media.rice.edu

08/20/2009 - Nostrils alternate to process competing odors

webeditor@rice.edu — 2009-08-20

8/20/2009

CONTACT: David Ruth
PHONE: 713-348-6327
E-MAIL: druth@rice.edu

Nostrils alternate to process competing odors
Rice University study finds 'rivalry' between nostrils

When the nose encounters two different scents simultaneously, the brain processes them separately through each nostril in an alternating fashion.

This finding by researchers at Rice University in Houston is the first demonstration of "perceptual rivalry" in the olfactory system. The study was published online today by the journal Current Biology and will appear in the Sept. 29 print edition.

"Our discovery opens up new avenues to explore the workings of the olfactory system and olfactory awareness," said Denise Chen, assistant professor of psychology, who coauthored the research paper with graduate student Wen Zhou.

For the study, 12 volunteers sampled smells from two bottles containing distinctively different odors. One bottle had phenyl ethyl alcohol, which smells like a rose, and the other had n-butanol, which smells like a marker pen. The bottles were fitted with nosepieces so that volunteers could sample both scents simultaneously -- one through each nostril.

During 20 rounds of sampling, all 12 participants experienced switches between smelling predominantly the rose scent and smelling predominantly the marker scent. Some experienced more frequent and drastic switches than others, but there was no predictable pattern of the switch across the whole group of volunteers or within individuals.

Chen said this "binaral rivalry" between the nostrils resembles the rivalry that occurs between other pairs of sensory organs. When the eyes simultaneously view two different images -- one for each eye -- the two images are perceived in alternation, one at a time. And when alternating tones an octave apart are played out of phase to each ear, most people experience a single tone that goes back and forth from ear to ear.

In the laboratory setting in which each nostril simultaneously received a different smell, the participants experienced an "olfactory illusion," she said. "Instead of perceiving a constant mixture of the two smells, they perceive one of the smells, followed by the other, in an alternating fashion, as if the nostrils were competing with one another. Although both smells are equally present, the brain attends to predominantly one of them at a time."

"The binaral rivalry involves adaptations at the peripheral sensory neurons and in the cortex," Chen said. "Our work sets the stage for future studies of this phenomenon so we can learn more about the mechanisms by which we perceive smells."

In binaral rivalry, the tug-of-war between dominance and suppression of the olfactory perception exists only in the mind of the person who smells the odors, while the physical properties of the olfactory stimuli remain unchanged, Chen said. This gives humans the rare opportunity to dissociate olfactory perception and physical stimulation. As such, binaral rivalry may offer a unique window into consciousness and awareness in both healthy and ill people.

Human olfaction is a subject very much in its infancy. Chen said understanding the mechanisms with which people process olfactory information is not only important to basic science, but may also, over the long run, contribute to the assessment and cure of olfactory disorders in patients and, in particular, the elderly.

08/18/2009 - Rice tapped for role in computing research center

webeditor@rice.edu — 2009-08-18

8/18/2009

CONTACT: Jade Boyd
PHONE: 713-348-6778
E-MAIL: jadeboyd@rice.edu

Rice tapped for role in computing research center
Domain-specific computing project aims for better medical technology

A $10 million National Science Foundation (NSF) Expeditions in Computing grant to Rice University and three other universities will help develop high-performance, customizable computing that could revolutionize the way computers are used in health care and other important applications.

The grant will support the creation of a collaborative Center for Domain-Specific Computing (CDSC), which includes researchers from UCLA’s engineering school, medical school and applied mathematics program, Rice, Ohio State University and UC Santa Barbara. The multi-university center will be directed by Professor Jason Cong from UCLA. Rice’s Vivek Sarkar, the E.D. Butcher Professor of Computer Science and professor of electrical and computer engineering, will serve as associate director. The grant includes $1.5 million for Rice's research efforts.

Domain-specific computing differs from general-purpose computing by utilizing custom-constructed computer languages tailored to a particular area or domain —in this case, medical imaging. This customization ultimately results in less computing effort, faster results, lower costs and increased productivity.

