People, Papers and Presentations

Andrea Ballestero, an associate professor of anthropology at Rice, co-chaired the Society for Social Studies of Science annual meeting held in New Orleans Sept. 4-7.

Jonathan Homola, an assistant professor of political science at Rice, won the SAGE best paper award at a recent meeting of the American Political Science Association (APSA). The award recognizes the best paper in comparative politics presented at the previous APSA annual meeting. The paper, “Legacies of the Third Reich: Concentration Camps and Outgroup Intolerance,” is co-authored by Miguel Pereira, William Simoneau and Margit Tavits. They show that current political intolerance, xenophobia and voting for radical right-wing parties are associated with proximity to former Nazi concentration camps in Germany.

Cin-Ty Lee, a professor and chair of Rice’s Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, was named a 2019 Geochemistry Fellow by the Geochemical Society and the European Association of Geochemistry at Goldschmidt 2019, an international geochemistry conference they jointly organized and hosted in Barcelona, Spain, Aug. 18-23. Lee, one of 13 scientists to receive this honor, was chosen for “diverse, creative and prolific work, his provocative ideas that have inspired debate and action, and his fundamental contributions to the understanding of our planet’s continents.”

Caroline Masiello, a professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, chemistry and biosciences, delivered a plenary lecture Aug. 21 at Goldschmidt 2019, an international geochemistry conference jointly organized by the Geochemical Society and the European Association of Geochemistry in Barcelona, Spain. The Paul Gast Lecture award honors a mid-career scientist’s outstanding contributions to geochemistry.

Elisabeth Pesavento, a junior studying French horn performance, is the first place winner in the International Horn Competition of America. Pesavento is currently a junior studying with Bill VerMeulen, a professor of horn at the Shepherd School.

Haotian Wang, the William Marsh Rice Trustee Chair and an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, has been named a CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar, one of 14 accepted to the two-year research program this year. The charitable organization based in Toronto provides $100,000 in unrestricted research funding as well as opportunities to network and collaborate with colleagues form diverse disciplines. Wang and his lab develop novel materials and technologies for energy and environmental applications, including energy storage and devices, catalysis and green synthesis.

Sam Wu, a doctoral composition student in the Shepherd School, won first place in the second International Music Competition Harbin. His composition titled “Winds of Winter” was performed by the Harbin Symphony Orchestra.

Shepherd School’s graduate Quartet-in-Residence, the Callisto Quartet, won second prize at the Banff International String Competition 2019. The competition has also been won by two former graduate quartets-in-residence, the Dover String Quartet and the Rolston String Quartet.