Dateline Rice for Jan. 11, 2021 (Weekend Edition)

COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Rice, UT to start spring semester online after surge in COVID-19 cases
Several media outlets mention that Rice's spring semester, which begins Jan. 25, will be conducted online through mid-February due to the recent surge of coronavirus cases in Houston and around the country. The article also mentions that Rice has applied to the state of Texas for vaccines to cover faculty, students and staff. President David Leebron is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared on the front of the City/State section in the Jan. 9 print edition.)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-leebron
Texas colleges register to become vaccination sites
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-leebron
Rice University will start spring semester online amid increase in COVID-19 cases
Click2Houston
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-leebron
Rice University to go virtual for spring semester start
Community Impact Newspaper
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-leebron
Rice moves all classes online, delays student move-in thanks to COVID-19 surge
Houston Press
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-leebron
UT Austin keeping most classes virtual through January as coronavirus infections soar in Travis County
The Texas Tribune (This article also appeared in 10 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-online-restart
'KPRC Channel 2 News'
KPRC-TV (Houston)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-online-restart

Schuylkill native studies wastewater to help track COVID-19 outbreaks in Houston
An article mentions that experts from Rice have partnered with officials from Houston to test wastewater to track the spread of the coronavirus. Lauren Stadler, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, and Kathy Ensor, the Noah G. Harding Professor of Statistics and director of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research's Urban Data Platform, are quoted.
Richmond Herald
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-stadler-ensor

Abrirán sistema de citas para vacunas
Research by Luz Garcini, nonresident scholar at Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy, into why people in underserved Latino communities in South Texas may be less likely to wear masks, get tested for COVID-19 or get vaccinated is cited.
Houston Chronicle (An English translation is not available. This article also appeared in more than 25 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-garcini

WOAI-AM (San Antonio)
A broadcast cites a Rice study into how restrictions on nonessential travel over the U.S.-Mexico border due to the pandemic have affected the economy.
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-rice-study (This segment aired three times.)

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

George W. Bush’s childhood home eyed for National Park Service inclusion
Douglas Brinkley, the Katherine Tsanoff Brown Professor in Humanities, is quoted.
The New York Times (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in 10 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-brinkley

Saudi carves path out of US partisan politics with Qatar detente
Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, fellow for the Middle East at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted.
Al-Jazeera 
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-ulrichsen

The road to this wedding was paved with theft, lies, tears, other marriages — and forgiveness
Alumna Irene Sibaja is featured and pictured.
The New York Times (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the Jan. 10 print edition.)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-sibaja

The Apollo missions and moon landing were one big PR stunt for JFK
An article mentions President John F. Kennedy’s “moon speech,” which was delivered at Rice Sept. 12, 1962.
New York Post
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-kennedy
Commentary: Patrick shouldn’t play political games with Senate rules
San Antonio Express-News (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in more than 10 other media outlets, and it appeared in the Jan. 10 print edition.)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-kennedy

Plastic turnaround: Recycling waste into wonder materials
An article mentions that Rice scientists have created a method called flash joule conversion, which upcycles plastic waste to graphene using electric current.
Discovery
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-discovery

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Four years ago, Texas Republicans were the most likely to use mail-in voting. Here’s how that flipped in the last election.

Bob Stein, the Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science, is quoted.
The Texas Tribune (This article also appeared in 10 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-stein

All in the family: New Justice of the Peace Treviño shares precinct with constable mom

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, is quoted.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in MSN.)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-jones
Democratic state Rep. Chris Turner calls for investigating AG Ken Paxton following Capitol raid
Dallas Observer
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-jones
How does the 25th Amendment work?
KHOU Online (This segment also aired on KHOU-TV in Houston.)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-jones

Rap superstar Bun B talks about his class at Rice on hip-hop and religion
An article features Anthony Pinn, the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities, professor of religion and founding director of Rice's Center for African and African American Studies, and Bernard “Bun B” Freeman, former distinguished lecturer at Rice.
Port Arthur News
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-pinn