The CDSC is one of three proposals selected in the latest round of awards under the NSF's Expeditions in Computing program. The program, established last year by the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), supports ambitious, fundamental research agendas that promise to define the future of computing and information and render great benefit to society. Funded at levels up to $2 million per year for five years, Expeditions is among the largest single investments currently made by the directorate.

Sarkar said the research will demonstrate how new technology known as domain-specific computing can transform the role of medical imaging by providing energy-efficient, cost-effective and convenient solutions for preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.

"We're looking forward to domain-specific computing as an approach to tackling the parallelism and energy challenges in future multicore systems," Sarkar said. "The fact that our work will begin in the critically important health care domain is a huge motivation for the entire team."

Richard Baraniuk, the Victor E. Cameron Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rice, will also play a leading role in the research.

"My efforts will be aimed at advancing the state of the art of medical imaging algorithms by building on our ongoing work on compressive sensing," Baraniuk said. "A new approach to computing is needed to drive these innovations forward, so it’s great to be working with Vivek and the UCLA team on this joint computer science and electrical and computer engineering project."

Rice’s participation signals its continued commitment toward pioneering new computing advances, said Sallie Keller-McNulty, the William and Stephanie Sick Dean of Rice's George R. Brown School of Engineering.

"We hope that this exciting work can serve as a catalyst for new collaborative research projects with our fellow Texas Medical Center institutions," Keller-McNulty said.

The grant will allow researchers to integrate the project with education at the participating universities and expose graduate, undergraduate and high school students to new concepts and research in domain-specific computing. Joint courses will be developed as will summer research fellowship programs for high school and undergraduate students. Educators hope that underrepresented students can be attracted to participate with the help of campus organizations that focus on diversity.

08/17/2009 - Multimillion-dollar gift will bring Turrell masterpiece to Rice University

webeditor@rice.edu — 2009-08-17

8/17/2009

CONTACT: Jessica Stark
PHONE: 713-348-6777
E-MAIL: stark@rice.edu

Multimillion-dollar gift will bring Turrell masterpiece to Rice University

Thanks to a multimillion-dollar gift from Rice University alumna Suzanne Deal Booth, Rice will install a work by celebrated American artist James Turrell on its campus. This is the single largest gift by a Rice alum for a piece of art and another milestone in the university's $1 billion Centennial Campaign.

An initial gift from Deal Booth allowed Rice to commission the artwork last year. Turrell has submitted designs for the "skyspace," an experiential work of art that fuses light and space.

The artwork will stand in the green space in front of Rice's Shepherd School of Music. One of the most important features of the installation will be its visibility, with the site deliberately selected because of the nearby parking and the open space around it. It can be seen from some high-rises around Houston and in the Texas Medical Center.

"When I thought about making this gift, it was never a question of whether or not this art would be public," Deal Booth said. "Of course it would be public. Access to art is so important, especially at a university. I want students and the community to be able to experience this extraordinary artwork as part of their everyday life."

Rice University President David Leebron said that the artwork will attract visitors to campus and benefit the city of Houston as much as Rice.

"Art is an important part of the experience and environment we want to bring to our students, faculty and staff," he said. "Art can be uplifting and broaden your perspective. It can inspire you. This is going to be a very significant addition to the campus and important for the city of Houston."

Deal Booth sees potential too for the artwork to become iconic for the university and encourage people worldwide to visit Rice and Houston. Turrell has two other major projects in Houston -- the Quaker Meeting House and "The Light Inside," a site-specific, artificially lit, interior installation at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. With the addition of Rice's naturally lit, outdoor installation, Houston will become the only city to publicly feature several types of Turrell's work. Many of his other works have been displayed around the world and reside in major museums.

"The Turrell piece will be an important artistic presence on campus and it will provide more of the kind of space we need," Leebron said. "It gives us more contemplative and reflective space. It's something that says you are welcome here. That's especially appropriate at Rice, where our campus is about contemplation and interaction."

Deal Booth envisioned such a space when she thought about what would best complement and enhance the university.

"Art is my thing – it's what motivates me and directs me," Deal Booth said. "I connect with other people through art. This gift is a culmination of many of my interests, and I hope it will inspire others as my time at Rice inspired me."

