Dateline Rice for June 11, 2012 (Weekend Edition)

FEATURED ITEM

Colleges step up efforts to stop student debt
A front page story about student debt quotes Anne Walker, director of student financial services at Rice, and mentions the online “CashCourse” resource.
Houston Chronicle
http://tinyurl.com/6vqw9kz

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Hurricane calculator reveals risks
With the start of hurricane season comes a new tool developed by Rice researchers to let residents and business owners see the storm-related risks associated with any location in Harris County. Devika Subramanian, professor of computer science, is quoted. Bob Stein, the Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science, and Leonardo Dueñas-Osorio, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, are mentioned.
Discovery News
http://tinyurl.com/853oo2c

Subprime college educations
An op-ed column mentions that the University of California-San Diego lost three renowned cancer researchers to Rice. (This article appeared in more than 15 other publications.)
Washington Post
http://tinyurl.com/7eneqyp

Leubsdorf: Latest red-blue division
An op-ed column on voter turnout mentions a 2004 report by Chandler Davidson, the Radoslav A. Tsanoff Professor Emeritus of Public Affairs and Sociology.
Savannah Morning News
http://tinyurl.com/dxn72cl

Judging the damage from Obama’s leaks
An op-ed on the flood of classified information coming out of the White House and the bipartisan call for an investigation into the White House’s apparent involvement quotes Douglas Brinkley, professor of history and fellow in history at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy.
The American Spectator
http://spectator.org/archives/2012/06/11/judging-the-damage-from-obamas

Tech Universe
Thanks to a little serendipity, researchers at Rice University have created a tiny coaxial cable that is about a thousand times smaller than a human hair and has higher capacitance than previously reported microcapacitors.
New Zealand Herald
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10812240

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Anatomy of a grant: Emails indicate cancer agency sought to bypass scientific review
Two Houston Chronicle articles focus on how MD Anderson’s incubator grant proposal to the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas was reviewed. This story was featured on the front page.
Houston Chronicle
http://www.chron.com/default/article/Anatomy-of-a-grant-Emails-indicate-cancer-agency-3622443.php
Scientist sought high-level help to slow down cancer grant
Houston Chronicle
http://www.chron.com/default/article/Scientist-sought-high-level-help-to-slow-down-3622420.php

Awesome Rice skyspace goes public Thursday evening
Rice University’s James Turrell Skyspace fires up for its public debut Thursday. A Rice-produced video is featured.
Glasstire
http://glasstire.com/2012/06/10/awesome-rice-skyspace-goes-public-thursday/

Working: It’s not ‘only’ a summer job
Kathy Fenninger, an instructor at the Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies, is quoted in an article on summer jobs for students.
Houston Chronicle
http://www.chron.com/business/sixel/article/Working-It-s-not-only-a-summer-job-3615173.php

Texas leads nation in refugee resettlement
Rice is mentioned in a story on Houston and Texas being the No. 1 destinations for refugees seeking haven in the United States. The story appeared on the front of the City & State section.
Houston Chronicle
http://tinyurl.com/bmhx3l4

Why waste health care dollars?
An op-ed by Elena Marks, scholar in health policy at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, discusses the discrepancy between the amount of money Americans spend on health care and the benefits they receive for that money.
Houston Chronicle
http://www.chron.com/default/article/Why-waste-health-care-dollars-3620682.php

Rice U study: Corporate political giving doesn’t pay
Sixteenth-century European explorers probed the jungles and valleys of South America in search of El Dorado, the legendary lost city of gold, but came up empty-handed. Corporate political supporters may find themselves similarly unrewarded, according to a new study from Rice University and Long Island University.
River Oaks Examiner
http://tinyurl.com/cxv4vwx

Poetry review: ‘Unseen Hand’ by Adam Zagajewski
Joseph Campana, assistant professor of English literature, authored a poetry review of “Unseen Hand” by Adam Zagajewski.
Houston Chronicle
http://tinyurl.com/84xb968

A frantic Broadway producer tries to keep deals afloat in ‘Mistakes Were Made’
A review of “Mistakes Were Made” was authored by Rice alumnus Lawson Taitte ’66.
http://tinyurl.com/bs692ac

BROADCAST/WEBCAST

MSNBC ‘MSNBC Live’
Douglas Brinkley, professor of history and fellow in history at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, discusses a CNN poll of the popularity of living former presidents.
http://mms.tveyes.com/transcript.asp?StationID=205&DateTime=6/8/2012%2011:52:17%20AM

KHOU ’11 News’
A new tool developed by Rice University researchers lets residents and business owners see the storm-related risks associated with any location in Harris County. Bob Stein, the Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science, comments on the tool.
http://mms.tveyes.com/transcript.asp?StationID=984&DateTime=6/9/2012%207:45:16%20AM

