COVID-19 PANDEMIC

With vaccines on the horizon, faith leaders could play a crucial role in promoting their use
Faith leaders could be crucial in helping to overcome unease between medical community leaders and some people of faith, according to Elaine Howard Ecklund, professor of sociology and director of the Religion and Public Life Program at Rice. An article by Futurity features new research by Ecklund that found growing religious discrimination against Jews and Muslims.
Religious News Service (This article also appeared in Times West Virginian.)
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-ecklund
Survey: Muslims and Jews report the most religious discrimination
Futurity (This article was featured in the Dec. 11 edition of Futurity Today, and it also appeared in Newswise.)
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-ecklund

Trusting the vaccine: Outreach will be key
New Rice research into the possibility of the coronavirus vaccine becoming a partisan issue is featured. Co-author Rekha Lakshmanan, a contributing expert for Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy’s Center for Health and Biosciences, is quoted.
Spectrum News
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-lakshmanan

Rising US natural gas prices during pandemic erode LNG competitiveness
Anna Mikulska, nonresident fellow in energy studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
Society of Petroleum Engineers
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-mikulska

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Morocco and Israel plan to normalize ties. Trump changed US policy to make it happen.
Kelsey Norman, a fellow at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy’s Women’s Rights, Human Rights and Refugees Program, is quoted.
Vox
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-norman

Why is the sun’s atmosphere hotter than its surface?
An article features collaborative Rice research that may solve the long-standing mystery about why the sun’s atmosphere is millions of degrees hotter than the surface. Stephen Bradshaw, associate professor of physics and astronomy, is quoted. Alumnus Shah Mohammad Bahauddin is mentioned.
Futurity
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-bradshaw

Diseases like Alzheimer’s happen in 2 phases
An article features Rice research that determined two previously unrecognized phases of cell degeneration by summarizing a decade’s worth of experimental findings in a simple diagram. Professors of biosciences Michael Stern and James McNew are quoted.
Futurity (This article was featured in the Dec. 11 edition of Futurity Today.)
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-stern-mcnew

The pitiful endgame of Saudi Arabia’s Qatar blockade
Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, fellow for the Middle East at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
Foreign Policy
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-ulrichsen

How Mohit Aron’s Indian hometown inspired his unicorn company
Alumnus Mohit Aron is featured.
Forbes (This article also appeared in BollyInside.)
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-aron

Kuwait’s new all-male parliament is a blow for women’s rights
Marwa Shalaby, the former director of the Women’s Rights in the Middle East Program at Rice, is quoted.
Deutsche Welle (This article also appeared in MSN.)
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-dw

HOUSTON/TEXAS

BROADCAST

The world is shifting to clean fuels. Can Houston still be a global energy leader?
Michelle Michot Foss, fellow in energy and minerals in the Center for Energy Studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted and interviewed.
Houston Public Media (This segment also aired on KUHF-FM in Houston.)
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-foss
Today on Texas Standard
Texas Standard (This segment also aired on more than 20 stations across Texas.)
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-foss

The economic benefits of legalizing marijuana (Dec. 11, 2020)
Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy is mentioned.
Houston Public Media (This segment also aired on KUHF-FM in Houston.)
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-baker-institute

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

An article features the work of alumnus and research scientist Zachary Wright, who discovered peroxisomes, bubblelike single membranes filled with a granular protein matrix, hidden in plant cells’ organelles.
Sound on Sound Fest
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-wright

The Graham Foundation awards its 2020 grants to organizations
An article mentions that the Rice School of Architecture’s publication PLAT 10.0: Behold, which features a unique “call and response” format to explore and respond to compelling issues in architecture, won a Graham Foundation award.
The Architect’s Newspaper
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-rice-arch

I’m biracial and grew up in a ‘colorblind’ family
Alumna Kelli Mason authored a column.
Mother.ly
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-mason

E-commerce platform Mercato names CFO
An article featuring Emily Keeton mentions that she sits on the advisory board of Rice’s Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Retail Leader
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-lilie

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

SPORTS

Few Black head coaches leading top NCAA football programs
An article mentions that Rice is the only Football Bowl Subdivision team that has African American offensive (Jerry Mack) and defensive (Brian Smith) coordinators. Head coach Mike Bloomgren is mentioned.
Richmond Free Press
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-mack-smith-bloomgren

COVID-19 cancels Rice-TSU women’s basketball matchup
An article mentions that Rice’s women’s basketball game against Texas Southern University Dec. 11 has been canceled. The Owls are slated to play the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Dec. 16 at Tudor Fieldhouse.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the San Antonio Express-News, Connecticut Post and 10 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-wbb

COVID-19 postpones UH’s AAC opener against Central Florida
An articles mentions that Rice’s Dec. 12 men’s basketball game against the University of Houston has been postponed.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the Dec. 11 print edition, and it appeared online in the San Antonio Express-News, Connecticut Post, San Francisco Chronicle and 10 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-mbb
UH conference opener vs. UCF postponed
The Daily Cougar
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-mbb

THRILL FOR PHIL: Ex-CFL exec, Rough Riders prez Kershaw looks back at time in Ottawa
An article mentions Rice assistant football coach Mike Kershaw.
Toronto Sun (This article also appeared in more than 30 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-kershaw

Fielding their dreams: Senior trio earns opportunity to play baseball at top colleges
Former Rice baseball player Pat Hallmark is mentioned.
Jewish Herald-Voice
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-hallmark

UNM men’s basketball tips off season Sunday
An article mentions that Rice’s men’s basketball team is slated to play the University of New Mexico Dec. 13.
KRQE Online
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-mbb
‘Fox New Mexico’
KRQE-TV (Albuquerque)
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-mbb (This segment aired 10 times.)

Miner Gameday: UTEP heads to North Texas for final ‘home’ game
An article mentions that Rice’s football team was defeated by the University of Texas at El Paso in 2018.
El Paso Herald-Post
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-rice-utep

College Preview: North Texas Mean Green vs. UTEP Miners
An article mentions that Rice’s football team was defeated by the University of North Texas earlier this season.
Dave Campbell’s Texas Football
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-rice-unt

NEWS RELEASES

Top Rice data science team shows heart in plan to save babies
A project that uses data science techniques to help save babies with congenital heart defects won the Fall 2020 Virtual Showcase held by Rice’s Data to Knowledge Lab. Ten student teams competed in the end-of-semester event to show their work with the D2K Lab, which connects community members with student expertise in the analysis of data that can make a difference to society.
http://dateline.rice/dec-11-news-release-rice-d2k