Dateline Rice for March 17, 2021

dateline rice

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Scientists create living entities in the lab that closely resemble human embryos
Kirstin Matthews, fellow in science and technology policy at the Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
NPR (This article also appeared on webpages of 150 affiliate sites.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-matthews

Lab-grown structures mimic human embryo's earliest stage yet
Aryeh Warmflash, assistant professor of biosciences and bioengineering, is quoted.
Nature
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-warmflash
Researchers re-create key human embryo stage in lab
Science
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-warmflash

Did the increase of children arriving at the border start under Trump or Biden?

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.
PolitiFact
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-payan

Where did Mars' liquid water go? A new theory holds fresh clues.
Kirsten Siebach, assistant professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, is quoted.
National Geographic (This article also appeared in MSN.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-siebach

An ultracold plasma models the universe's most extreme places
Tom Killian, dean of the Wiess School of Natural Sciences and the E. Dell Butcher Professor of Physics and Astronomy, is quoted.
Wired
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-killian

The Biden agenda doesn't run through Washington
An article mentions that an expert from Rice helped Harris County officials design an alternate plan for Texas' Interstate 45 expansion.
The Atlantic (This article also appeared in MSN.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-atlantic

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Houston's Pancake Princess puts popular internet recipes to the test

Alumna Erika Kwee, who posts analytical results of the bake-offs she conducts using a blind ranking system on her blog "The Pancake Princess," is featured.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared on the front of the Flavor section in the March 17 print edition.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-kwee

In its second pandemic Passover, Houston Hillel saves Seder — again
An article mentions that Houston Hillel offers Passover "survival kits" for Jewish students at area universities, including Rice. Martel College junior Ling DeBellis is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the San Antonio Express-News.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-debellis

Prairie View A&M University adds business doctorate, first HBCU to do so
An article reports that Rice will begin offering an undergraduate major in business starting this fall.
Houston Business Journal

http://dateline.rice/mar-17-hbj

BROADCAST

COVID-19 hospitalization rate drops under 4,000 in Texas (March 17, 2021)
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, participates in a political roundup discussion of this week's news.
Houston Public Media (This segment also aired on KUHF-FM in Houston.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-jones

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Schools that spend more money on internet access can improve students' academic success
An article features collaborative Rice research that found that a school's internet-access spending is associated with improved graduation rates and fewer disciplinary problems at schools. Co-author Vikas Mittal, the J. Hugh Liedtke Professor of Marketing at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, is quoted.
Consumer Affairs (This article also appeared in 10 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-mittal

CO2 good to be true: 3 sustainable uses for carbon dioxide

An article mentions that Haotian Wang, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and William Marsh Rice Trustee Chair, and graduate student Chuan Xia developed a novel method of producing high concentrations of formic acid.
Raconteur
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-wang-xia

Baker Botts forms strategic alliance with Houston tech center
An article mentions Rice's redevelopment of Houston's historic Midtown Sears building into the Ion, the centerpiece of an innovation district slated to open later this year, and the Rice Alliance Clean Energy Accelerator. Jan Odegard, senior director of industry and academic partnerships at the Ion, and Brad Burke, managing director of the Rice Alliance, are quoted.
Lawfuel
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-the-ion

OER: OpenStax making diversity updates to free, openly licensed textbooks
An article mentions that OpenStax, Rice's educational technology initiative, is improving diversity and representation in its textbooks by closely reviewing user feedback and enlisting help from advocates for racial, ethnic, LGBTQ and gender equity. Managing Director Daniel Williamson and Editorial Director Anthony Palmiotto are quoted.
InfoDocket
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-openstax

eSports is booming. In Houston, facilities aren't keeping up
An article mentions the Rice eSports Club.
Bisnow (Subscription is required.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-bisnow

Keeping Georgetown law school profs from talking about Black students' low grades helps no one
An article authored by John Lott mentions that he formerly taught at Rice.
Townhall
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-th

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Meet our new faculty: Onja Razafindratsima, ecology
Alumna Onja Razafindratsima is featured.
UC Berkeley News
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-razafindratsima

