Dateline Rice for Oct. 10, 2017

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Presidents love evoking JFK’s iconic moon speech. Now it’s the Trump administration’s turn.
President John F. Kennedy’s “Moon Speech,” given at Rice Sept. 12, 1962, is referenced.
Washington Post
http://wapo.st/2xwizAC

A big publisher embraces OER
For years, big-time publishers have been skeptical of open educational resources (OER), questioning their quality and durability. But one of those publishers, Cengage, announced a new product line built around OER. Richard Baraniuk, the Victor E. Cameron Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and founder of Rice-based nonprofit OpenStax, is quoted.
Inside Higher Ed
http://bit.ly/2zbBp1U

50 colleges with the highest application fees
Rice is included in a list of colleges and their application fees.
U.S. News and World Report
http://bit.ly/2yVEIJD

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Some suburbs work with nature. Why can’t the rest of the city?
The outer-ring suburbs of the Houston region have been places of design innovation that could teach the rest of Houston some lessons about living in floodplains. Phil Bedient, the Herman Brown Professor of Engineering and director of Rice’s Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center, is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (This appeared in the Chronicle’s “Gray Matters” online magazine. It also appeared in the San Antonio Express-News.)
http://bit.ly/2wLsrXD

New law opens doors for regenerative medicine in Texas
Texas lawmakers and Doris Taylor, director of regenerative medicine research at the Texas Heart Institute, gathered at Rice recently for a panel discussion on the implications of the recently-passed “Charlie’s Law,” which expands the right-to-try laws in Texas.
TMC News
http://bit.ly/2i0BKR6

What is the blue house in front of Minute Maid Park?
The historical home of one of Rice’s earliest treasurers is featured.
ABC 13
http://abc13.co/2yCLrwj

In new rule, Trump EPA allows Texas coal plants to pollute even more than they already do
A new air pollution rule finalized by the EPA will allow Texas coal plants to emit almost twice as much sulfur dioxide as an earlier proposal by the Obama administration. Daniel Cohan, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, is quoted.
Texas Observer
http://bit.ly/2hZ6dir
Trump’s EPA can’t even cook the books right
New Republic
http://bit.ly/2kE3Cvd

‘The Essentials of Starting a Business’: Explore various pathways to entrepreneurship and new ventures
A continuing education course created by Ed Williams, professor emeritus of entrepreneurship and statistics, and Al Napier, professor emeritus of management, will be held Nov. 21 at Rice’s Anderson-Clarke Center.
TMC News
http://bit.ly/2i0PwDd

‘Beyond Turing: Mechanochemical Basis of Pattern Formation in Biological Active Matter’
Rice’s Center for Theoretical Biological Physics presented “Beyond Turing: Mechanochemical Basis of Pattern Formation in Biological Active Matter” Oct. 10.
TMC News
http://bit.ly/2yeHnkl

Plan your fall: Get tickets to see these authors in Houston
A calendar of events lists two book discussions, both part of the Margarett Root Brown Reading Series, that will be held at Rice’s Stude Concert Hall. One, a Nov. 13 talk by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen, is part of the Rice President’s Lecture Series.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/2yWxKV1

Upcoming: Chynna Rogers, H.E.R., Iva Dawn, Lil Pump, P!nk, Sam Smith, US Bombs, Wolf Parade, Xavier Omar, etc.
“Dimensions Variable” will be on display at Rice’s Moody Center for the Arts Oct. 14 and “The Red Mendelssohn Violin: Hear the Beauty” will be at Stude Concert Hall Oct. 19.
Houston Press
http://bit.ly/2i0iino

BROADCAST

KTRH-AM
Dominic Boyer, professor of anthropology, comments on artificial intelligence generating news.
http://bit.ly/2ye3asg

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Recovery, resilience are focus in Harvey’s wake
As residents across Houston continue to clean up following Hurricane Harvey, leaders at the local, state and national levels are looking to next steps that will enhance the region’s hurricane and flood resiliency. Rice’s Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation From Disasters Center is mentioned.
Engineering News-Record
http://bit.ly/2ydTVIS

