Recent Architecture Graduates Lay the Foundations for Their Careers -4 , the MAGAZINE of RICE UNIVERSITY , FALL 2002 Lypoft

THE MAGAZINE OL RICE UNIVLIO I EY FALL 2002

g=== Recent architecture graduates lay the foundations for their careers -4 , THE MAGAZINE OF RICE UNIVERSITY , FALL 2002 Lypoft

FE AT UR ES

14 BUILDING SKILLS The Rice School of Architecture doesn't just train students to build structures. It lays foundations that enable its graduates to engage in a broader world of cultural and social design. BY DAVID THEIS

20 TO TEST OR NOT TO TEST... Standardized testing is a much-argued element ofour educational system. Are the tests fair, and how should they be used? Rice experts weigh in on the debate. BY DAVID D. INEDiNA

26 PAR FOR THE COURSE Golf pro Jack Burke hits a hole-in-one for his alma mater. BY PHILIP MONTGOMERY

30 CLASS: A DELICATE BALANCE Now in their sophomore year, several of our Class members weigh in on the academic concerns dominat- ing their time. BY M. YVONNE TAYLOR

DEPAR TMENTS

THROUGH THE SALLYPORT

38 STUDENTS

39 RICE: THE NEXT CENTURY CAMPAIGN

43 RICE ARTS

46 ON THE BOOKSHELF

48 WHO'S WHO

51 SCOREBOARD

53 YESTERYEAR

Photo hy Tommy LaVergne FOREWORD THINKING Sallyport The recipe for a great university is, in some ways,as mysterious as the recipe for a great FALL 2002, VOL. 59, NO. 1 culinary dish. You can't just measure out ingredients and mix them willy-nilly. That's why they say that too many cooks spoil the broth. There is an art to the proportions Published by the Division of Public Affairs and the way you mix them. But one important element to cooking up a great university Terry Shepard, vice president isn't found in a recipe book. Before I mention it, though, let me run through the EDITOR features in this issue of Sallyport to make sure they reveal it. Christopher Dow "Building Skills," by David Theis, takes a look at the School ofArchitecture. We all know what architects do. They sit in an office, hunched over a drafting table or in front CREATIVE DIRECTOR of a computer. Or they stand around a building site and supervise, designer hard hats Jeff Cox on their heads, unfurled plans in their hands, and visionary gleams in their eyes. Architects design buildings, homes, and other structures. EDITORIAL STAFF If you think that, you might want to reconsider. Today, architecture is not only David D. Medina '83, senior editor about creating spaces for living and working; it is equally interested in aesthetically M. Yvonne Taylor, associate editor functional three-dimensional design that affects all Tanine Allison, assistant editor aspects of the built world and the Lorrie Lampson, production coordinator people who inhabit it. Under Dean Lars Lerup, the School of Architecture is taking these principles not only into the greater community of Houston but into society at large. Following his "elevation" of the school, David profiles the budding careers of DESIGN STAFF Dean Mackey, senior designer three recent architecture graduates who are taking their diverse design skills in Jana Starr, designer unexpected directions. Tommy LaVergne, photographer "To Test or Not to Test...." That is, indeed, the question on the minds of many Jeff Fitlow, assistant photographer educators. During the past few decades, standardized testing has weathered much criticism, and the tests themselves, such as IQ tests, the SAT, or the Texas-mandated TAAS, have undergone considerable revision to address concerns of bias and utility. THE RICE UNIVERSITY BOARD Writer David Medina talked to several members of the Rice community who are OF TRUSTEES professionally involved in different aspects ofstandardized testing to get an idea ofthe E. William Barnett, chair; J. D. Bucky Allshouse; parameters of the issues and what is at stake. Then,in an accompanying piece, David D. Kent Anderson; Teveia Rose Barnes; Alfredo Brener; Robert T. Brockman; Albert Y. Chao; outlines the history ofstandardized testing,the ways tests have been used and misused, James W.Crownover; Bruce W.Dunlevie; James and what has been done to make them not only more accurate and less biased but more A. Elkins,III; Lynn Laverty Elsenhans; Karen 0. effective. George; K. Terry Koonce; Cindy J. Lindsay; look back fondly Frederick R. Lummis, Jr.; Michael R. Lynch; It's no secret that Rice alums on their alma mater. And many do Robert R. Maxfield; Burton J. McMurtry;Steven all they can to ensure that the university continue its record of academic excellence. L. Miller; Bob Parks; W. Bernard Pieper; Karen Pro golfer Jack Burke is no exception. Although significant events have intervened Hess Rogers; Marc Shapiro; William N. Sick; L. since Burke walked the campus as a student—a world war, a pro golfing career that E. Simmons brought him multiple titles and his name enshrined in the World Golf Hall of Fame, and his creation ofChampions GolfClub in Houston—he has never forgotten his days at Rice. That's why he chose Rice as the home ofa major humanities scholarship fund, ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS Malcolm Gillis, president; Zenaido Camacho, sponsored by Champions,the Houston GolfAssociation, and the PGA Tour,Inc. But vice presidentfor Student Affairs; Dean W.Currie, as much as Burke loves Rice, it's obvious from Philip Montgomery's. "Par for the vice presidentfor Finance and Administration; Course" that what Burke loves most is the game of golf. So, golfers, tee up for this Charles Henry, vice president and chiefinforma- tion officer, Eric Johnson, vice presidentfor Re- profile of one of the game's greats. source Development; Eugene Levy, provost; Terry And last, but not least, we have "Class: A Delicate Balance," the second installment Shepard, vice presidentfor Public Affairs; Scott in our ongoing series that is following the academic careers of10 Rice undergraduates, W.Wise, vice presidentfor Investments and trea- surer, Ann Wright, vice presidentfor Enrollment; who are now at the beginning oftheir sophomore year. Academics is, ofcourse, a top Richard A. Zansitis,general counsel. priority, and you may remember from the first installment that many of our Class members were undecided about their majors. That makes this year critical for them since they must declare a major by the end of their sophomore year. Writer Yvonne Sallyport is published by the Division of Public Taylor focuses on a handful of our group to see what directions they are pursuing. Affairs ofRice University and is sent to university Yes,as I look them over,I believe our features do demonstrate that vitally important alumni,faculty, staff, graduate students, parents element that makes a university great. It is the people—faculty, staff, students, and of undergraduates, and friends of the university. alums alike, all contributing their special seasonings. Perhaps its not always true that EDITORIAL OFFICER:Office ofPublications,5620 too many cooks spoil the broth. In the case of Rice, I'd say we have something that's Greenbnar, Suite 200, Houston, Texas 77005. pretty savory and nourishing. Fax:713-348-6751. E-mail:[email protected]

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Rice University.,Development Services—MS 80,P.O. Box 1892, Houston, TX 77251-1892.

C 2002 RICE UNIVERSITY

2 SALLYPORT THROUGH THE SALLYPORT

Fall Rankings:

THE SERIOUS THE ATHLETIC AND THE FUN "The phrase'big things come in small On September 26, Rice picked up The October issue of Seventeen maga- packages' is more than just a cliché the USA Today/NCAA Academic zine ranked Rice ahead of . . . well, when considering Rice University. Achievement Award for the best everybody, naming Rice the number With top-notch programs in liberal graduation rate in Division 1-A ath- one "coolest school in the land," and arts and sciences,a huge endowment, letics. Rice graduated 91 percent(51 the place "where girls can get the best and a below-average tuition, Rice is of 56) of its athletes who began college experience." Seventeen cited, one ofthe best buys around." So says college in the 1995-96 academic in particular, Rice's outstanding aca- the 2003 edition ofthe Fiske Guide to year. Rice was followed by Stanford, demics, a vibrant campus life, excep- Colleges. For the second year in a row, Notre Dame, and Duke, all with 90 tional extracurricular activities, and the the guide placed Rice on its list of percent; and Vanderbilt, with 88 residential college system. "Best Buy" schools, based on the percent. The award includes a And last but not least, the results are quality of academic offerings in rela- $25,000 prize. in: According to Kaplan's Annual Na- tion to the cost of attending. And to top that off, in the Sports tional High School Guidance Counse- The Princeton Review's annual col- Illustrated rankings for best college lor Survey, Rice is the third-best site lege guide,published August 20,was sports in the nation, Rice finished this year for a remake of a certain even more laudatory, naming Rice fourth among highly selective uni- American movie classic. The bad news the "Best Academic Bang for Your versities. The rankings, which came is that the classic is Revenge of the Buck," based on a survey of 100,000 out at the beginning of October, Nerds. The good news is that we were students at 345 top colleges. considered "performance during the behind MIT and CalTech and ahead of The U.S. News & World Report 2001-02 school year in the big five Harvard and Princeton. Maybe the annual, released on September 13, sports( baseball, football, hockey, and best news is that Rice didn't show up at rated Rice number five in "Best Val- men's and women's basketball); po- all on the lengthy Animal House re- ues: National Universities—Doctoral sition in the 2001-02 Sears Cup all- make list. The results were published Programs," behind CalTech, sports standings; number of varsity, in Kaplan's Unofficial, Unbiased, Princeton, Harvard, and Stanford. club, and intramural sports; range of Insider's Guide to the 320Most Interest- And the Jesse H. Jones Graduate recreational facilities; and whether ing Colleges. School of Management was named a or not spirit-boosting events like "hidden gem" by the Wall Street Midnight Madness were held." The Journal in its list of top business three highly selective universities schools for 2003. ahead of Rice were Stanford, Duke, and Harvard.

Sallyport is now online at http://www.rufrice.edu/-opa/sallyport/ 2002/spring/.The four most-recent issues will be available, and a more Wlyport„,„ extensive archive of text versions of past issues is in the works.

FALL '02 3 THROUGH THE SALLYPORT

Podratz asked 66 undergraduate students to look at each picture and rate that person's suitability for employment Beauty and the for four randomly chosen jobs from the list. As expected, the men whose photo had been categorized as attractive were "Beastly Effect" more likely to be rated as suitable for hire than the others, and the average-looking also had an advantage over the unattractive. Physical attractiveness can make you an pants were asked which people they The "beauty is beastly" effect oc- attractive job candidate as well—unless would hire. "This was making generali- curred with mixed results. Female rat- you're a female applying for a job in zations about everyone based on two ers, but not male raters, were less likely which appearance is not important. research subjects,"Podratz explains.The to hire attractive women for jobs that "This is commonly referred to as the previous studies also were based on a were viewed as more male-oriented. But 'beauty is beastly' effect," says Ken small number ofjobs. for jobs in which physical appearance Podratz, a graduate student in psychol- Podratz used photos of 204 people was considered low in importance,both ogy who conducted research on the topic for his study, half males and half female and female raters were less likely for his master's thesis. "For many years males. The photos were determined to label attractive women as suitable this effect has been cited in research to be either "attractive," "average," or for hire. literature about bias related to "The importance of appear- physical attractiveness, but it has ance associated with a job may rarely been replicated." be a better predictor of'beauty is The traditional perception of beastly' effects than a job's sex- people based on physical ap- type," Podratz concludes."The pearance has been that "what is extent to which the importance beautiful is good,"Podratz says. of appearance associated with a "Individuals perceived as physi- job is low and the extent to cally attractive are also initially which a job is male sex-typed assumed to possess a full gamut both appear to predict the oc- ofpositive human traits that the currence of 'beauty is beastly' unattractive are assumed to effects for women." lack." Podratz notes that the impli- While research indicates cations ofsuch research findings that hiring decisions andjob - for practice are not clear. For performance assessments jobs in which appearance is rated seem to be biased in favor of important,such as those involv- applicants and employees ing sales or face-to-face contact, who are physically attractive, physical attractiveness could con- that advantage is lost when at- ceivably affect a business's bot- tractive women apply for posi- tom line. Forcing companies to tions,such as managers,that are adopt policies that have an ad- stereotypically held by men.The verse effect on their bottom line success of females who attain could be viewed as unfair, but high-level positions is likely to be allowing them to discriminate against attributed to luck if the woman is Brian White individuals based on appearance could attractive, but to ability if she is be seen as socially unjust. "Clearly," unattractive. "unattractive" af- Podratz says, "there is an ethical di- For his graduate studies, Podratz set ter being screened by lemma concerning where to draw the out to replicate these findings while also eight research participants. He also line limiting the extent to which organi- correcting for key flaws in the previous used a list of33 jobs,ranging from tow- zations can utilize employment criteria research. "One of the problems in the truck driver to director offinance. More that are unfair to certain individuals." earlier studies is that they used only two than 60 research participants ranked Podratz's adviser for his master's the- to four photos for evaluation ofphysical each job for its level ofstatus, its associa- sis was Robert Dipboye, professor of attractiveness," he notes. Usually there tion with a particular sex, and the im- psychology and management. were two pictures ofeach sex,one attrac- portance of appearance to the job. tive and one unattractive. Study partici- With these research tools in hand, —B. J. ALMOND

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RICE BUILDING FASTEST ACADEMIC SUPERCOMPUTER IN TEXAS

Rice's first supercomputer,the M ,was built in 1959. Billed in the press as "the world's fastest brain," the room-sized R1 was fast for its time, but by today's standards, it only matches up to a programmable hand- held calculator. Now Rice is again building Texas's fastest academic supercomputer, but it will take a ware- private or gov- house full ofcalculators to match the power ernment-run research of the Rice Terascale Cluster. laboratories. When fully operational next year, the Rice The RTC will be housed at Rice's Terascale Cluster (RTC) will rank among the Computer and Information Technology world's fastest computers and will be the first uni- Institute (CITI). "Rice faculty from disciplines versity computer in Texas with a peak performance of as diverse as biochemistry, earth science, economics, one teraflop, or one trillion floating-point operations neuroscience,computer science,and political science per second (FLOPs), the standard measure of will use RTC in their research," says Moshe Vardi, supercomputer performance. That makes it approxi- RTC principal investigator and CITI director."It will mately three times faster than any other university also be a vital tool for basic computational research computer in Texas. The power comes from a cluster aimed at better designing software that can run on ofat least 70 interconnected servers, each containing hundreds or even thousands of processors simulta- four 900-megahertz Intel Itanium 2 processors. The neously." cluster will have more than 500 gigabytes of RAM Complex research already slated for the RTC in- and will be linked to a one-terabyte array ofdedicated cludes simulations of biomolecular interactions, the hard drives. physics ofheavy ion collisions,simulations ofInternet - Were it operational today, the RTC would rank based computer applications running on hundreds of among the 10 fastest academic supercomputers in the computers,and simulations that aim to better under- country and the top 25 university computers world- stand and predict international conflicts. wide, according to www.top500.org, a semiannual The total cost for the RTC is undetermined, but ranking of the world's top supercomputers that is funding includes a $1.15-million grant from the compiled by researchers at the University ofTennes- National Science Foundation(NSF) and a grant from see and the University of Mannheim, Germany. Ac- the Intel Corporation. Rice's proposal for NSF fund- cording to the list, the fastest supercomputer cur- ing for the RTC faced stiff competition in a process rently in Texas is the IBM Regatta-HPC Cluster at that saw awards for just one in three applicants. Rice the University of Texas—Austin, which has a peak won based on independent evaluations by reviewers performance of one-third of a teraflop. Most of the who praised CITI's expertise in high-performance fastest supercomputers, including the fastest in the computing, the interdisciplinary nature of CITI re- world—the 35.9-teraflop NEC Earth Simulator in search, and the caliber of the faculty involved. Japan—and the fastest in the United States—the 7.2- teraflop ASCI White-Pacific at Lawrence Livermore -JADE BOYD National Laboratory in California—are operated by

One of the Best Places in Texas During 2002, the Texas Society of Architects engaged in a year-long search to identify the best examples of the built environment in Texas. Many of us would have been surprised if Rice's cohesive and elegantly contemplative campus didn't make the list. In an upcoming issue of the society's magazine, Texas Architect, a feature describing the state's best places says that the master plan for the campus,conceived by Ralph Adams Cram,"envisioned the transformation of a flat, barren site into a high-minded, genteel setting worthy of an Ivy League-caliber private school." Noting the array ofinternationally known architects who have contributed to the campus, the article goes on to say that "Rice's 'behind the hedges'orderliness and exclusivity creates an enclave ofserenity and civility in bustling,unwieldy Houston. It offers a physical embodiment of the refinement, contemplation, and sophistication of the enterprise it houses."

