Dateline Rice for Aug. 12, 2013 (Weekend Edition)

FEATURED ITEMS

Biomedical engineering degree can bring career success
Rice’s Department of Bioengineering is highlighted in a feature on biomedical engineering degrees. Michael Deem, the John W. Cox Professor of Biochemical and Genetic Engineering, is quoted.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/1boKvX4

Reserve officer Sarah Cortez publishes collection based on police experience
Reserve police officer and Rice alumna Sarah Cortez ’72 is featured in an article about her new book of poems, “Cold Blue Steel,” about life as a cop.
Houston Chronicle (subscription required) (This article appeared on the front page of the paper’s Star Section.)
http://bit.ly/13T6Hag

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Academics in South Korea most favored for financing
Rice is No. 5 on Princeton Review’s list of best colleges for financial aid.
New York Times / International Herald Tribune
http://nyti.ms/1eEa3iL
The 20 best college campuses in the US

Rice ranks No. 4 on BusinessInsider.com’s list of best college campuses. The publication based its list on 11 campus-related categories from the Princeton Review’s 2014 college rankings.
Businessinsider.com
http://read.bi/17jgGnN
Kansas State ranks No. 18 on ‘best college campuses’ list
Wichita Business Journal (Wichita, Kan.) (The article also appeared on the Big News Network, a Kansas-based online news service.)
http://bit.ly/14Dn2zy

US political scientist believes if Massa wins in October he will be attacked by the government.

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, comments on the Argentine elections.
Infoban.com (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
http://bit.ly/16KREzO

Kuwaitis doing feminism their own way
Rice alumna Alessandra Gonzalez ’05, author of “Islamic Feminism in Kuwait: The Politics and Paradoxes,” discussed the nature of Islamic feminism prevalent in Kuwait today.
Arab Times Online
http://bit.ly/15uozE5

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Student blog: Space jam
Brown College sophomore Alejandro Botas, a student research assistant with the Transnational China Project at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, blogs about the space industry’s need for a new generation of problem solvers.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/162kN8X

Power restored to Rice University campus after morning outage
A temporary power outage Friday at Rice University was reported.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/169zmdc
KHOU-TV
http://bit.ly/1cAg57x

‘The Aliens’ proves that Annie Baker is the real thing
Theater critic and Rice alumnus Lawson Taitte ’66 reviews Annie Baker’s new play, “The Aliens.”
Dallas Morning News — Online (subscription required)
http://dallasne.ws/18pg6Gr

President Loftin honored by regents in resolution expressing appreciation for his service
Texas A&M president and Rice alumnus R. Bowen Loftin ’75, who will rejoin the A&M faculty to resume a teaching and research career in January, was honored by the college’s board of regents for outstanding leadership and dedicated service and will have a president emeritus designation.
Tamutimes.tamu.edu
http://bit.ly/1biVIZe

BROADCAST/WEBCAST

KPRC-TV
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, commented on the first campaign ad of Houston mayoral candidate Ben Hall, who hopes to unseat incumbent mayor and Rice alumna Annise Parker ’77.
http://bit.ly/14gnJL8
WBLX
http://bit.ly/19nCft2

KTRH-AM
Patricia Reiff, professor of physics and astronomy, commented on viewing the annual Perseid meteor shower.
http://bit.ly/13uQLHB (click on audio)

Global Toronto (Canada)
Patricia Reiff, professor of physics and astronomy, was profiled.
http://bit.ly/19dAon7 (click on broadcast)

KPRC-TV
Mikki Hebl, professor of psychology and management, is quoted in this article on a Texas sexual harassment case.
http://bit.ly/14BSFth

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Higher ed OER textbooks grow up … with a little commercial help
Pioneers in open educational resources and digital textbooks, like Rice’s OpenStax College, have found success depends on supporting exam preparation, adaptive online homework, community-based content, author compensation and sales reps. David Harris, editor-in-chief of OpenStax College, is quoted.
EdNET Insight
http://bit.ly/1czxWez

DOT in Houston to focus on deepwater trends, strategies, challenges
Ken Medlock, the James A. Baker III and Susan Baker Fellow in Energy and Resource Economics and senior director of the Center for Energy Studies at the Baker Institute and lecturer of economics, will conclude the plenary session Oct. 22 of the 32nd Deep Offshore Technology (DOT) International Conference & Exhibition in Houston.
Offshore — Online
http://bit.ly/1cAuUXG

Nonlinear media controls light with light
Rice researchers developed the first method to produce materials that can achieve four-wave mixing with a range of colored input and output. The article quotes Naomi Halas, the Stanley C. Moore Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering and director of Rice’s Laboratory for Nanophotonics and professor of physics and astronomy, chemistry and biomedical engineering, and Peter Nordlander, professor of physics and astronomy and of electrical and computer engineering and director of Rice Quantum Institute.
Photonics.com
http://bit.ly/14DxmI2

