fulton-cisneros
San Antonio's wish list, curated by Henry Cisneros, waiting on biggest wish of all — money
San Antonio Express-News (Subscription is required. This article also appeared on the front page of the March 1 print edition.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-cisneros

Were regulators right to push power prices to the maximum in Texas?
Peter Hartley, the George and Cynthia Mitchell Chair in Sustainable Development at Rice, is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared on the front of the Business section in the Feb. 27 print editions of the Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-hartley

Opinion: 4 ways Biden can address racial inequity in disaster recovery
An article and podcast cite 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. This article appeared on the front of the Opinion section in the Feb. 27 print edition and a previous edition of Dateline.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-hc
Texans can't catch a break
Slate
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-slate
Texans can't catch a break [transcript]
Slate
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-slate

Texas's independence didn't cause the power crisis
Julie Cohn, nonresident scholar in the Center for Energy Studies at Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
Texas Monthly
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-cohn

Long road to recovery: Effects of devastating winter freeze to haunt Texas for years
Jim Elliott, a professor and chair of sociology at Rice and a fellow at Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, is quoted.
The Guardian
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-elliott

NPR
A broadcast cites research by Rice's Kinder Institute for Urban Research that found that half of the Black and Latino immigrants surveyed in Houston could not come up with $400 to meet an emergency expense.
WBEZ-FM (Chicago)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-kinder-study (This segment aired on more than 900 affiliate stations across the U.S.)

COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Phone device flags COVID-19 in less than an hour
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.
Futurity (This article also appeared in 10 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-lillehoj
Test your blood before you go-go
BeingWell on Medium
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-lillehoj

Texas Standard for March 1, 2021
An article mentions that Rice has extended its test-optional admissions policies due to the ongoing pandemic.
Texas Standard (This segment also aired on more than 20 affiliate stations across Texas.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-ts
UT-Austin won't require SAT or ACT scores for 2022 applications due to COVID-19
Texas Standard (This and similar articles also appeared in more than 10 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-ts

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Mohammed bin Salman is an odious murderer. We should help Saudi Arabia anyway.
Annelle Sheline, nonresident fellow at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy's Center for the Middle East, authored an article.
Politico
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-sheline

Everything you need to know about Neuralink, Elon Musk's company that wants to put microchips in people's brains
Jacob Robinson, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and of bioengineering, is quoted.
Yahoo! News (This article originally appeared in Markets Insider.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-robinson

Crypto boom vaults Coinbase founder into ranks of mega-rich
Alumnus Brian Armstrong is featured.
Bloomberg
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-armstrong

This virtual events startup is tackling 'Zoom fatigue' one meeting at a time
Rice is mentioned.
Forbes
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-forbes

TEXAS HISTORY MINUTE: The life, death of William Marsh Rice

William Marsh Rice is featured.
MSN (This article also appeared in 10 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-msn

Who’s who: Ziyad Al-Shiha, new CEO of Saudi Investment Recycling Co.
Alumnus Ziyad Al-Shiha is featured.
Arab News
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-alshiha

HOUSTON/TEXAS

5 can't-miss innovation events at CERAWeek featuring Houston speakers
A roundup mentions that Ken Medlock, senior director of the Center for Energy Studies at Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy, was featured in a virtual discussion March 1 as part of CERAWeek. The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship will host a pitch event showcasing 20 technology companies with new solutions for the energy industry March 3.
InnovationMap
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-medlock

Essay: Why Houston needs the River Oaks Theatre

An article mentions that Rice Cinema is holding virtual screenings.
Houston Chronicle's "Preview" (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the Feb. 28 print edition.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-rice-cinema

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

The common values that increase trust between science and faith
An Q&A features Elaine Howard Ecklund, professor of sociology and director of the Religion and Public Life Program at Rice.
Christianity Today
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-ecklund

A legacy of the New Deal, electric cooperatives struggle to democratize and make a green transition
Douglas Brinkley, the Katherine Tsanoff Brown Professor in Humanities, is quoted.
Inside Climate News (This article also appeared in the Louisville Courier Journal.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-brinkley