FALL '02 5 THROUGH THE SALL YPOR T

Humanities Endowments Honor Retiring Professors

Teaching awards are one way that students and teac er an sc o ar, e served as department chair alumni can honor professors who have most influ- and interim provost, vice provost, and university enced them, but what do you do for faculty who librarian. The Minters also were masters of Baker have won multiple teaching awards and who are and Jones Colleges. Income from the endowment retiring? Last spring, several groups of alumni will provide flexible support for the English decided to show their appreciation in a way that department's teaching mission and will be allocated will extend into the future and directly benefit each year to student prizes and to the most merito- students by establishing three endowments in the rious educational projects proposed by students and humanities named after professor ofEnglish David faculty. This fund is not a scholarship, but instead Minter and his wife, Caroline; professor ofEnglish may support student prizes for the best papers or Alan Grob; and professor of art and art history projects, student trips to libraries and archives for William Camfield. senior theses, students interested in working with "While visiting with alumni these past couple of faculty on research projects,and the development of years," says Jeanette Zey,director ofdevelopment new courses for the English major. for the School ofHumanities, "I've been surprised For more than 40 years, Alan Grob was not only at the frequency they've mentioned at least one of a great teacher of literature at Rice but a voice for these three honored those who could not speak for themselves. The Alan professors. The most- Grob Prize will be awarded annually to the Rice expressed emotions are undergraduate who, through service to the larger admiration and grati- community,has demonstrated the most devotion to tude." The three schol- the needs and interests of the economically and arship endowments culturally disadvantaged and whose activities exem- will enhance student plify the values ofcommunity and service that Grob undergraduate educa- lived and so eloquently sought to teach. Grob first tion and student life learned of the newly endowed prize at his retire- and strengthen faculty, ment party in April. Prize recipients will be selected all priorities in the by the Office of the Vice President for Student Rice: The Next Century Affairs. Campaign. As of the William Camfield, whose career at Rice started in end of June, about 1969, originated and nurtured the current intern- 165 alumni and close ship course that sends a number of Rice students to friends have contrib- the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, each semester. uted more than The William A. Camfield Fellowship will provide $600,000 to honor support to allow one Rice undergraduate per year to these distinguished spend two semesters in a working internship at the RETIRED ENGLISH PROFESSOR scholars. All three pro- museum. This new fellowship was a surprise to DAVID MINTER AND HIS WIFE, CAROLINE, fessors retired this year. Camfield when it was announced at his retirement WERE AMONG THOSE HONORED The purpose ofeach reception at the Menil Collection in May. The THIS PAST SPRING. endowment is unique, fellow will be selected by a committee established by and the Caroline S. and David L. Minter Endow- the chair of the Department ofArt and Art History. ment,in fact, is Rice's first endowment to specifi- For more information on the Caroline S. and cally support undergraduate excellence in the En- David L. Minter Endowment,the Alan Grob Prize, glish major. Minter began teaching at Rice in or the William A. Camfield Fellowship, contact 1967, and in addition to being an exemplary Jeanette Zey at 713-348-4675 or [email protected].

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lively debates among students and professors, experiments with far-reaching results, introductions to new authors, composers, researchers, inventors, forever relationships with college friends, and lifetime opportunities that resulted from YOUR RICE EDUCATION.

As you reflect on the unlimited opportunities that Rice University continues to provide to the best and the brightest students and by the most accomplished faculty, please know that we appreciate your support of and dedication to the university. Because of your generosity, Rice will be able to maintain its enviable status as a preeminent institute of higher learning and research for generations to come.

We are pleased to be of service and hope that you will call on us whenever we might be a confidential resource to you and your professional advisers in your philanthropic and estate planning.

RICE UNIVERSITY The Office ofPlanned Giving MS 81 • P.O. Box 1892 • Houston, Texas 77241-1892 713-348-4610 • [email protected] THROUGH THE SALLYPORT

YOU LIGHT UP MY NANOLIFE

Add fluorescence to the grow- would be as inexpensive and simple to use as ultrasound." ing list of unique physical prop- Optical biosensors based on nanotubes could be used to erties associated with carbon seek out specific targets within the body,such as tumor cells nanotubes—the ultrasmall, or inflamed tissues. Targeting would be achieved by wrap- ultrastrong wunderkind of the ping the tubes with a protein that would bind only to fullerene family of carbon mol- specified cells. Since nanotubes fluoresce with a single ecules. wavelength of light, and different diameter nanotubes give In research detailed in the July off different wavelengths, it may be possible to tailor differ- 26 issue of Science magazine, a ent sizes of tubes to seek different specific targets and thus team of Rice University chem- diagnose multiple maladies in a single test using a cocktail ists led by fullerene discoverer of nanotubes. and Nobel laureate Richard The fluorescence research also could find application in Smalley describes the first ob- the field of nanoelectronics because it confirms that servations of fluorescence in carbon nanotubes. Fluores- nanotubes are direct band-gap semiconductors,which means cence occurs when a substance absorbs radiation at one they emit light in a way that could be useful for engineers in wavelength then reradiates the energy,usually at a different the fiber optics industry. wavelength. The Rice experiments,conducted by Smalley's Like all fullerenes, carbon nanotubes are extraordinarily group and the photophysics research team of chemist R. stable and almost impervious to radiation and chemical Bruce Weisman,found that nanotubes absorbed and gave destruction. They are small enough to migrate through the off light in the near-infrared spectrum, which could prove walls ofcells, they conduct electricity as easily as copper and useful in biomedical and nanoelectronics applications. heat as easily as diamond, and they are 100 times stronger In the fluorescence experiments, the researchers ob- than steel at one-sixth the weight. served the effect only in nanotubes that were untangled and Much ofSmalley's current research involves bridging the isolated from other tubes. They bombarded clumps of gap between "wet" nanotechnology—the molecular, bio- nanotubes with high-frequency sound waves to separate chemical machinery of life—and "dry," insoluble them,then they encased each individual tube in a molecule nanomaterials like fullerenes. Toward that end, Smalley's of sodium dodecyl sulfate in order to isolate it from its lab has churned out dozens ofvarieties ofsoluble fullerenes neighbors. Fluorescence was observed in both plain and by wrapping nanotubes in various polymers, including polymer-wrapped nanotubes. proteins, starches, and DNA. "Some of the most sophisticated biomedical tests to- The Rice research teams included Michael O'Connell, day—such as MRI exams—cannot be performed in a Sergei Bachilo, Chad Huffman, Valerie Moore, Michael doctor's office because the equipment is too large and too Strano, Erik Haroz, Kristy Rialon, Peter Boul, William expensive to operate," says Smalley. "Because nothing in Noon,Carter Kittrell, Jianpeng Ma,and Robert H.Hauge. the human body fluoresces in the near-infrared spectrum, The research was funded by the National Science Founda- and human tissue is fairly transparent at that spectrum,one tion and the Robert A. Welch Foundation. can envision a test apparatus based on this technology that -JADE BOYD

THEY DON'T LOOK A DAY OVER 49

Happy birthday to the Department of Earth Science at Rice, which turned 50 this fall. Founded in 1952 with funds provided by Olga Keith Wiess in memory of her husband, Harry C. Wiess, it was originally called the Department of Geology. Olga and her daughters also donated the funds to construct Keith—Wiess Geological Laboratories, completed in 1958. The first chair of the department was Carey Croneis, who took his position in 1953 and not only served as the Wiess Professor of Geology but as provost of the Rice Institute, as Rice was then known. The department became the Department of Geology and Geophysics in 1987 and the Department of Earth Science in 2001.

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CENTER FOR EDUCATION UK/Lone Star Research BENEFITS FROM BROWN FOUNDATION GRANT Partnerships Tallyho

Programs ofRice's Center for Education do a lot to support primary and second- government has tapped Rice University to lead a consortium ary education and reached more than The British of Texas universities in establishing a collaborative research program that 8,000 teachers and 320,000 children at Britain with counterparts in the Lone Star State. the end of last year. Now the center has will pair researchers in The United Kingdom has committed.£5 million—about $7.4 million— received some support of its own from five years to establish partnerships in Texas. the Brown Foundation in the form of a over the next the collaborative and other participating Baylor College $500,000 grant that will further the Rice Texas institutions, including Medicine, M.D. Anderson University ofTexas center's research on teaching, learning, of Cancer Center, and the Science Center school reform,and educational policy,as Health at Houston, also have substantial well as its numerous professional devel- made financial commitments to the program. opment programs for teachers of stu- In dents in grades K-12. detailing the Texas component, Lord The center's programs include the Sainsbury, British minister for science and in- Model Science Lab, the School Science novation, said Houston has strong research Project,the School Literacy and Culture programs under way in virtually all of the Project (including the Classroom scientific fields that British prime minister Tony Storytelling Project),the School Writing Blair has identified as the most promising: Project, and the Asia Outreach and Glo- nanoscience, information technology, bio- bal Education Project—all jointly coor- science, and environmental science. With complementary research programs in each of NOBEL LAUREATE RICHARD SMALLEY, LEFT, dinated with one or more of the largest TELLS BRITISH SCIENCE MINISTER LORD school districts in the Houston area. these interrelated fields, Rice is well-placed to SAINSBURY AND RICE PRESIDENT MALCOLM "As it continues to grow in influence, lead the collaborative program between British GILLIS ABOUT MIPCO, A HIGH-PRESSURE PROCESS THAT USES CARBON MONOXIDE AND the center faces a growing demand for its and Texas researchers. The British component will be led by Imperial College of London. AN INDUSTRIAL GAS TO CREATE HIGH-QUALITY programs and research from teachers as CARBON NANOTUBES. well as from policymakers," says Ron The collaboration grew out of an extended visit Sass,professor ofecology and evolution- by Rice president Malcolm Gillis to the ary biology and co-director of the Cen- United Kingdom after the opening ofInternational University Bremen in Germany ter for Education. "This grant from the last fall. At the time, Gillis gave a speech on the generation and transfer Brown Foundation will assure that the of 21st-century technology to the Royal Society of Edinburgh, visited center can continue to serve the teachers the University of Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt University, and met and of our region's neediest students, while consulted with his counterparts at Cambridge University and Imperial allowing center staffand board members College, as well as with Sainsbury. Sir Richard Sykes, rector of Imperial to implement a developing plan designed College, subsequently came to Houston and visited with scientists and to increase visibility,impact, and support researchers at Rice, the Texas Medical Center, and other universities. of the center in the coming decade." "Universities such as Imperial College and Cambridge have undertaken major The Brown Foundation, established initiatives to strengthen and expand scientific research and develop- in 1951, has awarded more than $800 ment and are reaching out to comparable centers ofteaching and research million in grants since its inception. The across the globe," Gillis said of the program."This heightened interest in foundation's grants are principally for cross-Atlantic collaboration has been met with great receptivity in Hous- support, encouragement, and assistance ton." to education, community service, and Sainsbury noted that the Texas program is part of a global effort by the arts. The foundation has been giving Britain to increase both basic funding for scientific research and the to Rice University since 1952,with grants number of overseas collaborations between British and foreign researchers. to the university totaling $82.6 million "Modern science cannot thrive in isolation—the internationalization to date. See "Teaching the Sound of of research means that technology developments are now global in Music" on page 43 for news of a $5- nature," Sainsbury said. "No one country has the monopoly on scientific million Brown Foundation grant to sup- expertise nor does any one government have the resources to fund all port the Michael P. Hammond Prepara- aspects of scientific research." tory Program at the Shepherd School of A key element of the British plan involves creating new incentives for Music. universities and research institutes to work closely with industry. "Our -MARGOT DIMOND ambition," he said, "is to become the partner of choice for international scientific and business collaboration." -JADE BOYD

PALL '02 9 THROUGH THE SALLYPORT

Brand New and Already www.rice.edu a Classic RICE'S NEW AUDIENCE- DRIVEN HOMEPAGE After decades of being part of the Hispanic studies department, classical studies is striking out on its Universities use their we bsites to pro- own. vide information to students,faculty, Faculty in the new Department of Classical Stud- staff, alumni, and others and to mar- ies hope that the move will increase awareness of ket themselves to prospective stu- Latin, Greek, and Greco-Roman culture studies on dents. Yet each of these audiences the Rice campus."We wanted to make classics more requires very different sorts of infor- visible to students, major and nonmajor alike," says mation and capabilities. The conun- Hilary Mackie, chair of the new department. "The change also should give us a clearer professional drum Rice faces is how to address the profile outside Rice." highly individual concerns of many The department has three full-time professors: diverse audiences with a single Mackie,who teaches courses on Greek language and homepage. This fall, the university literature, mythology, and the epic; Scott McGill, has taken a new approach to that who teaches courses on Latin language and litera- dilemma with the introduction of an ture, the Roman epic, and the ancient novel; and "audience-driven" website,which di- • Harvey Yunis, who teaches courses on Greek lan- rects each group to a page custom- guage and literature, rhetoric, and ancient political designed for it. theory. There also are two lecturers: Kristine Wallace, "The typical one-size-fits-all model who teaches courses on Latin language and litera- may work for a commercial website, ture, Roman civilization, and women in the ancient which has one audience—custom- world, and Coulter George, who teaches courses on ers," says Terry Shepard, vice presi- Greek language and literature, Greek civilization, dent for public affairs, who conceived and linguistics. Michael Maas, an associate history the new website and whose division professor; Donald Morrison,a philosophy professor; oversees the and Caroline Quenemoen, an assistant professor of look and feel ofthe site's art and art history, also will be involved with and top tiers. "Universities have so many teach courses in the new department. components and purposes—teaching, Mackie says the department also took the oppor- research, administration, recruiting, tunity to redesign the classical studies major by communicating with alumni and do- increasing the flexibility of the requirements. In the nors—that no one page can serve all past, students who majored in classical studies fol- those well." lowed the traditional route oftaking nearly all Greek First-time visitors to www.rice.edu and Latin language courses. Now students will have are asked to click on a menu to iden- the broader option of taking either Greek and Latin tify themselves as a: General Online language courses, courses in translation on Greek Visitor; Prospective Student(Under- and Roman civilization and their legacy, or any graduate, Graduate, or Business), combination ofthe two types ofcourses. "We wanted Current Student (Undergraduate, to make the major more flexible," Macicie says, "so Graduate,or Business), Faculty Mem- that students could use their classical studies major to do different things when they graduate." ber/Researcher, Staff Member, Rice Mackie also hopes the change will encourage more Alum, Continuing Studies Student, students interested in classics to study at Rice and Journalist, or Donor/Prospective increase the number of nonmajors who take Greek, Donor. That automatically opens a Latin, and classics courses. "gateway"—a Rice homepage whose design and content is aimed specifi- -ELLEN CHANG cally at that group's interests.

10 SALLYPORT THROUGH THE SALLYPORT

Brain Signal Function Might Hold Clue to Understanding Schizophrenia

What causes the mental dissociations , However, schizophrenia impairs the municated to the frontal lobes to de- ofschizophrenia, and how can we aid auditory system, so he recognized the termine whether that symbol is rel- schizophrenics in controlling their possibility that the apparent loss of evant, prompting the participant to condition? These are questions that ERP might be because the brain was press the appropriate key on the key- have long interested researchers who not processing the auditory stimuli. board. study brain functions and the mind. So he devised a Potts observed that the size ofERPs Now, Rice University assistant pro- in schizophrenic patients was 80 to 95 fessor ofpsychology Geoffrey percent smaller than those measured Potts, who has been moni- in the control group, indicating that toring brain wave activity in patients with schizophrenia have prob- schizophrenic patients, may lems in the part of the brain that de- have found a clue. cides whether something is important "Schizophrenia means 'split for a task, not simply in perceiving mind,'" Potts says, "but it's a things properly. Potts says his finding misconception to think that might account for the attention defi- means two people in one head. cits that occur in many schizophrenics. Split mind refers to a functional Potts is now collaborating with disconnection between parts of researchers at Baylor College ofMedi- an individual's mind. Whatever cine and the Houston Veterans M- process that allows the different fairs Medical Center to measure a portions of the brain to commu- combination of visual and auditory nicate efficiently with each other signals in schizophrenic patients. is disrupted in patients with schizo- "If we better understand the spe- phrenia." cific neural systems that are im- One measure of the communi- pacted by schizophrenia," he says, cation between different portions "we might be able to develop of the brain is brain-wave signals drugs that target those areas and known as "event-related potentials" leave the neural systems that are (ERPs). The ERP signal Potts is working fine alone. This would DAViD CH' interested in reflects communication improve the effectiveness of the between the frontal lobe,which con- second drugs and reduce side effects." trols functions like planning, organi- study using visual stimuli. Potts's research is funded by the zation, and motivation and knows In this study, Potts measured ERPs National Alliance for Research on what tools and information are relin 14 schizophrenic patients and 14 Schizophrenia and Depression,and his evant to a task or goal, and the visual control subjects at Harvard Medical study was published in the May issue of areas in the back of the brain, which School. Subjects, wearing a hair-net- the Archives ofGeneral Psychiatry. Co- detect objects that the eye sees. Within like cap wired with 64 electrodes to authors of the paper were Brian two-tenths to three-tenths of a sec- monitor their brain waves, sat in front O'Donnell, now at the University of ond, communication between these of a computer and pressed selected Indiana, Bloomington; Yoshio areas alerts the brain about whether keys when certain symbols appeared Hirayasu, now at Kyorin University something the eye sees is needed for a on the monitor. The participants had School of Medicine, Tokyo; and Rob- task at hand. A disruption of this sig- to distinguish between different sym- ert McCarley at Harvard Medical nal, however, could be a hallmark of bols as well as the symbols' locations, School, Boston, and Brockton Veter- schizophrenia. such as at the top or bottom corner of ans Affairs Medical Center, Brockton, Potts initially attempted to measure the monitor. Ideally, when the visual Massachusetts. ERP responses to auditory stimula- areas of the brain detect a symbol on tion and found the signal was absent. the monitor, that information is corn- -B. LI. ALMOND

FALL '02 11 THROUGH THE SALLYPORT

Center for Sustainability Launched

The Shell Oil Company Foundation has announced a sensus on a variety of social, economic, and environ- $3.5-million endowment to Rice University to estab- mental issues facing the world. lish the Shell Center for Sustainability. The center will Creating new technologies, processes, products, bring together experts from many disciplines to study and market mechanisms that will advance sustainable societal and environmental issues arising as a result of economic growth and a sound public infrastructure is economic activities—fostering opportunities for im- one of the specific objectives of the center. Another provement through new technologies, market-based objective is to develop new tools in engineering, the incentives, and other initiatives. social sciences, and the natural sciences that enhance "We are immensely grateful to the Shell Oil Com- the understanding of requirements for sustainability, pany Foundation for its generous grant to establish help remove institutional barriers to sensible environ- the Shell Center for Sustainability at Rice," said Rice mental and social practices, and contribute to new president Malcolm Gillis. "Rice has long been com- policy instruments for achieving sustainability. A third mitted to interdisciplinary research and practice as a aim is to provide society with broadly educated envi- strategy for improving social, environmental, and ronmental, technical, and natural resource experts to economic welfare. Shell's commitment to exploring mold future decision-making in the private and public sustainability strategies across many academic and sectors to help assure a more sustainable future in both business disciplines together with its consistent sup- developed and developing nations. The center also port for sustainable development worldwide provides will enhance the exchange ofinformation in the public this new center with a foundation of creative and and private sectors by serving as an independentforum credible leadership in the field." for open discussion and constructive dialogue on "We share with Rice University a commitment to sustainable development issues and policies. finding innovative ways to meet the world's present Research issues posed by environmental and soci- and future needs," said Philip Watts,chairman of the etal impacts arising from economic activities include committee of managing directors of Royal Dutch/ developing new engineering and scientific curricula to Shell. "Corporate decision-making should be a criti- educate a new generation ofscientists who will incor- cal component of the world's journey toward a sus- porate sustainability concepts into business plans, tainable future, and the foundation of this center designs, and processes; advancing thinking around demonstrates Shell's commitment to play a meaning- market-based mechanisms that can be deployed to ful role in promoting understanding and employment enhance sustainability; and developing linkages with of sustainable development principles in corporate other institutions and nongovernment organizations decisions." at local, regional, national, and international levels. Because by its nature sustainable development re- "The best guarantee for the welfare of this genera- quires integrated solutions, the Shell Center will be tion and future generations is, in fact, successful characterized by its focus on encouraging collabora- sustainable development wherein cleaner air and wa- tion across disciplines. In addition, collaboration ter are not viewed as something apart from rising among business leaders, academia, nongovernment incomes, but part and parcel of same," Gillis said. organizations,and senior policy advisers will assist the "The Shell Center for Sustainability is an important center in moving constructively from conflict to con- step toward achieving these goals."

