Dateline Rice for July 21, 2017

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Global business experience to help Huntsman as US ambassador to Russia
Charles McConnell, executive director of Rice’s Energy and Environment Initiative, is quoted.
Sputnik News
http://bit.ly/2uGJXyJ

Opposition strike paralyzes parts of Venezuela as fears of violence mount
Francisco Monaldi, a fellow in Latin American energy policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
The Washington Post (This also appeared in the Houston Chronicle, Boston Globe, McDowell News, AFLNet, Standard Examiner and LMT Online.)
http://wapo.st/2uhRTne
Venezuela is desperate for higher oil prices
Business Insider  (This also appears in Bullfax and Latest Nigerian News.)
http://read.bi/2gQBEKZ

Fluorine grants white graphene new powers
A little fluorine turns an insulating ceramic known as white graphene into a wide-bandgap semiconductor with magnetic properties. Rice scientists said that could make the unique material suitable for electronics in extreme environments. Pulickel Ajayan, the Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor in Engineering and founding chair of the Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering; postdoctoral researcher Chandra Sekhar Tiwary; and graduate student Sruthi Radhakrishnan are mentioned.
National Science Foundation
http://bit.ly/2txafni

Rice scientists simplify the incorporation of nitrogen into molecules
A Rice laboratory that specializes in synthesizing reagents and intermediate molecules for the design and manufacture of drugs and other fine chemicals has delivered on a promise to generalize the synthesis of electrophilic (electron-poor) aminating agents. László Kürti, associate professor of chemistry; postdoctoral researchers Padmanabha Kattamuri and Jun Yin; and McMurtry College senior Surached Siriwongsup are mentioned.
National Science Foundation
http://bit.ly/2gQmxRr

Houston team one step closer to growing capillaries
In their work toward 3-D printing transplantable tissues and organs, bioengineers and scientists from Rice and Baylor College of Medicine have demonstrated a key step on the path to generate implantable tissues with functioning capillaries.
National Science Foundation
http://bit.ly/2uJktQu

Zealandia: Lost continent beneath New Zealand to be drilled
Thirty scientists will sail from Australia July 27 on a two-month ocean drilling expedition to the submerged continent of Zealandia in search of clues about its history, which relates to key questions about plate tectonic processes and Earth’s past greenhouse climate. Gerald Dickens, professor of Earth science, is quoted.
International Business Times
http://bit.ly/2twFheY

Mexico’s oil and gas reform gains momentum
Adrian Duhalt, postdoctoral fellow in Mexico energy studies in Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy’s Mexico Center and Center for Energy Studies, authored an op-ed.
Forbes
http://bit.ly/2twTGHS

Why Macron dared to confront France’s top general
A study by Richard Stoll, the Albert Thomas Chair in Political Science and scholar at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is mentioned.
Bloomberg View (This also appeared in Bloomberg Quint and True Viral News.)
https://bloom.bg/2gR2wu9

How you can lead by dreaming, JFK style
President John F. Kennedy’s famous “Moon Speech” delivered at Rice Sept. 12, 1962, is discussed.
Forbes
http://bit.ly/2uHjGjw
This day in history: Neil Armstrong becomes 1st man to walk on the moon
ABC7 Chicago (This also appeared in ABC30, ABC6, ABC11 and ABC13.)
http://abc7.ws/2uiiP6f
How 3 men in suits made Apollo 11 a success
Wally Bock’s Three Star Leadership
http://bit.ly/2uIUp88
July 20th — A day we don’t celebrate, to our cultural disgrace
LA Progressive
http://bit.ly/2twuSQu

The latest from Congress: Approps and approvals
Rice is mentioned.
Politico
http://politi.co/2uQgMJL

Russia’s uses the ‘energy weapon’ against Western European countries a strategic threat
Before It’s News
http://bit.ly/2uhVyTC

Saudi King’s son plotted effort to oust his rival
Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, fellow for the Middle East at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
Fortuna’s Corner (This also appeared in Blitz Quotidiano.)
http://bit.ly/2uJ13eD
How Qatar is surviving the embargo
The Straits Times
http://bit.ly/2gQG2cT

How documentaries can make climate believers out of Christians
A Rice study is mentioned.
Buzzfeed
http://bzfd.it/2uJ2yJP

