The Rice Thresher, Vol. 99, No. 7, Ed. 1 Friday, September 30, 2011 Page: 1 of 16
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OP-BO P. 3
Are you a Facebook fan?
All the changes to Facebook are pleasing some, but angering
others. Find out why.
A&E P. 9
Did it live up to its name?
Find out if the Best Fest was indeed the best, or if it was a
major bust.
SPORTS P. 12
Not this time
Rice loses 36-51 to Baylor, the top ranked school Rice will
play this season.
the Rice
VOLUME XCIX, ISSUE NO. 7
STUDENT-RUN
SINCE 1916
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2011
Chefs turn up the heat for culinary competition
by Brooke Bullock
Thresher Editorial Staff
Rice University turned up the heat
hosting the 2011 Chefs Under Fire Re-
gional Culinary Competition presented
by the Keeper Collection at East Servery
last Sunday.
Executive Chef of Azuma Sushi &
Robata Bar Harold Wong was declared
winner for his Cap'n Carpaccio dish —
sliced sirloin flap steak with orange jam,
micro shiso, garlic chips, fried leeks and
ito togarashi served with sliced eggplant
and crumbled Cap'n Crunch cereal.
Wong will compete at the Chefs Under
Fire Finals in Austin on Oct. 16.
President and Founder of Keeper
Collection Diane Dixon said she was
excited to be partnering with Rice for
Chefs Under Fire's third year.
One of Rice's South Servery cooks,
Anthony Elumn, took to the burners at
East Servery for the competition.
Competitors were given 70 minutes
to prepare, cook and plate one dish they
had to come up with on the spot.
A viewing area was set up to one
side of East Servery where guests could
watch the competing chefs prepare
and cook their meals. The normal serv-
ing areas were converted into prepara-
tion stations so that viewers could get
up close to the chefs. Outside vendors
prepared tables with free food. Whole
Foods Market brought several items
from its catering menu including a fruit
plate, wraps, and a cheese selection.
O see Chef, page 5
Chef Harold Wong prepares his winning dish with a secret ingredient, Cap'n Crunch cereal (top left). Chef Christina Lee's dish, sirloin flap steak over Chinese long
beans, came in second (top right). Judges Hugo Ortega, Monica Pope and David Grossman sampled alt plates before determining the winners (bottom).
• •
Dean Taylor encourages new
student leadership initiative
Professor receives National Medal of Science
by Hallie Jordan
Thresher Editorial Staff
Following President David
Leebron's Vision for the Second
Century, administrators around
campus want to promote student
leadership and initiative.
"We realize that while stu-
dents are here, they have the
opportunity to learn and to be
the kind of people who make
impacts," Associate Dean of Un-
dergraduates Matt Taylor said.
A committee made up of Tay-
lor, Director of Leadership Rice
Judy Le, Associate Director of
Leadership Rice Dustin Peter-
son, Director of Student Activi-
ties Kate Abad and Director of
First Year Programs Shelah
Crear are working together to try
to promote the idea of leader-
ship on campus.
Taylor says he and the com-
mittee hope students will take
more of the opportunities that
are available to them. Though
they are describing their task
as promoting leadership, the
group emphasizes that they
want students mostly to act on
their ideas and not necessarily
just become president of a club.
Some activities Taylor men-
tioned and recommended
as leadership are studying
abroad, joining Rice Center for
Engineering Leadership, do-
ing service programs with the
Community Involvement Cen-
ter, joining Beyond Traditional
Borders and joining Engineers
Without Borders.
"We want to get undergradu-
ates thinking about making the
kinds of choices and pursing ex-
periences that will help develop
their leadership abilities and
put their skills to work," Taylor
said. "We want to communicate
that leadership can look like a
lot of different things."
The model the group is us-
ing to explain what leadership
consists of is called the "Four E"
model. The four E's are envision-
ing, engaging, executing and em-
bedding.
"Leadership is a process. You
have to have a vision and come
up with ideas and then engage
other people in the process,"
Taylor said. "We want to help
infuse this in our culture."
One of the most important
aspects of leadership is a stu-
dent's ability to bring others
together, Director of RCEL Mark
Embree said.
