Dateline Rice for Feb. 19, 2018 (Weekend Edition)

FEATURED ITEMS

Rice received $1M for new startup competition
Dacia and Lanham Napier have donated $1 million in honor of Lanham’s father, Al Napier, to fund a new startup competition at Rice. Al Napier is one of the founders of the entrepreneurship program at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business. The annual H. Albert Napier Rice Launch Challenge for Rice students and recent alumni will include a stream of co-curricular workshops that run throughout the year and culminate in a new internal entrepreneurship competition in the spring.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2CvXeKl

How can the US fix our failing infrastructure?
Reginald DesRoches, dean of the George R. Brown School of Engineering, authored an op-ed about the importance of new developments in engineering and science to rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This appeared in the Chronicle’s “Gray Matters” online magazine.)
http://bit.ly/2EPneVX

What happened to Norma’s brain?
Luz Garcini, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Psychology, is quoted in an article on a Texas woman who was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder caused in part by living as an undocumented immigrant.
HuffPost (This article also appeared in Yahoo! News and Daily Magazine.)
http://bit.ly/2EFmHa9

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Thousand-year-old ‘lost’ pyramid city uncovered in the heart of Mexico using lasers had as many buildings as modern Manhattan
An article mentions a study co-authored by André Droxler, professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, that found drought was a likely cause of the decline of Mayan civilization.
Daily Mail (This article also appeared in CetUSNews.)
http://dailym.ai/2Cvud1j

El Paso native will highlight his experiences onboard the Space Station
Former NASA astronaut John Danny Olivas ’96 will speak Feb. 21 in Alamogordo, N.M.
KRWG.org
http://bit.ly/2CxqNLd

‘Un operativo de ICE me enfermó’: Cómo la ansiedad por las deportaciones afecta la salud de los migrantes
A Rice study that found more than 80 percent of immigrants residing in the U.S. without authorization near the California-Mexico border have a lifetime history of traumatic events is mentioned.
Univision (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/2CuVnoY

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Experts coming to Rice University to talk about Hurricane Harvey
Rice’s Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center will host “Urban Flooding and Infrastructure: Moving Forward From Harvey” Feb. 21 at the BioScience Research Collaborative.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the Laredo Morning Times.)
http://bit.ly/2CwoeZZ
http://bit.ly/2CvpL2C

Mittal, Sridhar: The urgent matter of school safety
Vikas Mittal, the J. Hugh Liedtke Professor of Marketing, co-authored an op-ed. Mittal also is quoted in an article on a Rice study that showed safety to be one of the most important drivers of parents’ satisfaction with their children’s schools.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Feb. 17 print edition with a different headline, “Beyond urgency: School safety.”)
http://bit.ly/2CtvlSR
Parent poll: Safety No. 1 for school satisfaction
KTRH.com
http://bit.ly/2CvM9sF

Abbott takes a risk in targeting fellow Republicans
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 quoted in articles on upcoming elections in Texas and discussed the topic on “What’s Your Point?” On “Texas Matters,” Jones discussed LGBTQ candidates and graduate student William Black discussed an article he authored on folk tales of visits by Abraham Lincoln to plantations in the South before becoming president.
San Antonio Express-News (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2CwjJyz
3-way West Texas State Senate race has larger implications for Republican Party
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
http://bit.ly/2CvNUGa
Already projecting ahead to November turnout
Off the Kuff
http://bit.ly/2EGImOQ
‘What’s Your Point?’
KRIV-TV (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2EThOtg (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)
Texas Matters: LGBTQ candidates on Texas ballots; Nazis on campus; and untold tales of Lincoln
Texas Public Radio
http://bit.ly/2CuHB5N

For House District 134: Allison Lami Sawyer
Alumna Allison Lami Sawyer ’10, a candidate for state representative of Texas House District 134, was endorsed by the Houston Chronicle.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2Cxl0oV

