Dateline Rice for July 29, 2014

FEATURED ITEM

Iconic light artist James Turrell awarded National Medal of Arts
Artist James Turrell received a 2013 National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama. Turrell’s “Twilight Epiphany” Skyspace on the Rice campus is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (This article appeared on the front page. Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1rAU2C0

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Stretching turns carbyne into an insulator
Boris Yakobson, the Karl F. Hasselmann Professor of Materials Science and NanoEngineering and professor of chemistry, and his team found that stretching carbyne by 3 percent can change its properties, which may be useful for mechanically activated electronics and optics. Yakobson and postdoctoral researcher Vasilii Artyukhov are quoted. Graduate student Mingjie Liu is mentioned.
Futurity
http://bit.ly/1la0fkt
Carbyne morphs when stretched
Space Mart
http://bit.ly/1qh69Ty

These colleges have minted the most executives
Bloomberg compiled a list of the schools that have produced the most CEOs of U.S. technology companies with market capitalizations of more than $1 billion. Alumnus John Doerr ’73 is mentioned.
Business Insider (This article also appeared in Business Insider Australia and MSN Malaysia.)
http://read.bi/1tnJ0UE

Bahrain’s ongoing political impasse imperils US interests
Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, fellow for Kuwait at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, authored an op-ed about the consequences of Bahrain’s expulsion of Tom Malinowski, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor.
World Politics Review
http://bit.ly/1po4wVt

College radio changes frequency
Georgia State University’s radio station now airs news programs despite protests from its students. Rice is mentioned.
Wall Street Journal
http://on.wsj.com/1rYyzUs

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Local teachers study with distinguished scholars
Allen Matusow, the William Gaines Twyman Professor of History and associate director of Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, was a presenter at “America in the 1960s,” a professional development institute sponsored by Humanities Texas and the University of Houston.
The Tribune
http://bit.ly/1qgKtXR

Newsmakers from Livingston County
Michigan State University graduate James Woods plans to continue his postdoctoral research at Rice.
Livingston Daily
http://bit.ly/1po66qg

BROADCAST

MSNBC
Douglas Brinkley, professor of history and fellow in history at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is interviewed about Richard Nixon and his book “The Nixon Tapes” on the MSNBC show “Morning Joe” and Fox Business’ “Imus in the Morning.”
http://bit.ly/1potS5v
Fox Business Network
http://bit.ly/1mZ9zXU
That time Richard Nixon discussed panda sex
Tampa Bay Times
http://bit.ly/1qIqxC6

US faces dilemma over Kurdish oil tanker off coast of Galveston
Richard Stoll, the Albert Thomas Chair in Political Science and scholar at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted about the oil tanker parked near the coast of Galveston.
KPRC-TV
http://bit.ly/1s12wDB
Russian sanction fears weigh on oil
Futures Magazine
http://bit.ly/1la6YLb

Houston Newsmakers July 27: Border crisis solutions; Liftoff Houston
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, and Tony Payan, the Françoise and Edward Djerejian Fellow for Mexico Studies at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and director of the Baker Institute’s Mexico Center, are interviewed about the Texas border crisis.
KPRC-TV
http://bit.ly/1pouyYy

Central Florida News
Older adults are nearly twice as likely as younger people to have their memory and cognitive processes impaired by environmental distractions, according to a study funded by Rice’s Social Sciences Research Institute and the Gertrude Maurin Fund. Randi Martin, the Elma Schneider Professor of Psychology, is quoted.
http://bit.ly/1qIMIbb
Distractions seem more troublesome with age
Medicine Net (This article also appeared in MentalHelp.net.)
http://bit.ly/1s1sRkW

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Seeing is bead-lieving: Rice University scientists create model ‘bead-spring’ chains with tunable properties
Rice researchers are using magnetic “bead-spring” polymers as proof that it can be made as stiff or flexible as required. Sibani Lisa Biswal, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and graduate student Julie Byrom are quoted.
Nanotechnology Now (This article also appeared in Bio-Medicine, DailyNewsEn.com and Science Codex.)
http://bit.ly/WLDrST