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Tech world preps to honor ‘Father of Computer Science’ Alan Turing, as centenary nears
Moshe Vardi, the Karen Ostrum George Professor of Computational Engineering, professor of computer science and director of the Ken Kennedy Institute for Information Technology, is quoted in a story on computer scientist Alan Turing.
Network World
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/061112-turing-260039.html

Energy Risk USA 2012
More than 40 speakers from business, academia and government took the stage at the annual Energy Risk USA conference in Houston May 15-16. Vincent Kaminski, professor in the practice of executive education, is mentioned.
Risk.net
http://www.risk.net/energy-risk/feature/2182688/energy-risk-usa-2012

Texas educators sanctioned in cheating scandals get recycled at other schools
An article about sanctioned Texas educators mentions a teacher who allegedly misrepresented his educational credentials by telling his employer that he has a doctorate in mathematics and physics from Rice University.
Texas Watchdog
http://www.texaswatchdog.org/2012/06/texas-educators-sanctioned-in-cheating-scandals-get-hired-other-schools/1339174777.story

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Lincoln and Romney: Alpha and omega?
An op-ed discussing voter demographics mentions Steve Murdock, the Allyn and Gladys Cline Professor of Sociology and a former director of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Blue Ridge Times-News Online
http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20120610/NEWS/120609795/1015/opinion02?p=1&tc=pg

College notes from the Coastal Bend
Brian Sheridan and Gregory Shields, both of Corpus Christi, graduated from Rice University May 12.
Corpus Christi Caller-Times
http://www.caller.com/news/2012/jun/11/college-notes-from-the-coastal-bend-061112/

Chou earns engineering degree from Rice
Alvin Chou graduated from Rice University May 12.
Alpharetta-Milton Patch
http://tinyurl.com/7ejse2q

On Campus
Brent Carey received a doctorate from Rice University.
The Post Star
http://poststar.com/lifestyles/hometown/on-campus-june/article_4c3a86de-b3d7-11e1-b5d6-0019bb2963f4.html

Coquitlam musician wins award at Stepping Stone awards in Ottawa
A future graduate student at the Shepherd School of Music is mentioned.
Vancouver Sun
http://tinyurl.com/6ljpuds

SPORTS

Houston area a hotbed for producing talented players
At every level of amateur competition, Houston has become synonymous with success on the baseball diamond. Rice is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle
http://www.chron.com/sports/astros/article/Houston-area-a-hotbed-for-producing-talented-3623756.php

Harrell vs. Humber to decide series
Former Rice standout Philip Humber is mentioned in an Astros-White Sox game preview.
Climbing Tal’s Hill
http://climbingtalshill.com/2012/06/10/harrell-vs-humber-to-decide-series/
Astros set to face Mr. Perfect, Rice’s Humber
Houston Chronicle

Astros set to face Mr. Perfect, Rice’s Humber

NEWS RELEASES

US must encourage development of Canadian oil sands, mitigation of CO2 emissions, new Rice University study says
To successfully reduce the United States’ dependence on fuels from outside North America, the government must pursue policies that foster the diversion of Canadian oil sands crude to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries, according to a new study by Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
https://news2.rice.edu/2012/06/11/us-must-encourage-development-of-canadian-oil-sands-mitigation-of-co2-emissions-new-rice-university-study-says-2/

Mountain of data awaits at Mount St. Helens
A detailed seismographic study will yield a picture with unprecedented resolution of the plumbing beneath Mount St. Helens. Researchers expect the results will help scientists predict eruptions in the chain of volcanoes known as the Pacific Rim of Fire.
https://news2.rice.edu/2012/06/11/mountain-of-data-awaits-at-mount-st-helens/

Turrell Skyspace at Rice U. opens to public June 14
Reservations are now being accepted for the June 14 public opening of the James Turrell “Twilight Epiphany” Skyspace at Rice University. Houstonians who want to experience the sunset light show that evening can request tickets online at skyspace.rice.edu or by phone at 713-348-4758. Tickets are free, but the limit is two per person.
https://news2.rice.edu/2012/06/11/turrell-skyspace-at-rice-u-opens-to-public-june-14-2/

Knotty proteins present new puzzle
Strings of all kinds, when jostled, wind up in knots. It turns out that happens even when the strings are long strands of molecules that make up proteins.
https://news2.rice.edu/2012/06/11/knotty-proteins-present-new-puzzle/

Corporate political giving doesn’t pay
Sixteenth-century European explorers probed the jungles and valleys of South America in search of El Dorado, the legendary lost city of gold, but came up empty-handed. Corporate political supporters may find themselves similarly unrewarded, according according to a new study from Rice University and Long Island University.
https://news2.rice.edu/2012/06/11/corporate-political-giving-doesnt-pay/