Cy-Fair school notebook: Chromebooks issued to all Cy-Fair ISD high schools
Jeffrey Kripal, the J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy and Religious Thought and associate dean of humanities, is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-kripal

A new decade for STEM education: TISD STEM teachers to receive national certification
An article mentions that the National Institute for Stem Education certification program is an extension of a Rice curriculum.
TXK Today
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-txk

BROADCAST

Trump’s presidency tests the Constitution as deadly riot tests political patience
Paul Brace, the Clarence L. Carter Professor of Political Science, is interviewed.
Click2Houston (This segment also aired on KRIV-TV in Houston.)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-brace
'KPRC Channel 2 News'
KPRC-TV (Houston)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-brace

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Rice University: The secret of success
An article features Rice's Gibbs Recreation and Wellness Center. Those quoted and pictured include Tina Villard, senior associate athletic director and director of recreation, and Elizabeth Slator, associate director of programs. Suzanne Kemmer, associate professor of linguistics and cognitive sciences, is quoted.
Campus Rec
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-villard-slator

ARVO Foundation announces recipients of Genentech AMD Research Fellowships
An article featuring Kevin McHugh, assistant professor of bioengineering, mentions that he is one of two recipients of the 2021 Genentech Age-Related Macular Degeneration Research Fellowships from the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.
Newswise (This article also appeared in 10 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-mchugh

Bioreactor cassettes help study of bacterial infections
An article mentions Rice research that found that biochar could save farmers a little more than 50% of the water they now use to grow crops. Jane Grande-Allen, the Isabel C. Cameron Professor of Bioengineering and chair of the Brown School of Engineering's Department of Bioengineering, is quoted in The Engineer, and the research is mentioned in Spartan News Room.
The Engineer
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-grande-allen
New uses for cherry pits makes landfilling a 'waste of a waste'
Spartan News Room
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-biochar

Postdoc Chenguang Sun wins mineralogical society award
Chenguang Sun, postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, is featured.
Indian Education Diary
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-sun

2022 Ford Maverick could be a true compact truck
Alumnus Joey Capparella authored an article.
Men's Health
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-capparella

SPORTS

Williams, Bieniemy carry UTEP over Rice 101-89
Several articles mention that Rice's men's basketball team split a pair of games against the University of Texas at El Paso, losing 101-89 Jan. 8 and winning 71-68 Jan. 9. Owls Max Fiedler, Travis Evee, Riley Abercrombie and Quincy Olivari are mentioned in the first article, and Fiedler, Evee and Olivari are mentioned in the second article. The third and fourth Associated Press articles mention Olivari.
The Associated Press (This article also appeared in more than 50 other media outlets, and it appeared in a roundup in the Jan. 9 print edition.)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-ap-mbb
Evee, Fiedler lead Rice over UTEP 71-68
The Associated Press (This article also appeared in more than 50 other media outlets, and it appeared in a roundup in the Jan. 10 print edition.)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-mbb-rice-utep
Rice seeks revenge on UTEP
The Associated Press (This article also appeared in more than 50 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-olivari
Olivari, Rice visit UTEP
The Associated Press (This article also appeared in more than 50 other media outlets.)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-olivari
Men: Rice 71, UTEP 68; women: Rice 55, UTEP 43
Houston Chronicle (This article appeared in the Jan. 10 print edition.)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-hc
UTEP runs by Rice; women: Rice 74, UTEP 68
Houston Chronicle (This article appeared in the Jan. 9 print edition.)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-hc
UTEP women's basketball swept vs. Rice, men split against Owls
KFOX Online (This article also appeared in CBS 4 Online.)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-kfox

UTEP makes it two wins in a row; Miners upend Rice, 101-89

KVIA Online
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-kvia
'KTSM 9 News'
KTSM-TV (El Paso, Texas)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-mbb-owls (This segment aired twice.)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-ktsm
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-ktsm-3
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-ktsm-4
'ABC 7 News'
KVIA-TV (El Paso, Texas)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-kvia (This segment aired twice.)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-kvia-rice-utep