Tough foam from tiny sheets
Rice researchers developed a chemical process to make tough, ultralight foam of atom-thick sheets into any size or shape. Pulickel Ajayan, the Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor in Materials Science and NanoEngineering and of chemistry, is mentioned. Graduate student Soumya Vinod is quoted.
Phys.org
http://bit.ly/1s1o7M6

Looking back: Lehman stirs credit and liquidity risk fears
Vincent Kaminski, professor in the practice of management at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, is quoted about energy market challenges.
Risk.net (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1pomas7

Resistance is not futile: Here’s a cookie sheet of luke-warm RRAM that proves it
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 Professor of Chemistry, professor of computer science and of materials science and nanoengineering, is quoted.
The Register
http://bit.ly/1po5MrA

It takes more than practice to excel, psychologist reports
The importance of practice versus inborn talent is the focus of a research paper co-authored by Fred Oswald, department chair and professor of psychology.
Medical Xpress (This article also appeared in HNGN and Science Daily.)
http://bit.ly/1lRSW0N
Practice doesn’t make perfect but it helps
British Psychological Society
http://bit.ly/1nYv7IR

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Scientific rigor and spiritual evolution: The work of Jeffrey Kripal
Jeffrey Kripal, the J. Newton Rayzor Professor of Religious Studies, discusses the current struggles in religious education and is featured for his book “Comparing Religions: Coming to Terms.”
Patheos
http://bit.ly/1oGo9ZR

‘Smash’ actor hosts Dallas-area master classes July 29-30
Broadway star Wesley Taylor will teach a master class for performers interested in musical theater at Rice.
Playbill
http://bit.ly/1pot00Q

Man-made earthquakes contribute to more shakes at Mount St. Helens
Scientists are using a series of underground explosions across southwest Washington to map the plumbing system beneath Mount St. Helens. Rice scientists are involved in the study.
MyNorthwest.com
http://bit.ly/X9OQeT

Benefits of legalizing marijuana clearly outweigh the costs
Gary Hale, a nonresident fellow in drug policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is cited for his op-ed in the Houston Chronicle about the legalization of marijuana.
The Weed Blog
http://bit.ly/1lRQsPY

General Director Plácido Domingo announces the members of the LA Opera’s 2014-2015 Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artists Program
Ten new participants were selected to enter LA Opera’s Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artists Program in the 2014-15 season. The artists include students from training institutions across America, including Rice.
Broadway World
http://bit.ly/UzC3Rp

Life, death and everything else
Gerontologist Aubrey David Nicholas Jasper de Grey is featured for his thoughts on death. Rice is mentioned for its research on a bacterial enzyme that protects against a cause of atherosclerosis.
My Digital FC
http://bit.ly/1xsJN4b

Organizer of job fair for gay MBA students seeks to ban straight people
Some heterosexual business school students have reportedly attended career fairs for lesbian, gay and bisexual students. The Jones Graduate School of Business advises students to learn about the organizations hosting the conference before making a decision to attend. Rice MBA students attend such conferences at their own expense.
Daily Caller
http://bit.ly/1zqzhNG

UC reunites married couple after 11 long years
Alumna Kristin Rozier ’10 is featured.
UC.edu
http://bit.ly/1ponifq

Concert pianist is all smiles in his new career
Alumnus Peter Van Beck ’99 is featured.
Worcester Telegram & Gazette (This article also appeared in Belleville News-Democrat and 15 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/1qINe9m

Stillwater graduate Jack Swanson apprentices with the Santa Fe Opera
Stillwater Area High School graduate Jack Swanson plans to attend Rice.
Hometown Source
http://bit.ly/1xuEpO9

SPORTS

Economou, Michelson named Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America scholars
The Golf Coaches Association of America named Rice golfers Tommy Economou and Landon Michelson Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholars.
Sugar Land Sun (This article also appeared in Memorial Examiner.)
http://bit.ly/1pBt6j1

Rice Owls 2014 football preview and schedule
The Rice Owls football team is featured.
Pregame.com
http://bit.ly/1pBkCrX

NEWS RELEASE

Tough foam from tiny sheets
Tough, ultralight foam of atom-thick sheets can be made to any size and shape through a chemical process invented at Rice University.
http://bit.ly/1tnKazo