12 SALLYPORT Double Your Dollars to the Long-range Objectives Rice Annual Fund, Needed in War on and Your Support Terrorism for Students

The U.S. war against terrorism should include an integrated set oflong-range Goes Twice as Far! geopolitical objectives that advance global peace and stability, according to a new task force report by Rice University's James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy and the Center for Strategic and International Studies(CSIS) in Washington, D.C. JUST FOLLOW THESE SIMPLE STEPS: The report, The Geopolitical Implications of the War Against Terrorism explores how September 11 changed the geopolitical calculus in regions across • Make a gift to the Rice Annual Fund. the world. Edward Djerejian, director of the Baker Institute, presented the report in separate meetings with National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice • Visit www.ruf.rice.edu/-giving/giving/ and Secretary of State Colin Powell in Washington, D.C., in June. matching.html for a list of matching gift Developed by a 13-member task force of former government officials and corporations. policy experts, the report offers the following recommendations: • Find out if your employer(or your spouse's • NATO:Washington should give serious consideration to expanding NATO employer) matches gifts to universities. If competencies in the area of counterterrorism by strengthening multilateral you are retired, check to see if your previ- coordination among domestic counterterrorism agencies. ous employer will match your gifts to uni- • Europe/Transatlantic Alliance: The United States should encourage the versities. Europeans to rationalize their military capabilities, capitalizing on the unique strengths ofeach country,in order to maximize the overall effectiveness ofthe • Get a corporate matching gift form from transatlantic alliance. your human resources office and send it to • Russia: More leadership and resources should be directed by the United the Annual Gifts Office. Some companies States to broadening the Nunn-Lugar initiative to secure nuclear materials and require just a phone call. Yours may be one; expertise in Russia. Regarding Chechnya, Washington should become more check with your human resources office. actively engaged with Moscow to achieve peace in the Caucuses. • People's Republic of China: The U.S. goal is to define the Sino-American You've just doubled your dollars to agenda for the next leadership in Beijing, advance the agenda relating to the the Rice Annual Fund. campaign against terrorism,strengthen the political environment between the two countries, and in the process, reduce tensions created by fundamental differences over Taiwan. • Middle East Peace Process: The United States must attach the highest priority to serving as a catalyst to achieve an Israeli-Palestinian peace. Wash- ington must articulate the parameters of a framework for a final settlement, which would provide the necessary political context to begin negotiations Supporting your favorite within a mutually agreed upon time frame. • Iraq: It is recommended that the United States follow a "ramp up" strategy, institution of higher education employing escalating phases of suasion and coercion, to effect a change in is that easy! regime in Iraq. That implies beginning with multinational efforts to bring about political change. Beyond that, it implies moving, under appropriate circumstances, from indirect support of alternative political players to covert operations to military operations that undercut the Iraqi Baathist regime. Questions? • Iran: Washington must recognize that, despite the power of the hard-line Call 713-348-4991 to obtain more informa- clerics, Iran may very well be in a "prerevolutionary" stage (that is, demo- tion about doubling your dollars to the Rice graphic dynamics are generating significant societal transformation). In the Annual Fund through the corporate match- near- and mid-term, it is in U.S. interest to identify with and keep channels ing gifts program or visit www.rice.edu/gift. open to the youth and the reformers. • South Asia: U.S. policy toward Central Asia must drive toward two objectives: avoiding a war that could involve nuclear weapons and eliminating the terrorist threat in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The near-term crisis and the Rice University longer-range strategy require an intensified and major role in seeking to defuse Annual Gifts Office-MS 81 the current threat of warfare in Kashmir. P.O. Box 1892 Houston, TX 77251-1892 713-348-4991 [email protected] -

The expression "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture" suggests that the essence of an art form, whether music, dance, or indeed architecture, can only be communicated in the specific language of that art. You can only critique a painting, for example, by making another painting. But that doesn't keep people from talking about Rice's School of Architecture, which is rated among the nation's best.

"We're fourth in one publication, and sixth in another," says Lars Lerup,dean ofthe School ofArchitecture and William Ward Watkin Professor. "And yes, the ratings are important," he laughs. "Everyone pays attention to them." The ratings have been going up since Le- rup arrived eight years ago, after teaching for 20 years in the University of California at Berkeley School of Architecture. The Rice School of Architecture was founded in 1912 by William Ward Watkin, who came to Rice to supervise the construction of the earliest buildings on campus and stayed to become one of Texas's premier !2 :24Wills architects."The school has always had prestige," Lerup IMP says. "And the students learned to do what architects do—sit in an office and design buildings." For the dynamic Lerup, that wasn't enough. Un- = der his leadership, the school's approach to teaching architecture changed, becoming both more and less pragmatic. The students still learn to build very well, = and Rice graduates are welcome in architecture firms Recent architecture graduates lay across the country. But now the school also produces the foundations for their careers a certain amount of"dancing about architecture," that is, new ways ofthinking and talking about the subject. BY DAVID THEIS The Rice School of Architecture now seeks to produce graduates as noted for their expansive qualities of mind as for their drafting skills and knowledge of building engineering.

14 SALLYPORT As associate professor Carlos Jimenez says, "Every about where it was going to be built. It would be just architecture school has its own agenda. Our agenda any public housing complex,built anywhere.Nowwe look at Rice is to probe, to search, to think about how at demographics, pollution, and many othLr factors." architecture is shifting and changing." In perhaps his most significant decision, he oriented This sounds like a lofty approach to take in the teach- the program toward the city of Houston itself and ing of a particular skill, no matter how sophisticated took on the sprawling, misshapen metropolis as the that skill might be. Lerup himselfdescribes the program school's workshop. "Houston is a great laboratory as avant-garde. The School of Architecture is able to because it has such glaring needs," he explains. The operate in such a rarefied atmosphere because it attracts program requires students to study both the history a faculty and a student body that are unusually versatile of architecture in Houston and the history of the city and creative. itself. The design challenges that students confront in "Almosteverybody on the faculty writes," Lerup points their various classes frequently deal with problems that out. "Ifyou're going to teach architecture, you need to actually exist in the city. For example,where Houston's write, to reflect on your practice." Jimenez is a prime soon-to-come light rail passes under Highway 59,the example of this combination of building, writing, and line takes a jog from Main Street over to Fannin,leaving teaching. His Central Administration and Junior Art a vacant tract. Jimenez had his students design a School Building for the Museum ofFine Arts,Houston, library that would fit in that space. was rated one ofthe 150 most important 20th-century And at the same time that the school buildings in a recent world survey, and his aesthetic is focuses on the city, it also pays acute demonstrated in a number ofother important buildings attention to the individual stu- in Houston and elsewhere. dent. According to Jimenez, But Jimenez is also a fine writer who is as comfortable manyarchitectureschools discussing the poetry of Federico Garcia Lorca as he tend to emphasize paris in explaining the thinking behind the placement of ticular stylistic tendencies a particular window. In fact, in his essay, "Memory, or mannerisms—graduates a City and the Need for Poetry," which appeared in of Columbia's architecture an issue of 2G International Architecture Review that school tend to produce a was dedicated to his work, Jimenez wrote,"Poetry is Columbia signature style as forceful in its immateriality as architecture is in its of building, for example. materiality. The two are linked and interchangeable." At Rice, however, professors focus Jimenez's almost spiritual approach to teaching ar- on educating students to think critically rather chitecture is perhaps best expressed by the title of his than to pursue a recognizable Rice style. favorite class—The Joy of Materials. "The student's agenda becomes the school's agenda," In a Rice School of Architecture catalog statement says Lerup.A teacher will spend one or two hours a week that manages to combine writing about music and with each student, Lerup notes, and he or she doesn't dancing about architecture, assistant professor David spend those hours trying to make the students into Brown compares the practice of architecture to the clones. Comments from former students bear him out. "temporal manipulations" of Louis Armstrong and Onezieme Mouton '01 says that "the faculty enforced John Coltrane. "Improvised music [characterizes] an what I already thought. They gave me the confidence understanding ofthe world quite distinctfrom the world to explore my own ideas." typically privileged and described by architecture. . . . Learning what the students' ideas and agendas are My work strives for architectural articulations resonant is a fundamental part of teaching a Rice architecture with this understanding." class. "I'm amazed by the initial questions the fresh- To the casual observer, this avant-garde approach men ask," Jimenez says. Lerup agrees."They are highly might seem dangerously close to coming untethered sophisticated," he says."The teachers simply help pull from the bricks-and-mortar work ofmaking buildings. out the students' creativity. On campus, probably only But the contradictions and tensions that exist between the science labs have that kind ofintimacy." writing poetically about architecture and actually build- But this approach wouldn't be very productive if the ing something have been neatly resolved by Lerup's students didn't have some unique ideas or qualities already approach to making the School of Architecture prag- inside them that needed "puffing out." And in fact, a key matic as well as meaningful. component to the School ofArchitecture's success is its First, Lerup encourages his faculty and students to ability to choose the right students."Looking at prospec- approach building in terms oftotal context rather than tive students very carefully is the keystone," Lerup says. in the abstract. He says,"Before, teachers gave assign- "Everyone is awed by our students. They get better every ments to design a housing project without thinking year. It's hard for the faculty to keep up the pace."

FALL '02 15 Carlos Jimenez, Associate Professor "Every architecture school has its own agenda. Our agenda at Rice is to probe, to search, to think about how architecture is shifting and changing."

1 6 SALLYPORT wants high-quality design that will last 75 or 100 years. "The workers were a little hesitant when a bilingual KINDRA WELCH colleague and I approached them for sugges- Spaces at Work Kindra tions," Welch recalls. "They didn't want to be Welch '99 seen as complainers." • After Welch and her co- worker convinced the migrants that they wouldn't be found her call- making trouble,the design process began."I introduced ing as an architect them to site plans, architectural symbols, and mapping. while working on her They made the site plans themselves, then I took their plans Rice design studio project and made them into diagrams." Once the various possibilities were drawn up, Welch presented the diagrams to the workers, with Project Row Houses, a who selected their favorite. "Using their input not only creates unique combination of art space spaces more appropriate to their cultural preferences," Welch and social service provider in Houston's notes, "but also validates them as individuals in a society that typically treats them as beasts of burden." • During the past The undertaking—a series ofrow houses that Third Ward. year, Welch also has spent time at the Philadelphia Building were into art spaces—also included Welch's own project, converted Workshop at Pennsylvania State University working on urban -Square-House,which provides housing for single mothers. the Six projects. One of the projects she's had a hand in is managing project was inspirational," the Austin native says. It opened • "That the construction of migrant worker housing near Gettysburg. her eyes to the satisfactions of The project's modular homes are intended to demonstrate a new doing service-oriented architec- prototype for migrant housing. • Welch credits the academic ture,and that process continued and social climate at Rice and the School of Architecture for during her preceptorship with opening her eyes to the possibility ofservice. She also remembers Michael Graves and Associates. the School of Architecture as a place where professors "really While working with Graves, believe in their students" and "let them pursue their own ideas." Welch audited two courses at • Welch will be pursuing her own unique career path when Princeton University under her two-year tenure with AmeriCorps ends next July. Her long- architect/sociologist Robert range plans are flexible, but she wants to gain experience with Gutman that helped reaffirm her ambition to use architecture to serve sustainable construction technologies."The best way to do that," the disadvantaged.That year,she also attended a lecture by Bryan Bell, she explains, "is through hands-on practice. I think I'll be the director ofDesign Corps,the branch ofAmeriCorps that provides working construction jobs for a time, architecture and design services for the poor. Welch remembers Bell saying,"Architects serve 2 percent ofthe population. What about the doing manual labor." other 98 percent?" Soon after graduating, she joined AmeriCorps. • AmeriCorps assigned Welch to the Philadelphia area to help design and build housing for migrant farm workers. After finding out what her Design Corps work would entail, Welch went to Mexico to learn "whatfamily space is like there."She also picked up a little Spanish. • The farm management for Welch's current project not only wants to provide new quarters for the workers but also desires input from the workers themselves. The management also

FALL '02 17 oriented classes and concentrate on de- marketing his • products will sign, especially computer-based design. ONEZIEME MOUTON • After earning his B.F.A. in sculpture take him to the Cottage Industry from Louisiana State University,Mouton Eastor West Coast. set offfor Arles, France, where he stud- • In any case, he'll ied photography and eventually joined a never forget his days French acting troupe. In Arles, he lived at Rice, and he has among gypsies and Algerian immigrants. high regard for the The portable and flexible nature of his faculty. "Albert Pope neighbors' dwellings made a lasting im- is an excellent, very pression on the adventurous young man. analytical critic." Even His thesis project at Rice was a modular, more important, he says, portable house that can be assembled "The other students are a and disassembled by two people, trans- big influence." He speaks ported in an ordinary pickup, and situ- almost in awe of a studio ated on any concrete slab. Perfect for collaboration between Brian gypsies. • Mouton currently works as Heiss and Michael Morrow,in When asked to an associate for Natalye Appel's small which they made a movie about comment on the and well-regarded Houston architec- a building, designed a theater in Rice School of Ar- ture firm, where he has designed some which to watch the movie, and single-family houses. Buthis heartis really provided popcorn. And he notes chitecture,Onezieme in high-quality,mass-produced items,such that without the metalworking lab Mouton'01(MA) gives as what he hopes his modular house will provided by students Joe Meppelink the program a simple but become after he's ironed out a few kinks. and David Sisson in which he con- ringing endorsement: "It A Chinese friend told him he could sell his structed his modular house,"I could modular houses in China in vast quantities. never have done my thesis." changed my life." • Not • "I take an industrial design approach • There is a certain wry un- that Mouton's( better known to his to architecture," he says. "It's non- derstatement in Mouton's friends as One,pronounced Oh-Nee) elitist. I want to get the highest quality voice when he says, "I'm pre-Rice life was anything shabby. kind of proud to have my He grew up in design to the largest number ofpeople." the charm- master's from Rice." ing French-style fishing • Mouton also has designed furniture. town of Abbeville, He has a patent on a counter-balanced Louisiana. His father table design and is working on creating was in construction, striking-looking chairs that can be easily so he came to the Rice taken apart and reassembled. • For master ofarchitecture the time being, working in Houston program already pos- suits his purposes. He likes the way sessing strong build- Appel "runs her practice like a ing skills. The Rice studio," and Houston is a program is so flexible good place "to get things that he was able to made." But the day forego the building- may come when

18 SALLYPORT Brian Heiss'00 (M.A.) is Lawndale Art and Per- almost too good at com- formance Center. "The show is a personal project puter-based: renderings. titled `Transvision," he Just months after graduation,he was says. "My contribu- hired by Gensler Architects, a very tion will be about oggit large firm with offices all around the 15 different world, to do a rush design job on an redesigned tele- enormous project—a convention center visions and video Hilton in Fort Worth. It was no small pieces to go on the accomplishment that Heiss produced the TVs." Heiss's rede- required computer animation in one week. sign ofthe television • But he doesn't want to get stuck be- sets addresses the ing "the visualization guy." And he doesn't repackaging of con- necessarily want to keep working on such sumer items. "You rotate the big projects. "You can't put your stamp on whole television to change the channel it," he says of the Hilton project. • Heiss and volume," he says. "I want to know definitely is one for making his individual mark. if you can kill 'couch-potato culture' by He came to Rice with a B.A.in architecture from changing the object." • If Heiss doesn't Bennington college in Vermont. He describes already sound like an unusually free-spirited his Bennington training as"unconven- young architect/designer,con- tional" and "nontraditional," and those sider his moonlighting job—as a adjectives equally apply to his work at model! The tall, slim, handsome Rice and beyond. Witness his "Living young man recalls buying materi- Projection" studio project, referred to by als in Texas Art Supply one day, Onezieme Mouton. • Given his when someone asked if he were a temperament and talents,it's not model. "No," he answered, but the surprising that Heiss has taken a question triggered the idea, and he leave of absence from Gensler. began looking for modeling op- "I still work part time for them portunities. He's appeared when they need me in a pinch," on the cover ofseveral local he says, "but I see myself in a publications, including the smaller firm." In fact, he sees ultra-slick Paper Magazine. from himself as branching out • For thatshoot, he portrayed architecture altogether."I'm not • % a fictional "hip young ar- • • Ili ,1 driven to become an architect," chitect on leave from the BRIAN HEISS he says. Rather,he loves all kinds Koolhaas Rotterdam of- A Model of Design of design. "You don't necessar- fice." Heiss chuckles. "It's ily go to architecture school to like a fantasy version of my learn how to be an architect. real life." • Now Heiss is You go to learn to design and struggling with the tempta- to think about design." • In tion ofgoing into modeling the meantime, Heiss is back at full time. "Maybe I should the Rice School ofArchitecture go to London and get rich, in a different role."I'm currently then do what I want to do. teaching an undergraduate third- Or maybe I should stick year studio and a seminar called with this and get more Video 1,2,3," he says, but that's respect for what I'm actu- the least of his activities. His ally doing." • While he open-mindedness toward materials wouldn't claim that studying architecture has led him into the realm of art. leads one inevitably into modeling, he • In 2003, Heiss will have an does find similarities between the fields. exhibition, created in col- "Modeling exposes you to design cul- laboration with two other ture.'Who's making a really good shoe?' Rice alums, Darshan and'How do objects relate to the body?' Amrit '98 and Peter These are the same kinds of things ar- Weir Clarke '00, chitects worry about." at Houston's

FALL '02 19 Standardized tests are useful in seeing how a student performed on one test that is given nationally. They usually verify what we see on the high school transcript.