O see Leader, page 7
by Hallie Jordan
Thresher Editorial Staff
Coming from an immigrant family
who was the first to go to college, com-
puter and applied mathematics pro-
fessor Richard Tapia never planned on
winning any awards - especially one
of the most prestigious in the country.
Now, he is scheduled to receive he Na-
tional Medal of Science from President
Barack Obama in October.
"This is an extraordinary honor,
and we are thrilled for Richard and
we are thrilled that country has rec-
ognized him for this," President Da-
vid Leebron said. "He's obviously
an extraordinary scientist, but he
has also really dedicated himself to
opening up opportunities for under-
represented minorities. He's creating
a national agenda."
Tapia has been honored by the
president in the past when he received
the inaugural Presidential Award for
Excellence in Science, Mathematics
and Engineering Mentoring in 1996,
and in the same year earned a presi-
dential appointment to the National
Science Board.
Tapia thas been working at Rice
since 1970. He is known not only for
his work in mathematics, but also for
his commitment to promoting the sci-
ences as an area of study to women
and minority students, who are typi-
cally underrepresented in the field.
About half a dozen scientists are
chosen each year by the National
Science Foundation as recipients of
the National Medal of Science. This
year, there were seven recipients
from around the country. The award
is given based on scientific work and
research but also based on service on
behalf of the sciences. Recipients are
chosen by a 12-member committee.
€<
This is not a dream
come true because I
never dreamed about
it... I never came
close to thinking I
would ever get one.
Richard Tapia
CAAM Professor
w
"This is not a dream come true be-
cause I never dreamed about it," Tapia
said. "I was very aware it existed, but
I never came close to thinking 1 would
ever get one. It's very much a shock
and a pleasure."
Growing up in Los Angeles,
Tapia is the child of Mexican im-
migrants and was the first in his
family to go to college. He received
his bachelor's, master's and Ph.D.
in mathematics from the University
of California-Los Angeles.
Taking from his own experiences,
Tapia has been recognized nationally
for his efforts to help underrepresent-
ed minorities not only get degrees in
math and science, but also go to col-
lege in general. Due partly to his influ-
ence, Rice's Department of Computa-
tional and Applied Mathematics has
had more than double the national
average of both minority and female
Ph.D. students graduate each year for
more than a decade.
Baker Institute Senior Fellow Neal
Lane, who previously directed the NSF
emphasized the importance of having
students with different perspectives
and backgrounds working together.
"There are bright people who are
born everywhere and many are living
in environments that are very harsh,
so it is important that we reach out to
them and find mechanisms to make
sure everybody has a chance," Lane, a
physics professor, said.
However, the number of underre
resented minorities majoring in math
and science, especially engineering, is
still low, Lane said.
The award reflects well on Rice and
Houston, Tapia said, who is not only
happy to receive it for his career but to
represent this part of the country.
"We're all fighting for visibility,
and science awards tend to go to the
East or West Coasts. It is very satisfy-
ing to represent Rice and Houston and
Texas," Tapia said.
O see Award, page 5
Surrender to crepes
Party like you are Charles de Gaulle and
head over to the Brochstein Pavilion to
enjoy Salento's offering of crepes. There
will be both sweet and savory crepes so you
should make sure to sample everything.
Come to Salento this Saturday to get yours.
The salon is open!
Ana Serrano's new installation art exhibit
"Salon of Beauty" opened Thursday. The ex-
hibit shows off the beauty in everyday urban
settings, from handmade signage to the colors
of houses down the street. Stop by to check
out the latest from Rice Unr^rsity Art Gallery.
Getting freaky in the Boudoir
Stripper poles. Mattresses. Feathers. No
it's not a secret room at the Colorado, it's
Hanszen's public party. Come out Saturday
for Hanszen Presents: Boudoir. Whether it's
footy pajamas or something sexy, put on your
pjs this weekend for Rice's best pajama party!
INDEX
Opinion
3
News
5
Features
8
Arts & Entertainment
9
Sports
12
Calendar
15
Backpage
16
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Rutenberg, Josh. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 99, No. 7, Ed. 1 Friday, September 30, 2011, newspaper, September 30, 2011; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth398508/m1/1/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.