Rice cooks Miners on the road 74-68
A pair of articles mention that Rice's women's basketball team defeated the University of Texas at El Paso 74-68 Jan. 8 and 55-43 Jan. 9. Owls Lauren Schwartz and Nancy Mulkey are mentioned in the El Paso Herald-Post, and Mulkey is highlighted in KDBC.
El Paso Herald-Post (This article also appeared in KTSM Online.)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-schwartz-mulkey
'CBS 4' 
KDBC-TV (El Paso, Texas)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-mulkey

Rice women win 9 of 14 events in triumph over SMU
An article mentions that the Rice swim team defeated Southern Methodist University 155-106 Jan. 9. Owls Ellery Parish, Shannon Campbell, Imogen Meers, Elizabeth Myers, Lauren Hurt, Becca Evans and Sini Koivu are mentioned.
SwimSwam
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-rice-swimming

Houston wins three singles competitions
A pair of articles mention that Rice's women's tennis team is competing in the TCU Invite Jan. 10-12. Owl Diae El Jardi is mentioned in the first article.
UHCougars.com
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-el-jardi
Houston completes day 1 of TCU tournament
UHCougars.com
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-uhcoug

KTRH-AM (Houston)
Former Rice baseball player Lance Berkman is featured.
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-berkman (This segment aired four times.)

Two Yankees pitching prospects poised to move through the system
Former Rice baseball player Glenn Otto is featured.
Pinestripe Alley
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-otto

UTSA falters late but sees signs of progress in loss to North Texas
An article mentions that Rice's men's basketball team has defeated the University of Texas at San Antonio twice this season.
San Antonio Express-News (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the Jan. 9 print edition.)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-rice-utsa

The heart of the Comets: The story of Kim Perrot
An article mentions that Rice's baseball team appeared in the College World Series for the first time in 1997 under former head coach Wayne Graham.
Houstonia
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-graham

Problems on the perimeter: Iowa State's long-range shooting sinks Lady Raiders
An article mentions the women's basketball game between Rice and Texas Tech University earlier this season.
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-rice-ttech

Conference USA hit rock-bottom in 2020
An article mentions the 2016 football game between Rice and the University of North Texas.
Underdog Dynasty
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-sb

Stratford long snapper, Texas A&M commit recognized as one of nation’s best
Rice is mentioned.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required.)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-hc

'Newstalk 770'
Rice is mentioned.
CHQR-AM (Alberta, Canada)
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-chqr

NEWS RELEASES

Rice model offers help for new hips
Rice engineers hope to make life better for those with replacement joints by modeling how artificial hips are likely to rub them the wrong way. The computational study by the Brown School of Engineering lab of mechanical engineer Fred Higgs simulates and tracks how hips evolve, uniquely incorporating fluid dynamics and roughness of the joint surfaces as well as factors clinicians typically use to predict how well implants will stand up over their expected 15-year lifetime.
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-news-release-higgs

Carbon monoxide reduced to valuable chemical
Rice engineers are turning carbon monoxide directly into acetic acid — the widely used chemical agent that gives vinegar its tang — with a continuous catalytic reactor that can use renewable electricity efficiently to turn out a highly purified product.
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-news-release-wang-senftle

Rice ‘flashes’ new 2D materials
Rice scientists have extended their technique to produce graphene in a flash to tailor the properties of other 2D materials. The labs of chemist James Tour and materials theorist Boris Yakobson reported in the American Chemical Society’s ACS Nano they have successfully “flashed” bulk amounts of 2D dichalcogenides, changing them from semiconductors to metallics.
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-news-release-tour-yakobson

2D compound shows unique versatility
Research by Rice materials theorist Boris Yakobson, lead author and researcher Jun-Jie Zhang and graduate student Dongyang Zhu shows switching indium selenide’s polarization with an external electric field makes it either a simple insulator with a band gap suitable for visible light absorption or a topological insulator, a material that only conducts electrons along its surface.
http://dateline.rice/jan-11-news-release-yakobson-zhang