Dateline Rice for Feb. 13, 2018

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Cancer-fighting robots thinner than human hair are able to fight cancer by destroying tumors in the body
James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry, professor of computer science and of materials science and nanoengineering, is quoted.
Daily Mail
http://dailym.ai/2Cib9U3

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Will local governments get behind President Trump’s infrastructure mandate?
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, appeared on “Houston Matters” to discuss President Donald Trump’s budget proposal and is quoted in an Energywire article on the subject. Jones and Robert Stein, the Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science, are part of a team of researchers conducting surveys of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Harvey flood victims. Stein is quoted in an article on a survey indicating Harvey victims don’t want a tax increase to fund flood mitigation efforts.
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/2ChRgMT
To mitigate flooding, energy capital may need to look inward
Energywire
http://bit.ly/2ChhHlO
Harvey victims don’t support higher taxes for improvements, survey says
Fox26.com
http://bit.ly/2Ci0YyP
KRIV-TV (Houston)
http://bit.ly/2Cj80mR (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)
Survey: Residents want improvements post-Harvey, but not a tax increase
KHOU.com
http://bit.ly/2Ci3bKv

Arrest of Zetas cartel leader seen as leading to more Mexico violence
Tony Payan, the Françoise and Edward Djerejian Fellow for Mexico Studies at the Baker Institute for Public Policy and director of the institute’s Mexico Center, is quoted on the arrest of José María Guízar Valencia. Payan also will speak at a conference Feb. 14-15 at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
WOAI.com
http://bit.ly/2Cg1JZh
WOAI-AM (San Antonio)
http://bit.ly/2Ci5SvE (Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)
KRLD-AM (Dallas)
http://bit.ly/2CivOrd (Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)
Inaugura la UNAM nueva inciativa universitaria a favor de la democracia
Mugs Noticias (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/2ChQXBB

Rice University to now host annual Veterans Business Battle
Applications are being accepted for the Veterans Business Battle, which was established by a group of Houston entrepreneurs and Rice University’s Veterans in Business Association.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared in the Feb. 13 print edition as part of a roundup of business news with a different headline, “General Dynamics buys tech company,” and it appeared in a previous edition of Dateline when it was posted online.)
http://bit.ly/2BTLw04
http://bit.ly/2BTcwg5

In ‘The Which Way Tree,’ a story of vengeance on the Texas frontier
Alumna Elizabeth Crook ’82 discusses her new novel, “The Which Way Tree.”
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2ChN5Ri

Sean Penn to promote 1st novel in Austin
Professor of History Douglas Brinkley and actor Sean Penn will discuss Penn’s novel, “Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff,” April 3 at Central Presbyterian Church in Austin.
Austin Chronicle
http://bit.ly/2Cj4J6V

HMNS weekly happenings
A lecture on trilobites is sponsored by Rice’s Wiess School of Natural Sciences.
Houston Museum of Natural Science
http://bit.ly/2CgByBH

BROADCAST

‘Daily Planet’
To mark International Darwin Day, Scott Solomon, associate teaching professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, discusses evolution and the potential impact of humans inhabiting another planet.
Discovery
http://bit.ly/2ChDee3 (Solomon’s portion of the video begins at 15:50.)

KPRC-TV (Houston)
Professor of Statistics Dennis Cox discusses ways to improve the odds when playing the lottery.
http://bit.ly/2EmqTHp (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)

KRIV-TV (Houston)
Ben Keel III, an instructor at Rice’s Glasscock School of Continuing Studies, discusses the relationship between love and money.
http://bit.ly/2ChLTgF (Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

New research verifies glass was manufactured in Africa before the arrival of Europeans
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.
Journal of Blacks in Higher Education
http://bit.ly/2CgE7DP

