Dateline Rice for July 31, 2014

FEATURED ITEMS

Rice navigates growth amid changing landscape
President David Leebron is profiled for his leadership and achievements over the past decade at Rice. He is quoted. Also quoted are Deborah Harter, associate professor of French; John Boles, the William P. Hobby Professor of History; Donald Morrison, professor of philosophy and classical studies; Lovett College senior Daniel Imas; and alumnus Joey Yang ’12.
San Francisco Chronicle (This Associated Press article also appeared in Miami Herald and 31 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/1tCwcK4
Rice University leader has pushed school to grow amid changing landscape in higher education
The Republic (This article also appeared in the Daily Journal.)
http://bit.ly/1s6TcyY
ITV 55.5
http://bit.ly/1lgi6Gw

Forbes: Rice best university in Texas, 32nd in US
Rice is the highest-ranked Texas university at No. 32 on Forbes’ list of America’s top colleges and No. 20 on Time magazine’s list of best colleges for your money.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/UNBD9K
America’s top colleges
Forbes
http://onforb.es/1doK7uQ
The best colleges for your money
Time
http://ti.me/UFuLeL
Rice University is the top school in Texas, Forbes and Money say
Houston Business Journal
http://bit.ly/UND0FF
3 San Antonio universities made Forbes’ list of top schools in America
Texas Public Radio
http://bit.ly/1oQhlsE
Forbes releases list of ‘America’s top colleges’
KPRC-TV
http://bit.ly/1s6ser9
http://bit.ly/1ADkVLr
3 San Antonio universities are among the best in America
San Antonio Business Journal
http://bit.ly/1o8mHyM
Money Thursday morning preview #Hounews
News 92 FM
http://bit.ly/1uKK5aG
KRIV-TV
http://bit.ly/1qNxSAf
http://bit.ly/Xkhbzn
KHOU-TV
http://bit.ly/1pIQefl
WOAI-TV (San Antonio)
http://bit.ly/1k9q5cZ
KXAN-TV
http://bit.ly/1rMiWia

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Former assistant administrator says EPA emissions rule unlawful
The EPA regulations on power plant emissions are being challenged as unlawful and an overreach of agency powers. Charles McConnell, executive director of Rice University’s Energy and Environment Initiative, is quoted.
Rio Novosti
http://bit.ly/1qsyNBg

Potty politics divides Houston as rights law faces repeal
Houston Mayor Annise Parker’s proposed equal-rights law faces potential repeal in November. Rice’s study on Houston’s diversity is mentioned.
Bloomberg (This article also appeared in Pipeline & Gas Journal and La Repubblica.)
http://bloom.bg/UD8Fd1

Analysis of selling Kurdish oil
An oil tanker carrying a contested load of Kurdish crude is trapped in legal limbo off the Galveston coast; there are serious doubts about whether the shipment will reach shore in the United States. Richard Stoll, the Albert Thomas Chair in Political Science and scholar at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
Anadolu Agency
http://bit.ly/1u3qP4a

Immigrant influx on Texas border heats up political debate
Tony Payan, the Françoise and Edward Djerejian Fellow for Mexico Studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and director of the Baker Institute’s Mexico Center, is interviewed about Americans unable to decide if migrant children should be treated as refugees and the need for immigration reform.
Voice of America (This article also appeared in Buenos Aires News and Argentina Star.)
http://bit.ly/1zzmLvF
Polls show Americans divided and confused on migrant children surge
Houston Public Media
http://bit.ly/1zzcGP5

22 richest schools in America
Rice is No. 20 on Forbes’ list of the 22 richest schools in America.
Forbes
http://onforb.es/1s7uA9h

A nano-view of movement in cells
Chemical engineers from Rice and biophysicists from George-August Universität Göttingen in Germany and the VU University Amsterdam have successfully tracked single molecules inside living cells with carbon nanotubes. Matteo Pasquali, professor of chemical and biological engineering and of chemistry, and alumna Nikta Fakhri ’10 are quoted.
Nature.com
http://bit.ly/WPvbRI

CCG hires REIT veteran
Alumnus Aaron Halfacre ’00 is now the executive vice president and head of capital markets for Campus Crest Communities Inc.
Wall Street Journal
http://on.wsj.com/1qsmS6K

Uhonorowanie dorobku prof. Ewa Thompson
Ewa Thompson, research professor of Slavic studies, participated in a panel discussion about Poland.
wPolityce.pl
http://bit.ly/1oQQdto

HOUSTON/TEXAS

The lens through which Rice viewed itself
Will Rice College junior Senthil Natarajan authored a reflective essay about Rice alumnus Soorya Avali, who died this week, for the Houston Chronicle’s “Gray Matters” online magazine.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1n7bklT

Study calls for national storm protection plan
A new National Research Council study recommends that the six coastal Texas counties devote effort and money into protecting the coast from future storms. Rice’s Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center’s proposed Centennial Gate, which would protect the Houston Ship Channel, is competing against the Ike Dike.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required. This appeared on the front of the City/State section.)
http://bit.ly/1rT9yN1

ConocoPhillips’ profit rises as production increases
ConocoPhillips’ reported a 6.5 percent increase in production. Chairman and CEO of ConocoPhillips Ryan Lance’s speech at Rice’s Baker Institute about the surge in oil and gas production is mentioned.
Fuel Fix
http://bit.ly/UNNzIR

Study: African-American homeownership increasingly less stable, more risky
Sociologists at Rice and Cornell University found that African-Americans are 45 percent more likely than whites to switch from owning their home to renting it. Gregory Sharp, a postdoctoral fellow in Rice’s Department of Sociology, is quoted.
Houston Forward Times
http://bit.ly/1koGlrh
What caused the shift in black homeownership?
emPower Magazine
http://bit.ly/1rMoCbL

