Rice University

Rice alum makes news in energy circles

Andy Karsner '89 has gone to the ends of the earth for U.S. energy policy, literally. Karsner, the Department of Energy’s assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy, has played a leading role in several key energy events recently — from attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference on the Indonesian island of Bali to visiting the South Pole as part of the National Science Foundation's U.S. Antarctic Program.

Radiation test on granite countertop turns into scientific odyssey for Llope

In late April, news reporter Lee McGuire asked Rice physicist Bill Llope whether some granite kitchen countertops might be emitting dangerous levels of radiation. “In five specific locations on the countertops, the radiation emission was alarming,” said Llope, who has begun conducting additional research on the topic and is posting the results on the Web.