Dateline Rice for July 25, 2014

FEATURED ITEM

Berkman rejoins Rice as student assistant
Lance Berkman is returning to Rice as a student-assistant for head baseball coach Wayne Graham, who is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1rFttit
Lance Berkman returns to Rice as student-assistant coach, will finish degree
My Fox Houston (This article also appeared in Yardbarker.)
http://bit.ly/1umtHNi

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Analysis — Saudi Arabia accelerates reform push with market opening
As part of its economic reform, Saudi Arabia opened its stock market to foreign investors that may lead to higher domestic energy prices. Jim Krane, the Wallace S. Wilson Fellow for Energy Studies at the Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
Reuters (This article also appeared in NBCNews.com and 10 other media outlets.)
http://reut.rs/1lDGBgx

Humans have caused 322 animal extinctions in the past 500 years
Haldre Rogers, the Huxley Research Instructor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, is mentioned for her study on the necessity of animals in our ecosystem.
Discovery News (This article also appeared in io9.com.)
http://bit.ly/UvFOXK
Artensterben: Jedes Jahr verschwinden bis zu 58.000 Tierarten
Spiegel Online (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/1kfaeKq

Interior of Mount St. Helens volcano to be mapped
Scientists are using a series of underground explosions across southwest Washington to map the plumbing system beneath Mount St. Helens. Alan Levander, the Carey Croneis Professor of Earth Science, is quoted. He is the lead scientist for the experiment.
Huffington Post
http://huff.to/1pkfNDg
US scientists to map Mount St. Helens volcano
News 24 (This article also appeared in Newsmax.com, Yahoo! Maktoob, WSAU.com, WKZO-AM, KFGO-AM, Oregon Herald and Rocket News.)
http://bit.ly/1pRNNs9

The crisis in black homeownership
Sociologists at Rice and Cornell University found that African-Americans are 45 percent more likely than whites to switch from owning their home to renting it. Gregory Sharp, a postdoctoral fellow in Rice’s Department of Sociology, is quoted.
Slate (This article also appeared in CityLab and Free News POS.)
http://slate.me/1lDhhXZ

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Arnold: No time for rash action on Ex-Im Bank’s future
Bill Arnold, professor in the practice of energy management, authored an op-ed about the current debate over the future of Ex-Im Bank.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/UxO4GP

Why the Middle East MERS virus matters
Alumna Monica Matsumoto ’14 authored a blog post about Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. Matsumoto is research analyst for Kirstin Matthews, an adjunct lecturer of sociology and a fellow in science and technology policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/1pS65JX

UT-Austin ranked 29th in world university rankings
Rice is ranked No. 108 on the Center for World University Rankings’ list of the world’s top 1,000 universities for 2014.
San Antonio Express News
http://bit.ly/1pjK5G8

Rayburn teacher studies with distinguished scholars
A Pasadena, Texas, teacher will attend the professional development institute “Teaching the American Literary Tradition.” José Aranda, associate professor of English and Spanish and Portuguese and chair of Spanish and Portuguese, is mentioned as a past attendee.
Pasadena Citizen
http://bit.ly/1rFh4v0

BROADCAST

2 nearly identical candidates run for state Senate District 4
Mark Jones, the Joseph D. Jamail Chair in Latin American Studies, professor and chair of political science and fellow in political science at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted about candidates for state senator, the Texas lieutenant governor race between state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte and Sen. Dan Patrick and Texas’ voter-identification law.
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/Us9qFS
Latina running for lieutenant governor in Texas, 1 of the biggest races in the nation
Fox News Latino
http://bit.ly/1lDEFVx
Texas: Democrats look to get in front of voter ID issue | Houston Chronicle
The Voting News
http://bit.ly/1ri8qPe

‘Smart car seat’ a solution to hot car deaths?
A group of Rice engineering students created a device that alerts parents if they forget their child in the car. Baker College senior Margaret Dieudonne and Will Rice College senior Mengwei Ni are quoted.
My Fox Tampa Bay
http://bit.ly/WPJ3em

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Forget the cloud, researchers are working on 1TB memory for smartphones
Rice’s silicon oxide technology can now be used to fabricate devices with conventional production methods, which brings it a step closer to mass production. James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Chair in Chemistry and professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and of computer science, is quoted.
BGR (This article also appeared in n3rdabl3, TechTree.com, Electronic Engineering Journal and TECHI.)
http://bit.ly/1pjL3T4
Resistive RAM breakthrough could mean smartphones with terabytes of storage
Expert Reviews
http://bit.ly/1omLzTQ
Stort framskritt for ny lagringsteknologi
Digi.no (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/1kf8Mrj
Mobilene kan få flere terabyte lagringsplass
Amobil.no (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/1tK3bcN
RRMA aus porösem Silizium: Schnell und klein
Tom’s Hardware (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/1rRsQ2Y
Fino a 1TB di storage negli smartphone di domani, grazie ai moduli RRAM
HWUpgrade.it (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/1umUrNU
Smartphone met 1TB geheugen in aantocht
De Telegraaf (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/Us80ew
Für Smartphones: 1TB Speicher im Briefmarken-Format
ApfelPage (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/1pk8oEa

Quadrumer nanostructure amplifies optical signals
Rice nanophotonics experts created a unique sensor that amplifies the optical signature of molecules by about 100 billion times. 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, is quoted.
NanoTechWeb.org
http://bit.ly/1t3QjAC

EcorpStim consortium collaborates with Energy Safety Research Institute
ECORP Stimulation Technologies announced its expansion of it collaboration with Rice scientists to include the Energy Safety Research Institute at Swansea University.
Energy Global
http://bit.ly/1l13zOH

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Interview with UFO researcher and author Jacques Vallée
Jeffrey Kripal, the J. Newton Rayzor Professor of Religious Studies, is mentioned in an interview with venture capitalist and former astronomer Jacques Vallée.
Open Minds
http://bit.ly/1Ag2WKT

SPORTS

Rice aims for seat at postseason’s big table
Head football coach David Bailiff discussed the Rice Owls at the Conference USA media day.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required. This appeared on the front page of the Sports section.)
http://bit.ly/UyaN5m

Familiar names lend intrigue to 80th NBC World Series field
Junior baseball player Ford Stainback is quoted.
The Wichita Eagle
http://bit.ly/1tJTnj3

Chino Hills prep star Nnamdi Okongwu dead at 17
Chino Hills basketball player Bishop Mency, who will be a freshman at Rice this fall, reflects on his former teammate Nnamdi Okongwu.
Los Angeles Sentinel
http://bit.ly/UxQGnZ