Have Black Lives Matter protests changed the curriculum?
Anthony Pinn, founding director of Rice’s Center for African and African American Studies and the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities, is quoted.
University World News
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-pinn

Sia's new film 'Music' is harmful to the autistic community
Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, visiting scholar at Rice's Center for the Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality, is quoted.
Study Breaks
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-onaiwu

How open education resources (OER) can cross the digital divide
Richard Baraniuk, the Victor E. Cameron Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and founder of OpenStax, a Rice-based publisher of open educational resources, is quoted.
MarketScale
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-baraniuk

Theory accelerates 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.
Control Engineering
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-yakobson

Rice team forges path toward geothermal future
An article mentions that Rice scientists have joined a Department of Energy project to accelerate breakthroughs in geothermal systems that could someday provide unlimited, inexpensive energy. Jonathan Ajo-Franklin, professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, is quoted, and postdoctoral fellows Benxin Chi and Feng Cheng are mentioned.
Informed Infrastructure
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-ajofranklin

A simplified method to manufacture drug precursors using cerium
An article features Rice research that developed a process for the rapid and scalable synthesis of fluoroketones that have until now been challenging and expensive to make. Co-authors mentioned or quoted include Julian West, assistant professor of chemistry, and graduate students Yen-Chu Lu and Helen Jordan.
Technology Networks
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-west

New bioinformatics tool accurately tracks synthetic DNA
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 student Qi Wang are quoted.
Drug Target Review
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-treangen

Apache Safespace Solutions
Rice is mentioned.
Business & Industry Connection Magazine
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-bic

CMU Tepper to host virtual conference examining COVID's impact on women

An article features the Rice Business Plan Competition at Rice's Jones Graduate School of Business.
Poets & Quants
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-rbpc

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

C. Fred Higgs III will deliver Notre Dame Engineering Edison Lecture on 'Industry 4.0'
An article mentions that Fred Higgs, the vice provost for academic affairs and the John and Ann Doerr Professor of Mechanical Engineering, will deliver the Notre Dame Engineering Edison Lecture "Industry 4.0 Design for Additive Manufacturing in Energy and Bioengineering Systems" March 16.
Notre Dame News
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-higgs

RUSS LATINO: Pushing income tax elimination uphill
An article cites a recent study on eliminating Mississippi's state income tax by Jorge Barro, fellow in public finance at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
Daily Journal
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-barro

Ucross partners with Rice University's music department
An article mentions that Danielle Ward-Griffin, assistant professor of musicology at Rice's Shepherd School of Music, and graduate student Nicky Sohn have been selected for Ucross fellowships, which award two-week residencies at the foundation's 20,000-acre Wyoming ranch.
The Sheridan Press
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-wardgriffin-sohn

Overland Park advances plan to remove two traffic lights along 91st Street after monthslong test phase
An article cites a Rice study that showed pedestrian and bicycle accidents in Houston were more likely at intersections controlled by traffic lights.
Shawnee Mission Post
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-smp

SPORTS

ITF: Forbes, Scudder earn USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week honors
A pair of articles feature Rice runner Grace Forbes, who was named the Female Track Performer of the Meet at the 2021 Conference USA Indoor Track and Field Championships Feb. 20-21. The third article mentions that Forbes scored the most points at the meet and was the women’s mile champion with a meet-record time of 4:37.53. The article also mentions that Owl Erna Gunnarsdottir won the shot put title. The final article mentions that Alex Slinkman won the men's pole vault title, Nick Hicks won the men's weight throw title and the team of Forbes, Alyssa Balandran, Lindsay Simms and Sara Ivackovic won the women's distance medley relay.
Conference USA
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-forbes
ITF: 2021 Performers of the Meet
Conference USA
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-forbes
ITF: Charlotte, Southern Miss win 2021 titles
Conference USA
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-cusa-champs
ITF: 2021 Championships day 1 recap
Conference USA
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-cusa-champs