• I do believe that disadvantaged students don't do as well, and the test results can reflect poor schooling.

To Test or Not to Test...

by David D. Medina

At Rice University, standardized tests have their share of supporters and detractors. hen University of achievement in high school and now, coaching is available to California(UC) difficulty of courses attempted almost all students." Wpresident Richard C. are both major influences in While Wright believes that tkinson proposed last year to deciding who is accepted, and the SAT is a good resource for crap the SAT as a requirement Wright's office also looks at determining academic success, or UC admission, the debate recommendations, activities, she also believes that the impend- •ver standardized testing leadership, personal quali- ared up once again. Atkinson ties, and special talents. gued that tests like the SAT But even with the "We haven't figured out a way to measure o not provide a true measure importance of these other •f intellectual abilities. He factors, Wright believes creativity or motivation, and that's why ecommended that the test that Rice will continue supplemental information is very valuable e replaced by an achievement using the SAT. "The SAT for est that reflects a mastery of spe- is a good predictor of how fairness." ific subjects in high school. well suited the student In response to Atkinson's may be for the first year reat, the College Board of college," she says. ing changes in the ccelerated its study of test "Standardized tests are useful in test will only improve it. mprovements and announced seeing how a student The University of California at it is revising the SAT to performed on one test that is system raised some good • nhance assessment of critical given nationally. They usually questions about standardized easoning skills. Starting in verify what we see on the high testing, she says, and the College pring 2005, the SAT will add school transcript." Board has been responsive to the 25-minute written essay, will In addition, the test may challenge. Adding a writing liminate the verbal analogy identify late bloomers—students section to the SAT, she says, •uestions, and will expand the who have ability but who have will show what kinds of practical ath section to include more been slow to get started in writing skills students received dvanced math such as Algebra school and have a somewhat in high school. I. The complete test will be lower grade point average. "Too often, the essays we 5 minutes longer. "Another use," Wright says, receive as a part of the application Other standardized tests, "is to help define abilities when are polished and sometimes written ncluding the Graduate Record we find substantial grade inflation by others or corrected many xam (GRE) and the Texas or major differences in high times in an English class," sessment of Academic Skills schools across the country." But, Wright says. "Critical reading TAAS), also have been a source she adds, the SAT does not predict is an extremely important • controversy. Critics claim these motivation or special abilities in criterion, as is math. Basically, ests not only fail to encourage specific areas, which is why the I believe that the approved ritical thinking but that they test must be used with other changes will improve our • xhibit cultural, racial, and criteria. "We need all the tools knowledge of student abilities." gender bias. Those in favor say available to determine the best The SAT is administered by that while standardized tests fit for Rice." the Educational Testing Service may not be perfect, they are Wright does not view the (ETS). With about 3,000 useful in providing a reasonable SAT as being culturally biased employees, ETS is the largest [easure of intellectual abilities but rather believes it reflects private educational testing d predicting a student's inequities in educational company in the world. Nancy uccess in school. opportunities. "I have seen the Stooksberry Cole '64 was At Rice University, standard- research on how questions are president of ETS for seven of zed tests have their share of tested with different ethnicities the 11 years she worked there. upporters and detractors. Rice's before they are used," she She recently retired and lives • e president for enrollment, explains. "I do believe that in Colorado. n Wright, serves as a College disadvantaged students don't Cole says that the SAT was Board trustee, but she says that do as well, and the test results designed to measure the skills the SAT is only one of many can reflect poor schooling. At that will be used throughout factors used to select students one point, only wealthy students college and that it has been for admission to Rice. Academic took advantage of coaching, but doing that "amazingly well for

FALL '02 21 a number of years." No other not necessarily mean there is bias. at the upper end of the SAT predictors, she adds, have For example, students who come and GRE. "They are meaning- consistently done better. from poor, less educated families less," he says. "I think it is fair "The SAT is very valuable in that offer little support to their to say that someone in the 20th betting a lot of reliable information children usually don't do as percentile of the SAT and GRE *th little time requirement," well on the SAT. The gender has a significantly lower chance she says. difference on the SAT shows the of succeeding than someone in But she cautions that complexity further. On average, the 80th percentile, but I don't standardized tests are not intended she explains, boys score higher think that someone who scores to be the sole qualifier for than girls on the verbal and 1600 on the SAT is that much entrance into college. And she mathematics sections of the SAT, different than someone who admits that the SAT does not while girls score higher than boys scores 1550 or 1500 or, for measure creativity or motivation. in writing. So, emphasizing one that matter, 1300." "We haven't figured out a way to section or another can give the Once a student reaches a measure creativity or motivation, appearance of gender bias. certain level in the SAT, Tapia and that's why I really feel that But in general, Cole says, says, such as 1100, the chance upplemental information is very the SAT is pretty fair to all of them doing well in college is aluable for fairness." groups. "And the expansion of very high. Tapia has even seen Being fair to all groups who measures will help make it students with SAT scores of ake the SAT was a major concern better." The addition of the 900 who have graduated or Cole at ETS. After earning writing test is an excellent idea, summa cum laude, pursued law a bachelor of arts degree in she says, and was long overdue, or graduate degrees, and led •sychology from Rice in 1964, since the SAT is one of the last distinguished careers. That he did graduate work at the admission tests to include a shows, he says, that standard- University of North Carolina writing section—the GRE ized tests, especially the GRE, t Chapel Hill, where she and GMAT began including do not reflect a student's drive eceived a Ph.D. in psychology writing tests several years ago. or creativity, which is a very 'n 1968. She then went to work Standardized tests do have desirable trait in graduate some merit, says students. "You don't want Richard Tapia, the people who can just excel in "The misuse of st ndardized tests, in particular Noah Harding Professor normal course work," he says, of Computational and "but who have no ideas when the SAT and GRE, is the underrepresented Applied Mathematics. it comes to their dissertation." minorities' worst .nemy in gaining admittance Tapia's efforts to get Thus, he concludes, standardized more minorities into the tests have to be used in a "very into college." science and engineering guarded way," supplemented fields have earned him with other sources ofinformation. the Giants in Science There are a number of at American College Testing, Award from the standardized tests at the a competitor of ETS, and did Quality Education for Minorities diagnostic level that can help research in cultural bias in testing. Network and a Lifetime Mentor people gauge how a healthy "I studied the issue for many Award from the American child is developing, says Linda ears and concluded that tests Association for the Advancement McNeil, professor of education sually are not biased in any ofScience. The flaw in standardized and co-director of Rice's Center imple way," says Cole. To tests, he says, is in how you for Education. But, she says, nsure fairness, Cole explains, interpret them. "The misuse of "diagnostic uses of standardized ETS statistically analyzes tests to standardized tests, in particular tests are the only ones that identify particular questions that the SAT and GRE," he says, I find being more frequently show unusual results between "is the underrepresented used for helpful purposes rather racial, cultural, or gender groups. minorities' worst enemy in than harmful ones." Trained reviewers also inspect gaining admittance into college." McNeil is an expert in the tests for biased questions. The problem in using these standardized testing at the Defining what is bias poses tests, Tapia believes, is that primary and secondary levels. another problem, Cole says. admission officers make too She is the author of Differences among groups do much "noise" about the scores Contradictions ofSchool

22 SALLYPORT Reform: Educational Costs hurting the educa- ofStandardized Testing tional system on (Routledge, 2000) and has several levels. It is "Diagnostic uses of standardized tests are the spent a considerable amount reducing the quality only ones I find being more frequently used of time researching the effects and quantity of the of the Texas state-mandated curriculum, she for helpful purposes rather than harmful ones." TAAS, which will change next says. "Because this year to the Texas Assessment of is a single indicator Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). accountability sys- Standardized tests in primary tem, principals are told it doesn't Thomas Jefferson's idea and secondary schooling, she matter if they are doing great was that the purpose of an explains, are being used much things, but that they will be education was to grow active like the standardized test used in judged only on improving their citizens—people who could the "factory school" at the turn schools' TAAS scores every year." question, people who could of the century. In 1915, the TAAS practice tests, she throw off tyranny," says United States experienced adds, are replacing the curriculum. McNeil. "He wanted our a boom in teenage population "Children are being cheated children to hold common civic and had to find an economical out of a rich literature and a values and social concerns way to educate them. So, McNeil chance to really think through that would enable them to says, school districts hired factory mathematical concepts, and bind the community and efficiency experts and developed they are being taught to write country together. In many a testing method that was in a formula style," she says. cities around the country, borrowed from the United States Minority students are especially parents, teachers, and even Army, which created the first hurt by the TAAS, McNeil school districts are refusing to standardized test to help in believes, because it is common let testing control their schools. enlisting huge numbers of to devote more class time to They are working to hold on to people during World War I. "The practicing the test in traditionally a more authentic education for first uses of standardized testing low-performing schools, which their children." in education," says McNeil, are attended by poor minority Standardized testing will "were to sort students according students. not be going away any time to their ability and assess them The second casualty of the soon; it has become such an as raw material to be used in TAAS, says McNeil, is the role integral part of our society that modernizing America through of the teacher. More and more, any attempts to scrap it would industrial production." teachers are asked to set aside be futile. Even so, questioning In 1990, Texas implemented content knowledge in order to the relevance and methodology the TAAS to measure students' get their students prepared for of the SAT and other tests may performances, but four years the TAAS."We are driving out be beneficial. While UC did not later, says McNeil, state officials many of our intellectual teachers," succeed in eliminating the test as expanded the use of the test to she says, "because they do not an admission requirement, for rate schools and their principals. want to be in a setting where example, it has accomplished A test that was supposed to raise they are asked to fake it, to go the monumental task of forcing the academic standards was through motions that they know changes that will make the SAT suddenly being used as an are not educational for the kids." a more equitable test. After accountability system. This Yet another victim of the TAAS all, if we have to live with so-called Texas accountability is the democratic governance of standardized tests, we should system created more problems schooling. The accountability strive to ensure their fairness than solutions, McNeil claims. system that the TAAS has for all college-bound students. The first problem is that it engendered, McNeil says, usurps ties the assessment of children the role of community voice in on a single indicator to the schools and leaves the development adult's job security and pay. of children and the substance of It's an upside-down system education to testing experts. of accountability." In short, McNeil believes Based on her research, that the TAAS is a ticket to McNeil believes that the TAAS is nowhere. "From the beginning,

FALL '02 23 Testing Testing, Testing

By David D. Medina applied psychology projects and co-edited Trainingfor a Intelligence Rapidly Changing Workplace: testing has long Applications ofPsychological Research (American Psychological been a source of Association, 1997). heated debate. The key controversy surrounding intelligence testing, I t In the early 1900s, mental tests Quinones says, is whether the were often misused to promote tests measure innate ability or eugenics, restrict immigration, acquired knowledge. If they and defend segregation. But test innate ability as some claim, they also had positive effects, does that mean intelligence is such as helping promising unchangeable? lower-class students get into good schools. The notion that "The majority of the mental ability is problem is the way people use largely tests and their interpretation genetic and of tests and not in the tests can't be improved themselves," asserts Miguel has come under Quinones, Rice University serious attack. associate professor of psychology and management. "If cognitive In fact, scholar James Flynn has ability tests are used properly shown that IQ scores in the and interpreted properly, they Western world have increased can provide useful information." by 15 points in one generation. Intelligence tests can assist The political science professor in ascertaining learning problems. from New Zealand's University They also can predict rather of Otago also has concluded well how a person will fare in that Americans of the 1970s school or on the job. Quinones were 22 points smarter than has found that people who Americans of the 1890s. score higher on an IQ test "At one time, our society generally tend to do better at was sorted by physical strength work and in school. Therefore, then by social status," Quinones he says, the tests can be useful says. "Now our ranking has in hiring and admission decisions. become one sorted by Quinones has ample intelligence." It is no surprise, experience in testing. In addition he adds, that cognitive ability to teaching and researching testing is a multimillion-dollar psychological testing and business in the United States. psychometrics, which is Intelligence testing was the first used in the late 1800s by Francis Galton of England. An amateur psychologist, Galton believed that intelligence was hereditary and thus advocated measurement the breeding of superior minds of mental traits, he has worked in order for society to advance. with the United States Air He coined the term "eugenics," Force as a consultant on training, the science of improving stock. evaluation, and transfer issues. When France instituted He also has teamed with private compulsory education in 1904 organizations on a variety of and needed a way to identify

24 SALLYPORT children with learning difficulties, legislators in 27 states to pass A third issue is whether Alfred Binet, with the help of laws that authorized eugenic intelligence tests measure an Theodore Simon, created a test sterilization for "mentally innate core of mental ability to determine which children defective" people. known as general intelligence. were developing at normal rates Some studies have shown that within their age group. While Criticism of people who score well on a Galton's earlier idea ofintelligence intelligence tests mathematics test will probably was based on sensory and do well on vocabulary. "Some motor abilities, Binet tested a began as early people have taken that as combination of cognitive as 1920. evidence that there is a general abilities, such as memory, word level of intelligence that underlies association, and sentence Some opponents accuse the all mental abilities," says completion. tests of being culturally biased. Quinones. Opponents of this In 1912, German psychologist Quinones agrees that this may view say that there are many William Stern added a measuring have been true for early versions dimensions to intelligence scale to Binet's test. He divided of intelligence tests but is not and that IQ tests are not the child's mental age by his as much of a problem today. broad enough to measure or her chronological age and "Test developers have become abilities such as musical and multiplied the result by one very sensitive to this issue mechanical talents. "The multiple hundred. This became known and employ elaborate review intelligence view appeals to as the intelligence quotient, or processes to ensure that tests people's sense of fairness," IQ. For example, a child of four are free from cultural bias," notes Quinones. "They can with a mental age of two had Quinones says. Interestingly, say,'Oh, Johnny may not be an IQ of 50. Stanford University studies that have attempted to so smart in math, but he's professor and psychologist examine the effect of cultural one heck of a violinist." Lewis M. Terman saw certain bias tend to show that eliminating Some people favor banning flaws in the Binet test and made items that a group of reviewers intelligence tests altogether. But major revisions to it. The deem as being culturally biased Quinones wonders if we can Stanford-Binet was published has little effect on the overall live without these tests. The in 1916 and has become the scores. Furthermore, it is very problem, he reiterates, lies not standard test for measuring difficult to get individuals with the tests themselves but intelligence. to agree ahead of time on with the testers. People need American psychologist what constitutes a culturally to be educated about what Henry Goddard, who believed biased item. these tests really do tell us that intelligence was hereditary Another criticism of IQ and what they don't tell us. and unchangeable, started using tests is the self-fulfilling prophecy Tests, he explains, are not the Binet test in U.S. public issue. Claude Steele, a psychologist perfect predictors, and they are schools at the turn of the at Stanford University, has not necessarily the most century. In 1913, he applied shown that people who are important predictors. They intelligence testing to immigrants expected to score low generally don't indicate factors such as arriving at Ellis Island to will do so. Black students in a person's goodness. determine who should be particular, he says, suffer from An all-out ban on testing is admitted into the United what he calls "stereotype vul- unlikely. "But," Quinones says, States. According to Goddard's nerability." But Steele asserts "it is really incumbent for the tests, four-fifths of the Jews, that stereotype vulnerability is critics of IQ tests to come up Hungarians, Italians, and not limited to blacks. He once with an alternative that is better Russians were "feeble-minded." gave a group of white students than what we have." Deportations rose by 350 a math test and told them that Until that happens, keep percent in 1913, and in 1924, Asians tended to do better on your pencils sharp, because immigration law reduced the it than whites. The result people will continue testing, quotas for southern and eastern proved his point. "That may be testing, testing. Europeans to less than enough of a reason to say that one-fifth of that for northern labeling someone early is not and western Europeans. In an appropriate thing to do," 1931, Goddard influenced Quinones suggests.