New guide for finding genes linked with behavior
Scientists interested in finding specific genes that influence the behavior of humans and animals have a new tool, thanks to a two-year research effort aimed at describing how to apply the latest techniques of molecular genomics to the study of complex behavior. Lead author Sarah Bengston, a Huxley Faculty Fellow in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology in Rice’s Department of BioSciences, is quoted.
Science Newsline (Similar articles appeared in Science Daily, R&D Magazine, Phys.org, Infosurhoy and BrightSurf.)
http://bit.ly/2CiuqVe

Some black and Latino Christians rely on religion for healing
Eighty percent of black and Latino Americans interviewed in a recent Rice study said they believe in the potential healing power of religious faith, while nearly two-thirds of Korean-Americans interviewed said that a religious environment mainly provides support for individuals with regard to health decisions, but made few mentions of prayer or divine healing. Co-authors Elaine Howard Ecklund, founding director of the Religion and Public Life Program and the Herbert S. Autrey Chair in Social Sciences, and Ph.D student Cleve Tinsley are quoted. Fellow co-author Daniel Bolger, a Ph.D student, is mentioned.
Science Newsline (Similar articles appeared in Phys.org and Space Weekly.)
http://bit.ly/2Ci1vk4

Rice University scientists simplify process to make polymers with light-triggered nanoparticles
Rice scientists plan to employ the power of the sun to build functional synthetic polymers using photosensitive quantum dots — microscopic semiconducting particles — as a catalyst. Eilaf Egap, an assistant professor of materials science and nanoengineering and chemical and biomolecular engineering, is quoted. Postdoctoral researcher and lead author Yiming Huang and graduate student Yifan Zhu are mentioned.
Textile World
http://bit.ly/2Cl6Nvy

Hydrogen bonds essential for tough composite materials
The right mix of hydrogen bonds in polymer and cement composites is critical to making strong, tough and ductile infrastructure material, according to Rice scientists who want to mimic the mechanics of mother-of-pearl and similar natural composites with synthetic materials. Rouzbeh Shahsavari, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering and of materials science and nanoengineering, is quoted. Graduate student Navid Sakhavand is mentioned.
Materials Today
http://bit.ly/2CjmH9E

2-stage gas sensor reports on soil dynamics
A gene “genie” developed by Rice scientists grants researchers valuable data about microbes through puffs of gas from the soil. Mentioned are Jonathan Silberg, associate professor of biochemistry and cell biology; Caroline Masiello, professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences; graduate student and lead author Hsiao-Ying (Shelly) Cheng; graduate student Ilenne Del Valle; research scientist Xiaodong Gao; and George Bennett, the E. Dell Butcher Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology.
Environmental Research Web
http://bit.ly/2CiAT2s

Mountain States’ 2018 Top Young Professionals
Alumna Cynthia Fishman ’04 is a winner of the ENR Mountain States Top Young Professionals competition.
Engineering News-Record
http://bit.ly/2CiKfLE

Opinión: Shell se baña en Gloria y no le tema a nada
Miriam Grunstein, contributing expert and scholar in the Mexico Center at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, authored an op-ed on Shell’s operations in Mexico.
Expansión (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/2EoWDjg

La producción de petróleo en Venezuela se derrumba: Cae otro 2.8 por ciento en enero y bate record de caída
Francisco Monaldi, a fellow in Latin American energy policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted in an article on a drop in oil production in Venezuela.
Marco Trade News (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/2EsBF2M

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Global team including NU professors wins $15 million to improve newborn survival in Africa
NEST360°, an international team of engineers, doctors and global health experts, won $15 million through the MacArthur Foundation’s inaugural 100&Change competition and will continue to raise money for its visionary effort to end preventable newborn deaths in Africa. NEST360° is a collaboration of Rice, the University of Malawi, Northwestern University, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and 3rd Stone Design of San Rafael, Calif.
Daily Northwestern
http://bit.ly/2CgYWit

Leading with diversity
An article on the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management mentions Rice is a member.
Washington University in St. Louis
http://bit.ly/2Ch9cr4

