Dateline Rice for Dec. 22, 2016

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Heart valves strive to get oxygen one way or another
As the valves in a heart stretch with each beat, their cells take in life-giving oxygen. But if the supply is cut off, aortic and mitral valves use different strategies to compensate, according to Rice scientists. Jane Grande-Allen, professor of bioengineering; research assistant Matthew Sapp; postdoctoral fellow Varun Krishnamurthy; alumni Daniel Puperi ’16 and Gabrielle Fatora ’16; and McMurtry College senior Saheba Bhatnagar are mentioned.
Science 360 News (This appeared in the Headlines section on the Science 360 News home page. This also appeared in Science Daily.)
http://bit.ly/2h5VTyR
Rice bioengineers reveal how heart valves use different strategies to handle oxygen starvation
News Medical
http://bit.ly/2i5E3xQ
Rice bioengineers exhibit how heart valves use opposite strategies to hoop oxygen starvation
Health Medicine Network
http://bit.ly/2h5Vuww

Facebook forges agreement with 17 universities to streamline research
Rice is one of 17 universities that Facebook announced it will partner with for swifter collaboration on technology research projects.
Business Insider (Similar articles appeared in 70 other media outlets.)
http://read.bi/2hgt0oN

10 books on leadership to read in 2017
“Stretch,” by Scott Sonenshein, the Henry Gardiner Symonds Professor of Management at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, is featured on a list of leadership books to read in 2017.
The Washington Post
http://wapo.st/2hvlT7M

Mysterious ‘Silkhenge spider’ is a master architect
An article mentions that Phillip Torres attended Rice.
Mother Nature Network
http://bit.ly/2hvi9De

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Obamacare sign-ups outpacing last year’s figures
Vivian Ho, the James A. Baker III Institute Chair in Health Economics at the Baker Institute and professor of economics, is quoted about the Affordable Care Act.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required. This article appeared on the front of the Business section Dec. 22 print edition with a different headline, “More sign up for ACA despite uncertainty.”)
http://bit.ly/2hdpAS6

Remembering Erich Bloch, former National Science Foundation director
Neal Lane, the Malcolm Gillis University Professor Emeritus, senior fellow in science and technology policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and professor emeritus of physics and astronomy, authored an article about the late Erich Bloch.
Houston Chronicle’s “Baker Institute Blog”
http://bit.ly/2i5AcRp

An artist who keeps you off balance
“Terra Infirma,” an installation by Mona Hatoum, Rice’s Moody Center for the Arts’ first artist-in-residence, will be on display at the Menil Collection beginning in October.
Houston Chronicle (This appeared in the Chronicle’s “Gray Matters” online magazine. Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/2hgB1Kc

The prisoner
The murderer of alumnus Curtis Edwards ’81 is profiled.
Texas Monthly
http://bit.ly/2hvmxSN

Blood and sugar
Caleb McDaniel, associate professor of history, and Lora Wildenthal, associate dean of humanities, professor of history and department chair of history, are featured for helping Reginald Moore with his convict leasing history exhibits.
Texas Monthly
http://bit.ly/2ijzAqK

BROADCAST

New central Texas program aims to reduce prostitution
Steve Murdock, the Allyn and Gladys Cline Professor of Sociology and director of Rice’s Hobby Center for the Study of Texas, discusses population growth in Texas.
Texas Standard (This also aired on 24 other stations.) 
http://bit.ly/2hds96B

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Carbon dots dash toward ‘green’ recycling role
Graphene quantum dots may offer a simple way to recycle waste carbon dioxide into valuable fuel rather than release it into the atmosphere or bury it underground, according to Rice scientists. Pulickel Ajayan, the Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor in Engineering and founding chair of the Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, and postdoctoral research associate Jingjie Wu are mentioned.
Design Products & Applications
http://bit.ly/2h5VjRS

Scientist: Earth was once mostly water
Cin-Ty Lee, professor of Earth science, is quoted about the formation of Earth’s continents.
R&D
http://bit.ly/2ifKL7F

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

The future of photography looks lens-less
Rice University engineers introduce FlatCam, an extremely thin, lens-less camera system that uses sophisticated algorithms to record images and videos. The system may enable such novel applications as large-format, flexible and curved sensors.
Nikkei Asian Review
http://s.nikkei.com/2ifK52g

Inexact computing can improve quality of supercomputing answers by 1,000 times
Computer scientists from Rice, Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have used one of Isaac Newton’s numerical methods to demonstrate how “inexact computing” can dramatically improve the quality of simulations run on supercomputers. Krishna Palem, the Ken and Audrey Kennedy Professor of Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering and professor of statistics, is quoted.
Next Big Future
http://bit.ly/2hLAejA

New York Philharmonic to ring in 2017 with tunes from ‘My Fair Lady,’ ‘Sound of Music’ and more on PBS
An article mentions that Rice is a New York Philharmonic Global Academy partner.
Broadway World
http://bit.ly/2hvjuds

Mexican ranchers and indigenous people urge government to solve land conflict
Paul Liffman, a research associate at Rice and research professor at El Colegio de Michoacán, is quoted in an article about a Mexican land conflict.
Intercontinental Cry
http://bit.ly/2i5FL2a

Laura De Santis: ‘Starò due mesi in Antartide a studiare il clima’
An article mentions that Laura De Santis studied at Rice.
Io Donna
http://bit.ly/2hvpymn

Estudiantes mexicanos en EU pueden vivir ‘El sueño mexicano’
Paulo Carreño, undersecretary for North American affairs, helped announce the launch of Sueño Mexicano, a new U.S.-Mexico study-abroad program aimed at providing Mexican-American students with the opportunity to explore their heritage through hands-on, experiential learning at designated sites across Mexico. Rice President David Leebron and Ambassador Edward Djerejian, director of Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, are mentioned.
Vive USA
http://bit.ly/2hdARBW
Traera SRE traerá a estudiantes de origen mexicano de EU
Plano Informativo
http://bit.ly/2ifDQvh

SPORTS

Rice handles St. Thomas as C-USA play looms
Rice men’s basketball defeated the University of St. Thomas 83-63. Head coach Mike Rhoades and players Egor Koulechov, Marcus Jackson and Marcus Evans are mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required. This also appeared in My San Antonio.)
http://bit.ly/2hdwAye
http://bit.ly/2i5BETD
Rice drubs St. Thomas for 10th win
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/2i5B5JR
Rice beats NAIA St. Thomas (Texas) 83-63
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/2h5MFmi
http://bit.ly/2h5P808
Wednesday’s college basketball
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/2hLEIXA

SHSU baseball ranked in preseason poll for 1st time in program history
Rice baseball is ranked No. 27 in the Collegiate Baseball preseason poll.
Weatherford Democrat
http://bit.ly/2hdvuCH

Cre’Von LeBlanc’s impressive rookie season shouldn’t be overshadowed by 1 mistake
Former Rice football player Bryce Callahan is mentioned.
Houston Herald
http://bit.ly/2ifHuWa

BB Hogs on a roll, play Verizon Thursday
Rice men’s basketball is mentioned.
Arkansas Matters
http://bit.ly/2hvm6rJ
Virginia Tech again has an NCAA tournament scheduling problem. And it’s not alone.
The Washington Post
http://wapo.st/2hvqSp2

Men’s tennis releases 2017 schedule
Rice men’s tennis is mentioned.
UNO Athletics
http://bit.ly/2ifHghL

NEWS RELEASE

Rice University to close for winter break until Jan. 3
Rice University will be closed for winter break from 2 p.m. Dec. 23 through Jan. 2; the university will reopen Jan. 3.
http://bit.ly/2hvs8so