Demand for oil will not recover significantly until the world economy improves, so there will not be supply problems to drive up the price of oil in the coming year, says a University of Alabama engineering professor who closely follows the markets.
As more people use social media platforms, they will begin moving away from using the term “social media” in the new year, predicts Dr. Karla Gower, associate professor of advertising and public relations.
The rise of the “recessionista” will continue in 2010, according to Brian Taylor, instructor of clothing, textiles & interior design at The University of Alabama.
As budget cuts in education continue, we will see more use of mobile technologies in the classroom in 2010, predicts Dr. Vivian Wright, a University of Alabama educator.
According to Rebecca Kelly, director of health promotion and wellness at The University of Alabama, the added attention to the issue of obesity will inspire some to make better food choices, but others—not so much.
Look for an increase in “techno-shopping” in the coming months, says Dr. Kristy Reynolds, Bruno Associate Professor of Marketing at The University of Alabama Culverhouse College of Commerce.
Conflict in the chilly Arctic Circle among Canada, Russia, Greenland and the United States will heat up beginning in 2010, a University of Alabama political scientist predicts.
The automotive crystal ball is obscured by great uncertainty, but The University of Alabama’s Dr. Clark Midkiff predicts the domestic auto fleet to quickly change.
After a year of congressional battles over health-care bills, President Barack Obama will become more proactive in sending his own legislation to Congress, a UA political scientist predicts.
“There is,” says Dr. Benton Gup, “only one way that interest rates can go in the future, and that is up: They are going to increase.”