Business school dean aims to bring open mind, listening to position
An article featuring Miguel Quinones mentions that he is a former Rice associate professor.
University of Richmond's The Collegian
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-ur

SPORTS

XC: Rice's Forbes All-American after 19th-place NCAA finish
An article features Rice runner Grace Forbes, who earned All-American honors by placing 19th in the 6,000-meter race at the NCAA Cross Country Championships March 15.
Conference USA
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-forbes

Charlotte, Rice, FIU earn postseason berths
An article mentions that Rice's women's basketball team is slated to play Arizona State University March 19 in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament in Fort Worth, Texas.
Conference USA
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-wbb
Mizzou women’s basketball selected for WNIT
Ozark Radio News
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-orn

LaSalle's Willson will take a cautious approach in NFL free agency
Former Rice football player Luke Willson is featured.
Windsor Star (This article also appeared on the front of the Sports section in the March 17 print edition.)
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-willson

A&M soccer records first loss to Rice in program history
An article mentions that Rice's soccer team defeated Texas A&M University 3-2 March 15.
The Battalion
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-tb

Bobcats tie home run record, lose series to Houston
An article mentions that Rice's baseball team is slated to play Texas State University March 17.
San Marcos Daily Record
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-smdr

Ragin' Cajuns finish second at record-setting Louisiana Classics
An article mentions that Rice's golf team tied for sixth place in the Louisiana Classics tournament.
KLFY Online
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-klfy

Ilgiz captures Big 12 Player of the Week honor
An article mentions the 62nd Ralph O'Connor Rice Invitational tennis tournament slated for four match days between March 19-April 3.
TexasTech.com
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-textech

RED RAIDER PREVIEW: vs. Utah State
An article mentions a 2017 men's basketball game between Rice and Texas Tech University.
TexasTech.com
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-textech

UTSA Invitational slated for Thursday-Saturday at Park West
An article mentions that Rice will compete in the UTSA Invitational track meet March 18-20 in San Antonio.
GoUTSA.com
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-gotusa

RB Daniel Young working out with Texas team
An article mentions the 2019 football game between Rice and the University of Texas at Austin.
SB Nation
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-sbn

No. 2 volleyball sweeps Texas State on the road
An article mentions that Rice's volleyball team is slated to play the University of Texas at Austin March 23.
TexasSports.com
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-ts

Notre Dame offer report: Class of 2023 CB Javien Toviano
Rice is mentioned.
247Sports.com
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-247

'WAFB 9 News This Morning'
A broadcast mentions that Rice's baseball team is slated to play Southern University March 19-21.
WAFB-TV (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-wafb (This segment aired twice.)

KTXX-AM (Austin)
Former Rice head men's basketball coach Mike Rhoades and former head football coach David Bailiff are mentioned.
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-ktxx

Indian American high school phenom commits to Stanford
Rice is mentioned.
The American Bazaar
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-ab

NEWS RELEASES

Rice expert: Religious leaders are key to vaccination efforts
Amid news that the Biden administration will soon launch a wide-reaching public relations campaign aimed at improving COVID-19 vaccine confidence and inoculation rates across the U.S., Rice sociologist Elaine Howard Ecklund is available to discuss the role religious leaders can play in encouraging their congregants to get a shot.
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-news-release-ecklund

Houston fighting floods with losing strategy, says Rice U. expert
Understanding climate change is key to solving the Houston area’s flooding woes, but there are major problems with the current approach, according to Jim Blackburn, Baker Institute Rice Faculty Scholar and director of the Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center at Rice.
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-news-release-blackburn

Border issues nothing new but pose challenge for Biden, says Baker Institute expert
What’s happening at the U.S.-Mexico border is neither new nor the result of recent policy changes by President Joe Biden, but the situation could pose a threat to the administration’s immigration reform efforts, according to Tony Payan, director of the Center for the United States and Mexico at Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy.
http://dateline.rice/mar-17-news-release-payan

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