Star birth in the southern sky
Robert O’Dell, the Andrew Hays Buchanan Professor Emeritus of Astrophysics and former chief scientist on the Hubble Space Telescope, is mentioned.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise
http://bit.ly/2Ch6HoA

Don’t show me the (read) receipts
An op-ed mentions the Rice University Neologisms Database.
McGill Tribune
http://bit.ly/2ChmzY8

Skylight Music Theatre and Milwaukee Opera Theatre unite forces for ‘The Tales of Hoffmann’
Alumna Jill Anna Ponasik ’03 will direct “The Tales of Hoffmann” March 16-29 at the Cabot Theatre in Milwaukee.
Urban Milwaukee
http://bit.ly/2CfstsF

Hello, Portland startup community! I’m Maxime Paul
Alumnus Maxime Paul ’10 is featured.
Silicon Florist
http://bit.ly/2Ch85aS

‘Living in the Future’s Past’
Timothy Morton, the Rita Shea Guffey Chair in English, appears in the movie “Living in the Future’s Past.” He also is mentioned in an article on an upcoming art conference in Madrid.
FilmFestivals.com
http://bit.ly/2ChUwrH
Presentada ARCOmadrid 2018 que reactiva el coleccionismo
Portalferias (An English translation is not available. A similar article appeared in Revista de Arte.)
http://bit.ly/2ChLHy9

SPORTS

Loss to Rice moves Lady Toppers from top spot in C-USA
The Rice women’s basketball team defeated Western Kentucky University 73-58 Feb. 10 at Tudor Fieldhouse.
College Heights Herald
http://bit.ly/2CiCndl

Getting some rest for the weary
An article on the Marshall University men’s basketball team mentions the Thundering Herd faces Rice Feb. 15 at Tudor Fieldhouse.
Herald-Dispatch
http://bit.ly/2ChjffC
Herd men’s basketball thrives in front of home crowd
The Parthenon
http://bit.ly/2EpRmbd

TCU’s Baker, UTA’s Salinas on 2018 Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award watch list
Rice baseball players Dominic DiCaprio and Ford Proctor were named to the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award watch list.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
http://bit.ly/2Cic9rc

UH’s 2018 football schedule released
An article on the University of Houston football team mentions the Cougars face Rice Sept. 1 at Rice Stadium. A slideshow includes a photo of Owls Aaron Cephus and Miklo Smalls.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://bit.ly/2Ciy8OX
http://bit.ly/2Cj3Lrk
2018 UH football schedule
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/2ChNhjn

Sports Monday: Rockets continue to roll, and Houstonians in the Olympics
Former Rice football and track and field athlete Sam McGuffie ’14, a member of the U.S. men’s bobsled team that is competing in the Winter Olympics in South Korea, is featured.
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/2Chh4ss
Texas football legend Sam McGuffie is an Olympic bobsledder in Pyeongchang
FloFootball
http://bit.ly/2EptC72

Humble ISD athletes sign letters of intent
Rice volleyball signee Anota Adekunle is mentioned.
The Tribune
http://bit.ly/2Ci5zkk

Johnny Manziel shares bipolar diagnosis on GMA, says he is planning comeback
A photo of former Rice football player Christian Covington ’15 is included in a slideshow.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/2CjCnJN

UT’s Jason Washington is 247Sports’ Big 12 Recruiter of the Year
An article on University of Texas assistant football coach Jason Washington mentions he is a former Rice assistant.
247Sports
http://bit.ly/2CiLFpq

NEWS RELEASE

Graphene on toast, anyone?
Rice scientists who introduced laser-induced graphene (LIG) have enhanced their technique to produce what may become a new class of edible electronics. The Rice lab of chemist James Tour, which once turned Girl Scout cookies into graphene, is investigating ways to write graphene patterns onto food and other materials to quickly embed conductive identification tags and sensors into the products themselves.
http://bit.ly/2CjbsOl