People, papers and presentations

Adria Baker, associate vice provost for international education, was the keynote plenary speaker for the NAFSA: Association of International Educators’ annual conference in San Antonio Oct. 16. The title was “HOPE Without Borders: A Strategic Role of International Educators.” About 400 administrators from Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas attended the conference on current events in international education, including many changes that have impacted higher education since a new administration began in January.

A bioremediation process that uses algae to clean hydraulic fracturing fluids from oil wells earned Meenakshi Bhattacharjee recognition as a finalist in the “innovative thinker” category of Gulf Publishing Co.’s 2017 World Oil Awards. Bhattacharjee, a faculty fellow in the Department of BioSciences, was the only university researcher among 98 award finalists, who were chosen from more than 1,000 nominees from 22 countries.

Kirstin Ostherr, professor of English and director of Rice’s Medical Futures Lab, will be at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., Oct. 26 for a gathering of national experts to discuss “Data Privacy in the Digital Age.” Ostherr has been doing research on health and medical media for over 20 years, from “old” media like celluloid films used for medical education to “new” media like smartphone apps. She will present “Trust and Privacy in the Ecosystems of User-Generated Health and Medical Data” during a panel discussion.

Richard Tapia, University Professor, the Maxfield-Oshman Professor in Engineering and a professor of computational and applied mathematics, was the subject of a Hispanic Heritage Month profile by the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering program. The program, which is administered by the National Science Foundation, recognizes mentors who work to expand talent in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, often referred to as STEM.