Ruth Simmons and David Satterfield discuss future of DEI in higher education
May 29, 2025
David Satterfield, director of Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, sat down with Ruth Simmons, the President’s Distinguished Fellow and former president of Brown University, Smith College and Prairie View A&M University, for a reflective conversation on the mounting pressures reshaping American higher education.
Rice-led forum tackles critical water-energy nexus in Washington, D.C.
May 29, 2025
In a time of escalating climate risks, crumbling infrastructure and ballooning industrial demand, understanding how water and energy intertwine has never been more urgent. That was the resounding message from experts who convened May 19 in Washington, D.C., for “The Intersection of Water and Energy, 2025-2030,” a forum hosted by Rice and Arizona State University.
Forging a path to a sustainable carbon economy: Inside the vision of Rice’s Carbon Hub
May 21, 2025
As the world races to address the climate crisis, a coalition headquartered at Rice is taking a radically collaborative approach to one of the toughest challenges: how to decarbonize industry while at the same time boosting manufacturing, improving infrastructure and securing the supply chains for the energy and materials we rely on every day.
Extreme price variation at Houston hospitals continues, expert says
April 30, 2025
Houston hospitals show significant pricing differences in their procedures, according to a new brief from Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. The research revisits the websites of the four largest Texas Medical Center (TMC) hospitals to assess whether they have followed federal hospital price transparency laws. The analysis focuses on the listed prices from Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center, Houston Methodist Hospital and Memorial Hermann-TMC.
Rice’s Harris explains complexities of proposed state bill to ban hemp products
March 20, 2025
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick recently held a press conference on SB 3, a bill to ban all hemp products with cannabinoids other than cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabigerol (CBG) in Texas. An expert on drug policy from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy is available to explain the bill and comment on the implications of the policy.
Former presidential advisers discuss their role shaping science policy
March 12, 2025
Three former presidential science advisers spoke with the director of Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy March 5 to discuss the critical role of science and technology in a complex world. The conversation explored the panelists’ experiences leading the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the office’s critical role in shaping national policies to advance science, technology, innovation and higher education.
Protecting science, technology policy can unleash American potential, report says
March 5, 2025
The Science and Technology Action Committee (STAC), a blue ribbon panel of leaders in science policy, launched “Vision for American Science and Technology (VAST),” a brief, nonpartisan document that offers a vision of a future in which American science and technology can continue to serve the country. Neal Lane, senior fellow in science and technology policy at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is one of 25 members serving on the STAC panel.