Experts in the News

Though still set to boost oil production after meeting on Thursday, "OPEC is smart to prime its membership for the possibility of a U-turn" amid the pandemic, said fellow Jim Krane. "But a change in strategy right away might’ve unduly upset the Biden administration."

“By the time we identify a new variant, it’s already gone global,” said fellow Peter Hotez, in light of concerns over the new Omicron variant of COVID-19 and the announcement of new travel bans instated for the U.S.

For years, a team of Rice researchers co-directed by environmental scholar Jim Blackburn has supported the Galveston Bay Park Plan, a recreational park doubling as a storm surge barrier, that could help minimize future damage amid increasing natural disasters.

While current gas prices remain below historic highs, projections show they increased by an average 82 cents a gallon in 2021 — the biggest jump since 1992. "The year-to-year change is significant," said energy fellow Mark Finley.

The reopening of the U.S.-Mexico border for fully vaccinated tourists came just in time for one of the biggest shopping seasons of the year. But so far, shoppers have returned in disappointingly low numbers. “More than 230,000 people cross the ports of entry into the U.S. every day to work, go to school, shop, go on vacation,” said research scholar José Iván Rodríguez. “They represent an important source of business for counties on the Texas border.”