Dateline Rice for Feb. 3, 2015

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Graphene: Weak spots turn to be strengths that can be exploited in electronics
Far from being a defect, a winding thread of odd rings at the border of two sheets of graphene has qualities that may prove valuable to manufacturers, according to Rice scientists. Boris Yakobson, the Karl F. Hasselmann Professor of Materials Science and NanoEngineering and professor of chemistry, and postdoctoral researcher Zhuhua Zhang are quoted.
International Business Times
http://bit.ly/16doj4g
‘Defect’ actually enhances graphene
New Materials News
http://bit.ly/1EDs6ad
Winding borders may enhance graphene
Phys.org (This article also appeared in Nanotechnology Now, e! Science News, Science Daily and Controlled Environments.)
http://bit.ly/1z7NqMP
Grain boundaries could strengthen graphene
ECNMag.com
http://bit.ly/1yBKCsk

A very bad plan
Pedro Alvarez, the George R. Brown Professor and chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, comments on the construction of the planned Grand Canal of Nicaragua.
Audubon.org
http://bit.ly/1AovHat

Gonzales becomes first Hispanic US attorney general
On this day in history, alumnus Alberto Gonzales ’79 because the nation’s first Hispanic attorney general.
History.com
http://bit.ly/1bni51z
 
HOUSTON/TEXAS

Bun B teams up with Rice U to offer religion and hip-hop course
Religion and Hip-Hop Culture is a new free edX online course being offered by Rice University’s Center for Digital Learning and Scholarship. Anthony Pinn, the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and professor of religious studies, and Bernard “Bun B” Freeman, the Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning’s Distinguished Lecturer, will lead the course.
ABC13.com
http://abc13.co/1BZ3S6F
Rice launches Religion and Hip-hop Culture online course
Houston Style Magazine
http://bit.ly/1D9Wh7d
Bun B to teach a free online university course on rap and religion
FactMag.com
http://bit.ly/1AouMXL
Bun B to teach free online Religion and Hip-hop Culture course (video)
AllHipHop.com
http://bit.ly/1CsR8bo

Slayings of priest, wife and son add to deadly surge here
A vigil was held for alumnus Israel Ahimbisibwe ’09, his wife and one of their sons; they were found dead in their Memorial City apartment.
Houston Chronicle (This appeared on the front page. Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/16dDIlc
http://bit.ly/1HNc8gf
Vigil held for murdered reverend and family
KHOU.com
http://bit.ly/1DptsRM
Church remembers slain pastor and family members
KPRC-TV
http://bit.ly/1z7WD87
KRIV-TV
http://bit.ly/1DBzijr
Family members found dead in West Houston apartment
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/1DBBU0T
Priest, wife, child found dead in Memorial City apartment
San Antonio Express-News (This article also appeared in Beaumont Enterprise, Times Union, The Advocate, KVUE-TV and CBS19.tv.)
http://bit.ly/1Ct0q7a
Missing vicar, his Sunday school teacher wife and their 5-year-old son found ‘beaten to death’ in their home
Daily Mail
http://dailym.ai/16dO0ld
Houston priest and family found beaten to death
Christian Today
http://bit.ly/1u1h6iZ
Ugandan family found dead in Texas apartment
New Vision (This article also appeared in In2EastAfrica.net.)
http://bit.ly/16sCtj3
KWTX-TV (Waco, Texas)
http://bit.ly/1z85tCD

Only 2 US schools make list of top 100 international universities: One is in Houston
Rice University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology are the only U.S. schools on Times Higher Education’s list of the top 100 international universities in the world for 2015.
CultureMap Houston
http://bit.ly/1HSJo5D

The federal tax code turns 102 Tuesday
President Barack Obama is pushing tax rates up for corporations and the wealthy. John Diamond, adjunct assistant professor of economics and lecturer of economics, comments on the necessity of taxes.
KTRH-AM
http://bit.ly/1zPKueH

Another Eagle Ford south of the border? Oil price slide delays rosy vision
Manik Talwani, professor emeritus of advanced studies and research and research professor in Earth science, comments on the challenge of developing the Burgos Basin in Mexico.
Midland Reporter-Telegram
http://bit.ly/1zDFbxn

BROADCAST

Out-of-pocket health care costs soar
Health care costs are climbing, and insured adults paid almost 7 percent more out of pocket in 2013 than in 2012. Vivian Ho, the James A. Baker III Institute Chair in Health Economics at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and professor of economics, explains that inconsistent information can make it difficult for consumers to shop around for health plans.
Marketplace.org (This broadcast appeared on WHYY-AM and 12 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/1BZ0fO3