Uninsured in Harris outnumber all Texas counties
The large uninsured population in Harris County may be limiting the ability of Texas Medical Center institutions to spend funds on community health improvement or subsidized health services, according to a new issue brief by experts at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. Co-authors Marah Short, associate director of the Baker Institute’s Center for Health and Biosciences; Vivian Ho, the James A. Baker III Institute Chair in Health Economics of the center; and Alex Alexander, health policy intern for the center are mentioned.
KTRH.com
http://bit.ly/2Cvt8GM

Moscow on the Trinity: The Russians are coming (back) to Fort Worth — with good reason
The Rolston String Quartet, formerly the graduate quartet-in-residence at Rice’s Shepherd School of Music, will perform at the Cliburn Festival in Fort Worth.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
http://bit.ly/2CwYHzP

New sports business major to be offered at Lone Star College
Rice is mentioned.
San Antonio Express-News (This article also appeared in the Courier of Montgomery County.)
http://bit.ly/2Cw09mf

Momus kicked off Mardi Gras with glamorous ball, crowns king and queen
McMurtry College senior Ari Brown was Momus Queen at the Knights of Momus Coronation Ball in Galveston.
Galveston County Daily News (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2Cw9xGc

Josiah McElheny’s ‘Island Universe’
“Josiah McElheny: Island Universe” at Rice’s Moody Center for the Arts is mentioned.
Glasstire
http://bit.ly/2CvEScd

Mercury presents Bach’s ‘St. Matthew Passion’ March 10
Mercury Houston will perform March 10 at Rice’s Stude Concert Hall.
Broadway World Houston
http://bit.ly/2CvzUfA

Houston Symphony wins Grammy 5 years in the making
The Houston Symphony’s live recording of Alban Berg’s “Wozzeck” won a Grammy Award Jan. 28 in the Best Opera Recording category. The chorus included students and alumni of Rice’s Shepherd School of Music.
The Signal
http://bit.ly/2Cxmksa

Inaugural GISD Hall of Honor inductees recognized
Alumnus Paul Hagelstein ’94 was inducted into the Graham Public Education Foundation Hall of Honor.
Graham Leader
http://bit.ly/2CvRrEc

BROADCAST

KPRC-TV (Houston)
Fay Yarbrough, associate professor of history, discusses the Choctaw Indian Nation siding with the Confederacy during the Civil War during an episode of “Houston Newsmakers.”
http://bit.ly/2Cw9LwY

How to make money with invention
Rice’s Fondren Library is mentioned as a place to search the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office databases. The write-up notes that Fondren is a Patent and Trademark Resource Center.
KPRC.com
http://bit.ly/2CvDTcd

KTRH-AM (Dallas)
Veterans Business Battle, co-established by Rice’s Veterans in Business Association and hosted by the university, is mentioned.
http://bit.ly/2CvjQug (Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast, which also aired on KRLD-AM in Dallas.)

Presidential historian Douglas Brinkley: Trump is a ‘carny,’ ‘bully’ who represents the ‘dark underbelly of America’
Professor of History Douglas Brinkley is quoted in an article on President Donald Trump. Brinkley also participated in a discussion at the Rancho Mirage Writers Festival, hosted an episode of “Treasures of New York” and discussed Trump on “Washington Journal,” and he is quoted in an article ranking the top U.S. presidents in history.
Washington Examiner
http://washex.am/2CvDSET
C-SPAN2
http://bit.ly/2Hwqkgk (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)
‘Treasures of New York’
WNET-TV (New York)
http://bit.ly/2ohBJHL (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)
‘Washington Journal’
C-SPAN
http://bit.ly/2GsYeRs (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)
The top 20 presidents in US history, according to historians
Business Insider (This article appeared in more than 10 other media outlets.)
http://read.bi/2CxidMK