FALL '02 25

par‘ for the

41106,..

By Philip Montgomery

Jack Burke Jr. loves golf so much that he hands out the official rules of the game like some people hand out business cards. His friends and fellow professional golfers say Burke, who attended Rice prior to World War II, knows the game as well as anyone living today and better than many of the greats who have gone on to those big greens in the sky. He is a legend in the game, having won 17 titles committee member of the United States Golf Asso- including the 1956 Masters and PGA Champion- ciation for more than 25 years. ship. That same year, he was named the PGA player "Rice is one of the best schools in the whole of the year. He competed on five Ryder Cup teams United States," says Burke, who was instrumental in and twice was team captain. With his friend and establishing the scholarship. "I don't know of a bet- partner Jimmy Demaret, he created the famous ter place for the Earl Elliot scholarship to be. I Champions Golf Club in north Houston. In 2000, wanted to do something for Earl that was perma- he was named to the World Golf Hall of Fame. nent." Not a bad legacy for a guy who plays strictly by "Jack Burke has a deep respect for excellence in the rules. all fields," says Rice history professor Ira Gruber. Burke says he knows what it takes to be a winner, "He sought to honor Elliott by supporting students which is why he chose Rice University as the home who had demonstrated academic excellence at for the Earl Elliott Humanities Scholarship Fund. Rice." The fund provides scholarships for Rice humanities When Burke compliments Gruber, who is a mem- undergraduates and was created this year by Cham- ber of the Champions Golf Club, it's not for his pions Golf Club, the Houston Golf Association, academic achievements. "He has the correct feeling and the PGA Tour, Inc. in memory of the late Earl for the game," Burke says. "He can explain it, and Elliott, who died last year. Elliot was a Houston- he knows the rules." area lawyer and an avid golfer who organized some Saying that someone knows the rules is probably of the most important golfing events in Houston's one of the highest compliments Burke can offer. He golf history. He served as general chairman of the is obsessed with and loves golf. On first meeting U.S. Open and the Tour Championships and as a him, a visitor to Champions would probably find

Jack Burke displays his championship form at Champions Golf Club. Photos by Tommy LaVergne.

FALL '02 27 Burke intimidating just because of the sheer energy while she played. As an older boy during the Great he exudes. Though well into his 70s, he acts like a Depression, he was not allowed in the club house, man in his 20s. He knows the rules of golf like a so he hung out with the caddies who taught him priest knows the catechism. On a deeper level, his the essentials of the game. obsession with the rules of golf is a belief that rules, His education in golf continued at home,too. whether in the form of laws or traditions, are what During mealtimes, the elder Burke held court with make our society work. some of the leading golf pros of the day. Frequent "Only in games do you learn rules," Burke says. guests at the family table were men like Henry "The only value games have is they keep civilization Picard, who won the 1938 Masters and the 1939 reasonably civilized, because there are rules to con- U.S. PGA; Craig Wood, a runner-up in five major duct games." championships before winning the Masters; Ben Ask Burke what makes him a great golfer, and he Hogan, who is known as one of the greatest golfers will tell you,"knowing the rules." Then he will who ever lived; and Byron Nelson, who won five hand you two pocket books, both of which are pub- national championships. lished by the United States Golf Association: The It was at the table that Jack, the oldest of eight Rules of Golfand Decisions on the Rules of Golf children, heard tales of golf and learned his father's "This is like the law of the country," Burke says, teaching style. "He was such a teacher that all these stabbing The Rules of Golfwith his index finger. De- guys would come down to him," Burke says of his cisions on the Rules of Golf he says, is fascinating in father. "He would not say,'You should do this.' He its detail. Take rule 16-1a/7, for example, quoted taught pretty much in parables, and he taught from the 616-page Decisions: "A player removed things that would last you throughout your career. I with his hand an embedded acorn on his line of teach the same way." putt. The acorn was not solidly embedded, so it was Burke Jr. is recognized as one of the greatest liv- a loose impediment. The player then repaired the ing golf teachers, and today, professional players like depression in which the acorn lay." According to Phil Mickelson, Ben Crenshaw, and Steve Elkington the decision book, the repair is a violation of rule still turn to him for advice. In a World Golf Hall of 16-1a, which covers damaged holes and procedures Fame profile of Burke, fellow Hall of Famer Gary for players. Player says, "Whenever anybody needed any help, Burke's passion for golf can be traced directly to we would go to Jackie and say,'Jackie, I'm strug- his parents, from whom he learned the game as gling with my game,' and he would help you soon as he could handle a club. His mother, Quo kindly." Vadis Quayle, was raised in Fort Worth where she As a young man hanging around the River Oaks met Jack's father, Jackie Burke, a golf pro from Country Club pro shop, Burke met Jimmy Philadelphia. The elder Burke played in the 1920 Demaret, who also was later inducted into the U.S. Open, finishing in a four-way tie for second World Golf Hall of Fame. Along with some caddies, just one stroke behind the winner Ed- they would sneak out on the links, where they ward Ray. Later, the elder Burke were forbidden to play, and practice. Their moved his family to Houston to friendship grew through the years, and in take a job as golf pro at the 1957, they partnered to create Champi- River Oaks Country Club, a ons Golf Club in Houston with two position he held until he courses, Cypress Creek and Jack Rab- died in 1943. bit. Some of Burke's earliest Despite Burke's love for golf, his golfing memories are of father discouraged him from playing playing golf with his professionally. For one thing, Burke's mother at the River Oaks hands were small, which limited the Country Club. He used a power of his swing, but Burke com- four-iron to whack a ball pensated by developing a good touch 1

28 SALLYPORT in his fingers and other skills, such as the ability to judge distance. So, unde- terred by parental discouragement, he went professional and qualified for his first U.S. Open in 1941. Burke also was a student at Rice in 1941 when World War II began. He left school to join the Marine Corps, where he served as a martial-arts and drill instructor. In 1946, after being mustered out of the service, he turned pro rather than return to school. During the 1950s, Burke won the Vardon Trophy and competed on five Ryder Cup teams for which he was twice captain. "My business was the playing of the game," he says about his pro years. "Judgment was a lot of it. The judgment of picking out a five- iron over a four-iron. I could judge the wind, the lines that I had. The minute Rice history professor Ira Gruber, left, says Burke, right, "sought to I teed off, I started judgment on the honor Elliott by supporting students who had demonstrated aca- next shot. I didn't wait until I got to demic excellence at Rice." Photo by Tommy LaVergne. the ball." All of his skills came to play in 1956, when he won the Masters and PGA Championship and was named PGA Player of the "I don't have a coach," Burke says. "I don't ex- Year. He is best known for his come-from-behind actly have Vincent Lombardi behind me to tell me win in that year's Masters tournament. Ken Venturi, what to do. I've got to be Vincent Lombardi and a 24-year-old amateur, had an eight-stroke lead at everything all in one man. I've got to coach myself, 210 going into the final round. All the golfers faced encourage myself, tell myself to keep going all day a 50-mile-an-hour wind and blowing rain, and the long. People ask,'Why do you keep going?' And I scores were high that day. Just hitting the greens say,'That's all I've ever known.' I was trained not was a challenge. Burke was the only player to hit the to be so-so. I had to go where good was." 17th green. Even putting was a hurdle, because the rain made the grass slick. Burke tightened his put- For more information about the Earl Elliott Hu- ting stance and took smaller strokes using a tech- manities Scholarship Fund, contact Jeanette Zey in nique he calls "tap putting." On that 17th hole, he the Office of Development at 713-348-4675 or hit a 15-foot putt and claims the wind drove it half [email protected]. the way there. At the end of the day, he'd shot a 71 and took home the coveted green jacket worn only by the winners of the Masters. Golf, Burke says, is a mental game that requires positive thinking. Being competitive and striving to be the best is a never-ending challenge for him. Ev- ery week he has to make changes and adjustments to his game. He plays four rounds of golf each week, each round taking five hours.

FALL '02 29 CC For those of us caught in the thick of the unrelenting stress of the workaday world, 153 it's common to hear co-workers and colleagues nostalgically reflect on their college years, remembering them as a carefree time of friendship,fun, and folly. We = envy the easy flow of college life that we and imagine them (11) suppose students enjoy lounging on overstuffed couches, reading a CD book underneath a shade tree, or contem- plating Aristotle over a cup of cappuccino. Boy, do we have it wrong.

stallm Rice undergraduate life, we pull back the cur- tain and give you a glimpse of what academic life is like for today's students. Though college life may be fun, exciting, and rewarding, Rice's strenuous academic curriculum is no cakewalk. For the sophomores featured in this story—Adaba Briggs, Will Conrad, Jennine Guanchez, and Marc Ridilla—finding that perfect balance in their academic lives is a complex juggling act. When we first met these students, they were busy adjusting to new surroundings and to people very different from those in their hometowns. Will is an Austin native, but the others come from far away. Adaba was raised in Africa,Jennine calls Florida home, and Marc is from Pennsylvania. As would be expected, the adjustment to everything associated with the beginning of college life at Rice was somewhat of a struggle. That was then. Now our students have a year under their belts and have moved one step closer to their ultimate goal: a Rice University degree.

By M. Yvonne Taylor Photographs by Tommy LaVergne

30 SALLYPORT BAKER • ACADEMIC INTERESTS: FRENCH, INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

ACADEMIC SCHEDULE: INTRODUCTION TO FRENCH LITERATURE II • IMAGES OF CONTEMPORARY FRANCE • INTRODUC- TION TO SPANISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE • INTRODUCTION TO RUSSIAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Adaba—who was born in Houston, so well, considering that it's a different grew up in Kenya,has visited Singapore, alphabet and incredibly hard to read. recently learned Latin ballroom danc- I think the fact that it's really challeng- ing, and speaks English, French, and ing and I'm still doing relatively well Swahili—is accustomed to switching makes me feel great." gears. For her, constant change and Adaba's professor, Natalya movement are the spice of life. In ad- Stepanova, understands the difficulty dition to her part-time job at the Jesse thatthe Russian language presents and H.Jones Graduate School of Manage- explains why Adaba is up to the task."I ment and duties on the Baker College assume the reason most of my students socials committee, this year the multi- take Russian is because they are all I n gual student is tackling Russian. very open-minded and most of them Though Adaba has a laid-back and already speak at least one foreign lan- carefree personality, don't be fooled guage. Adaba is a perfect example of into thinking she isn't serious about that, being so multicultural and multi- her studies. She's the type of student lingual. Besides teaching my students who gets a little miffed if a professor the Russian grammar, I am delighted forgets to give a "promised" quiz. "It's to be able to expose them to my cul- not like I'm one of those really annoy- ture, and students like Adaba are ex- ing whiz kids," she quips. "I whine tremely receptive to it." sometimes about having so many quiz- Adaba doesn't seem to be experi- zes. But it bothers me when I spend my encing the dreaded sophomore slump. e:gs studying for something and She's proud of the fact that her grades we not having it." are "miraculously better" than last A lack of quizzes is not a complaint year's. And luckily, she's been able to she has about her Russian class, how- find a bit of downtime this semester. r. "We had a quiz in Russian on a One recent Friday night, she headed ay," she exclaims, "talk about down to the Baker Blues Party at 11:30 ciless." She spends most of her and "danced until my legs could not ch hour "cramming Russian vo- hold me up any longer." She later ulary with my friend and class- found her way back to her room and e, Quinton." The cramming pays "crawled into bed some minutes after Adaba admits that this, her most 3:00 A.M. and let my body just relax." ult class so far, is also her favor- Reflecting on the evening,she adds, nd that my grades in that class "I love weekends." ome.I never knew I would do

FALL '02 31 BAKER • ACADEMIC INTEREST: POLITICAL SCIENCE

ACADEMIC SCHEDULE: HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN SOUTH • ANCIENT GREEK PHILOSOPHY • SOVIET AND POST-SOVIET POLICY • PUBLIC POLICY AND THE BUREAUCRACY

Although Will appreciates a his visual impairment makes it University Court, his duties as little respite just as much as the difficult to determine the bound- campus liaison for the Reformed next guy, he doesn't spend much aries of Soviet-era Russian geog- University Fellowship, and his of his time lazily resting on his raphy. "The problem became ap- work as a member of the Baker laurels. Even during his summer parent with my first political Associates Committee. He finds break, Will ventured far from science classes last year," Will time to attend concerts at First home and traveled to Prague on explains, "however, it has be- Baptist Church, regularly partici- a mission information trip to come even more necessary to pate in synchronized swimming, learn about religion's role in address this semester, especially engage in Bible study, attend a Czech culture. He also was busy in the Soviet and Post-Soviet few on-campus movies, and even working for the State Office of Policy class." But he's used his go kicker dancing at Wild West Risk Management here in Texas. ingenuity and determination to dance club. He performed legal research to overcome the obstacle. "I pur- Though he rarely gets to bed determine whether people's chased a textured globe with by midnight—Will more com- worker's compensation insur- raised lines for longitude and monly finds the clock reading ance claims were legitimate, and latitude markings, along with almost 2:00 A.M. before he gets he found that he especially en- raised continents and textures some sleep—he still finds time joyed the work because "it is for mountains," says Will. "This to keep in touch with the people related to the occupation I am has helped allow me to spatially who are responsible for where hoping to pursue." Will wants to figure out where countries are in he is today—Mom and Dad. Will be an attorney one day. His relation to each other, which be- makes sure to phone in about schedule—filled with history, comes a major concern when dis- once a week. philosophy, and public policy cussing Soviet politics." Will courses—should help him find says that his professors and his way. Though he thought this roommates also have pitched in summer was "great," his work to help him map out the areas. at Rice is the reason, he says, Will juggles his busy academic that he is -very glad to be back." schedule with the responsibili- Will is studying Soviet and ties of his role as second vice Post-Soviet Policy, and while he chair for the Rice College Re- can grasp the theoretical ideas, publicans, his position on Rice

32 SAI-LYPORT • . • • • ...... • .. •...... , .• .• . ‘14 • .4:-. a, ,• 8. • .

Fl1t '02 23 34 SALLYPORT JONES • ACADEMIC INTERESTS: PREMED STUDIES, LANGUAGES

ACADEMIC SCHEDULE: ORGANIC CHEMISTRY • MEDICAL SOCIOLOGY • AMERICAN LITERATURE • CAREER AND LIFE SERVICES • JAPANESE • BIOSCIENCE LAB

For a student who considers her-.. size is small and quaint and a bit dent affairs. In her position as so- self "clueless" about declaring a more intimate, which I enjoy." She cials coordinator for Jones Col- major,Jennine is super busy taking adds, "I came to Rice looking for a lege, she plans pub nights, public as many courses as she can in her small student—teacher ratio and parties, and coffee house nights. quest to achieve that nebulous goal. classes where teachers knew me by She made the Rice Owl dance team "I came to Rice with the intention name and focused on learning. I again this year, and she's the pow- of being an engineering major or found these ideals in my classes der-puff football team defensive natural science major, but lately I this year." captain."We aren't very good,"she feel that the best way to be well- To help determine her major says, with her usual self-depreca- rounded and prepare for medical course of study, Jennine enrolled tory but enthusiastic manner,"but school is to have a liberal arts or in a Career and Life Services course. we sure have fun!" She even found humanities major," she explains. In the class, students learn about time to start a new Jones College "I guess I'll figure it out by the end various types of personalities, per- tradition by designating Sunday of the semester." sonal values, skills, and interests night as TV night at the Masters' With her heavy academic load of and the type of jobs and majors that House: "This all started because I 18 hours and classes that run the fit those characteristics."The class wanted to watch Sex and the City, gamut from hard sciences like Pro- is like a counseling session," says and Jones doesn't have cable," she fessor David Caprette's bioscience Jennine. "I have taken several ex- explains."It was also a great way to lab to hard languages such as Pro- ams and listen to the counselors get to know the new masters [Pro- fessor Hiroko Sato'sJapanese class, and people from the community." fessor Robert Forman and his wife, Jennine is sure to find something It appears to have helped."So far, I Anne Owens]." that suits her. She says that her know that I want to go to medical Obviously with Jennine, where medicatociology class gets her school,or nurse practitioner school there's a will, there's a way. And up in the morning, and she doesn't as a backup," she says. with a will like hers, she'll prob- mind the early hours. "The mate- Jennine makes an art out of bal- ably determine her major very rial is very compriendible and ancing her extracurricular activi- soon. interesting, and the professor is ties with the myriad tasks that her super cool and real! knows her varied classes provide. She shad- #stuff," Jen n i ii e gushes. "We dis- owed Zenaido Camacho for a week cuss topics that I would discuss in this semester to learn more about or' egular cottversatio he .class his role as vice president for stu- '