From trust falls to escape rooms: The evolution of corporate team building
Eduardo Salas, the Allyn R. and Gladys M. Cline Chair of Psychology and professor and department chair of psychology, is mentioned.
Arizona Daily Sun Daily
http://bit.ly/2uH2L0N

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Rice University pushes digital edge with virtual books, Tutor initiative
Rice-based publisher OpenStax is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/2uPXjJr
http://bit.ly/2uQhOFV

In Jeff Abbott’s ‘Blame,’ a loss of memory creates a mystery
Alumnus Jeff Abbott ’85 is featured.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/2uioPxx

On stage: July 20-26
Rice’s Moody Center for the Arts will present “David Scanavino: Repeater” through Aug. 26 and teamLab’s “Flowers and People, Cannot Be Controlled But Live Together — A Whole Year Per Hour” through Aug. 13.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/2uIGyyG
In the galleries and museums: July 20-26
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/2tn1wzS

Why Austin school board won’t hedge its bet on a $1 billion school bond
Bob Stein, the Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science, is quoted.
My Statesman
https://atxne.ws/2uGKpg0

Evan Smith incorrectly pegs 2014 as turning point for white Texans
Steve Murdock, the Allyn and Gladys Cline Professor of Sociology and director of Rice’s Hobby Center for the Study of Texas, is quoted.
Austin-American Statesman
https://atxne.ws/2uGRSfd

Hey, Texplainer: Will Texans ever get a remedy for the state’s alleged illegal redistricting?
John Alford, professor of political science, is quoted.
Texas Tribune (This also appeared in the Eagle.)
http://bit.ly/2uIQFDP

Who’s the far-rightest of them all? On acing the Mark Jones lib-con score
A political index by Mark Jones, the Joseph D. Jamail Chair in Latin American Studies, professor of political science, fellow in political science at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and fellow at Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, is mentioned.
Austin American Statesman
https://atxne.ws/2uj7tz7
Special session: Bathroom bill could stall again
Jacksonville Progress
http://bit.ly/2twvghV
KLBJ-AM (Austin, Texas)
http://bit.ly/2uQEpC2
Proposed Texas ‘bathroom bill’ reveals a widening Republican rift
The Takeaway (This also aired on 230 radio stations.)
http://bit.ly/2tOyRDa

Texas coastal cities face rising sea levels
John B. Anderson, the W. Maurice Ewing Chair in Oceanography and professor of Earth science, is quoted.
Athens Daily Review (This also appeared in The Stanly News, Palestine Herald-Press and Press and Jacksonville Progress.)
http://bit.ly/2vIqwlM

BROADCAST

Only on KSFY: A conversation with Dan Rather
Lovett College Senior Martin Rather is mentioned.
KSFY
http://bit.ly/2uHvG4y
http://bit.ly/2gQSgC2

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

NIH precision medicine project to explore enrollment of kids
Provost Marie Lynn Miranda is co-chairing the Child Enrollment Scientific Vision Working Group, which is part of the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program Advisory Panel.
Healthcare News
http://bit.ly/2tn0mnY

Rise in childhood poverty follows recession, impacting education
More children are living in high-poverty neighborhoods following the Great Recession — a troubling shift because children in these neighborhoods are a year behind academically, according to new research from Rice, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Wisconsin. Rachel Kimbro, professor of sociology and founding director of the Urban Health Program at Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, is quoted.
Campus Safety Magazine
http://bit.ly/2vrEoS0
More students in poverty, more kids in need of school support
Cabinet Report
http://bit.ly/2tx6WMy

As Trump rolls back methane rules, what should the oil and gas industry do?
Michael Maher, senior program adviser for the Center for Energy Studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, co-authored an op-ed.
Environmental Defense Fund
http://bit.ly/2uICApQ

Russia’s use of the ‘energy weapon’ against Western European countries still a strategic threat
Although it has not been widely successful to date in the former Soviet zone, Russia’s use of the “energy weapon” against Western European countries in various forms still constitutes a strategic threat that warrants close attention from policymakers in Washington and throughout Europe, according to an issue brief by Gabriel Collins, fellow in the Center for Energy Studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
Environmental News Network
http://bit.ly/2tNRyqm