Ever since her days as a student at Rice, Deal Booth said, she has wanted to give back to the place that both stirred her passion for art and helped her earn the resources to realize it. Greatly influenced by legendary Houston art collector and philanthropist Dominique de Menil, who was then working at Rice, Deal Booth developed a deep appreciation for art preservation and philanthropy. With her recent gift, Deal Booth said she hopes to honor de Menil’s legacy and create her own.

“Suzanne has given a transformational gift to Rice,” said Molly Hubbard, university art director. “The work by James Turrell will be monumental and will greatly enhance the momentum for the Rice public art program. Suzanne is very intentional that her philanthropic gifts create lasting impact beyond a particular project.”

Deal Booth has been deeply involved in building that momentum. With her support, Rice has established a three-part collaboration with the museums of Houston: a postdoctoral program with the Museum of Fine Arts-Houston (MFAH); a biennial lecture series with the Menil Collection that brings top scholars to Houston to speak about their research, and funds to support small exhibitions at the MFAH that will be developed with a Rice art historian and a curator at the museum.

That collaboration contributes to the university's goal to engage more broadly with the city of Houston and also serves as a living laboratory and model for such interaction between universities and cities around the world.

Deal Booth has contributed to the Rice School of Humanities' hiring of up to nine fellows each year from MFAH's prestigious Glassell School of Art. Those fellows have taught 33 studio classes and brought fresh talent and expertise to the campus. Deal Booth also supports the Biennial Menil/Rice Lecture Series, which were organized in 2006 as a collaborative venture between the Menil Collection and Rice's Department of Art History to link the university with neighboring cultural institutions.

"All of these things, along with the solid base we've already built, make me look forward to the next 20 years of building an even more impressive art collection for the university," Hubbard said. She noted that with the 1984 granite sculpture "45-90-180" by Michael Heizer in the Engineering Quad and the Turrell piece, Rice will have artwork by arguably the two most influential Southwestern American artists.

"Suzanne's love of Rice and her commitment to Rice have helped make us a better institution, and it’s her gift and much more that made this possible," Leebron said. "We wouldn't be doing something of this scale -- we wouldn't have Turrell art -- if not for the person Suzanne is. She brings vision to everything she does and helped us define what we needed. She guided us to do something bold in the arts, not just something incremental."

A Southwesterner and native Texan, Deal Booth graduated cum laude from Rice with a B.A. in art history. Beginning at Rice by working with de Menil then earning her M.A. degree in art history and a certificate in art conservation at New York University's Institute of Fine Arts, Deal Booth has made a career of preserving art and history. She has worked at such notable institutions as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Menil Collection and, with a grant from the Smithsonian Institution, at the Museums of New Mexico. Her postgraduate fellowship, funded by the Kress Foundation, took her to the Centre Pompidou in Paris, where she restored important 20th century paintings. She then moved to Los Angeles to work at the Getty Conservation Institute and later as a consultant for the J. Paul Getty Trust.

Deal Booth and her husband, David, created the Booth Heritage Foundation, which provides many cultural activities and community services, and founded the Friends of Heritage Preservation, a nonprofit organization that responds to critical preservation needs in the U.S. and abroad. They also established the Booth Family Rome Prize Fellowship for Historic Preservation and Conservation at the American Academy in Rome. Deal Booth recently started a publishing company, Orsini Press, which published "Venus Rising" by her father, Harry William Deal. She also published an essay in the forthcoming "Art and Activism: Projects of John and Dominique de Menil" and occasionally blogs for the Huffington Post.

She serves on Rice University's Board of Trustees, on the board of directors for the Centre Pompidou Foundation, and as a board member of the American Academy in Rome, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University and the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas. She also serves on the U.S. national committee on the International Council on Monuments and Sites (US/ICOMOS) and the Art Committee for the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

08/11/2009 - Rice University's Shell Center for Sustainability calls for submissions to art exhibit

webeditor@rice.edu — 2009-08-11

8/11/2009

CONTACT: Franz Brotzen
PHONE: 713-348-6775
E-MAIL: franz.brotzen@rice.edu

Rice University's Shell Center for Sustainability calls for submissions to art exhibit
Houston artists offered opportunity to express views on water resources

Rice University is asking Houston-area artists to submit an artistic representation of what water means to them for the sustainability art exhibition "Water: Effects on Life in the Houston Area."

