• Fi the Rice Brand Campus Construction the Houston Area Survey Diplomat Michael Owen RICE SALLYPORT • the MAGAZINE of RICE UNIVERSITY • FALL 2007
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Fall 2007 Magameci nivr r i•IARDSON COLLEGE • fi The Rice Brand Campus Construction The Houston Area Survey Diplomat Michael Owen RICE SALLYPORT • THE MAGAZINE OF RICE UNIVERSITY • FALL 2007 Foreword Thinking • 3 Through the Sallyport • 14 Students Departments 41 Arts • 46 Scoreboard • 48 On the Bookshelf There's predator and 6 12prey, and then there's mutuality. a Nanodevice, build thyself. n It's bigger. It's bolder. It's boron. What the heck is that? It's good to be at the 42Is it an instrument? 6 top ofthe trash heap when you're in a recycling contest. Plasmas are found in " the middle ofwhite dwarfstars. So, how do you get them into a lab? Freeze them, ofcourse. The women's swim team pools its talents They may not be Burt 46 as it strokes toward the championship. 17 Reynolds, but they're in the same race. He's not defacing books Call it alternative filers You might have more in 41 — he's re-facing them. 6 alternative fuel. 4 -yr -qv common with zebra fish than you think. Excuse me,my ribs are 7 rattling. I'd better take this call. 18 Competition, Collaboration and the Rise of 34 On a Mission Global Higher Education Michael Owen has never let cultural differences By David W. Leebron slow him down in a Foreign Service career that has taken him to Europe, Africa and India. 20 Words of Wisdom By Kevin Markey Features When you want to be the best, you've got to stand up and make yourself known. 38 Enduring Reflection: The Houston Area Survey 22 Building on the Vision Most of us have a hard time taking stock of our Rice's Vision for the Second Century already exists on own lives. Stephen Klineberg keeps tabs on an paper, but Facilities, Engineering and Planning is turning entire city. the touchstone into the tangible. By Christopher Dow 28 What's Your College? Introduced 50 years ago, Rice's college system has become a dominant feature of undergraduate student life. By Christopher Dow What do Saul Bellow, Vice Admiral James Stockdale, Allen Ginsberg, John Irving, Julian Bond and Tom Stoppard have in common? Think of Rice as an excellent little university residing quietly behind its hedges? Rice Sallyport Fall 2007, Vol. 64, No. 1 Think again — about the quiet part, at least. Inside the hedges, something is cooking. No matter where you look — from campus facilities to programs to international collaborations — there's activity as the Published by the Office ingredients of President David Leebron's Vision for the Second Century begin to simmer. of Public Affairs Linda Thrane, vice president One ingredient we're adding more of this year is students. The V2C recipe calls for an increase in the Suzanne Gschwind, director of size of the student body by approximately 30 percent during the next decade. This fall, Rice saw the Communications Services beginnings of that with our 742-member freshman class. In addition to being Rice's largest-ever group Editor of first-year students, they were selected from the largest applicant pool in Rice's history. You can read Christopher Dow about them in more detail in this issue, and a pretty impressive bunch Editorial Director they are. It's encouraging to know that these exceptional young women Tracey Rhoades and men will leave Rice with the tools to become the kind ofinfluential leaders so necessary for the coming century. But rest reassured that, at Creative Director Jeff Cox 3,002, our undergraduate class is only seven larger than last year's. The projected growth will occur gradually over the next decade. Art Director We're also adding more cutting-edge facilities for learning and research Chuck Thurmon to the mix. You'll be hearing a lot more about them during the next Editorial Staff couple of years, but a perfect example is the Collaborative Research Merin Porter, staff writer Jenny West Rozelle, assistant editor Center, introduced in our last issue. When completed, this state-of-the-art teaching and research facility will bring a new dimension to bioengineering and biomedical sciences Design Staff by combining,for the first time in one place, researchers from Rice and Tommy LaVergne, photographer "So, the next Jeff Fitlow, assistant photographer multiple institutions from the Texas Medical Center. Ingredients aren't all we're adding. We're kickin' it up a notch, too. time you think of The Rice University Board At a recent town hall meeting where President Leebron updated faculty of Trustees Rice, don't think James W. Crownover, chairman; J.D. and staff on the progress of the V2C, he related an incident in which a Bucky Allshouse; D. Kent Anderson; student approached him and commented on how much more vibrant