Indented cement shows unique properties
Rice University scientists have determined that no matter how large or small a piece of tobermorite is, it will respond to loading forces in precisely the same way. But poking it with a sharp point will change its strength. Rouzbeh Shahsavari, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering and of materials science and nanoengineering, is quoted and graduate student Lei Tao is mentioned.
ChemEurope
http://bit.ly/2vIcyjG
Nano indentation benefits crystals in concrete: Study
The Hans India
http://bit.ly/2vrML08
Nanoindentation can benefit crystals in concrete, reveal Rice University researchers
AZO Build
http://bit.ly/2gQn4Dh
Here’s a tip: Indented cement shows unique properties
Materialsgate (This also appears in Science Newsline Technology and Innovations Report.)
http://bit.ly/2uQnq2S
Unique properties found in indented cement
Industrial Equipment News
http://bit.ly/2uHkZix

12 projects for your STEAM program
Rice is mentioned.
Ask a Tech Teacher
http://bit.ly/2tmKxgY

‘Upconverted’ light has a bright future
A Rice professor’s method to “upconvert” light could make solar cells more efficient and disease-targeting nanoparticles more effective. Experiments led by Gururaj Naik, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, combined plasmonic metals and semiconducting quantum wells to boost the frequency of light, changing its color. Naomi Halas, the Stanley C. Moore Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and a professor of chemistry, bioengineering, physics and astronomy, and Peter Nordlander, professor of physics and astronomy, of electrical and computer engineering and of materials science and nanoengineering, are also mentioned.
Opli
http://bit.ly/2vrF8qh

Fluorescent probe enables real-time glutathione measurement
Rice is mentioned.
Bio Optics World
http://bit.ly/2tNL8YF

Rice U team debuts modular probe method to detect hypervariable, long or repetitive DNA sequences
Rice is mentioned.
Genome Web (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/2uHdEj4

Scientists seek to engineer chatter among cells
Communities of cells communicate to coordinate their actions, but how do they coordinate with other communities? Scientists at Rice University and the University of Houston are preparing to find out. Matthew Bennett, associate professor of biochemistry and cell biology, is mentioned.
Science Mag (This also appears in Public Now, Nanowerk and XinhuaNet.)
http://bit.ly/2vIWkXw

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Bun B puts Big K.R.I.T. in the musical driver’s seat for his next album
Bernard “Bun B” Freeman, former distinguished lecturer at Rice, is mentioned.
Ambrosia for Heads
http://bit.ly/2tNy8lF

Reyes Magos de Sevilla 2018: Vicente Granados, Paco Salas y Rafa Serna encarnarán a sus majestades
Article mentions Vicente Granados Royo attended Rice.
ABC Sevilla
http://bit.ly/2vs6qgm

Rogelberg receives national award for humanitarian focus
Rice is mentioned.
NewsWise
http://bit.ly/2gQhgcF

Luke Hsu, 26 – Isangyun, Michael Hill, Nielsen and Wieniawski comp major prizes
Alumnus Luke Hsu ’12 is featured.
The Violinist Channel
http://bit.ly/2uQBAB0

SPORTS

The real 1st family of hoops
Duncan College sophomores Erica Ogwumike and Olivia Ogwumike are mentioned.
Bleacher Report (This also appears in Latest Nigerian News.)
http://ble.ac/2uHcqnW

Stanford football 2017: Projected Cardinal depth chart
Rice football is mentioned.
Fansided
http://bit.ly/2tmvqUJ

College football win projections
Rice Owls’ 2017 regular season wins are projected.
Yahoo News
https://yhoo.it/2txaYEP

Texas 12 Maroon loaded with 18 Division I commits
Several Rice commits are mentioned as being scouted.
The Joplin Globe
http://bit.ly/2twElqO

Charlotte 49ers announce 2017-18 men’s basketball schedule
Rice is mentioned.
The Best College Sports News Network
http://bit.ly/2tnuAXG

FAU coach Lane Kiffin steals the show at C-USA media days
Rice is mentioned.
Denton Record-Chronicle
http://bit.ly/2tO83Tz

Lane Kiffin takes center stage on C-USA media days
Rice football head coach David Bailiff is mentioned.
El Paso Times
http://bit.ly/2tNE4Ly