National and local academics and other experts will come together at Rice's Shell Center for Sustainability to discuss the sustainability of water in the Houston region Oct. 13. They will address growth, environment, health and public policy. The art exhibition is a strong component of the conference, allowing artists to participate with their representation of the various aspects that water has in their community.

The exhibition will run through the month of October and will officially open with a reception and an awards presentation Oct. 13 in Farnsworth Pavilion, Ley Student Center, on the Rice University campus, 6100 Main St. A People's Choice award will be given to first-, second- and third-place winners as voted by the attendees at the opening reception.

The exhibition is open to artists who are 19 or older and who live in the Houston metropolitan area. The deadline to enter is Aug. 17. The prospectus and entry form can be found at http://cohesion.rice.edu/centersandinst/shellcenter/outreach.cfm?doc_id=13235.

08/11/2009 - High school teacher's algebra book aces California test

webeditor@rice.edu — 2009-08-11

8/11/2009

CONTACT: David Ruth
PHONE: 713-348-6327
E-MAIL: druth@rice.edu

High school teacher's algebra book aces California test
Book from Rice University's Connexions used in historic K-12 initiative

As California prepares to become the first state in the nation to offer free, open-source digital textbooks for high school students this fall, state officials today gave an A-plus to a North Carolina high school teacher's algebra II textbook, one of the first open-source texts submitted for the program.

Advanced Algebra II http://cnx.org/content/m19435/latest by Raleigh, N.C., math teacher Kenny Felder was submitted to California officials by Connexions, an open-education initiative at Rice University in Houston that publishes the open-copyright book.

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's initiative, together with President Obama’s proposal to invest $500 million in open-education over the next decade, are two of the most significant steps forward in open-education to date," said Joel Thierstein, Connexions executive director. "Open education is the biggest advance in education since Horace Mann’s push for mandatory free public education in the U.S."

California Secretary of Education Glen Thomas today unveiled his department's review of the first 16 digital texts submitted by publishers in response to Schwarzenegger's May 6 call for free open-source digital textbooks for high school students. Textbook choices are made at the local level in California, and Thomas' reviews are designed to help local officials choose digital books that best meet their needs. The reviews assessed how well each book complied with California's state textbook standards, and Connexions' algebra text scored a 96, meeting 26 of the 27 standards tested.

Felder, who teaches algebra and calculus at Raleigh Charter High School, said he was delighted to learn that his book scored so well on California's test. He said the book was created from the lessons he created and refined during 10 years of algebra II classes.

"My book presents math as an exploration of ideas -- not a collection of facts and techniques," Felder said. "Students often tell me they are realizing, for the first time, that math makes sense. And that's what I hope they remember from my class; there are reasons for everything in math, and you should ask 'Why?' and keep asking, particularly if someone says, 'That's just the way it is.'"

Thierstein said Felder's story isn't unlike those of many authors who've submitted materials to Connexions.

"One of the beauties of open-education in general, and Connexions in particular, is that anyone who wants to take the time to create content can do it, and anyone who wants to update content and keep it current or improve it can do that too," Thierstein said. "A book is never static in Connexions because everything is published under a Creative Commons Attribution Only copyright license. Any teacher can modify the book to make it culturally relevant for their students."

The reviews of Felder's book and the other submissions for California's K-12 open-source textbook initiative were presented at a symposium in Orange County this morning that was organized by the California Educational Technology Professionals Association. The event attracted hundreds of officials who are tasked with choosing curriculum in a year with extremely tight budgets. Thierstein, an invited panelist, answered questions and explained how open-source texts like Felder's book could both improve classroom instruction and save money.

"Everyone is looking to cut costs over the next couple of years, but the real beauty of open-educational resources like Kenny Felder's book is that they provide the foundation for a step-change in the quality of education in the United States," Thierstein said.