aloof, behind Teveia Rose Barnes;Alfredo Brener;Vicki the Whamond Bretthauer; Robert T. Brockman; campus seemed than in the past. The president replied that's because the hedges and Albert Y. Chao; Robert L. Clarke; Bruce all the campus construction is limiting space and forcing people into W. Dunlevie; Lynn Laverty Elsenhans; closer contact. The audience laughed in appreciation of the joke — and quietly smart. Douglas Lee Foshee; Susanne Morris Glasscock; Carl E. Isgren; K. Terry because they knew it isn't strictly true. Life on campus isn't more vibrant Think passionate, Koonce; Robert R Maxfield; Steven L. because of confinement but because boundaries are falling and exciting Miller; M. Kenneth Oshman; Jeffery possibilities are opening up. unconventional 0. Rose; Hector Ruiz; Marc Shapiro; L. E. Simmons; Robert B. Tudor III; Research is part of those possibilities, but we have our exceptional and, at nearly James Turley students to thank for much of the excitement in the air. They're per- 100 years of age, Administrative Officers forming better than ever in the classroom — which is saying a lot — and David W. Leebron, president, Eugene making groundbreaking discoveries even while undergraduates. Equally all the wiser." Levy, provost; Kathy Collins, vice impressive, they're taking their burgeoning expertise to an international president for Finance; Darrow Zeidenstein, vice presidentfor Resource level as they travel to learn and serve in countries the world over. Development, Kevin Kirby, vice president And back at home, no student space is more vibrant — or nearer and dearer to the hearts of students for Administration; Chris Munoz, vice and alumni alike — than the colleges. We'll keep you abreast of the presidentfor Enrollment, Linda Thrane, construction of Rice's 10th and vice presidentfor Public Affairs;Scott W. 11th colleges — McMurtry and Duncan, respectively — but in the meantime, we help celebrate how Wise, vice presidentfor Investments and the colleges enhance student life at Rice with a retrospective on the college system's 50th anniversary. treasurer, Richard A. Zansitis, general counsel. As any good cook knows, a tasty dish is more than ingredients and seasoning. It deserves stunning presentation, and you'll be seeing a lot more of that, too, as Rice steps more boldly into the world. Just It is the policy of Sallyport to run letters as the CRC extends Rice's footprint outside the hedges, our new marketing campaign is working to that respond to a particular article only within one year following the article's make people across the country and around the world aware of Rice and all the wonderful research and publication. All submissions to Sallyport educational opportunities going on here. And along with Rice's greater visibility is a makeover of the are subject to editing for length, clarity, Rice "look," complete with a new logo and a fresh accuracy, appropriateness and fairness to design for our Web sites. third parties. So, the next time you think of Rice, don't think aloof, behind the hedges and quietly smart. Think Sallyport is published by the Office of passionate, unconventional and, at nearly 100 years ofage, all the wiser. That's the Rice recipe for doing Public Affairs ofRice University and is sent good and achieving greatness. to university alumni,faculty, staff, graduate students, parents of undergraduates and friends of the university. Editorial Offices Communications Services—MS 95 CHRISTOPHER DOW P.O. Box 1892 Houston, TX 77251-1892 Far 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 ODECEMBER 2007 RICE UNIVERSITY 2 Rice Sallyport 1THROUGH THE SALLYPORTI Rice 360° is designed to tap students' and faculty members' creativity and their desire to make a difference, serve others and save lives. always knew I wanted to go to Rice University unveiled plans on Sept. 28 for a $100 medical school and work toward to combat pressing health problems ending health disparities, but it million initiative really put a fire in me, particu- in the developing world. larly in the arena of health pol- icy. I'm very determined to get involved in public policy and Called "Rice 3600: Technology lives and the lives of the world's wanted to know when it would health policy now." Solutions for World Health," most needy patients." be available there." This sort of grassroots dedi- the plan was announced during Rice 360° is designed to tap A Rice student team en- cation is one of the reasons the annual meeting of the Clin- students' and faculty members' rolled in this fall's class already Rice President David Leebron ton Global Initiative in New creativity and their desire to is working on developing a believes the Rice 360° initiative York. It will focus on establish- make a difference, serve oth- battery-powered IV drip moni- will be successful.