# fot Itob , • , • Iamb alba* Imoes %moo lifts 100 • 416•• BROWN • ACADEMIC INTEREST: BIOCHEMISTRY

ACADEMIC SCHEDULE: BIOSCIENCE DEVELOPMENT • PRIN- CIPLES OF ECONOMICS • METAPHYSICS • CELL BIOLOGY • ORGANIC CHEMISTRY • BIOSCIENCE LAB INDEPENDENT STUDY

Fortunately for Marc, he is sure warrant planning the entire week last. The four 300-level classes I'm of his major—so sure, in fact, that beforehand s6 that I can be sure 1 taking keep me busy enough that I the Latrobe, Pennsylvania, native won't waste any time. In fact, it's don't have to worry about trying to decided,to stay in Houston this sum- often hard for me to look back at a be social. Prioritizing between mer to work in Professor Yousif week and remember any specific homework and friends has become Shamoo's biochemistry lab. He day, because they all seem to flow less of a problem for me than it enjoyed his experience so much together with the repetitiveness of used to be." that he pursued an independent classes,lab work,and homework." Marc did manage to find time to study in the professor's lab this And like all the students profiled, attend a few social events this se- semester. Says Professor Shamoo, he seems to suffer from a pretty mester. He attended College Night -Marc has a natural passion for severe lack of sleep. "I don't usu- festivities at Brown and went to a science that can't be taught in a ally get enough sleep except on friend's birthday party. He got a classroom." Marc can frequently Friday and Saturday nights," he chance to visit with his parents, be found cloistered in the lab sev- laments. "The lack of sleep can't who flew in from Latrobe for a visit eral hours each day, and he feels be good for my health, but I as- during Parents Weekend. And he that he and Professor Shamoo sume I'll get used to it," he says, also participated in a campuswide share an intellectual curiosity. "As seeming unconvinced. social event where students choose an undergraduate, Dr. Shamoo There are some bright spots for blind dates for their roommates. found himself spending too much Marc in this torrid pace of aca- But with Marc's bedtimes averag- time in lab, believing real work to demic achievement. -I'm more ing around 2:00 A.m. every night be of more benefit to him than pleased with the pace my classes and his alarm clock set at 7:45 regular course work. I share this are taking this year as opposed to A.M., one wonders if he was able to sentiment, and I hope that I will be keep himself awake for the event. able to succeed as he has." And this Brown College member does have plenty of regular course work to tackle. Like Jennine, he has a heavy academic load, which he describes as "hectic." "I usually have enough work to ILL

36 SALLYI'Uf2 With academic sched- ules like those, Adaba, Will, lennine, and Marc probably can't wait until graduation day, when they'll march through the Sallyport and head straigh for professional life. The must daydream about full- hour lunch breaks, lei- surely chats around the water cooler, and two- week paid vacations. To Rice students, balancing busy careers and hectic family lives must seem like heaven compared to juggling rigorous academics, extracurricular activities, and social lives, while chasing the ever-evasive sandman. The grass is always greener, isn't it?

The next installment ofaass hefeatured in the spring 2003 issue ofSallyport.

FALL '02 37 Another Digit, There's No Another Dollar Debating Success

Oxford University professor Nick Trefethen wasn't kidding when he The George R.Brown offered a dollar a digit for a series of 100 numbers. The difficulty was in Forensics Society deducing the right numbers from a series of 10 diabolically nasty placed first in overall numerical problems. sweepstakes at the , Trefethen's "100-Dollar, 100-Digit Challenge" was sponsored by the University ofSt. Tho- Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics(SIAM) and published mas Forensics Tour- in the January/February 2002 issue ofSIAM News. A group of graduate nament held in students from Rice's Department of Computational and Applied Math- Houston in late Sep- ematics(CAAM) took up the gauntlet,loaded their calculators with fresh tember. The Rice team, composed batteries, and wound up with a first-place spot in the winner's circle. mainly of new students, dominated Every year, Trefethen, who is head of Oxford's Numerical Analysis the debate divisions at the tourna- Group, assigns his new doctoral students in numerical analysis one ment. problem per week for six weeks. The problems are stated in a sentence In parliamentary debate, Rice ad- or two,and each has an answer that is a single real number.The students' vanced six ofeight teams to the quar- mission is to compute that number to as many digits of precision as they ter-finals bracket, won all ofits quar- can. The problems from this class were used in the "100-Dollar, 100- ter-final rounds, and eliminated all Digit Challenge." other schools from the tournament. "Each problem is 'solved' to Trefethen's satisfaction with the submis- This resulted in an unbreakable, six- sion of 10 correct decimal digits, so a complete solution to the suite way tie for first place among the Rice consists of 100 digits," says CAAM department chair Bill Symes."These teams, which consisted of Robert were truly difficult computations: Achieving 10-digit accuracy with any Crider and Nathan Smith, Danielle feasible expenditure of computational effort required in all cases clever Mathieu-Reeves and Sheena Barbour, and subtle approaches. The CAAM team deserves hearty congratulations Greg Miller and Justin Simard, Ben for a very impressive piece ofwork." The CAAM team actually submitted Norris and Malcolm McCollum,Elise considerably more than 100 correct digits. Sumnicht and James Sullivan, and The competition drew 94 teams from 25 countries, and a total of 20 Jennifer Thai and Harry Long. teams submitted correct answers. The Rice team consisted of graduate The top six places in parliamentary students Eric Dussaud, Chris Husband, Hoang Nguyen, and Dan debate speaker all went to Rice speak- Reynolds and postdoctoral research associate Chris Stolk, advised by ers. They were, from first to sixth Mark Embree, assistant professor, and Yin Zhang, associate professor, place: Ben Norris, James Sullivan, both in applied mathematics. Elise Sumnicht, Sheena Barbour, The original challenge and the problems are accessible online at http:// Malcolm McCollum, and Harry www.siam.org/siamnews/01-02/challenge.pdf. The solutions and list of Long. Greg Miller won first in Lin- the first- and second-place winners are online athttp://web.comlab.ox.ac.uk/ coln - Dougl as debate, Morgan oucl/work/nick.trefethen/hundred.html. The solutions the Rice team Gossom took fourth place in pro- submitted,as well as the team members'approaches to solving the problems, gram oral interpretation, and Ben are accessible athttp://www.caam.rice.edu/caam/trs/2002/TRO2-06.pdf. Norris and Ben Smiley placed fifth SIAM is an international organization with 9,000 membersin academia, and sixth places, respectively, in ex- industry, and government laboratories. The society's goal is to advance temporaneous speaking. Norris also the research and application of mathematics and computational science finished first in impromptu speaking to science, engineering, industry, and society. and fourth in after-dinner speaking, and he walked away as top debater/ —ANN Lucia speaker, followed by Greg Miller in second place and Justin Simard in third. Rice was number one in the overall sweepstakes and the debate sweepstakes and third in the speech sweepstakes.

38 SALLYPORT 5CNEXT RICE CENTURY CAMPAIGN

GOAL VS. PROGRESS

Annual Fund 6.2% 18.9% The Rice Annual Fund: Program. Pending 5.0% Every Alum, Every Dollar, Every Year Designation

Make a Difference 29.3 % 40.6% Facilities Endowment

We've all heard that every vote counts. It's • After seven years of giving, Rice alums Goal: $500 million also true that every dollar counts, particu- continue to give annually throughout their Progress: $411.5 million larly for the Rice Annual Fund, where each lifetimes. Our peer institutions included in dollar makes an important impact on the the study do not benefitfrom the same degree as of 10/31/02 current and long-term operations of the of long-term, lifetime loyalty. Rice campus. These findings tell a powerful story. As a The Annual Fund is so vital to the future result, we look to you, our alumni, to begin of Rice that it was established as one of the contributing to the Annual Fund to increase four core priorities of the Rice: The Next our participation rate and to continue your Century Campaign: specifically, a goal of donations on a consistent, annual basis. The $30 million for the Annual Fund and unre- students, faculty, and facilities depend on stricted gifts. I'm pleased to share with you generous donors to maintain the standards of that as of October 31,2002, Rice has raised excellence that have become synonymous with $25.5 million toward this goal. We have also the name Rice University. raised $411.5 million toward the overall Thank you for supporting the fund that campaign goal of $500 million. supports the university. Two factors are key to ongoing success: participation and consistent giving. Partici- pation—no matter the amount—sends a strong, clear message that Rice alums are very loyal to their alma mater. Between July 1,2001,and June 30,2002, Rice benefited Eric C. Johnson from approximately 37 percent overall un- Vice President dergraduate alumni participation, an excel- Resource Development lent result, particularly when compared to our peer institutions such as Stanford, MIT, the University of Chicago, and Carnegie Mellon. Consistent giving—making a donation to Rice every year—yields impressive results. Recently, Rice commissioned an independent client relations firm to evaluate giving history and patterns of Rice donors. The analysis showed: • Donors who give every year, compared to those who give periodically, donate more than twice as much during the same number of years that donations are made. • If everyone who made a donation from 1987 through 2000 were to make a donation all in the same year, participation would increase to nearly 67 percent.

FALL '02 39 .xcNEXT RICE CENTURY CA MPAIGN

SUPPORTING THE FUND there were no college THAT SUPPORTS THE coordinators UNIVERSITY or RAs to help out? What is the Rice Annual Fund and why Total program costs: is it so important? The word "annual" $900,000 is key because each year the fund sup- Annual Fund contributed: ports many of the behind-the-scenes, $250,000 day-to-day operations of the university—those vital to ensuring that the university runs smoothly and efficiently while also providing the programs, services, and materials that students and faculty require. In addition, the Annual Fund con- tributes to undergraduate scholarships and graduate fellowships,allowing Rice to attract and enroll the best and the brightest. Rice would not be the university that alums proudly call their alma mater if these funds were not generously there were no R1VIC for coffee donated every year. Throughout these and conversation? two pages, you will see how contribu- Total student center and recreation program tions to the Annual Fund for fiscal year costs: $1 million 2002 were distributed. Annual Fund contributed: $265,000

TELEFUND The People Behind the Phone Calls: 30 Rice students—from all colleges and classes—make up the Telefund team that Rice solicits donations by phone. The donors who give as a result contribute significantly to the Annual Fund. In FY02, those friendly Telefund voices raised $882,520. For FY03, the goal is $950,000. To date this year, 1,239 people have donated $125,000 through if.. Telefund.

MATCHING GIFTS MEAN LARGER DONATIONS Many employers will match charitable contributions that can double or triple the value of donor gifts. In FY02, there were no trees? $971,455 was received from matching Total costs to maintain campus: companies. To see if your employer nearly $1 million (even if you are retired) participates in Annual Fund contributed: $256,000 the Matching Gifts program, go to: • http://www.ruf.rice.edu/ -giving/giving/matching [approximate FY02 figures] • e-mail: [email protected] • call: 713-348-4991. 1

40 SALLYPORT RICE &k\IITEl)i(RrY CAMPAIGN

RESIDENT AL there were no Internet COLLEGE LIFE 5% connections in classrooms? Total education technology costs: more than $2 million LIBRARY ACQUISITIONS 38% Annual Fund contributed: $630,000 EDUCATION TI CHNOLOGY 12°.

CAMPUS SE( URtTY 12

MAINTENA OF CAMPUS BE; UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS AND STUDENT CENTER GRADUATE ACTIV!TIES AND FELLOWSHIPS 23% RECI EATION PROG RAMS 5%

RICE ANNUAL FUND AND GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY SCHOLARSHIPS FISCAL YEAR 2002

Residential College Life Support college masters, RAs, t would and college coordinators Education Technology there were no Support investment in IT for around-the-clock security? teaching, including Owlnet labs and Total campus security budget: electronic equipment for classrooms $2.2 million Annual Fund contributed: ?be like Campus Security $600,000 Maintain a safe and secure yet friendly campus environment

Student Center Activities and Recreation Programs • • • Continue activities and programs in which a majority of students participate

Scholarships and Fellowships Meet financial needs of undergraduates and graduates

Maintenance of a Beautiful Campus Maintain more than 4,000 trees and the campus grounds

Library Acquisitions Purchase 36,000 books and monographs and 11,500 serial subscriptions

there were no Chem Abstracts or Shakespeare's First Folio in Fondren Library? Total library acquisition costs: exceeded $7 million Annual Fund contributed: $2 million

FALL '02 41 -X4 NEXT "The value ofyour degree is wrapped up in RICE CENTURY CAMPAIGN the reputation ofthe institution."

From Frogs to Fundraising: All Paths Lead Back to Rice

Elizabeth Guffy has done what many of us do during our lives—start down one path only to turn around and take another. That, in the words of Robert Frost, "has made all the difference" for Elizabeth, her family, and Rice. For example, Elizabeth was accepted by both Bryn Mawr and Rice but chose Bryn Mawr. After two weeks there, she decided she was miserable, toughed it out until the end of the semester, and started at Rice the following spring. Then she wanted to live on campus,but there was no space for her,so she lived offcampus. In her sophomore year,she married her high school sweetheart, Michael,from tiny Newton, Texas, where they met while dissecting frogs in biology. Since her husband "kinda objected about my living on campus without him," Elizabeth never lived in her residential college— Brown. At Rice, she majored in biology, worked part time in the Medical Center and the Rice biology lab, and decided to get her graduate degree in biology from Rice. But after three years of postgraduate work, Elizabeth realized she didn't want to spend the rest of her life in a lab "cutting up tadpoles." So she went to law school at the University of Houston and now is a bankruptcy lawyer. These days, she's putting her husband through college at the University of Houston as he too travels another path, from Xerox technician to school counselor. "We had an agreement that when I reached a certain income level, he could quit work, and I'd support him through school like he did for me," Elizabeth says. Her son,Philip, also is attending the University ofHouston as a theater major."I joke with people that Philip attended Rice for a while," she says. "The professors I worked with as a graduate student in the biology lab gave me a playpen at my baby shower so I could bring him to work with me." Their support,as well as the monetary support she received from Rice to obtain a first-rate education, has motivated her to give back to the university. "For me,there's a sense you were given something that nobody had to give you," she says. "You know that your education is subsidized by somebody,and when that happens,you turn around and pay it forward." She has served as co-chair for the class of 1980 for a decade, has consistently contributed to the Rice Annual Fund, and now serves as chair of Annual Gifts. Elizabeth encourages alumni who may not be currently active in the university to take the path back to their educational roots and support their alma mater. "Any time you get a degree from an institution, the value of your degree is wrapped up in the reputation of the institution," she says. "It's in your best interest to ensure, through your support, that the institution stays as good and gets better than it was when you were there."

—Lync-rrE JAMES

Elizabeth M. Guffy Year: 1980 College: Brown Major: Biology

Volunteer Commitments: chair, Annual Gifts co-chair, class of 1980 alumni representative, Undergraduate Curriculum Committee

For more information about the campaign,go to http://www.rice.edu and choose Donor/Prospective Donor, or call Resource Development at 713-348-4600.

