Dateline Rice for Feb. 17, 2017

FEATURED ITEM

Rice, UH libraries to host data rescue project next month 
The Rice and the University of Houston library systems are working together to help preserve online federal data as part of a national project aimed at safeguarding scientific research. Lisa Spiro, executive director of digital scholarship services at Fondren Library, and Kathy Weimer, head of the Kelley Center for Government Information, Data and Geospatial Services, are quoted. The article also mentions that the Rice 360° Institute for Global Health and its partners are among the semifinalists for the MacArthur Foundation’s innovative 100&Change competition.
Xconomy
http://bit.ly/2kFPc8A

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Lincoln, Washington and Roosevelts remain history’s best presidents in survey
Douglas Brinkley, professor of history, discusses President Donald Trump’s Feb. 16 press conference.
Washington Post (Similar articles appeared in over 300 other media outlets.)
http://wapo.st/2kQSoix
Remember Nixon? There’s history behind Trump’s press attacks
New York Times (This also appeared in the Houston Chronicle.)
http://nyti.ms/2lSxQKE
Trump praises his ‘fine-tuned machine,’ says media dishonest
McClatchy DC (This also appeared in the Houston Chronicle.)
http://bit.ly/2kwSwI6
Trump, in unprecedented fashion for a president, rips press
Salon
http://bit.ly/2lqIWWf
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/2lV7XGN
Historian: Challenges ahead for resource conservation under Trump
Rivard Report
http://bit.ly/2kFSecN
‘Night Talk’
PCNC
http://bit.ly/2lSO2vA
http://bit.ly/2m3nHHi
WABC
http://bit.ly/2lVtZth (Click on the audio button to listen to the broadcast.) 

Meet the 8 finalists for a $100M grant to solve the world’s biggest social problems
The Rice 360° Institute for Global Health and its partners are among the semifinalists for the MacArthur Foundation’s innovative 100&Change competition.
Quartz
http://bit.ly/2lqNwnk
Nigeria to benefit from MacArthur Foundation’s global reach projects
Ventures Africa
http://bit.ly/2kGfWpE

Smoking was actually good for this man’s health
There’s at least one person in the world for whom smoking has a beneficial effect, and it took an international collaboration of scientists led by a Rice University to figure out why. John Olson, the Ralph and Dorothy Looney Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, is quoted.
New York Post
http://nyp.st/2lemU77
Medical mystery: How smoking spared a man from anemia
Futurity (This article appeared in the Feb. 17 issue of Futurity Today.)
http://bit.ly/2lVW6bR
A case where smoking helped: Scientists help understand mechanics of rare hemoglobin mutation
Phys Org
http://bit.ly/2kFJe7O
A case where smoking helped
TMC News (This also appeared in Health Canal.)
http://bit.ly/2leN4X8

‘Draconian’ Trump gag on scientists could affect legislation, experts warn
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, is quoted about President Donald Trump’s administration.
Guardian
http://bit.ly/2lSK85X

Can Saudi Arabia bridge its generation gap?
Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, fellow for the Middle East at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, authored an op-ed about Saudi Arabia.
World Politics Review
http://bit.ly/2lSNdTD

Energy companies face crude reality: Better to leave it in the ground
Jim Krane, the Wallace S. Wilson Fellow for Energy Studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted about oil deposits in Canada and OPEC.
Fox Business
http://fxn.ws/2lr6WZy
Record high US shale exports may be the future norm, say experts
Ship & Bunker
http://bit.ly/2kwViNq

A message to the president
Rice President David Leebron and 47 other college and university presidents sent a letter to President Donald Trump about his recent executive order.
New York Review of Books
http://bit.ly/2kGc9IL

HOUSTON/TEXAS

DA’s pot program draws mixed reaction
Dean Becker, a nonresident research associate and member of the Drug Policy Program at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted on a new policy to decriminalize low-level possession of marijuana in Houston.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required. This article appeared on the front page of the Feb. 17 print edition with a different headline, “Local, state officials clash over DA’s marijuana policy.”)
http://bit.ly/2lpXru1
DA’s new plan would keep low-level pot smokers out of jail, save officers time
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.) 
http://bit.ly/2leie10
http://bit.ly/2lSEPU9

Neighborhood Centers changes name to honor families instrumental in its founding
Former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, honorary chair of Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.) 
http://bit.ly/2lSrmvm
Nonprofit Neighborhood Centers changes name to BakerRipley
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.) 
http://bit.ly/2l0s5ZJ
http://bit.ly/2leaXhz

Wine an important part of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
Alumnus Ryan Levy ’97 is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.) 
http://bit.ly/2m2bYbR
http://bit.ly/2kQW443

