People, papers and presentations for Sept. 20, 2021

Rice Space Institute Director David Alexander, a professor of physics and astronomy, has been named by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner to the board of the Houston Spaceport Development Corporation. The Houston City Council designated the Houston Spaceport, based at Ellington Field, as a local government corporation, making it eligible for state funding through the Texas Legislature’s Texas Spaceport Trust Fund. Alexander is one of seven members named to the board.

A review of studies of home-schooled children’s health led by Laura Kabiri, an assistant teaching professor of kinesiology, and published by the Journal of School Health shows the importance of paying attention to fitness. The studies showed home-schooled children had significantly less abdominal strength than those in public schools, though no significant difference in upper body strength or endurance. The researchers see the topic as more relevant than ever with many students returning to public classrooms after time away during the COVID-19 pandemic. Co-authors are Rice undergraduates Ashley Messineo and Nikhil Gattu; Nicholas Iammarino, Rice professor emeritus and a lecturer in health sciences; and Brian Ray, president of the National Home Education Research Institute.