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

The top 25 US online MBA programs
The Jones Graduate School of Business is mentioned.
Poets and Quants for Executives
http://bit.ly/2Cu3imt
FT MBA rankings 2018 analysis: Triumphs and surprises
Beat the GMAT
http://bit.ly/2CuYXzm

Edible electronics are on the way
Rice scientists who introduced laser-induced graphene have enhanced their technique to produce what may become a new class of edible electronics. James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Chair in Chemistry and a professor of computer science and of materials science and nanoengineering, is quoted. Co-lead authors Yieu Chyan, a graduate student, and Ruquan Ye ’15 are mentioned.
Cosmos
http://bit.ly/2Cw3cdO

Most religious Americans ‘not strongly wedded’ to either creation or evolution, sociologist says
Elaine Howard Ecklund, founding director of the Religion and Public Life Program and the Herbert S. Autrey Chair in Social Sciences, is featured. Ecklund also will moderate a panel discussion titled “Public Religion from West to East” Feb. 21 at Rice’s Herring Hall. Graduate student Di Di will introduce the topic and former Rice professor Michael Emerson will participate in the discussion.
Christian Post (This article also appeared in Black Christian News Network One.)
http://bit.ly/2CwyNMu
Public religion from West to East
TMC News
http://bit.ly/2Cv8UwI

Baker Institute: Mexico elections could disrupt energy reform continuity
A panel discussion on energy reform and political uncertainty in Mexico was held at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
Oil and Gas Journal (A similar article appeared in SPI World News.)
http://bit.ly/2Cw3yRK

Team reports progress in pursuit of sickle cell cure
Scientists have successfully used gene editing to repair 20 to 40 percent of stem and progenitor cells taken from the peripheral blood of patients with sickle cell disease, according to Gang Bao, the Foyt Family Professor of Bioengineering.
Fierce Biotech (Similar articles appeared in more than 10 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2CyOSSc
New gene-editing CRISPR tools can detect and repair Zika, dengue, sickle-cell disease in human genome
International Business Times
http://bit.ly/2Cxuxwk

Lone Star Flight Museum names 2018 Texas Aviation Hall of Fame inductees
The late alumnus Noel Parrish ’28, who is credited with making it possible for blacks to serve as aviators in the U.S. armed forces when he was a colonel, was selected for induction to the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame.
Aero News Network
http://bit.ly/2CvBle4

University system saves students more than $18M a year in free textbooks
OpenStax, a Rice-based publisher of open educational resources, is mentioned.
Augusta CEO (This article appeared in more than 10 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2CwLh6O

Droga do sukcesu: Rady milionerów
H. Albert Napier, professor emeritus of entrepreneurship and psychology at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, is quoted in an article on achieving professional success.
Men’s Health (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/2Cvmv7r

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

LAN-AITM, Rice Univeristy to launch training initiative
Michael L. Koenig, associate dean for innovation initiatives and executive director of executive education at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, is mentioned in an article on a partnership between Rice and Leadership Academy of Nepal-AITM.
Himalayan Times
http://bit.ly/2Cv1eKU

10 modern presidential speeches every American should know
President John F. Kennedy’s “Moon Speech” given at Rice Sept. 12, 1962, is mentioned.
History
http://bit.ly/2CwCrpI

Mummy mystery solved — the history news of the week
A roundup of news mentions scholars from Rice, University College London and the Field Museum found the first direct evidence that glass was produced in sub-Saharan Africa centuries before the arrival of Europeans. Alumnus Abidemi Babatunde Babalola ’14, lead author of the study, is featured.
Before It’s News
http://bit.ly/2CwL9nU

SUNY Orange hosts master class on abstract painting
Alumna Mary Roth ’91 is featured.
Warwick Advertiser (This article also appeared in Photo News.)
http://bit.ly/2CvP4S8

Mulvihill: Don’t underestimate the skills gained from university examinations
Brown College sophomore Phil Hedayatnia is mentioned.
Cavalier Daily
http://bit.ly/2Cv0uFG

