Dateline Rice for Nov. 6, 2012

FEATURED ITEM

Private eyes help Houston firms navigate Mexico mayhem
Despite regions of lawlessness, where politicians and police can’t be trusted, Houston companies continue to do billions of dollars of business in Mexico. But as they make decisions about where it’s safe to operate, companies need eyes and ears on the ground to guide them. Nathan Jones, the Alfred C. Glassell III Postdoctoral Fellow in Drug Policy at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted in this front-page article.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/Ug9Pth

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Obama faces tough choices for second term if he wins electoral vote but loses popular vote
Douglas Brinkley, professor of history and fellow in history at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted in news items about the presidential election. A link to the CNN International broadcast is not available. Brinkley is also quoted in an article about Dallas author Jennifer Boswell Pickens’ new book, "Pets at the White House."
Minneapolis Star-Tribune (This Associated Press article also appeared in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Modesto Bee, HuffingtonPost.com and nearly 120 other media outlets.)
http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/177422391.html
CNN
http://bit.ly/VyEtxY
CNN
http://bit.ly/RGwWZz
CNN International
A presidential pet is a friend indeed
Halifax Chronicle-Herald (Canada) (This article also appeared in Newsday, the Waikato Times, the Southland Times, the East Valley Tribune, the Bluefield Daily Telegraph, the Foster’s Daily Democrat, the Rocky Mount Telegram and the Poughkeepsie Journal.)
http://thechronicleherald.ca/artslife/162963-a-presidential-pet-is-a-friend-indeed

War on poverty? Why presidential campaigns don’t talk about the poor
Neither President Barack Obama nor Mitt Romney has made poverty a big part of his campaign. Poverty has become something of a toxic issue for many American voters. Michael Emerson, the Allyn and Gladys Cline Professor of Sociology and co-director of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, is quoted.
Christian Science Monitor (This article also appeared on Yahoo.com and AlaskaDispatch.com.)
http://bit.ly/VuRNUd

Ahead of the US election, energy sector prepares for a pivot
Edward Djerejian, founding director of Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted in an article about the U.S. Association for Energy Economics North American conference.
AOL.com
http://aol.it/SQmdvr

US presidential race ‘very competitive’
Mark Jones, the Joseph D. Jamail Chair in Latin American Studies, professor and chair of political science and fellow in political science at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted in news items about various Texas and national elections. A link to the KTRH-AM broadcast is not available.
China Daily
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2012-11/02/content_15867193.htm
The 2012 election and the future of the Texas Green Party
GP.org
http://bit.ly/RD4Tvx
Political scientists to discuss 2012 elections
Stephenville Empire Tribune (Texas)
http://bit.ly/RG677G
The 2012 FactCheck awards
FactCheck.org
http://factcheck.org/2012/11/the-2012-factcheck-awards/
KRIV-TV
http://bit.ly/Ug5syk
KTRH-AM

Their students love these colleges: Princeton Review list
Rice is ranked No. 2 for students who love their colleges in the 2013 edition of the Princeton Review’s "The Best 377 Colleges." (Editor’s note: Rice was also ranked No. 1 for happiest students.)
HuffingtonPost.com
http://huff.to/YNoY4b

The man behind NASA’s space robot
Alumnus Myron Diftler ’98 is featured in an article about NASA’s Robonaut2 project.
Washington Post
http://wapo.st/RzP8pi

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Ike Dike may be among Sandy’s casualties
Any lingering hope of building a large, protective dike to mitigate storm surge along the upper Texas coast may have died with Hurricane Sandy’s landfall near New York. James Blackburn, professor in the practice of environmental law, is quoted. Phil Bedient, the Herman Brown Professor of Engineering and director of Rice’s Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center, is mentioned.
Beaumont Enterprise (This article also appeared in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.)
http://bit.ly/Vvt9Ta

UT’s Powers collects some honors
Rice is mentioned in an article about University of Texas at Austin President Bill Powers.
Austin American-Statesman
http://bit.ly/SISHcB

BROADCAST/WEBCAST

KHOU-TV
Bob Stein, the Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science and fellow in urban politics at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted in a story about early voting in Harris County.
http://bit.ly/PU3jqO

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Researchers discover ‘crushed’ silicon increases battery life
Scientists have created a porous silicon powder that could make rechargeable lithium batteries more powerful and cheaper to produce. Sibani Lisa Biswal, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and Madhuri Thakur, a research scientist in chemical and biomolecular engineering, are quoted.
TheEnergyCollective.com
http://bit.ly/YKUn76
Crushed silicon boosts lithium-ion battery technology
TechFragments.com
http://www.techfragments.com/1717/crushed-silicon-lithium-ion-battery/
Rice University researchers discover that crushed silicon could triple lithium-ion battery life
Inhabitat.com
http://bit.ly/Wql2c8
Crushed porous silicon anodes pave way to develop low-cost, high-performance batteries
i-MicroNews.com
http://www.i-micronews.com/lectureArticle.asp?id=9721

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Churchgoing teens go further with school
Religiously affiliated youth are 40 percent more likely to graduate from high school than their peers and 70 percent more likely to enroll in college, according to a new study. James Phillips, a graduate student in sociology, is quoted.
Crosswalk.com
http://bit.ly/QiMl5h

SPORTS

Rice’s Boswell among Lou Groza Award semifinalists
Martel College senior Chris Boswell is among 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/RGdbBx

Rare road conference win keeps Rice bowl hopes alive
An article discusses the Rice Owls football team’s performance this season.
Examiner.com
http://exm.nr/SRBxKM

NEWS RELEASES

Many Rice University students vote for the first time
For many Rice University students, Election Day marks the first time they’re voting in a national election. A large majority of Rice students live on campus, so their polling location is at the Rice Memorial Center, aka the student center. Rice is providing B-roll and sound from students who voted on campus today.
https://news2.rice.edu/?p=36916

Oil and gas investments, global commodity pricing topic at Rice’s Baker Institute Nov. 9
Energy experts from government, industry and academia will analyze influences on oil and gas investments as well as future directions for global commodity pricing Nov. 9 at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
https://news2.rice.edu/?p=36909