It took a village: 900+ experts weighed in on the Exxon Mobil campus design
The new Exxon Mobil campus in north Houston is projected to be the size of Rice University.
Houston Business Journal
http://bit.ly/1m1djbR

Texas Instruments opens new facility in Sugar Land
Texas Instruments opened its newest Sugar Land facility. Rice is mentioned as a recipient of funds from Texas Instruments.
Fort Bend Star
http://bit.ly/UDpGDV

Top National Merit honorees heading to college
Midway High School National Merit finalist Elizabeth Goodnight plans to attend Rice.
WacoTrib.com
http://bit.ly/WP47C5

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

This 1-D graphene switches from conductor to insulator when it stretches
Rice researchers found that stretching carbyne by 3 percent can change its properties, which may be useful for mechanically activated electronics and optics. Postdoctoral researcher Vasilii Artyukhov is mentioned.
Gizmodo (This article also appeared in Softpedia News.)
http://bit.ly/UDqRU1

New nanofoam presents new possibilities for engineering research
Rice researchers developed a chemical process to make tough, ultralight foam of atom-thick sheets into any size or shape. Pulickel Ajayan, the Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor in Materials Science and NanoEngineering and of chemistry, is mentioned. Graduate student Soumya Vinod is quoted.
Knovel (This article also appeared in Space Daily and 10 other publications.)
http://bit.ly/1qN65js

Terahertz detectors: Large-area carbon-nanotube terahertz detector is broadband and polarization-sensitive
Rice researchers contributed to a study on terahertz detectors based on carbon nanotubes to improve medical imaging, airport passenger screening, food inspection and other applications.
Laser Focus World
http://bit.ly/1qsA37I

Optical method measures graphene quality
James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry, professor of computer science and of materials science and nanoengineering, is quoted about Taiwan scientists’ method for determining the quality of graphene.
Chemical & Engineering News
http://bit.ly/1ADeLLs

Rice U. researchers generate ‘tunable’ self-assembling, flexible but cohesive materials using magnetic beads and DNA ‘springs’
Rice researchers are using magnetic “bead-spring” polymers as proof that it can be made as stiff or flexible as required. Sibani Lisa Biswal, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and graduate student Julie Byrom are quoted.
Bio News-Texas
http://bit.ly/1n77xoH

Supercomputing techniques for finding energy reserves
Rice’s 2014 Oil and Gas HPC workshop is mentioned.
BizTech Magazine
http://bit.ly/1rTbIfB

3 August MOOCs
Several new computer science MOOCs and online courses will be available soon, including the Linux Foundation’s Introduction to Linux. Luay Nakhleh, associate professor of computer science and assistant professor of biochemistry and cell biology; Scott Rixner, associate professor of computer science and in electrical and computer engineering; and Joe Warren, professor of computer science, are mentioned. Nakhleh is featured in a video produced by Rice’s Brandon Martin.
I Programmer (This article also appeared in CallToReason.org.)
http://bit.ly/1uKUd3j

Memori Smartphone Bisa ‘Didongkrak’ ke 1 TB
Rice’s silicon oxide technology can now be used to fabricate devices with conventional production methods, which brings it a step closer to mass production.
Tekno (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/1n74Ofc

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Scientific study shows conservatives focus more on the negative
John Alford, associate professor of political science, is featured for his collaborative research on political bias.
Ring of Fire
http://bit.ly/1rMaU90

Swimming is star for the day in Montauk
Martel College sophomore Taylor Armstrong participated in the Montauk Ocean Swim Challenge.
Sag Harbor Express
http://bit.ly/1lWY1Vw

Ashley Sullivan
Forest Hill High School teacher Ashley Sullivan spent a week training at Rice to receive her certification to teach AP art in the fall.
Jackson Free Press
http://bit.ly/1nWz56f

Akre Focus Fund expands portfolio management team
Alumnus Tom Saberhagen ’93 has been named co-portfolio manager of the Akre Focus Fund.
4-Traders (This article also appeared in Fort Mill Times and 10 other publications.)
http://bit.ly/1koKco2

Carnegie Library hosts English high tea
Alumnus Brady Lanier ’92 attended the Carnegie Public Library’s closing English high tea.
Times Herald Online
http://bit.ly/1lgfoRf

SPORTS

Film study: Reaganomics — 2013 Rice offense versus Texas A&M
Rice’s past football games against Texas A&M University are recapped in preparation for the upcoming season.
Rock Chalk Talk
http://bit.ly/1oQQAnZ

Can Marshall be beat?
Rice football’s 2013 game against Marshall University is featured.
Sports Network (This article also appeared in Fox 29 Lake Charles and 12 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/1zzuCsR

WSBT-TV (South Bend, Ind.)
Notre Dame will play its first game on its new FieldTurf against the Rice Owls.
http://bit.ly/1zzCgn2 (Similar broadcasts appeared in 173 media outlets.)

Southwest conference HOF class of 2014 inductees announced
Alumnus Harold Solomon ’74 has been inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame 2014 class of inductees for the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame.
KXXV-TV (Waco, Texas)
http://bit.ly/1AD23w7
Report: Former Texas A&M defensive end Gavin Stansbury transferring to Houston
Yahoo! Sports
http://yhoo.it/1qsxhPP
UH set to land Texas A&M football transfer
Houston Chronicle (This article also appeared in San Antonio Express-News.)
http://bit.ly/UDuVDL
Former Texas A&M DE heading to Houston
A Texas A&M football player who was arrested for allegedly assaulting a Rice student March 16 on the Rice campus plans to join the Houston Cougars of the American Athletic Conference.
College Football Talk
http://bit.ly/1koxO7z