Betsy DeVos’ educational marketplace concept is absurd
Linda McSpadden McNeil, professor of education and co-director of Rice’s Center for Education, authored an op-ed about U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.
Dallas Morning News
http://bit.ly/2kQQpuC

Good vibrations help reveal molecular details
Five years of hard work and a little “cosmic luck” led Rice researchers to a new method to obtain structural details on molecules in biomembranes. Jason Hafner, associate professor of physics and astronomy and of chemistry, is quoted.
TMC News (This also appeared in Science Newsline, Technology.org and Chem Europe.)
http://bit.ly/2lrg9kz
Rice scientists develop new method to obtain structural details on molecules in biomembranes
News Medical
http://bit.ly/2lqQN6k

Jonathan Richman versus Steve Bannon … er, Colonel Klink
Rice’s Matchbox Gallery is mentioned.
Houston Press
http://bit.ly/2kwWBvE

Conroe ISD student receives Meritorious Achievement Ribbon
Michael Carambas, department chair and adjunct professor of naval science, is mentioned.
Woodlands Online
http://bit.ly/2lqPKDj

BROADCAST

KPRC
Paul Brace, the Clarence L. Carter Professor of Political Science, is quoted about President Donald Trump’s Feb. 16 press conference.
http://bit.ly/2lrBk5S

Houston no longer a job leader
John Diamond, the Edward A. and Hermena Hancock Kelly Fellow in Public Finance at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and an adjunct professor of economics, is quoted about Houston’s economy.
KTRH
http://bit.ly/2m33Ojh
http://bit.ly/2leQRnw (Click on the audio button to listen to the broadcast.) 
http://bit.ly/2lSObPE (Click on the audio button to listen to the broadcast.) 
http://bit.ly/2lrasDa (Click on the audio button to listen to the broadcast.) 

KRIS
A broadcast mentions that the School of Science and Technology uses a curriculum created by Rice.
http://bit.ly/2lSYy5Q
http://bit.ly/2m3fzpX

‘Great Day Houston’
A broadcast mentions that ReelPeople: UPAbilities, a series of group discussions about the impact of video games on the lives of people with varying abilities, was held at Rice’s Shepherd School of Music.
KHOU
http://bit.ly/2lraefi

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

The enhanced potential of graphene foam
A chunk of conductive graphene foam reinforced by carbon nanotubes can support more than 3,000 times its own weight and easily bounce back to its original height, according to Rice University scientists. James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry, professor of computer science and of materials science and nanoengineering, is quoted.
Azo Nano
http://bit.ly/2lSDigB

Lesbian women less likely than heterosexuals to get annual pap smears
Lesbian women are less likely than heterosexual and bisexual women to get timely pap smears, according to a new paper from sociologists at Rice.
Graduate student Alexa Solazzo is quoted.
Medical Xpress (This also appeared in Technology.org.)
http://bit.ly/2kRcwkz
Lesbians less likely to get tested for cervical cancer than straight or bisexual counterparts
Pink News
http://bit.ly/2l0NjXm

Paper says Mexico’s energy reform must follow the best sustainability practices
For the new energy sector in Mexico to spearhead the economic development of the country, it must follow the best international practices of sustainability, according to a new paper from the Mexico Center at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
Phys Org
http://bit.ly/2lepn1t

UH Eye Expo connects visually impaired with resources to maintain independence
Alumna Sandhya Rao ’91 is mentioned.
Scienmag
http://bit.ly/2lqMZCv

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

O’Malley tells Houston’s Kinder Institute he’s ‘open’ to another presidential bid in 2020
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley spoke at Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research Feb. 15.
Realty News Report
http://bit.ly/2kRqQtn

Houston rapper ‘Bun B’ on Super Bowl, ‘Pimp C’ and education
The life and legacy of Houston rapper Chad “Pimp C” Butler was the focus of a panel discussion at Rice Jan. 31. Bernard “Bun B” Freeman, former distinguished lecturer at Rice, is quoted.
Spartan Echo
http://bit.ly/2l0OExr

Antiques Show to host award-winning speakers
An article mentions that Mark Gessler taught at Rice.
Thomasville Times-Enterprise
http://bit.ly/2kx6RUZ

Expertos y universitarios analizan la integración de la arquitectura y el paisaje
Article mentions that Lluís Juan Liñán, the Visiting Wortham Fellow at Rice’s School of Architecture.
Levante (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/2kRdk91
Expertos analizan estrategias para la integración de arquitectura y paisaje
La Vanguardia (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/2kRsBXJ
Expertos analizan estrategias para integrar arquitectura y paisaje en Cuenca
CLM24 (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/2kRlX3r