Who's the top 2020-21 player of the year candidate in every women's college basketball conference?
Rice basketball player Nancy Mulkey is featured.
ESPN
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-mulkey

Ledoux scores 25 to lead Louisiana Tech past Rice 101-57
Several articles mention that Rice's men's basketball team was defeated by Louisiana Tech University 101-57 Feb. 26 and 79-58 Feb. 27.
The Associated Press (This article also appeared in more than 50 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-rice-latech
Ledoux scores 17 to carry Louisiana Tech past Rice 79-58
The Associated Press (This article also appeared in more than 50 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-mbb-ap
La. Tech looks to sweep Rice
The Associated Press (This article also appeared in more than 50 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-ap
Rice falls to Louisiana Tech in C-USA finale
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the Feb. 28 print edition.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-hc
Bulldog seniors go out in style with 79-58 victory
LA Tech Athletics News
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-latn
Bulldogs hit century mark in blowout win
LA Tech Athletics News
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-latn
LA Tech returns to the court to face Rice
LA Tech Athletics News
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-latn
'NBC 10 News at 10'
KTVE-TV (Monroe, Louisiana)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-ktve (This segment aired three times.)

LA Tech WBB drops season finale
Several articles mention that Rice's women's basketball team defeated Louisiana Tech University 73-50 Feb. 26 and 64-53 Feb. 27.
LA Tech Athletics News
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-rice-latech-wbb
LA Tech WBB falls at Rice
LA Tech Athletics News
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-latn

LA Tech WBB, Rice set for C-USA series

LA Tech Athletics News
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-latn

Track and field set school record with four titles at Conference USA Championship
Rice track and field athlete Chris Rivera is mentioned.
North Texas Daily
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-ntd

SWIM: FIU wins seventh consecutive championship
An article mentions that Rice's swim team finished second at the 2021 Conference USA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships.
Conference USA (A similar article also appeared in SwimSwam.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-cusa
SWIM: C-USA Championship day 2 recap
Conference USA (A similar article also appeared in SwimSwam.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-cusa

Recap: Women’s basketball splits series against Marshall in one-point loss
An article mentions that Rice's women's basketball team is slated to play the University of North Texas March 4 and 6.
North Texas Daily
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-rice-unt-wbb
Miners close out strong regular season
The Prospector
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-prosp
The Sunday leftovers — Path to C-USA West Division men's basketball title tougher now for UNT
Denton Record-Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-drc

Recap: Late free-throw heroics from Jazion Jackson lift women’s basketball over Marshall
An article mentions that Rice's women's basketball team defeated Marshall University 64-48 Feb. 20 but lost to the Thundering Herd 68-56 Feb. 21.
North Texas Daily
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-rice-marshall

UH soccer's game postponed for COVID-19 reasons
An article mentions that Rice's soccer team was slated to play the University of Houston March 3. The match has since been postponed because of COVID-19 issues in the UH program.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-hc

Arkansas hosts Cabo Collegiate at TPC San Antonio
An article mentions that Rice golfers are competing in the 11th annual Cabo Collegiate tournament, which is being played in San Antonio this year due to international travel restrictions.
Razorbacks News
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-razor

'Good morning Acadiana'
A broadcast mentions that Rice's baseball team was defeated by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette 6-3 Feb. 28.
KATC-TV (Lafayette, Louisiana)
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-rice-baseball

NEWS RELEASES

Bottling the world’s coldest plasma
Rice Dean of Natural Sciences Tom Killian and collaborating physicists have discovered a way to trap the world’s coldest plasma in a magnetic bottle, a technological achievement that could advance research into clean energy, space weather and astrophysics.
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-news-release-killian

Rice University experts to be featured at CERAWeek
A number of Rice experts will participate in meetings and workshops at CERAWeek, the major energy industry conference that typically draws thousands of innovators, industry leaders and other attendees from around the world.
http://dateline.rice/mar-1-news-release-ceraweek

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