Kingston said that he first took an interest in energy issues during Hurricane Katrina. He said it baffled him that gas prices weren’t guided by how close consumption was to supply.

“I have decided the only thing more baffling than gas prices is the plays called by high school football coaches,” Kingston said.

Kingston said Bell’s research is encouraging and that he feels strongly that “the answer to the energy crisis resides with this research.”

Kingston recalled the 1980s in America when there were no cell phones, no Blackberries or iPods and people listened to cassette players.

“The products we have today were inconceivable in 1982,” Kingston said. “All progress made in the last 75 years will be surpassed in the next 25 years.”

To contact senior reporter Angie Thompson, call 382-4321.