42 SALLYPORT ARTS

Mitchell Named Teaching the Sound of Playwright-in- Residence Music

Fueled by a strong need to The Michael P. Hammond Prepara- tremendous step forward for the Shep- express his thoughts in an tory Program at the Shepherd School herd School preparatory program," orderly yet humorous fash- ofMusic, which offers music curricula said Virginia Nance, preparatory ad- ion,Douglas Mitchell turned and experiences for every age group, ministrator. "This will allow us to plan to playwriting as a way to has gotten a major boost with a $5- for the future with confidence." keep his sanity. After 13 years million grantfrom the More than 200 stu- ofwriting plays,the Rice Uni- Brown Foundation dents are enrolled in versity linguist is well known Inc. the program's various for his one-act dramas, and Hammond, who classes, which are de- this fall, he takes on a new designed and signed to build and role ofhis own as Rice's play- launched the program enhance their connec- wright-in-residence. seven years ago,was a tion to music. Stu- Mitchell's work has gar- composer and vision- dents also can receive nered international attention ary leader who took individual instruction and has been produced in Rice's Shepherd on many instruments many American cities and School of Music to and in voice. One of several European countries. new levels of profes- the courses is the He has directed his plays with sionalism during his Mini-Maestros Music Pulitzer Prize-winning play- 16 years as dean. Day Camps for Chil- wright Edward Albee and was After his death on dren, which teaches named playwright-in-resi- January 29 in Wash- youngsters ages two dence for Stages Repertory ington,D.C., the pro- to 10 about music Theatre."He is a very bright gram was renamed RACHEL BUCHMAN, AN EARLY through singing, lis- man and quite inventive," in his honor. CHILDHOOD MUSIC INSTRUCTOR AT tening to orchestral RICE, ENGAGES YOUNG STUDENTS Albee says. "He has a very "For many decades music,playing percus- now, the Brown IN A FUN EXERCISE AT A sion instruments,and fertile imagination. He MINI-MAESTROS DAY CAMP. knows his way around the Foundation has pro- doing creative move- theater. I think he is by na- vided vital support to ment and eurythmics. ture a playwright." virtually every aspect of the academic The classes also include ear training Mitchell, who has been on enterprise at Rice, ranging from sci- and general musical concepts such as the Rice faculty for 21 years, ence,engineering, and humanities,and dynamics, tempo, pitch, and rhythm. teaches Sanskrit, Old En- in more recent years, music," said Rice "The experience is beneficial and chal- glish, Gothic, the history of president Malcolm Gillis. "This latest lenging for all children, even those linguistics, the history ofthe gift from the Brown Foundation will already taking instrumental lessons," English language, and allow Rice to become even more deeply said Rachel Buchman, the program's playwriting. He did not be- engaged in musical arts in the Hous- early-childhood music consultant who gin writing plays until he was ton community and is also a most also teaches the Brown Scholars. 60, and he did so as a way of fitting memorial to former dean ofthe "What I find most extraordinary thinking about and dealing Shepherd School, Dr. Michael about teaching young children," she with internal confrontation. Hammond. Once again, all of Rice continues, "is the joy they get from "It keeps me from going and all of Houston are in debt to the hearing and making music and the nuts," he says. Brown Foundation." profoundly accurate musical instincts The program emphasizes training they have. Young children can carry a -ELLEN CHANG for young musicians in music theory tune and keep a beat. They are born and chamber music,and the grant will with these sensibilities; it is my job to be used to teach music performance recognize these sensibilities and de- and theory to Houston-area students velop them while keeping their musi- ages three to 18. It also will be used to cal imaginations alive and growing." support up to 10 Brown Scholars— graduate students who receive full- -ELLEN CHANG tuition fellowships and stipends while they teach in the program. "This is a

FALL '02 43 ARTS

because it can be used to make crisp, solid fields of color with the graphic look of printed digital images. The David Chien same effect is far more difficult to achieve through a traditional medium like paint. Road signs taken out of context can be read like Zen An engaging strain of the obsessive obscure riddles to ponder for greater insight. runs through this young artist's work. koans or While Chien could have used larger For David Chien, the hallmark of a trip to the Grand sections of vinyl to create his bill- Canyon was a sign that read,"Gusty winds may exist." board-sized images, he wanted the viewer to experience the laborious The message feels oddly poetic for highway signage, patchworking that is visible only when and the words seemingly impart something beyond standing close to his giant figures. The process adds a subtle textural compo- road condition information. nent that a more slickly commercial, standard application would lack. Chien's chance viewing of the sign make up the images analogous to the In the same arduous vein, Chien became the departure point for his layers in digital imaging programs. created a number of magnetic puppets installation at Rice Gallery, But the construction process involved to accompany the project. A blend of gustywindsmayexist,the second install- more manual labor than pointing and merchandising and artist's multiple— ment in the gallery's Summer Window clicking. The massive window was pa- a limited edition ofan artistic object— series. For Chien,the expanse of glass pered over and the images were pro- the puppets were, in their creator's between the two wings of Sewall Hall jected large scale and traced. The pa- tongue-in-cheek description, pro- was "almost a wind tunnel from one per was then removed, and a team of duced "under sweatshop-like condi- side of the building to the other." In seven people working over almost two tions." For two solid weeks Chien response to the space, he created huge weeks filled in the grease pencil lines went into the gallery and sat down to vinyl characters, frozen in mid-flight with hundreds ofpieces ofsticky vinyl, assembly line manufacture the pup- across the 16 x 44' span ofthe gallery's painstakingly overlaid and rubbed pets. The images were printed from a window. The flat, angular, and blocky smooth. Sections of color went on computer, then the handwork began cartoon images of men are defined by first, and then the black outlines were as Chien mounted the images on illus- thick black outlines. They tration board,cut them out, wear suits and tennis shoes grommeted the arms to the in an amalgam of corporate body,and applied the mag- uniform and leisure wear. netic backing. Chien sums Tumbling across the surface, up the experience as "the their Starbucks to-go cups pinnacle ofrepetitive tasks," take flight as well. describing the project as A2002 Rice graduate with "carpal tunnel all the way." a B.A. in studio art, Chien Fortunately, Chien's effort developed his "everyman" was duly rewarded,and the character and his strongly puppets sold out. graphic style in Rationale..., Considering the point his editorial cartoon for the ofview oftheir 22-year-old Rice Thresher. The images creator, Chien's buffeted begin as freehand sketches figures could very easily be that are scanned and digi- the artist and his fellow tally cleaned up in a computer drawing added. Chien had an inkling that the graduates as they are blown out of program. Lines are made sharper,edges project might be successful when,dur- school and into the workforce still in become crisper, and the figures are ing installation,he observed more than their tennis shoes, desperately reach- filled in with solid fields of color. The one rapt passerby walk into a wall. ing for their caffeine. The forecast for artist's challenge was to translate char- Adhesive vinyl is one of numerous the road ahead? Gusty winds may ex- acters born in the column inches of a commercial products increasingly em- ist. Then again, maybe there's a "Sce- university newspaper to the square ployed for fine arts usage, and Chien nic overlook ahead." footage of an architectural space. had seen Emily Joyce's abstract, peel- More of David Chien's projects can Chien, revealing himself as a child and-stick vinyl "paintings" adhered be viewed at www.nakedgre mli n.com . ofthe digital age,approached the win- directly onto a wall in a Glassell Core dows as a kind of giant computer Fellow exhibition. He was struck by -KELLY KLAASMEYER screen, with the layers of vinyl that the visual potential of the material

44 SALLYPORT ARTS

into a fountain to make a wish—this object can dispense the cash you need to make all of your dreams come true. Ester Partegas In her artist's statement, Partegas mentions seemingly disparate things Entering Samesation like suburban sprawl and totalitarian at Rice Gallery is like wander- monuments.She explains how the scale ing into a giant architectural model for a civic plaza. of Nazi and Communist architecture This larger-than-life installation by Ester Partegas was designed to make the individual feel insignificant. She sees a similar comes complete with trees, benches,and planters,all loss of individuality occurring in the carefully crafted from mat board and heavy paper. repetitive architecture of sprawling modern subdivisions. The exhibit's title, Samesation,is a comment on the Things become ominous, however, screen ofthe monolithic machine stares growth of "sameness" in our world. when you realize that the center ofthis back at you like a dormant HAL from The symmetrical, standardized com- symmetrical arrangement of greenery 2001: A Space Odyssey. You sense its ponents of her installation could be and seating is not an elegant sculpture massive, silent presence, lurking and endlessly duplicated, mimicking the or a contemplative fountain but a waiting. It seems to be monitoring infinite expansions of planned com- massive pylon housing a large, domi- rather than serving you. munities,fast food franchises,and chain neering ATM. The exaggerated scale places you stores. Walking around the installation, you face to face with the dead screen. The In other works, Partegas has dem- begin to suspect the seemingly in- keypad is awkwardly located directly onstrated her fascination with the nocuous civic structure is in reality a under your chin. Inserting a bankcard deeper significance to be found in Trojan horse,the dubious gift ofsome into the oversized slot would require commonplace surroundings and con- nefarious corporation. The trees are you to reach up like a kid straining to sumer objects. In her drawings of dark brown,rectangular columns with put money on the counter at the candy people, she replaced their heads with boxy,stark, and leafless branches stick- store. The scale is intentionally de- shopping bags from chain stores like ing out ofthe top. The round planters signed to make you feel vulnerable The Gap and Banana Republic. De- sprout silver columns with disks of and childlike—an inferior supplicant tours (2001-2002) is series of huge green as nature is translated into neat to the Great Oz or some all-powerful drawings of tiny, ephemeral store re- geometric forms. The taupe benches financial god. The really unnerving ceipts in which Parte& replaced the are circular and drum-like, and the part of the installation is that the item descriptions with shopping ratio- central four-sided ATM "shrine" is design's realization does not seem in- nalizations. Texts like "A reward to myself" or "I've had a terrible day" run down the length of the receipt, directly across from the prices. For a 1999 work, #2 Homeless, Partegas crafted an airplane passenger seat from Styrofoam and accessorized it with all the accoutrements of a peripatetic modern day businessperson: laptop, newspaper, compartmented airline food tray, shopping bags. Looking at it makes you wonder what anthro- pologists of the future will theorize about the transitory people who spent significant portions of their lives strapped into these tiny seats. executed in corporate gray-beige. The conceivable; who among us would be Partegas's work exposes the unset- bland institutional tones of Partegas's surprised to find this plaza in down- tling homogeneity of globalization. color choices emphasize the imper- town Houston? In Partegas's world, and ours, slick sonality. In placing the ATM, an object of office buildings are the same in Hong Partegas's obsession for detail ex- commerce,in the location one would Kong, New York, Moscow, or Paris, tends to recreating every design ele- normally find an object ofart, Partegas The Gap is The Gap is The Gap no ment ofthe ATM's facade,right down comments on our priorities. You can matter where you are,and public spaces to the card slot. Its control panel is sit on the benches and peacefully pon- increasingly promote commerce in- meticulously crafted from silver paper der the power and the beauty of the stead of community. with the "yes," "no," and "cancel," ATM as you would contemplate a buttons carefully outlined. The blank sculpture. Forget throwing pennies -KELLY KLAAHMEYER

FALL '02 45 Cinl THE BOOK SHELF

".\

Making Your The South Dot-corn Boom Transformed:

A TALE OF REPUBLICANS' SOUTHERN The Internet has been touted as the best ASCENDANCY thing that's happened to business since

Winning the invention ofthe storefront. But that Between 1950 and 2000,the Republican Party's represen- B-Business doesn't mean that doing business tation from the South increased from only two House eI ec tronically is thesame as makingsales face- members and no senators to a majority of the South's to-face. In many ways, the Internet is a congressional delegations. whole new ball game,and while the idea is "This transformation of the South is the biggest story in still to score, the rules and ballpark are the last half-century of American politics, because we've definitely different. You can't just throw up gone from a region that was solidly Democratic to one that a webpage and expect to thrive—the dot- is very competitive," says Earl Black, Rice's Herbert S. com bust proved that. After all, business is Autrey Professor of Political Science. Black and his twin business, and successful business requires brother, Merle, a professor of politics and government at business savvy. Emory University, analyze that transition in their latest And specialized tools. Creating a Winning E-Business book, The Rise ofSouthern Republicans(Harvard—Belknap (Course Technology/Thomson Learning, 2001), by Rice Press, 2002). professor of management and director ofthe Center on the The Blacks spent a decade researching and writing the Management ofInformation Technology H.Albert Napier, book, which complements their previous two books, Poli- Rice lecturer on management Stuart W. Wagner, Philip tics and Society in the South and The Vital South: How Judd, and 011ie N. Rivers, is just such a tool. Although the Presidents Are Elected."You have to learn enough about the book is written as a textbook, it has the look and feel of any subject to be confident you've identified central patterns of the myriad computer primers we've all become familiar and can write about them with clarity," Black says."We set with. The open, engaging format is filled with pull-outs, out to try to understand the changing impact of the South case examples, tips, and screen shots that provide clear on congressional politics, and we tried,for the first time,to examples of the principles outlined by the authors. study the transformation of a large regional delegation to But this book isn't just another pretty face. Its 400-plus Congress over an extensive period—five decades." pages delve solidly into understanding the new economy, The authors describe the people, events, and changes formulating e-business ideas, building an e -business, deal- that took place in society over the past 50 years and that ing with payment methods, defining security issues, creat- created the possibility of two-party politics in the South. ing an effective website, and understanding back-end sys- Civil rights legislation, race, economic class, gender, and tems and distribution. religion had strong impacts on Republican and Democratic Take chapter four, "Creating an E-Business Plan." It coalitions. The Blacks' goal was to present all these factors leads off with practical guide to organizing an e-business without a political bias. "We're critical of people in both plan, including the content that should appear in the plan parties," Black says. and the format it should take. Each subsection of the plan, One thing that surprised Black while writing this book such as the executive summary, marketing plan, operations was the Republicans' victories in the House. When he plan, and financial plan, are explained. Following that are started on the book,he didn't expect the Republicans in the sections on the legal forms oforganization for an e-business House to attain as much success as they did later in the and e-business partnerships. decade. "It looked to us as ifthere was tremendous unreal- Each chapter ends with a summary, exercises, - -- ized Republican potential out there," Black says, case and team projects, and lists ofuseful links and "but in 1990, we didn't think it would produce other books for review. An extensive glossary a Republican majority in the House delega- winds up the book. The tion. As we got to 1994, the dissatisfaction Starting up a new e-business or trying to make Rise of with Clinton made it clear that by that point, it an existing one more profitable? Creat- Southern was possible the Republicans could take the ing a Winning E-Business just might give you House and the Senate, and that turned out to the edge you need. Repubficans be true." Black says the South is now at the epicenter of Republican and Democratic strategies to control —CHRISTI-ER Dow Congress. Consequently, an understanding of the changing South is essential to comprehending national political dynamics.

—B. LI. ALMOND

45 SALLYPORT ON THE BOOKSHELF

Rain or Shine BOOKNOTES "Hot enough for you?" That's the weather pleasantry we hear most often in Houston, but in other places you could substitute "cold" or "windy" or "wet" Chaucer's England, a look at for the condition you've had enough of. No matter what it's like outside, we all the England of the Middle have an opinion on the weather, and while we may not always watch the news or Ages, written for teens, by sports, we invariably listen to what the weather forecaster has to say. Diana Childress '61 (Linnet Robert Henson '81 pays more attention than most of us to the weather. His Books, 2000). childhood in the Great Plains metropolis of Oklahoma City exposed him to a lot of wild weather. "I grew up fascinated by it," he says. At Rice, he completed an Folk Linguistics, by Nancy A. interdisciplinary major in meteorology and psychology, and he credits professor Niedzielski, assistant professor of physics Arthur Few with giving him a strong basic grounding in atmospheric oflinguistics at Rice,and Den- science. nis R. Preston (Mouton de Following graduate school at the University of Oklahoma, where he studied Gruyter, 2000). both meteorology and journalism,Henson joined the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, a consortium of universities God Help All Little Children dedicated to education and research on earth systems. The organization also Read, Write, and Spell, by Ian manages the National Center for Atmospheric Research. There, Henson writes Duck,professor ofphysics and and edits publications on weather and weather research and works on major astronomy at Rice University weather research projects. He even pursues the subject in his free time, writing (1st Books Library, 2000). articles and radio shows on weather and photographing storms and other weather phenomena. With that kind of background, it's not surprising that Henson has 100 Years of Planck's Quan- written a fact- and anecdote-filled book that may be the best layperson's tum, by Ian Duck,professor of information source on weather since Aristotle's Meteorologica—anda lot more physics and astronomy at Rice, fun to read. and E. C. G.Sudarshan (World The Rough Guide to Weather(Rough Guides, 2002) opens with a Scientific Publishing Co.,Inc., general introduction to weather in all its aspects—the atmosphere, 2000). seasons,wind currents,climate zones,and worldwide weather patterns. After that,Henson moves on to the exciting stuff— Places in the Mind, poems by the kind of weather severe enough to leave its mark on our Catharine Savage Brosman'55, personal and cultural histories. Thunderstorms, blizzards, professor emerita at Tulane fog, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and drought all make an University and honorary re- appearance, and Henson provides clear explanations of how and , search professor at the Univer- why they occur—and why they occur in certain places. sity of Sheffield, England Next, he provides a brief history of meteorology before describing (Louisiana State University what goes into weather forecasting, how to make sense offorecasts and Press, 2000). get the most out ofthem, and ways to do your own forecasting. Following that is a primer on global climate change that takes a look at global warming, Schumann's Eichendorff greenhouse gases, the ozone layer, and the effects on climate of wild cards like Liederkreis and the Genre ofthe fluctuations in solar energy, Arctic and Antarctic ice melt, and vegetation. Romantic Cycle, by David For travelers, folks relocating to new cities, or simply the curious, a lengthy Ferris, assistant professor of chapter on worldwide weather supplies brief but fact-packed snapshot guides to musicology at Rice (Oxford weather conditions in dozens of countries and more than 150 cities around the University Press, 2000). world.Included are more than 200 climate charts. And finally,there is a thorough guide to weather resources, such as governmental agencies, universities, books, Shamanism: The Neural Ecol- and websites. Part of this last chapter covers weather and health-related issues. ogy of Consciousness and Heal- Henson's book is one of those rarities: as entertaining to read as it is ing, by Michael Winkelman informative. Lots of sidebars relate interesting and often amusing details about '76, director of the Ethno- specific weather phenomena,incidents, and facts,such as the differences between graphic Field School at Ari- morning and late afternoon rainbows, the shape of raindrops, lightning strikes, zona State University (Bergin the origin of Groundhog Day, and how we came to name tropical storms as we & Garvey, 2000). do. Photos, diagrams, and charts throughout help bring the weather to life. In fact, as I write this, a tropical storm is bearing down on Houston and is due Transformation, a science fic- to arrive later tonight and may turn into a hurricane. The skies are gray, and the tion novel by Carol Berg '70 wind is picking up. Now what is it Henson says about tropical storms. . . ? (Roc, 2000). Robert Henson also is the author of Television Weathercasting: A History (McFarland, 1990). —Cwwurroewew Dow