Presenters chart students’ path from K to rocket science
Teams from Rice and an Austin, Texas, high school demonstrated robotics capabilities at National Instruments’ NIWeek in Austin.
Evaluation Engineering (EE) — Online
http://bit.ly/19Xf5cC

People in the news: Appointments and promotions
Lisa Hall will be vice president of programs for The Houston Endowment, effective Sept. 3. She previously consulted for a variety of education projects, including development of Rice’s Children’s Campus, and assessment and planning for Rice’s K-12 initiatives.
The Foundation Center
http://bit.ly/1eEgcvj

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST
New commanding officer for Naval Base Kitsap
Rice alumnus Capt. Peter M. Dawson ’96 retired Aug. 9 as commanding officer of the Naval Base Kitsap in Maine and from the U.S. Navy after a long naval career.
North Kitsap Herald — Online (Bangor, Maine)
http://bit.ly/18pen3V

Rambling about Tanglewood: Getting fair play for violinists
Norman Fischer, the Herbert S. Autrey Professor of Cello, and Jeanne Kierman, artist teacher of piano, have recorded as the Fischer Duo the complete Beethoven works for cello and piano. Fischer is quoted.
The Berkshire Eagle (Pittsfield, Mass.)
http://bit.ly/169Jz9E

Kari K. and The Stonewall Riot — ‘I’m Not the One’
Bass player and Rice alumna Naomi Toledo ’04 has recorded with her indie pop trio, Kari K. and The Stonewall Riot, their first music video, “I’m Not the One.”
One More Lesbian
http://bit.ly/169SKa5

NPR show to record in Vermillion
Maya Anjali Bachanan, a 13-year-old violin student of Paul Kantor, the Sallie Shepherd Perkins Professor of Violin, will perform Sept. 15 on NPR’s “From the Top” weekly showcase for young musicians.
Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan — Online (Yankton, S.D.) (This article also appeared in the Sioux City Journal — Online.)
http://bit.ly/19nEs7Q

Lincoln exhibit to open
Rice alumnus Jason Phillips ’00 will speak Sept. 11 on the South’s view of Lincoln during the Civil War at West Liberty University in West Liberty, W.V.
The Intelligencer / Wheeling News Register (Wheeling, W.V.)
http://bit.ly/14oIXX3

Neighbors news
Duarte Costeira, of Newark, graduated from Rice University May 11.
Newark Advocate — Online (Newark, Ohio)
http://ohne.ws/1boRnUs

Engaged: Witt-Morgan
Rice alumna Alexis Witt ’08 is engaged to Scott Morgan, both of Bloomington, Ind.
Boerne Star — Online (Boerne and Kendall Co., Texas)
http://bit.ly/15uC2Mj

SPORTS

Safety returns to Rice defense; tackle does not
The Owls’ defense is reviewed, and several players are mentioned. Football head coach David Bailiff is quoted.
Examiner.com
http://exm.nr/1cHubnx

Parrish, Russell to handle OBU football broadcasts
Rice alumnus and former Owl Norris Russell ’72 will handle broadcasting duties for Oklahoma Baptist University’s first football season since 1940.
Austin American-Statesman (Texas) (Distributed by the Associated Press, the article appeared in 22 other papers and on KIRO-TV and KOTV-TV.)
http://bit.ly/1eEiXwG

Lawyer says Johnny Manziel will play in opener, but that’s up to Texas A&M
It is up to Texas A&M as to whether Aggie quarterback Johnny Manziel hits the field at the end of August against the Owls, with Manziel facing possible NCAA violations for getting paid for autograph signings.
Bleacherreport.com (Similar articles appeared in Your News Now (YNN) Austin and 59 other papers.) (Other stories about Manziel that mentioned the Aggie’s opener against Rice Aug. 31. appeared on 15 other broadcast outlets.)
http://bit.ly/1cku7e7

KPRC-TV
Clark Haptonstall, professor in the practice of kinesiology and director of the Sport Management Program, commented on the idea of paying college athletes.
http://bit.ly/15uEJgN

2013-14 BCS championship odds and lines, college football futures
The odds that the Owls will win the 2014 college football national championship are listed as 9,900 to 1.
Bankroll Sports Picks
http://bit.ly/16FZqJD

PRESS RELEASES

Rice writes rules for gene-therapy vectors
Rice researchers are making strides towards a set of rules to custom-design Lego-like viral capsid proteins for gene therapy. The research by Junghae Suh, assistant professor of bioengineering, and Jonathan Silberg, assistant professor of biochemistry and cell biology and their students details their use of computational and bioengineering methods to combine pieces of very different adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) to create new, benign viruses that can deliver DNA payloads to specific cells. The research appears this month in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Synthetic Biology.
https://news2.rice.edu/2013/08/12/rice-writes-rules-for-gene-therapy-vectors/