Expert Alert

Mars geologist available to discuss Perseverance

Kirsten Siebach, a Martian geologist at Rice University, is available to speak with the media before NASA’s next Mars rover, Perseverance, lands on Feb. 18.

US must do its fair share for refugees, says Baker Institute expert

Increasing the number of refugees resettled to the U.S. is critical for the well-being of refugees across the globe, according to an expert from Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Rice political scientist available to discuss Biden inauguration

House vote to decriminalize marijuana reflects the will of the American public, says Baker Institute expert

HOUSTON – (Dec. 4, 2020) – The U.S. House of Representatives today approved legislation that would decriminalize marijuana and seek to "address the devastating injustices caused by the war on drugs." Katharine Neill Harris, the Alfred C. Glassell III Fellow in Drug Policy at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy, is available to discuss the so-called MORE Act with the news media.

US economy can handle high government debt, says Baker Institute expert

U.S. debt is projected to soon eclipse World War II-era levels, and while that sounds problematic, that much growth in government debt won’t weaken the private sector like it did in the 1940s, according to new research by an expert at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

'Strategic indifference' leaves refugees in precarious position, says Baker Institute expert

Current explanations for migrant and refugee policies in the "global south" mistake the absence of formal policy for neglect. But a migration and immigration expert at Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy proposes to explain this dynamic as "strategic indifference.”

Biden must avoid cold war with China, says Rice U. expert

With U.S.-China relations at their lowest point since the Cold War, President-elect Joe Biden’s expected approach to the world’s most populous country will likely exacerbate tensions, according to an expert at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Texas justice system needs reform to save taxpayer dollars, decrease jail overcrowding, says Baker Institute expert

HOUSTON – (Nov. 10, 2020) – The Texas justice system’s overreaction to low-level offenses wastes taxpayer dollars and contributes to overcrowded jails that put community health at risk, according to an expert at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Biden has opportunity for systemwide immigration reform, says Baker Institute expert

Biden administration must take swift action to support science, research, says Baker Institute expert

HOUSTON – (Nov. 9, 2020) – President-elect Joe Biden's efforts to restore competency and trust in federal research agencies will require fundamental -- sometimes counter-intuitive -- changes that will strengthen the use of science in U.S. policy and by the research community, according to an expert at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Rice experts available to discuss 2020 election

HOUSTON – (Oct. 29, 2020) – With eyes around the world on the 2020 U.S. election just five days away, three Rice University professors are available to discuss various topics related to the vote, including the contest for president, election security and the electoral climate in Texas.

As relationship with US deteriorates, experts to discuss China's 'soft power'

HOUSTON – (Oct. 29, 2020) – Experts from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy will examine the role of "soft power" in U.S.-China diplomacy in the final webinar of its 2020 Election Series Nov. 2.

Baker Institute's Norman: Election a pivot point for US immigration policy

A Joe Biden presidency would “roll back many of the Trump administration’s attacks" on immigrants to the United States, but that may not be enough to pacify critics of the Obama administration's immigration policies who seek new protected pathways to citizenship, according to a new brief from an expert at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Undocumented immigrants need better access to health care, say Baker Institute experts

Health care is a top voter issue this year, and for undocumented immigrants, the barriers to access are many.

Rice political scientist available to discuss impact of Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis

HOUSTON – (Oct. 2, 2020) – With the announcement that President Donald Trump has tested positive for COVID-19 and is showing mild symptoms, Rice University political scientist Paul Brace is available to discuss what it means for the election a month away.