Sergio Fausto: A tal conspiração das elites
Sergio Fausto, contributing expert for the Latin America Initiative at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, authored an op-ed.
PPS.org
http://bit.ly/2CwGlim

SPORTS

Punishing loss is a hit to Owls’ conference tournament hopes
The Rice men’s basketball team lost to Western Kentucky University Feb. 17 at Tudor Fieldhouse. Head coach Scott Pera and player Malik Osborne are quoted. Players Najja Hunter, Bishop Mency and Miles Lester are mentioned. Pera, Osborne and player Connor Cashaw are quoted in an article on the Owls’ Conference USA tournament prospects.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Feb. 18 print edition.)
http://bit.ly/2CxhACS
http://bit.ly/2CyDd5S
Western Kentucky dominates Rice in 85-66 win
Fox Sports (This Associated Press article appeared in more than 80 media outlets.)
http://foxs.pt/2CwtGw7
Hilltoppers beat zone defense, blow out Rice
College Heights Herald
http://bit.ly/2CwxH3o
KTRK-TV (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2CwOH9I (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)
KIAH-TV (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2Cv3lOU (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)
Despite difficult season, Rice men eyeing berth in C-USA tournament
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Feb. 17 print edition with a different headline, “Despite difficult season, Owls eyeing C-USA tourney.”)
http://bit.ly/2CtQCMd

Women’s college basketball: Angela Harris scores 32 as UH wins 20th game of season
A women’s basketball roundup mentions Rice lost to Middle Tennessee State University 51-41 Feb. 17 in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Players Erica Ogwumike and Nicole Iademarco are mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Feb. 18 print edition.)
http://bit.ly/2CvBbTN

Rice basketball has week to forget
The Rice men’s and women’s basketball teams are featured.
Galveston County Daily News (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2CwLIhw

Rice baseball off to solid start
The Rice baseball team went 2-1 at the season-opening UCF Tournament in Orlando, Fla. The Owls defeated Samford University 8-7 Feb. 16, beat the University of Central Florida 5-3 Feb. 17 and lost to the University of Virginia 3-0 Feb. 18.
Galveston County Daily News (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2Cw79zk
Around sports: Eagles help Bubba Watson soar to lead at Riviera
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Feb. 18 print edition.)
http://bit.ly/2CuwNVf
College baseball: A&M homers 5 times in 10-2 rout of Rhode Island
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Feb. 19 print edition.)
http://bit.ly/2CvTlF3
UVA baseball team blanks the Rice Owls
WINA.com
http://bit.ly/2CvMr2N

Simming the college baseball season
Rice is mentioned.
Baseball America
http://bit.ly/2HsNKmD

Top 9 things to do this week in Houston: Feb. 19-25
The Rice baseball team’s Feb. 20 game against Texas State University at Reckling Park is mentioned.
365 Things To Do in Houston
http://bit.ly/2CubqU1

McCrory nips Perras at The All-American golf tournament
The Rice men’s golf team finished 12th at the All-American Intercollegiate Feb. 16-18 at the Golf Club of Houston.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/2CwtmNV
Around sports: Bubba Watson wins Genesis Open
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Feb. 19 print edition with a different headline, “Watson ends drought with 3rd Riviera win.”)
http://bit.ly/2Cwso4f