With more than a million visitors a month and one of the world's largest repositories of open-education resources, Connexions is a leading global provider of open-copyright licensed, free educational materials. Connexions is available free for anyone to contribute to or learn from at http://www.cnx.org.

The Free Digital Textbook Initiative review results are available at http://www.clrn.org/FDTI/index.cfm.

08/06/2009 - Sept. 3 conference at Rice University will look at ways to protect computer networks

webeditor@rice.edu — 2009-08-06

8/6/2009

CONTACT: Franz Brotzen
PHONE: 713-348-6775
E-MAIL: franz.brotzen@rice.edu

Sept. 3 conference at Rice University will look at ways to protect computer networks

With concern growing about potential threats to the nation’s computer networks, experts are debating ways to craft policies to address data breaches, cyberwar and hackers.

A free conference on cybersecurity Sept. 3 at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy will give the public a chance to learn how the problem is being tackled outside the nation's capital. The Baker Institute’s Technology, Society and Public Policy Program will convene a discussion involving experts who have worked on national cybersecurity policy and those in government, academia and industry who are charged with implementing it.

Guest speakers will include Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, co-chair of the Commission on Cybersecurity for the 44th Presidency and member of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Homeland Security; Edward Amoroso, chief security officer at AT&T and author of "Fundamentals of Computer Security Technology and Cyber Security"; Anne Rogers, director of information safeguards for Waste Management Inc., former board member of Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) and past president of the South Texas chapter, and contributing author of "Information Security for Lawyers and Law Firms"; and Dan Wallach, associate professor of computer science at Rice University and director of Rice’s Computer Security Lab.

"Constructing Cybersecurity" will begin at 4 p.m. in Baker Hall's Doré Commons on the Rice University campus, 6100 Main St. The event is open to the public; however, space is limited. To RSVP, visit the Baker Institute web page at www.bakerinstitute.org. For directions, go to http://www.rice.edu/maps/maps.html.

For additional information on the conference, contact Chris Bronk at rcbronk@rice.edu or 713-348-5939.

08/06/2009 - Protein folding: Diverse methods yield clues

webeditor@rice.edu — 2009-08-06

8/6/2009

CONTACT: Jade Boyd
PHONE: 713-348-6778
E-MAIL: jadeboyd@rice.edu

Protein folding: Diverse methods yield clues
Comparison finds approaches of protein study are complementary

Rice University physicists have written the next chapter in an innovative approach for studying the forces that shape proteins -- the biochemical workhorses of all living things.

New research featured on the cover of today's issue of the Journal of Physical Chemistry illustrates the value of studying proteins with a new method that uses the tools of nanotechnology to grab a single molecule and pull it apart. The new method helps scientists measure the forces that hold proteins together. The new study contrasted the findings from Rice's method with a different approach that relies on chemical reactions.

"There is an ongoing discussion among scientists about which of these methods is more relevant," said Ching-Hwa Kiang, assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Rice. "What we've found is that each teaches us something different, but the results from the two are similar enough that we can use them together in the future."

Over the past decades, scientists have discovered that misfolded proteins play an important but mysterious role in diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. As a result, more laboratories like Kiang's are studying how proteins fold and misfold in the hopes of finding clues that could lead to new treatments.

Kiang's team specializes in studying the forces that hold protein strands together. Her group uses atomic force microscopes (AFM), which operate much like phonograph players. The AFM has a needle that's suspended from one end of a cantilevered arm. The needle bobs up and down on the arm, randomly grabbing and lifting proteins. By measuring exactly how much force it takes to pull the strands apart, Kiang's group can learn important clues about the protein's behavior.

Kiang's work was recognized in Small Times magazine's 2007 "Best of Small Tech Awards," but it's not the only way to study protein folding. Other groups use chemicals to determine how much energy it takes to unfold proteins, and Kiang's latest paper looks at similarities and differences between the two methods.

"The chemical denaturant method gives very accurate information about the folded and unfolded state of the protein, and our method gives important information about what happens in between," Kiang said.

