News Briefs

News Briefs

RICE NEWS OFFICE
May 28, 1998

Rice Owls Receive WAC Honors

Rice shortstop Damon Thames became the second consecutive Rice baseball player
to be named Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year. Owls head coach
Wayne Graham was named WAC Coach of the Year. Thames, a San Jacinto Junior College
transfer, led the WAC in home runs (23), RBI (102), runs scored (77), triples
(7) and hits (105). Joining Thames on the all-WAC team are outfielder Bubba
Crosby, first baseman Jacob Baker, and pitcher Jeff Nichols. Thames and Crosby
were selected to the first team; Baker and Nichols made the second team. Last
year’s Player of the Year was Lance Berkman, who is currently in the Houston
Astros’ organization.

Tapia to Address UCLA Students

On June 21, Richard Tapia, the Noah Harding Professor of Computational and
Applied Mathematics, will give the commencement address for the Division of
Physical Science at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His topic
will be "The Civic Scientist: Participation in Current National, Societal
and Educational Problems."

Tapia received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in math from UCLA. His
honors include an appointment by President Clinton to the National Science Board,
the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering
Mentoring from the National Science Foundation, election to the National Academy
of Engineering and being named the Hispanic Engineer of the Year by Hispanic
Engineer Magazine in ’96.

Students Win Big Money on Wheel

Rice students Trey Hamilton and Joe Bob Thompson each won more than $3,500
on "Wheel of Fortune," which was taped in Houston in early May. The
two students earned their spot on the show’s college week at a contestant search
held March 23 on campus.

Hamilton, a Hanszen College junior, had the chance to win a car in the bonus
round, but had to settle for the money. Thompson, a Will Rice freshman, had
as much as $20,000, but lost most of it after an incorrect guess.