Cypress’ Sam McGuffie, Cody Bascue 25th in 2-man bobsled
Former Rice football and track and field athlete Sam McGuffie ’14 is a member of the U.S. men’s bobsled team that is competing in the Winter Olympics in South Korea. Casey Thom, a former assistant track and field coach at Rice, is mentioned in the second Houston Chronicle article.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2CvR1y1
http://bit.ly/2CvUpsJ
Cypress’ Sam McGuffie hopes to build on legacy of the US Olympic bobsled team
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the San Antonio Express-News.)
http://bit.ly/2CwIt9M
http://bit.ly/2CvUJaH
Winter Olympics report: Canada’s Virtue, Moir rock in ice-dancing short program
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Feb. 19 print edition.)
http://bit.ly/2CvW41g
Texas bobsledder finishes 14th at Olympics, after appendectomy
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/2Cv9LO0
Watch: Former Rice University football player in 2-man bobsled
KXAN.com
http://bit.ly/2CuzQNb
How Olympic bobsled turned into ‘Dancing With the Stars’
Wall Street Journal (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in CetUSNews.)
http://on.wsj.com/2CwoM1U
Winter Olympics: Sam McGuffie seems to have his athletic future mapped out
USA Today (This article appeared in more than 20 media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/2CtUblz
KPRC-TV (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2ochEUl (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)
From Michigan football to 2018 Olympics: Sam McGuffie still turning heads
Detroit Free Press
http://on.freep.com/2Cw0dCj
Former Michigan RB McGuffie competes in Winter Olympics
Toledo Blade
http://bit.ly/2CvaDC7
US figure skater Adam Rippon to join NBC broadcast team for remainder of Games
Toronto Star
http://bit.ly/2Cxycdt

Rockets’ James Harden cherishes All-Star return to L.A.
An article on Houston Rockets player James Harden mentions he was coached by Rice men’s basketball coach Scott Pera in high school.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Feb. 19 print edition.)
http://bit.ly/2Cwsfhd

NBC Sports Bay Area
Former Rice cross-country and track runner Nicole Mericle ’10 is featured as a competitor in the Spartan Race.
http://bit.ly/2CtO8gR (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)

Family left to pray, hope for former Dartmouth quarterback
An article on former Dartmouth College football player Ernest Evans II mentions his father, former Rice football player Ernest Evans ’87.
Valley News
http://bit.ly/2CvERFc

NEWS RELEASES

Rice U. reports progress in pursuit of sickle cell cure
Scientists have successfully used gene editing to repair 20 to 40 percent of stem and progenitor cells taken from the peripheral blood of patients with sickle cell disease, according to Rice bioengineer Gang Bao. Bao, in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital and Stanford University, is working to find a cure for the hereditary disease.
http://bit.ly/2CuFQ8H

Rice U.’s Entrepreneurship Initiative receives $1M gift from Napier family for new startup competition
Dacia and Lanham Napier have donated $1 million in honor of Lanham’s father, Al Napier, to fund a new startup competition at Rice. Al Napier is one of the founders of the globally recognized entrepreneurship program at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business. The annual H. Albert Napier Rice Launch Challenge for Rice students and recent alumni will include a stream of co-curricular workshops that run throughout the year and culminate in a new internal entrepreneurship competition in the spring.
http://bit.ly/2CwbFht

BP to present ‘Energy Outlook 2018’ at Rice’s Baker Institute March 2
BP will present its “Energy Outlook 2018” at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy March 2. Hosted by the Baker Institute’s Center for Energy Studies, the event is free and open to the public but registration is required.
http://bit.ly/2CwfNxZ

Flooding will be the focus of Rice U.’s inaugural Houston-Centered Policy Challenge Feb. 22
Flooding in Meyerland will be the focus of Rice’s inaugural Houston-Centered Policy Challenge, in which teams of students submit policy proposals designed for the real-time challenges faced by Houston communities. Following weeks of workshops and panels with community leaders and Rice professors, these proposals will be judged by a panel of experts Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. in the university’s Fondren Library, Kyle Morrow Room.
http://bit.ly/2CvtixU

Rice Urban Data Platform now available to public for data access
Rice’s Kinder Institute Urban Data Platform, created to support a deeper understanding of the people, government and built environment in the Greater Houston area, is now accessible to researchers not affiliated with Rice. Launched in 2017, the UDP is a computing environment and secure data repository of research-ready data for the Houston metropolitan area.
http://bit.ly/2CxuUqB