3 words: Synthetic gene circuit. Self-assembling bacteria build pressure sensor
Beware, 3-D printers. Self-assembling bacteria are coming for your jobs. Specially designed bacteria can organize themselves to make a three-dimensional pressure sensor, new research shows. Matthew Bennett, associate professor of biochemistry and cell biology, is quoted.
The Register
http://bit.ly/2i0Nmn6

FRET imaging used to establish a beachhead at the NMDA receptor gate
The ability to track the movements of single molecules has revealed how proteins on the surface of nerve cells control gates that turn chemical signals into electrical signals. The finding is a step forward in detailing mechanisms involved in neurological disease, according to researchers at Rice University and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Christy Landes, professor of chemistry and of electrical and computer engineering, is quoted.
Drug Target Review (This article also appeared in Technology Networks.)
http://bit.ly/2xw8CDp
Nerve cells’ gatekeepers take many forms
Bioengineering.org
http://bit.ly/2g8WdT1

Power/performance bits: Oct. 10
A touch of asphalt may be the secret to high-capacity lithium metal batteries that charge 10 to 20 times faster than commercial lithium-ion batteries, according to Rice University scientists. The lab of chemist James Tour developed anodes comprising porous carbon made from asphalt that showed exceptional stability after more than 500 charge-discharge cycles. Tour is the T.T. and W.F. Chao Chair in Chemistry and a professor of computer science and of materials science and nanoengineering.
Semiconductor Engineering (This also appeared on Anygater and AndriodMag.)
http://bit.ly/2wKBhoD

Connected health care and the internet of medical things
An article mentions a pacemaker engineered at Rice that harvests energy wirelessly from radio frequency radiation transmitted by an external battery pack.
Electronics 360
http://bit.ly/2y9jMji

Burton Hong joins CoolSys as executive vice president, general counsel and secretary
Alumnus Burton Hong ’96 is featured.
Enhanced Online News
http://bit.ly/2i0GSok

Surprising order found in interior grain boundaries of polycrystalline materials
Scientists in the United States and China have announced a discovery that they believe could enable the engineering of alloyed materials that are stronger and more ductile and possess superior electrical, magnetic and physical properties. A paper co-authored by Ming Tang, assistant professor of materials science and nanoengineering, is mentioned.
Science Blog
http://bit.ly/2ye4knD

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Shadow transit agency
Alumnus Andrew Monat ’99 is profiled.
Common Wealth
http://bit.ly/2yejkT5

Joseph Cohen: ‘Ode to a Flower’
An article mentions that work by artist Joseph Cohen has been displayed at Rice.
My New Orleans
http://bit.ly/2gtv0rt

Loire Valley: Castles, Caves au Coeur de France
Rice and the Marching Owl Band are referenced.
Another Wine Blog
http://bit.ly/2ydsHlN

SPORTS

Medical opinion: Tibial plateau fractures explained
An article mentions that Patrick McCulloch is a team physician for the Rice Owls.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/2xujMgx

Thibault Cancel falls in USTA 25k Future
An article mentions the USTA 25k Future was hosted at Rice University.
Tide Sports
http://bit.ly/2y9GszY

2017 Orioles roster review, Part 1: The replaceable position players
Former Rice baseball player Paul Janish is mentioned.
Press Box
http://bit.ly/2zdiC6v

Soccer: Blue Raiders fall in overtime to Thundering Herd
The Rice Owls soccer team will face the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Oct. 15.
MTSU Sidelines
http://bit.ly/2y6C4nN

NEWS RELEASES

Former Vice President Gore to speak about climate change at Rice Oct. 23
Former Vice President Al Gore will speak at Rice University’s Tudor Fieldhouse at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 23. Gore, who is chairman of the Climate Reality Project and a board member of Rice’s Doerr Institute for New Leaders, will present “The Climate Crisis and Extreme Weather.”
http://bit.ly/2yWC9qZ

Art history conference to explore ‘health’ at Rice Oct. 14
Scholars and artists will gather at Rice University’s Moody Center for the Arts Oct. 14 to present research and art that seeks to explore the nature of “health.”
http://bit.ly/2g9XUQn