Early music … what’s that?
Gregory Barnett, associate professor of musicology, discusses “Early Music.”
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/1BSqpzr

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Worms lead way to test nanoparticle toxicity
Rice University scientists use roundworm populations in low-cost, high-throughput toxicity tests for a range of nanoparticles. The tests could cut the cost of determining which nanoparticles should be studied further for applications and for their effects on the environment. Weiwei Zhong, assistant professor of biochemistry and cell biology, and Qilin Li, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and of materials science and nanoengineering, are quoted. Postdoctoral researchers Sang-Kyu Jung and alumna Xiaolei Qu ’13 are the lead authors of the paper. Co-authors are research scientist Boanerges Aleman-Meza, graduate students Tianxiao Wang and Zheng Liu and alumna Celeste Riepe ’13.
Texas Medical Center News (This article also appeared in BioPortfolio, e! Science News, Houston Style Magazine and Phys.org.)
http://bit.ly/1x7t3yB
Worms lead way to test nanoparticle toxicity: Rice University study validates low-cost, high-throughput technology
Nanotechnology Now
http://bit.ly/1uTRxM5

Rice, Shandong collaborate on carbon nanomaterials
Scientists from Rice University and Shandong University, China, celebrated the opening of the Joint Center for Carbon Nanomaterials, a collaborative facility to study nanotechnology, on Feb. 1. Rice President David Leebron and Pulickel Ajayan, the Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor in Materials Science and NanoEngineering and of chemistry, are quoted. Jun Lou, an associate professor of materials science and nanoengineering, and alumnus Lijie Ci ’10 are mentioned.
PCB007
http://bit.ly/1K7rY2V

HARC launches state-of-the-art air quality study in Houston
Research scientists plan to perform state-of-the-art air quality measurements in Harris County neighborhoods as part of the Benzene and other Toxics Exposure study. Researchers from Rice will participate in the study.
BioSpace (This article also appeared in IndustrialInfo and 20 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/18KCtMm

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Louisiana tax study group to release its findings in March
Louisiana State University professor Jim Richardson expects to release the Louisiana tax study group’s findings next month. The group consulted with tax experts from Rice.
961TheRiver.com (This article also appeared in WRNO-FM, KCOL-AM, WRNO-FM and WQUE-FM.)
http://bit.ly/1zyedpd

That big US Supreme Court case isn’t only 2015 gay dispute for religion-beat reporters to watch
Gordon College will meet in May to discuss whether to abandon the rule that sexual relations outside marriage and homosexual practice will not be tolerated. Gordon College President Michael Lindsay, a former sociology professor at Rice, is featured for his stance on the issue.
Get Religion
http://bit.ly/1u1WMyc

The top 10 colleges with the hottest guys are named!
Rice is No. 8 on a list of universities with the hottest guys.
Instinct Magazine
http://bit.ly/1Dp47ri

Trumball woman wins regional opera audition
Alumna Allegra De Vita ’13 won first prize at the 57th annual New England Regional Finals of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
Trumbull Patch
http://aol.it/1BSijqF

Newell named director of the Judicial Education Center
Alumnus John Newell ’98 was named director of the Rozier E. Sanchez Judicial Education Center of New Mexico.
UNM.edu
http://bit.ly/1zPCSZJ

Mystery solved
Alumna Jean Eros May ’75 is featured.
Observer-Reporter
http://bit.ly/1u2cAAY

SPORTS

The Rice football 2015 schedule features six home games for the first time since 2010.
Rice to play 6 home games
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/16fOzLG
Owls’ 2015 football schedule features 6 home games
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/1DtuLPJ
College football: Rice releases full 2015 schedule
Atascocita Observer
http://bit.ly/1z80stX
ODU football schedule features 7 home games
Daily Press
http://bit.ly/16fNOm3

NEWS RELEASES

Bun B, Pinn available for media interviews to discuss religion and hip-hop
Bun B and Rice University Professor of Religious Studies Anthony Pinn are available for media interviews to discuss their upcoming free online edX course.
http://bit.ly/1zPMdkr

Campbell Lecture Series April 7-9 to feature multimedia artist Michael Petry
Michael Petry, the Texas-born multimedia artist, author and director of the Museum of Contemporary Art, London, will headline Rice University’s Campbell Lecture Series April 7-9.
http://bit.ly/1CWhl0t

Worms lead way to test nanoparticle toxicity
Rice University scientists use roundworm populations in low-cost, high-throughput toxicity tests for a range of nanoparticles. The tests could cut the cost of determining which nanoparticles should be studied further for applications and for their effects on the environment.
http://bit.ly/1CsUE5o