News Briefs

Rice News Briefs

RICE NEWS
May 6, 1999

New York Times Columnist to Speak

New York Times Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Thomas Friedman will discuss his views on globalization, which are detailed in his latest book, “The Lexus and the Olive Branch” (FSG) on May 12 at 6 p.m. in James A. Baker III Hall.

A book signing will follow the program. The event is open to Rice students, faculty and staff. It is sponsored by Rice’s James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy.

Friedman was hired by the New York Times in 1981 as a general assignments financial reporter specializing in OPEC and oil-related news. In 1982, he was named Beirut bureau chief, a post he took up six weeks before the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. In June 1984, he became Israel bureau chief.

Rice Geography Web Sites Named Best on Internet

Miningco.com, a Web site devoted to gathering together links to the best sites on the Web, named two Rice Web sites, one focused on 15th century navigation and a second on the mathematics of cartography, as ‘best of the net.”

One of the Rice sites, “Mathematics of Cartography,” at http://math.rice.edu/~lanius/pres/map/, was developed by Cynthia Lanius, associate director of educational outreach for computational and applied mathematics. The second site, “Latitude: The Art and Science of 15th Century Navigation” at http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~feegi/site_map.html, was developed by Patricia Seed, Rice professor of history.

Miningco.com, located at http://home.miningco.com/index.htm, bills itself as an Internet mining company that acts as a clearinghouse, linking to better sites on a variety of topics available on the Web.

Both sites were inspired in part by John Polking, professor of mathematics, Seed said.

“Rice has no formal geography department, but some of the best Web material on cartography and maps comes from here,” Seed said.

New Rice News Editor Named

Dana Durbin has been named editor of the Rice News. She has been the assistant news editor of the campus newspaper since January 1998.

She has six years of experience in the journalism field, working as a newspaper reporter and as publications editor for the city of Pasadena, Texas, before joining Rice University. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Houston.

As editor, she will coordinate production of the Rice News, including developing and assigning story ideas, copy editing and design and layout of the paper. She will also write news and feature stories for the Rice News.

As assistant news editor, she covered the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management and other aspects of the campus community. She also helped maintain the Office of Media Relations Web site.

She can be reached at (713) 831-4796 or by e-mail at ddurbin@rice.edu.

Clinic to Reduce Hours in Summer

The Student Health Services clinic will operate under reduced hours during the summer. Starting May 17 the clinic will be open on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The clinic will be closed on May 31 and from July 5-16. Regular clinic hours will resume Aug. 23.

For more information call Student Health Services at (713) 527-4966.