Tag Archives: Rice University

Ike floodgate update

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Call it Ike Dike 2.0 if you want. Five years after Hurricane Ike devastated the upper Texas coast, a group of Houston scientists presented details Tuesday about a proposed gate to protect the Houston Ship Channel and much of the … Continue reading →

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On affordable housing in Houston

Posted on October 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. More Houstonians are spending a higher percentage of their incomes on housing, a new study from Rice University’s Shell Center for Sustainability shows. The report’s key finding revealed that half of Houston’s City Council districts do not meet the … Continue reading →

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Improving bike-to-transit

Posted on September 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I wish them luck. A group of Rice University students is working with various community groups and Metropolitan Transit Authority officials to better integrate cycling and public transit, as the city’s bike-sharing system prepares for another expansion. Make no mistake: … Continue reading →

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The hogs keep winning

Posted on August 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Same old story. More than two decades into Texas’ ever escalating war against feral hogs, the wild swine continue gaining ground while Texas and the state’s native wildlife, plants and ecosystems lose it. Despite taking millions of casualties – an … Continue reading →

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Making the world a better place, one baby at a time

Posted on May 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This is awesome. Conditions associated with premature birth, often related to breathing problems, are responsible for about 30 percent of neonatal mortality. In the developed world, these conditions can be treated using bubble Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine. But these … Continue reading →

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The 2013 Houston Area Survey

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The 2013 Houston Area Survey shows that tolerance is prevalent in our region. The results, according to institute co-director Stephen Klineberg, may reflect the region’s growing ethnic diversity, younger residents’ acceptance of change and the emergence of live-and-let-live “tolerant traditionalists.” … Continue reading →

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Another reason why graduate school sucks

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I just shook my head when I read this. English Department teaching fellows at the University of Houston ended their sit-in Monday after UH Chancellor Renu Khator committed $1 million a year to improve their wages – potentially enough money … Continue reading →

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Green batteries

Posted on January 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This is very cool. In one more step of a global effort to develop greener battery technology, researchers at Rice University say they have found a way to replace a costly metallic component in lithium-ion batteries with material from a … Continue reading →

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More on metal recycling

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has a followup story on metal recycling and hexavalent chromium. Houston air experts plan to deepen their investigation into the air outside metal recycling companies after their measurements showed – apparently for the first time – that the … Continue reading →

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Open source textbooks

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This is a great idea. The words “free” and “college” aren’t often used in the same sentence, but a philanthropic venture at Rice University is drawing attention for bringing them together. OpenStax College, a nonprofit publishing organization founded by a … Continue reading →

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Why not a university?

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Tory Gattis has an interesting suggestion for that 136 acre tract of land east of downtown. This parcel of land could be the last opportunity for Houston to add a major college campus to the city.  We should consider something … Continue reading →

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Calculate your storm risk

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

That hurricane risk calculator is now ready for your input. Using the Storm Risk Calculator produced by the city of Houston and Rice University, users can enter an address and learn the risks for rainfall, power outage, storm surge and … Continue reading →

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Houston area transit preferences in 2012

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The 2012 Houston Area Survey is in the can, and though the data has not been published to their website yet, there have been a few preview tidbits tossed out to whet everyone’s appetite. One of them has to do … Continue reading →

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Unconventional

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Looking for something interesting to do today? Consider going to Rice’s UnConvention. For 100 years, Rice faculty, researchers and students have believed that anything is possible — that drive, devotion and innovative thinking can turn ideas into achievements. We call … Continue reading →

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Our diverse region

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Cool. The Houston region is now the most ethnically diverse large metropolitan area in the country, surpassing New York City. Two suburbs – Missouri City and Pearland – have become even more diverse than the city of Houston. Other suburbs … Continue reading →

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Stephen Klineberg, superstar

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I want to see this. David Thompson and his colleagues at ttweak are best-known for their work on the quirky “Houston – It’s Worth It” campaign, paying homage to the yawning potholes, soul-sapping humidity and all the other things that … Continue reading →

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C-USA and and MWC make merger plans official

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We knew it was coming. With their respective leagues being picked apart by the month to fulfill others’ expansion plans, 16 presidents and chancellors from Conference USA and Mountain West Conference met Sunday in Dallas, knowing they needed to do … Continue reading →