SPORTS

Rice seeking long-awaited return to College World Series
An article discusses Rice baseball’s 2017 season. Head coach Wayne Graham is quoted and players Willy Amador, Glenn Otto, Dane Myers, Ricardo Salinas and Ford Proctor are mentioned. Articles mention that David Pierce coached at Rice and that the Rice team visited Cuba Nov. 23-Dec. 4 to play exhibition games against teams from the Cuban Baseball Federation.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.) 
http://bit.ly/2kQsXOk
Rice baseball hopes a trip to Cuba translates into a championship season
Houston Press
http://bit.ly/2leoVQy
Cajuns projected to host regional by D1Baseball
KPEL
http://bit.ly/2lra8UH

Rice handles UTSA, notches 5th straight conference win
Rice men’s basketball defeated the University of Texas at San Antonio 80-68. Head coach Mike Rhoades and players Marcus Evans, Egor Koulechov, Bishop Mency and Marquez Letcher-Ellis are mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.) 
http://bit.ly/2kFjW9W
http://bit.ly/2lqFJ9a
Marcus Evans’ 26 points propel Rice past UTSA
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.) 
http://bit.ly/2lqXsx9
Thursday’s college basketball
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/2m2kQyc
Hot-shooting Rice duo blisters Roadrunners during wild 2nd-half barrage
Houston Chronicle (This also appeared in My San Antonio.)
http://bit.ly/2lUZxzk
Evans sparks Rice to breakaway 80-68 win over UTSA
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/2lektS9

Women’s college basketball: LSU upsets No. 23 Texas A&M
Rice men’s basketball defeated the University of Texas at San Antonio 66-61. Players Shani Rainey, Nicole Iademarco and Wendy Knight are mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.) 
http://bit.ly/2l0jy96
UTSA suffers 3rd straight loss on Thursday with 66-61 setback against Rice
UTSA Athletics
http://bit.ly/2kGbUxd

New review: Rice basketball
Rice’s Tudor Fieldhouse is reviewed.
Scout
http://foxs.pt/2kGcLyb

Houston Baptist men’s basketball staying in Southland hunt
Rice men’s and women’s basketball will play the University of Texas at El Paso Feb. 18.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.) 
http://bit.ly/2lqL942

Bobby Merritt joins University of Houston football staff
Rice football will play the University of Houston Sept. 16.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.) 
http://bit.ly/2lqK3p5
http://bit.ly/2lpWW30

Samford men’s golf set to compete in All-American Intercollegiate this weekend
Rice golf is mentioned.
AL.com
http://bit.ly/2kReT73
No. 13 men’s golf begins spring at All-American
Baylor Athletics
http://bit.ly/2kwVbkS
NMSU Men’s golf travels to All-America Intercollegiate
El Paso Proud
http://bit.ly/2lqAO8N
Lions open spring season at All-American
Southeastern Louisiana University Athletics
http://bit.ly/2l1jmXf
Aggies set for All-America Intercollegiate
NM State Athletics
http://bit.ly/2lr59Ds
UTSA to tee off spring season this weekend at All-American Intercollegiate
UTSA Athletics
http://bit.ly/2lr0wcU

Loved or hated, Kramer Robertson and his intensity lead LSU into the 2017 season
An article includes a photo from a Rice baseball game.
Times-Picayune
http://bit.ly/2lSB1Ca

Sports on the air — Feb. 17
Rice baseball will play the University of Texas Feb. 17-19.
Kansas City Star
http://bit.ly/2lqF1Jx
Winning streaks of Texas: Where do the Longhorn women rank?
Hook ’em
http://bit.ly/2kG6VfX
Threat of weather alters Sunday schedule for Longhorns and Owls
Hook ’em
http://bit.ly/2kRdygl
Sunday’s Baseball game moved to noon
Texas Sports
http://bit.ly/2lr82UU
Weekend preview: Rain plays havoc with SoCal schedule
Baseball America
http://bit.ly/2lVp37r
Golden: Pierce hopes new-look Disch-Falk Field is a home run for Texas baseball
Hook ’em
http://bit.ly/2lVmzX0
What to watch: The weekend’s top sports on TV
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.) 
http://bit.ly/2kQLWZ2
http://bit.ly/2m2mX4S

Top 25 road challenges await Baylor women’s tennis
Rice tennis is mentioned.
KXXV (This also appeared in Baylor Athletics.)
http://bit.ly/2lrbSNY

HS swimming: Seeking to make a splash in Austin
A Rice commit is mentioned.
San Antonio Express-News
http://bit.ly/2lrglzZ

UAB’s Bill Clark on football program revival: ‘It’s real now’
Rice football is mentioned.
Campus Insiders
http://bit.ly/2lqPsge

NEWS RELEASE

A case where smoking helped
There’s at least one person in the world for whom smoking has a beneficial effect, and it took an international collaboration of scientists led by a Rice University professor to figure out why.
http://bit.ly/2l1YIXb