Proteins are the workhorses of biology. Each protein is a string of amino acids that are attached end to end, like a strand of pearls. The order of the amino acids comes from DNA blueprints, but the order itself doesn't tell scientists what the protein is designed to do. That's because each protein folds in upon itself shortly after its made, much like a strand of pearls curls up as it's dropped into someone's palm.

Unlike the pearls, which might fall this way or that depending upon how they're dropped, proteins fold the same way every time. That's important, because when they misfold, they cannot function properly and in some cases can make people sick.

"This is fundamental research, but it is very important," Kiang said. "We need to answer to these fundamental questions in order to better understand how protein folds correctly, which affects people's health."

The research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the Welch Foundation.

08/05/2009 - Rice appoints new architecture dean

webeditor@rice.edu — 2009-08-05

8/5/2009

CONTACT: Mike Williams
PHONE: 713-348-6728
E-MAIL: mikewilliams@rice.edu

Rice appoints new architecture dean
Sarah Whiting to leave Princeton post for Houston

Sarah Whiting, a member of the Princeton University School of Architecture faculty and an expert in urban and architectural theory, has been named dean of the Rice University School of Architecture.

Whiting will take the helm Jan. 1, 2010, from John Casbarian, the school's longtime associate dean who is serving as dean until Dec. 31, 2009. Lars Lerup stepped down as dean earlier this year after 16 years and will return to Rice in 2010 as a professor.

"Sarah Whiting's strengths as a teacher, author and designer are clear, and she brings abundant energy and intellect to Rice," President David Leebron said. "Her aspirations for the School of Architecture align perfectly with the goals we set for Rice in the Vision for the Second Century, in particular our commitment to broaden and deepen our interaction with our home city of Houston. Under Sarah's leadership, we expect our already acclaimed school to be at the forefront of innovation in architecture education and enterprise."

Whiting, a native of Evanston, Ill., comes to Rice with extensive experience. Before joining Princeton in 2005, she was at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design for six years. Prior to that, she taught at the University of Kentucky, the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Florida.

She earned her Bachelor of Arts at Yale, a master of architecture at Princeton and her Ph.D. in the history, theory and criticism of art, architecture and urban form at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

As a principal of WW Architecture, a firm she co-founded with her husband, Ron Witte, she is currently working on projects for the drama division of the Juilliard School in New York and the Golden House, a private residence in Princeton, N.J. Before forming WW, she worked with Rem Koolhaas at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture in Rotterdam, Netherlands, where she was a designer on a number of architectural, urban and writing projects, including the master planning of Euralille, a business center in Lille, France, that opened in 1994.

Perhaps best known for her professional criticism, Whiting has published dozens of articles on urban and architectural theory. In addition to editing several journals, she has edited books on Ignasi de Solà-Morales and James Carpenter and is the series editor of "POINT," a new architectural book series to be published by Princeton University Press next spring. She is the author of the forthcoming book "Superblock City."

"I feel the variety of her experiences is a real asset," said Rice Provost Eugene Levy. "She's been on the faculty of a diverse set of institutions, which has fostered a broad set of perceptions and openness to thinking about the challenges of the discipline and the challenges of leadership that will be extremely valuable."

"Leading the Rice School of Architecture is a dream job," Whiting said. "Because it is small, everyone -- faculty and students alike -- is engaged. The dean is not a distanced administrator like at big architecture schools, but is right in there focusing the school's ambition."

Whiting calls architecture "a public form of culture."

"Architecture can -- has to -- invigorate the public realm," she said. "This is a two-pronged project: It is an intellectual project for academia and an immediate project for practice."

Whiting takes over a school that has earned a sterling reputation in recent years. The School of Architecture was ranked No. 8 in the nation by the Design Futures Council in January and has been among the top 10 programs for the last decade. The school's graduate program has consistently been among the country's top 20.

She could not help but notice that Rice University was named last week as the Princeton Review's No. 1 school for "best quality of life" and last month as one of the Chronicle of Higher Education's "Great Colleges to Work For."

"Both were absolute affirmations of what I sensed when I came to campus," she said. "Everything felt just right — poised for new possibilities. I can’t wait to take on those new horizons come January."