Dateline Rice for Aug. 20, 2013

LATEST FROM RICE NEWS

NEETs are prime suspects in breast cancer proliferation
A study by Rice’s Center for Theoretical Biological Physics has identified two proteins as prime suspects in the proliferation of breast cancer. The research in this week’s PNAS Online Early Edition may offer a path to therapies that could slow or stop breast cancer tumors from developing.
https://news2.rice.edu/?p=48363

OpenStax College saves students an estimated $3.7 million this year
Rice-based publisher OpenStax College said nearly 300 educational institutions have signed up to use its free textbooks in the coming school year. OpenStax estimates it will save almost 40,000 students more than $3.7 million in the coming school year.
https://news2.rice.edu/?p=48378

Read more stories in Monday’s edition of Rice News.

Correction: Houston Mayor Annise Parker graduated from Rice in 1978. The Aug. 19 edition of Dateline listed the wrong year.

FEATURED ITEM

Houston hits housing hurdle
Stephen Klineberg, professor of sociology and co-director of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, commented on the increases in Houston’s demand for housing and housing prices.
Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
http://on.wsj.com/1alRhiF

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

‘Right side of history,’ or primed to say yes?
A recent Rice study on attitudes about same-sex marriage is mentioned.
NationalReview.com
http://bit.ly/18HbUSs

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Local universities rev up building projects to raise student engagement
Rice’s recent campus construction is mentioned. Elizabeth Schmidt, women’s tennis head coach; Kathy Jones, assistant vice president for program management and engineering; Lyn Ragsdale, dean of social sciences and the Radoslav A. Tsanoff Chair of Public Affairs and professor of political science; and Caroline Levander, vice provost for interdisciplinary initiatives, the Carlson Chair in the School of Humanities and professor of English, are quoted. Rice alumnus Robert Klein ’76 is mentioned. A second HBJ article mentions the construction at Rice.
Houston Business Journal (subscription required)
http://bit.ly/14gCrpY
Texas’ smaller colleges bear brunt of tuition revenue bond failures
http://bit.ly/152j0B0

Amazon.com founder has plans for massive clock in West Texas
Ned Thomas, the William and Stephanie Sick Dean of the George R. Brown School of Engineering, professor in mechanical engineering and materials science and in chemical and biomolecular engineering, commented on the plans of Jeff Bezos to build a massive clock that would tick for 10,000 years.
MyWestTexas.com
http://bit.ly/1doAoDN

BROADCAST/WEBCAST

KTXX-FM
A broadcast on famous birthdays mentions former NBA player and Rice alumnus Ricky Pierce ’83 turned 54.
http://bit.ly/14SNKjY (click audio)

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Rice benefits for married same-sex couples affected by DOMA ruling
As a result of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional, Rice is treating employees who have entered into legally recognized same-sex marriages just as it does employees in legally recognized opposite-sex marriages regarding federal taxation of employee benefits. Mary Cronin, associate vice president for human resources, is quoted. Elaine Britt, assistant vice president for human resources and director of benefits/compensation, is mentioned.
HeathCanal.com
http://bit.ly/13Oa7HZ

NEETs are prime suspects in breast cancer proliferation
Two proteins have been identified as prime suspects in the proliferation of breast cancer in a study by researchers from Rice; the University of North Texas, Denton; the University of California, San Diego; and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Jose Onuchic, the Harry C. and Olga K. Wiess Professor of Physics and Astronomy, is quoted.
ScienceCodex.com
http://bit.ly/19GwQgQ

Al-Shiha replaces Al-Barrak as CEO of Saudi Electricity Co.
Rice alumnus Ziad bin Mohammed Al-Shiha ’92 will be CEO of Saudi Electricity Co. Jan. 1.
ArabNews.com
http://bit.ly/171bo2r

Science and culture: Is brain project the Apollo of our time?
Cyrus Mody, assistant professor of history, commented on the possible spillover into arts and pop culture of the U.S. national undertaking to map out the brain.
LiveScience.com
http://bit.ly/16ZrR5a

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Chester Stephen Morgan Jr.
Rice alumnus Chester Stephen Morgan Jr. ’44 died Aug. 17 at age 91.
Oak Ridge Today (Oak Ridge, Tenn.)
http://bit.ly/171vn11

SPORTS

NCAA football preview — Rice Owls
The Owls’ 2013 team is previewed. McMurtry College senior Taylor McHargue and football head coach David Baliff are interviewed. Many players are mentioned.
SportsNetwork.com (This article also appeared in nine news outlets and on 12 broadcast outlets.)
http://bit.ly/1eZxmnd

2013 college football TV schedule
Several of the Owls’ games will be televised during the 2013 season, including their Aug. 31 opener on ESPN 1 against Texas A&M.
USA Today
http://usat.ly/141iMaX

Johnny Manziel is the 9th-best favorite for the Heisman Trophy
The Owls’ Aug. 31 opener against Texas A&M and Aggie quarterback Johnny Manziel are mentioned.
Yahoo!Sports
http://yhoo.it/1d13KJB
ESPN (click broadcast) (Similar stories mentioning Rice’s Aug. 31 opener appeared in 16 news outlets and two other broadcast outlets.)
http://bit.ly/16H5FjZ

College football rankings: The top 50 by team schedule posters
The Owls’ schedule poster is No. 20 on Bleacher Report’s top 50 list.
BleacherReport.com
http://bit.ly/155fgP8

HHS grad leads team to finals
Former Owl Mike Harris led his Puerto Rican basketball team to the territory’s professional men’s basketball championship series.
HillsboroReporter.com (Hillsboro, Texas)
http://bit.ly/16GMtD2

NEWS RELEASES

NEETs are prime suspects in breast cancer proliferation
Two proteins have been identified as prime suspects in the proliferation of breast cancer in a study by an international consortium of researchers from Rice; the University of North Texas, Denton; the University of California, San Diego; and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The research, which appears this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’ Online Early Edition, may offer a path to therapies that could slow or stop tumors from developing.
http://bit.ly/14vHAqF

OpenStax College saves students an estimated $3.7 million this year
OpenStax College, Rice’s free textbook publisher, announced that nearly 300 educational institutions on four continents will use OpenStax textbooks for the coming school year.
http://bit.ly/14SNnFW