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Cover that cough

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating. A decade-long study found passengers on certain Metro bus routes were more likely to have tuberculosis, raising the question of whether they contracted the disease on the bus. “We see a higher prevalence of clustering with bus riders,” said … Continue reading →

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The Ike Floodgate

Posted on November 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We have a recommendation for how to prepare for a future Hurricane Ike. A giant floodgate at the entrance to the Houston Ship Channel, coupled with a 130-mile wetlands recreation area, should be built to protect Houston from hurricane storm … Continue reading →

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Rice Stadium renovations coming

Posted on October 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This is something Rice fans have been hearing about for a long time. Calling it “a critical investment in the future of Rice football,” university officials on Thursday unveiled a plan to build a two-story football facility at the south … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: The final frontier

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This is a little late, as this was happening while I was doing the Songs of the Century, but here’s my tribute to the last flight of the space shuttle: 1. Space Oddity – David Bowie 2. Space Truckin’ – … Continue reading →

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Time for the annual “Are we ready for a big storm?” story

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The answer, of course, is no, not really. After Tropical Storm Allison’s devastating floods, the Houston area widened its bayous and hardened its infra­structure. After Hurricane Rita’s deadly gridlock, the state revamped storm communications and evacuation plans. Yet since Hurricane … Continue reading →

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KUHA debuts Monday

Posted on May 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

KTRU is now off the air, but 91.7 on your dial won’t be dead air for much longer. KUHA, the spawn of the KUHF takeover of 91.7, begins broadcasting Monday. KUHA Classical programs will include The Front Row, Exploring Music, … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

KTRU’s last day will be Thursday

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

29-95: Last week the FCC approved a license transfer from Rice University to the University of Houston which was the end of the road for Rice’s student-run KTRU/91.7 radio station. [Wednesday] came news of the shut off date. KTRU will … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

FCC approves KTRU sale

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s official now. The Federal Communications Commission on Friday approved the controversial sale of Rice University’s radio station, KTRU, to the University of Houston. The decision comes after a group called the Friends of KTRU filed a petition and three … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

More on the KTRU/KPFT deal

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

After I read about the KTRU/KPFT deal, in which KTRU will broadcast over one of KPFT’s HD radio channels, I wondered what the folks at Save KTRU thought of it. At the time I posted, there wasn’t anything on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

KTRU joins forces with KPFT

Posted on February 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

KTRU will broadcast over the air again, just from a different spot on the dial. [Rice University] said Saturday that KTRU will broadcast over a digital channel assigned to radio station KPFT, beginning Feb. 14. “We’re excited,” said Joey Yang, … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

UH gets a boost in its rankings

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good news for UH: The University of Houston’s quest to become the state’s next top tier university — a designation that would put it alongside Rice University, the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University — received a … Continue reading →

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KTRU deal signed

Posted on October 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Just in time for Rice’s homecoming weekend. [Wednesday] afternoon, Friends of KTRU announced they had been informed that Rice and UH have signed an agreement to transfer the station’s ownership, and have retained the law firm of Paul Hastings in … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Saturday video break: They live inside of my head

Posted on September 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The MOB performed an arrangement of Cheap Trick’s “Dream Police” during last week’s show. Not too surprisingly, none of the current students in the sax section had ever heard of the song before, though they did like it. So I … Continue reading →

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The KTRU rally

Posted on August 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Houston Press, which has largely owned this story, reports from today’s rally to save KTRU. Early this afternoon, protesters met at Valhalla, Rice’s on-campus pub, to make signs and t-shirts for the protest before marching as a group to … Continue reading →

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KTRU rally

Posted on August 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

For those who are into that sort of thing. Join us in a peaceful, non-violent protest to Save KTRU this Sunday, 2:00 pm at Rice University, in the Academic quad in front of the statue of William Marsh Rice. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Reactions to the KTRU sale

Posted on August 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Unsurprisingly, the Rice community is not happy. “We are totally opposed to the sale,” said Joey Yang, a junior at Rice and program director of the station, which relies upon student and community volunteers for its eclectic music programming. “This … Continue reading →

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UH buys KTRU

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve never been a regular listener of KTRU, but as a Rice partisan and someone who thinks radio in general is too bland, this is a bit of a shock. The University of Houston is planning to buy the radio … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments