News Briefs

Rice Gallery closed for summer renovations

Rice Gallery will be closed through Aug. 30 to install a new state-of-the-art track-lighting system.

The summer window series will return in 2006 with a colorful new installation by artist Lisa Hoke.

Alums to be inducted into tennis hall of fame

Alumnus Mike Estep and former Owls head coach Sammy Giammalva were inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Men’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame in May at ceremonies in conjunction with the 2005 NCAA Men’s Tennis Championships in College Station.

Estep was a three-time ITA All-American at Rice 1969-71, reaching the NCAA singles final in 1969 and semifinals in 1970. That year, he also won the Southwest Conference (SWC) singles championship and the doubles crown with partner Jorge Berman. Estep was also an Orange Bowl champion as a junior player in 1967 and went on to coach Martina Navratilova during her prime from 1983 to 1986.

Giammalva coached at Rice for 14 years (1959-1972), leading the Owls to 10 SWC crowns and second-place NCAA tournament finishes in 1968 and 1970.

As a tennis player in college, Giammalva reached the NCAA doubles final in 1955 and singles final in 1957 while at The University of Texas–Austin. He won three straight SWC singles titles from 1956 to 1958 and was also a member of the U.S. Davis Cup squad.

Players are eligible for election to the ITA Hall of Fame 15 years after their last collegiate match, and coaches are eligible following retirement. The main criteria for election are college accomplishments and honors earned after college. College tennis legend Dan Magill serves as curator for the ITA Hall of Fame, which is housed at the University of Georgia.

RSDS offers summer dance lessons

The Rice Social Dance Society (RSDS) is offering dance lessons every Tuesday this summer in Rice Memorial Center.

From 7 to 8 p.m., the group will be teaching social dancing, including Latin, disco, blues, two-step, swing and slow dancing. From 8 to 9 p.m., the format will be ballroom dancing, including the waltz, foxtrot, tango, cha-cha, rumba, samba and jive.

The first lesson is free. Club dues are $20 for students; $20 for Rice faculty, staff and alumni; and $30 for anyone else.
For more information, contact the RSDS at <rsds@rice.edu>.

Future ‘Ask the Expert’ sessions scheduled

Mark the calendar for the following upcoming “Ask the Expert” sessions:

• Aug. 10: Controller’s Office, including Payment Solutions

• Oct. 12: Facilities, Engineering and Planning on the General Campus Building Plan

• Nov. 30: Rice President David Leebron

Team Cobra’s project wins grand prize

Team Cobra, a research team of Rice seniors, recently won the grand prize at the Undergraduate Student Competition on Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts held in May.

The team entered its design concept on the advanced space health maintenance system, which was a continuation of their senior design project on countermeasures for bone loss in space.

The judges came from NASA, industry and academia to score each project’s written report and oral presentation.

Faculty adviser to the group, Michael Leibschner, said, “Our students worked very hard on their project and it finally paid off. This was the very first time any Rice team entered this competition, and winning it is a great accomplishment.”

Team members include Austin Elam, Zeyad Metwalli and Thomas Rooney, all of Lovett College, Christopher Gibson of Martel College and Roland Robb of Baker College.

For more information, visit the Team Cobra Web site, <www.riceteamcobra.com>.

Fajitas Fridays

Through Aug. 5, Rice Catering will be offering beef and chicken fajitas for lunch every Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

For $5, the plate includes two fajitas, flour tortillas, Spanish rice and charro beans, as well as iced tea or water.

Lunch will be available in Ray Courtyard outside Rice Memorial Student Center.

Rice Readers meeting

The Rice Readers will hold a brown bag lunchtime discussion July 20 to discuss this month’s book, “Heaven Lake” by John Dalton.

For more information, contact Joyce Bald at <joyce@rice.edu>.

Fiscal year closes for medical claims, receipts

Employees with medical or dependent-care spending accounts for the 2005 fiscal year have until Oct. 31 to submit claims and receipts to be reimbursed for the amount deducted from their pay.

Employees must have incurred the claim within the plan year (July 1, 2004, through June 30, 2005) for it to be eligible for reimbursement for the 2004 fiscal year.

Any questions or issues must be resolved prior to the deadline because Human Resources cannot reimburse any claims filed after Oct. 31.

To check an account balance, employees can log onto Esther, <http://esther.rice.edu>. For more information, contact any member of the benefits team in HR at 713-348-2514.

Faculty Club closed

Due to renovations at the Cohen House, lunch service for the Faculty Club has been moved to the South Servery.

Lunch will be available at this location from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday until July 29.

The Faculty Club will reopen Sept. 12.

The daily menu is available online at <http://club.rice.edu/>.