FALL '02 47 WHO'S WHO

New Director of Alumni In the Affairs and University News

Events Appointed CHUCK HENRY TO FOCUS ON LIBRARY NEEDS

For the past two years, Rice Following an ex- onstrated his abil- vice president and chief in- tensive candidate ity while signifi- formation officer (CIO) search and inter- cantly improving Chuck Henry has been per- view process,Mark the NAU Alumni forming the equivalent oftwo E. Delos Reyes Association by do- full-time jobs, overseeing Davis of Northern ing many of the both the university's infor- Arizona University things we plan to mation technology and li- (NAU)at Flagstaff do with the ARA. I brary needs. Because of the has been named di- expect that he will complexities and time con- rector ofalumni af- take our alumni as- straints of this dual role, fairs and university sociation to new Henry has decided to relin- events for Rice and heights to become quish his role as vice presi- also will serve as one ofthe very best dent and CIO in order to executive director in the nation." concentrate on his position of the Association The nine-member as university librarian and vice of Rice Alumni search committee, provost. (ARA). Mark cur- composed of six "The vice president/CIO rently holds similar positions alumni and three senior members position was created to com- at NAU. ofRice's faculty and staff,reviewed bine the library and informa- "We narrowed a large field of more than 150 applications for tion technology as a new unit candidates, including a number the position. Nearly one-third of on campus," Henry said, of Rice alumni, to three," said the applications were received "but we now realize that each Rachel Deskin '83,past president from Rice alumni. Nine candi- ofthese entities requires full- ofthe ARA and chair ofthe search dates were brought in for first- time, dedicated leadership." committee."Mark was clearly our round interviews, with three re- Henry will continue to first choice with his outstanding turning for comprehensive serve as vice president/CIO history at NAU. The job he has interviews across campus and with until a successor is appointed, performed there is impressive,in- President Malcolm Gillis. Al- and then he will return to his novative, and effective—exactly though preference had been original duties as vice pro- what we need." placed on finding the best candi- vost and university librar- In this position, Mark will cre- date from among the Rice alumni ian—a position he has held ate and implement programs and applicants, Mark's talents and ex- since 1996. Provost Eugene activities to further develop and tensive experience were the de- Levy said a committee will cultivate relationships between termining factors for his selec- be appointed to search pri- Rice University and its alumni tion. Mark,who is 28,is the same vate industries as well as uni- and also coordinate the involve- age that Scott Biddy was when he versities for candidates for a ment of the volunteer board of became the first alumni director new IT senior management the ARA with the university. in 1992. position. "I am extremely excited about Mark begins his new position "We thank Chuck for the having Mark join Rice," noted at Rice on December 9. He will two years during which he Carl Isgren '61, a member of the visit campus on earlier occasions accepted—and mastered— search committee."He has dem- and attended Homecoming 2002. the daunting challenge of overseeing both Fondren Li- brary and Rice information technology," Levy said."He made important contribu-

48 SALLY POR T WHO'S WHO

tions to sharpening Rice's IT mis- cal inventiveness and business know- neurial spirit in both faculty and sion and organization while at the how, will help facilitate collaboration students." same time making progress with between the School of Engineering, Gil Whitaker,dean ofthe Jones plans to prepare Fondren for a with its inventions and advancements School, added, "The Rice Alli- new era in library services, his in technology, and the Jesse H. Jones ance is the embodiment of the number one passion." Graduate School ofManagement, with bold and vibrant entrepreneurial When Henry became Rice's its expertise in the commercialization spirit at Rice, and establishment CIO in 2000,32 members ofthe of ideas. of the chair recognizes the hard information technology staff re- Currall's appointment is the first work of Steve Currall and the ported directly to one director, time a professor from the Jones School Rice Alliance staff, who have done and 28 reported to another. "It has been named the holder ofa chair in a wonderful job at promoting this was a very difficult organization the Brown School ofEngineering. He spirit of entrepre- to manage, so we instituted a also holds faculty positions in the de- neurship through- comprehensive reorganization, partment of statistics in the School of out the university." creating eight new manager posi- Engineering and in psychology in the He explained tions from the existing budget," School of Social Sciences. that the Rice Alli- Henry said. "The new organiza- The chair was funded by William ance began as a vi- tional structure allows for greater Sick '57, a member of the Rice Board sion for elevating professional development, ac- of Trustees, and his wife, Stephanie. Rice to a leadership countability, and information "We hope the chair will facilitate the role in facilitating sharing, with a much stronger commercialization oftechnological in- commercialization commitment to customer service novations and be a focal point in cre- of new innova- and alignment with Rice's aca- ating a body of knowledge to better tions. "It is the demic mission." educate students in the process of university's initia- At Fondren, Henry plans to turning ideas into successful commer- tive to ensure that focus his attention on the major cial ventures," Sick said."Steve Currall Rice is to Houston transformations within academic is the ideal person to occupy the chair. what Stanford has research libraries brought on by In addition to his clearly demonstrated been to Silicon Val- new services, program innova- ability to work effectively across orga- ley and what MIT tions, and advances in technol- nizational boundaries, Steve has cre- has been to Bos- ogy. Working with his senior ad- ated one of the most successful uni- ton," Currall said. ministrators, he is undertaking a versity centers for entrepreneurship in Although only in rigorous review of the changes the country, the Rice Alliance." its third year, the that have occurred within Fondren Through hallmark events such as Rice Alliance has Library during the past 10 years, Technology Concept Forums,the an- helped establish more than 90 including services that have been nual Business Plan Presentation Fo- start-up ventures in Houston. phased out or added, changes in rum,and the Southwest Business Plan academic programs, investments Competition,the Rice Alliance brings in electronic resources,and grants together students,faculty, alumni, and MARTIN APPOINTED that have been awarded to the others from the Rice community with CHAIR OF PSYCHOLOGY library. Houston-area entrepreneurs, inves- tors, and business leaders. Areas of Randi Martin, the Elma possible collaboration include engi- Schneider Professor of Psychol- CURRALL NAMED FIRST neering, the sciences, software, and ogy, has been appointed chair of HOLDER OF SICK CHAIR the digital economy. the Department of Psychology. "The Rice Alliance, under the lead- She had been director of the Steve Currall, associate profes- ership of Steve Currall, has succeeded department's Cognitive Sciences sor of management, psychology, in creating a vigorous environment of Program. A member of the Rice and statistics at the Jones School entrepreneurship at Rice—a culture in faculty since 1982, Martin spe- and founding director ofthe Rice which science and engineering faculty cializes in research on the cogni- Alliance for Technology and En- look beyond the academic realm to tive mechanisms involved in lan- trepreneurship, has been ap- consider the potential commercial ap- guage comprehension and pointed the first holder of the plications of their work," said Sidney production. Last year, she was William and Stephanie Sick Chair Burrus, dean of the School of Engi- elected a fellow of the American in Entrepreneurship at Rice's neering."Through their generous con- Association for the Advancement George R. Brown School of En- tribution, Bill and Stephanie Sick are ofScience,the world's largest fed- gineering. The chairholder, who helping solidify Rice's reputation as eration ofscientists. Eric Margolis, requires a combination oftechni - a university that fosters the entrepre- associate professor ofphilosophy,

FALL '02 49 WHO'S WHO

is the new director of the Cogni- ZEFF INDUCTED INTO lectures and seminars to students, tive Sciences Program.Former de- ACCOUNTING HALL OF FAME academics,and practitioners, more partment chair Robert Dipboye than 380 of which have been out- will continue with his research For his contributions to the study of side the United States. and teaching as a professor ofpsy- accounting from historical and inter- While he greatly appreciates the chology and management. national perspectives, Stephen Zeff, many recognitions ofhis account- the Herbert S. Autrey Professor of ing research and services to his Accounting and professor ofmanage- profession, the accolades Zeff MATUSOW NAMED rial studies, adds another feather to his prizes the most are those that rec- ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF cap with his recent induction as the ognize his dedication to teaching. THE BAKER INSTITUTE 70th member of the prestigious Ac- In 1988, Zeff received the AAA's counting Hall of Fame. Outstanding Accounting Educa- Allen Matusow has been ap- Zeff, who was recognized last year tor Award,and in 1999 the AAA's pointed associate director for aca- for his work in historical research in International Accounting Section demic programs at the James A. accounting with the Hourglass Award named him the recipient of its Baker III Institute for Public from the Academy ofAccounting His- International Accounting Educa- Policy by Rice University presi- torians, was inducted into the Ac- tor Award. A four-time recipient dent Malcolm Gillis on the rec- counting Hall of Fame at the Ameri- ofthe George R. Brown Award for ommendation of can Accounting Association's (AAA) Superior Teaching, Zeff was hon- institute director annual meeting August 15. ored by the Rice Student Associa- Edward Djerejian. "This scholar-educator's keen ob- tion with the Mentor Recognition Matusow succeeds servations and insights have enhanced Award during 1990-91. Richard Stoll,who our perspective on accounting in both Despite innumerable recogni- was the first asso- national and global domains and sharp- tions of his contributions to ac- ciate director ofthe ened our understanding ofcritical accounting teaching and research, Baker Institute and counting-policy issues," said Thomas Zeff considers his work as its own is now associate R. Dyckman, professor of accounting reward."I enjoy teaching students dean of social sci- at Cornell University, who installed and helping them plan their ca- MnALLLN I t 1,1 iss ences. Zeffat the induction ceremony held at reers. It's fulfilling to see them Matusow, the the San Antonio Marriott. develop and work in fields where William Gaines Zeffjoined the Rice faculty in 1978 they can make a difference," he Twyman Professor and,in 1979, was named the Herbert said."I look forward to more years of History, joined S. Autrey Professor of Accounting. of teaching and conducting re- the Rice faculty in Throughout his career, he has con- search—continuing to do the work 1963.He served as ducted extensive research in the dual that I love." dean ofhumanities areas of historical and international from 1981 to accounting. In 2001, after 30 years of —Reported by B. J. Almond,Jade 1995. He has won research, Zeff published his critically Boyd, Ellen Chang, Margot many teaching acclaimed biography Henry Rand Dimond, Jennifer Evans, and awards, including Hatfield: Humanist, Scholar, and Ac- Maileen Hamto the Rice University History Ma- counting Educator. The book earned jors Society Award for Best him a second Hourglass Award, mak- Teacher, the Nicholas Salgo Dis- ing him one of the few who received tinguished Teaching Award, the the award twice. George R. Brown Award for Su- Zeff is the author or editor of 25 perior Teaching, the Piper Pro- books and more than 90 scholarly fessorship Award,and the George articles, serves on the editorial board R. Brown Prize for Excellence in of more than 20 research journals in Teaching—the most prestigious 10 countries, and is book review edi- teaching award at Rice. tor of the International Journal of In addition to his new policy- Accounting. He was editor of the Ac- management role, Matusow will counting Review from 1977 to 1982 continue to teach history courses. and was president of the American His specialty is 20th-century U.S. Accounting Association in 1985 and history. He also is in the begin- 1986. Maintaining a rigorous world- ning stages ofwriting a book about wide speaking schedule for more than the presidency ofRonald Reagan. 35 years,Zeff has given more than 500

50 SALLYPORT SCOREBOARD 1117441-

Peers Name Volleyball Players Graham Tops in Net All-WAC the Region Accolades

If you haven't heard already that Wayne Graham is a great Three Owls volleyball players netted all-Western baseball coach, you can take it from the folks who ought to Athletic Conference honors this fall: Rebeca Pazo know—the American Baseball Coaches Association(ABCA). was named to the all-WAC first team,while Rebecca The organization has named Graham the Western Regional Kainz and Briana Cook made the second team. Coach of the Year for 2002. It's the second time the Owls It was the second time that Pazo has earned a coach has won the honor from his peers. first-team honor—she was named last year's con- "This is a significant honor since it comes from the ference freshman of the year. At press time, the ABCA," Graham said."It is extremely gratifying when your 5'11" outside hitter ranks third in the league fellow coaches recognize the accomplishments of your against conference opponents with a 5.27 kills per team." Graham also won the ABCA's western regional game average. She also ranks in the conference top coaching honor in 1997. He will receive the new award at 10 in hitting percentage( .290), service aces per the 2003 ABCA national convention January 2-5 in San game( .039), and digs(3.93). She was named the Diego. WAC player of the week twice this season and Graham will enter his 12th season at Rice in 2003 with a earned all-tournament honors in three of the 478-212 record. Under his guidance, Rice has emerged as Owls' four preseason tournaments, including be- one of the top baseball programs in the nation. Since ing named the MVP of the Toyota of Knoxville coaching the team to the final Southwest Conference Lady Vol Classic. tournament championship in 1996, he has chalked up six This is the first all-WAC honor for both Kainz consecutive Western Athletic Conference championships and Cook. Kainz earned player ofthe week honors and three appearances in the College World Series-1997, earlier this season after leading the Owls to their 1999, 2002. The excellence ofthe Rice team under his first tournament win since the 1998 season at the leadet. .mpted the construction of Redding Park in Toyota of Knoxville Lady Vol Classic. The 613" 2000. Kainz has one ofthe top hitting percentages in the league( .300) and has consistently remained in the top three in blocking with a 1.22 blocks per game average. Cook also has been solid in the middle for the Owls, checking in with a .309 hitting percentage against WAC foes and posting a 1.35 blocks per game average despite missing Rice's final three matches of the season due to an injury. The 6'2" native of Houston earned her first all-tournament honor this season at the Georgia Invitational. She will end her career as Rice's all-time blocks leader and all-time block assists leader,and she ranks fifth in the Rice record books in solo blocks.

FALL '02 51 SCOREBOARD

The Wheel Thing

After two weeks of torrential rains in are having trouble keeping up, that's Helmick got interested in biking in Houston, Rice senior Ryan Helmick not a problem.Someone will stay with his senior year of high school because can hardly wait to hit the road again you for safety reasons," he says. running gave him shinsplints and stom- with his 24-speed bike. He will pedal Biking is not dangerous, even in ach cramps. He wasn't a very good through the city streets and parks and Houston traffic, Helmick says, as long swimmer, and other sports didn't in- along the bayous. With each stride, he as you follow the safety rules: stay in a terest him like cycling. "Biking was a will detach himself from his studies straight line, always signal when turn- lot offun. I stuck with that, and I am and the campus and his worries will fly ing, and always let the other bikers very happy I did," he says. "You get a with the wind. know where you are going. "By and break from studying, you get to go "There's nothing there but outside of Rice and see some of you and the breeze," Helmick Houston,and you get some fresh says. "It's very liberating." air and sunshine." Helmick is president of the That's the reason Rice senior Rice Cycling Club, which has Charlie Coggins joined the club. been in existence for about a Coggins,who is vice president of decade and recently counts 10 the cycling club, has been moun- members. There's been a de- tain biking since high school. He cline in membership,he explains, joined the club because he wanted because people have the mis- to continue riding with other conception that you need to own people and to maintain his skills. a bike to be part of the cycling "The thing I love most about club. mountain biking," Coggins says, Not true, he says. The cycling "is the feeling of exhilaration I club has two sections, one for get when balancing control and mountain biking and another mastery of the trails with the for road riding. For the moun- notion of risk and surprise con- tain bike section, members do stantly waiting around the next need to have their own bikes. corner." To drum up interest in They meet once a week at Willie's the cycling club, Helmick plans statue and usually ride in Me- to offer cycling skills seminars morial Park. and a trip to the Alkek Velodrome Students in the road riding in Katy, where Olympians some- section, however, can borrow times train. The velodrome road bikes from their colleges. should be of special interest to In addition to having access to a those cyclists who enjoy the thrills bicycle, members need a helmet, of high speeds. which is required by law, and a Some of the members of the bottle ofwater. The road cycling cycling club compete in bike group meets every afternoon on races, but the majority join the Monday, Wednesday, and Fri- THE RICE BIKER GANG GETS READY TO RUMBLE. club just for fun."It's not like we day at Willie's statue and decides are taking attendance. People which route to take. Occasion- show up when they want to," ally, the group will head to the bike large, riding a bike is pretty safe," he Helmick says. "So basically, the cy- track behind the football stadium, but says. "More so than playing soccer." cling club is for people to ride together that, says Helmick, "is monotonous Riding takes less of a toll on your in a relatively safe environment." and boring." body compared to high-impact sports More often,the cyclists will pedal to such as soccer. In biking, the impact -DAVID D. MEDINA Memorial Park or along Braes Bayou on the joints is slight, so that even for a 15- to 30-mile ride. Helmick says people with bad knees can pedal with he plans to have weekend rides that relatively little pain. There are many will span about40 miles to Katy,Texas. other benefits of biking, he says, in- That may sound a bit too strenuous, cluding making friends, becoming but Helmick says that a person can more athletic,and getting to enjoy the easily work up to that distance."Ifyou outdoors.

52 SALLYPORT YESTERYEAR

WHEN MOBSTER BRITT KIMBALL GRADUATED IN '92, SHE PROBABLY DIDN'T REALIZE THAT A DECADE LATER SHE'D BE MARCHING FOR TWO DURING

THE HOMECOMING FOOTBALL GAME. LOOKS LIKE HER LITTLE MOBSTER ALREADY HAS PICKED UP A FEW POINTERS AND THE PROPER ATTITUDE.

Photo by TO111 my La Vergne Rice University Nonprofit Organizatio Sallyport U.S. Postage Publications Office—MS 95 PAID P.O. Box 1892 Permit #7549 Houston, Texas 77251-1892 Houston, Texas Address service requested

HELEN GIBBS RONDREN LIBRARY MS-44 CAMPUS MAIL

SCARING UP A GOOD TIME

Project Pumpkin this year was a haunted house at Sid Rich's basement, trick-or-treating at Hanszen and Will Rice, activity booths, refreshments, and a lot of fun for underprivileged kids age six to 12 from all over Houston. The annual Halloween carnival, begun in 1996, is the RSVP Children's Committee's largest project, with events sponsored by the residential colleges and student organizations. Photos by JeffFitlow