Experts in the News

The vaccination gap between whiter, more conservative Texas counties and the state average may not be cause for concern yet, said health economics fellow Vivian Ho, but there is potential for it to widen. "If, for instance, only 50% of people in outlier counties are vaccinated, they will continually be subject to superspreader events that will overwhelm the weakest components of the state’s health care infrastructure."

Fellow Kelsey Norman moderated the webinar on "The Arab Uprisings Revisited" as experts reflected on this historic time and what may lie ahead.

“Our consumerism drives demand in plastics,” said energy fellow Rachel Meidl. “The widespread use of plastics is driven by our desire for convenient, portable, lightweight products.”

Millions of white evangelical adults in the U.S. do not intend to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Tenets of faith and mistrust of science play a role. Changes in evangelical Christian views of science over the past century are largely rooted in debates over evolution and the secularization of academia, said Baker Institute Rice Faculty Scholar Elaine Howard Ecklund. 

"There’s going to have to be a lot of public communication, and a lot of advocacy, because parents are going to be a bit skittish about ... a brand new mRNA technology for their kids,” said Hotez. But vaccinating children will be key to curbing COVID, he added.