Rice University | Sallyport (Winter 2006)


Through The Sallyport :
	Humanities at Rice Receives $20M Gift A $20 million gift, the largest by an individual donor in Rice University’s history, has been made anonymously as the lead gift in a comprehensive $80-million plan to position the School of Humanities among the most accomplished programs in the nation.
	Costly Breeding Programs for Endangered Species Pay Off Worldwide, zoos spend millions of dollars each year transporting rare animals thousands of miles to breed them with their most distantly related relatives. Proponents cite the preservation of maximum genetic variability in small populations of endangered species, but critics have questioned the need for such programs, which can cause stress in rare animals, even to the point of death.
	Should You Dare to Compare? Encouraging comparison shopping is a common marketing technique, but Rice researchers say that it often backfires, making consumers more cautious and likely to buy the less risky name brand. Ironically, left to their own judgment, consumers are more likely to pick the lower-priced generic or store brand.
	Rice Experts Identify Threats to Long-Term U.S. Interests in Space The United States must bolster the competitiveness of its commercial space industry, expand international cooperation, and refocus on basic science to hold on to its traditional leadership position in space, according to a paper that Rice’s George Abbey and Neal Lane wrote for the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
	Hurricane Katrina Leaves Impact on Houston Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and other Gulf Coast communities, but the storm likely will have long-term effects for Houston as well, said panelists who spoke at the discussion “Hurricane Katrina and Houston: Implications for Our Future.” Ironically, the event was held as Hurricane Rita was thought to be heading to Galveston.
In U.S., Healthy, Wealthy, and Male Usually—but Not Always—Go Together Socioeconomic status often is related to differences in health of people in the United States. However, as a new study shows, some socioeconomically disadvantaged groups in the United States have better health profiles than the majority white population.
Natural Scientists Are Less Likely to Believe in God than Are Social Scientists Scientists in the social sciences are more likely to believe in God and attend religious services than are scientists in the natural sciences, according to a survey by a Rice University sociologist of 1,646 faculty members at elite research universities.
Small Times Gives Nano at Rice Top Marks Nanotechnology-related programs at Rice received high marks in Small Times magazine’s latest university rankings, placing among the top five in three out of seven categories reported.
Speed and Endurance Are Doled Out By the Pound The conspicuous size difference between lithesome distance runners and more muscular sprinters is dictated by simple rules of form and function, according to researchers from Rice and the Texas Medical Center’s National Center for Human Performance. Specifically, the greater bulk of sprinters is explained by their need to hit the running surface harder to attain faster speeds.
Fondren to Help Establish Digital Library System in Texas Proponents of the digital revolution have long envisioned a world where large repositories of knowledge are at one’s fingertips. But while the Internet has made dissemination of such information possible, the availability of high-quality storage has lagged behind. Now, the Texas Digital Library™ (TDL) will help change that.
Americans Support Wildlife Preservation and Energy Exploration New research about Americans’ attitudes toward energy exploration and environmental protection on public lands near Yellowstone National Park finds support for both, with a national survey indicating that most prefer natural gas production not come at the expense of wildlife preservation.
Strong Mayors Now the Critical Component in Fixing Urban Schools Who can break the gridlock over urban school reform? Strong mayors, say Rice researchers.

Through The Sallyport :