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WACO, Texas (April 15, 2021) – Greg Garrett, Ph.D., professor of English at Baylor University, has been awarded a $488,000 grant by the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation to study the pivotal role of movies, books, sermons, political speeches and other media in shaping popular attitudes and opinions, including those about race and racial dynamics.
WACO, Texas (April 14, 2021) – Baylor University announced today the launch of nationwide searches for elite researchers to serve in five endowed faculty chair positions. These newly endowed chairs are strategically created to address significant societal challenges and recruit faculty in emerging areas of strength and focus at the University: data sciences, materials science, biomedical engineering, molecular biology and health, and water and health.
WACO, Texas (April 12, 2021) — Managers should listen more, be empathetic and be sure they give feedback — even if they cannot solve a problem immediately, according to a Baylor University study that focused on workplace communication during the pandemic.
WACO, Texas (April 6, 2021) – Ryan A. McManamay, Ph.D., assistant professor of environmental science at Baylor University, is among the recipients of the Sustainability Science Award announced today by the Ecological Society of America (ESA).
WACO, Texas (March 31, 2021) – As National Autism Awareness Month begins in April, two Baylor University School of Education faculty members have received grant awards from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) to fund research and training in behavioral intervention practices that improve outcomes for children with autism.
WACO, Texas (March 29, 2021) – As the United States continues its march to vaccinate millions of citizens against COVID-19, marketing researchers from Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business have discovered a messaging model that motivates people to take preventive actions to battle the virus.
WACO, Texas (March 29, 2021) – United Methodist churches — whether the congregation is white or not — have higher attendance when located within white neighborhoods. But racial diversity within a church is associated with higher average attendance over time, according to a study led by Baylor University.
WACO, Texas (March 22, 2021) — National work-family policies that give lower-income families more time together while allowing them paid time off are more effective for children’s psychological health than cash transfers, according to a study of developed nations led by Baylor University.
WACO, Texas (March 17, 2021) — A research team that includes a Baylor University scholar on race and religion will help establish Churches that THRIVE for Racial Justice, a national effort to help congregations confront structures of racism in their communities. Lilly Endowment Inc. is funding the project with a $1 million grant to Davidson College, which will coordinate the project.
WACO, Texas (March 4, 2021) – Stephanie Gerow, Ph.D., assistant professor of educational psychology in the Baylor University School of Education, has earned a coveted grant from the U.S. Department of Education to fund research that will provide early childhood professionals with behavioral intervention training for children with developmental disabilities.
WACO, Texas (Feb. 8, 2021) - With its vision to enhance Baylor-Waco partnerships, Baylor University’s Office of External Affairs has launched the Solid Gold Neighbor Research Fellows Program, a comprehensive community-based participatory research grant program connecting graduate students with local nonprofits.
WACO, Texas (Feb. 4, 2021) – Baylor University has announced the establishment of a partnership with Africa New Life Ministries, a nonprofit organization headquartered in Portland, Oregon, creating the Baylor Africa New Life Initiative.
WACO, Texas (Jan. 28, 2021) - An organization that projects an ethical face but whose managers fail to respond to internal ethical situations sends mixed messages to its employees, which can lead to a lack of employees' moral courage and an increase in unethical behavior, according to a study led by a Baylor University researcher.
WACO, Texas (Jan. 27, 2021) - A Baylor University professor and a former student have received a National Science Foundation grant to address technological challenges that face law enforcement as they try to break up illicit networks and rescue individuals caught up in human trade.
WACO, Texas (Jan. 21, 2021) – Baylor University announced today that it has opened its own on-site COVID-19 testing lab and research facility in partnership with My Labs Direct (MLD), a CLIA-certified, COLA-accredited diagnostic lab that offers an extensive menu of FDA-approved tests.
WACO, Texas (Jan. 19, 2021) — Variation in consumption of market-acquired foods outside of the traditional diet — but not in total number of calories burned daily — is reliably related to indigenous Amazonian children’s body fat, according to a study led by Baylor University that offers insight into the global obesity epidemic.
WACO, Texas (Jan. 7, 2021) – Baylor University researchers Rebecca Sheesley, Ph.D., and Sascha Usenko, Ph.D., associate professors of environmental science, have been awarded an $890,000 grant by the Department of Energy Atmospheric System Research (ASR) to examine the impact of urban pollution on thunderstorm activity as part of the TRACER-MAP project.
WACO, Texas (Dec. 9, 2020) – A mysterious small marine reptile dating from 150 million years ago has been identified as a new species that may have been capable of diving very deeply. The well-preserved specimen was found in a Late Jurassic deep marine deposit along the English Channel coastline in Dorset, England.
WACO, Texas (Dec. 7, 2020) – Brief “huddles” — rather than a barrage of emails and texts about safety and risk — may be the fastest and simplest way for hospital workers to avoid communication overload as they deal with the flood of COVID-19 cases, a Baylor University researcher says.
WACO, Texas (Nov. 16, 2020) – Cynical hostility is a potential pathway to cardiovascular disease by preventing a healthy response to stress over time, according to a study led by Baylor University.
WACO, Texas (Nov. 11, 2020) — Racially diverse congregations have increased substantially in the United States over the past 20 years, and the percentage of all-white congregations has declined, according to a study led by a Baylor University sociologist.
WACO, Texas (Oct. 27, 2020) – Baylor University and Compassion International, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, today announced a partnership to bring about global human flourishing for children and families in poverty — and to create transformational experiences for their constituents that ultimately lead to poverty reduction.
WACO, Texas (Oct. 5, 2020) – Using smartphone check-ins twice a day for two weeks, sociologists in a national study have found a link between individuals’ daily spiritual experiences and overall well-being, say researchers from Baylor University and Harvard University.
WACO, Texas (Oct. 5, 2020) – Runaway and homeless youth are receiving social support as they transition from a federally funded homeless shelter into the community through a unique partnership with volunteers from a nearby church through an intensive, relationship-focused model by Open Table, according to a preliminary study by Baylor University’s Program on Prosocial Behavior.
WACO, Texas (Sept. 24, 2020) – A new way of analyzing the chemical composition of soil organic matter will help scientists predict how soils store carbon — and how soil carbon may affect climate in the future, says a Baylor University researcher.
WACO, Texas (Sept. 22, 2020) – “Whodunnit” may be the big question in crime fiction, but “how they done it” determines whether they get away with it. And these days, both criminals and crime fighters are honing their technological skills for the battle of good and evil, a Baylor researcher says.
WACO, Texas (Sept. 17, 2020) – What takes place inside a person when they encounter beautiful pieces of art? While most people would acknowledge being moved by aesthetic and artistic beauty, the changes sparked by such an engagement seem beyond the realm of measurement. Two Baylor psychology and neuroscience researchers, however, are working to change that.
WACO, Texas (Sept. 8, 2020) – People who were children when their parents were divorced showed lower levels of oxytocin — the so-called “love hormone” — when they were adults than those whose parents remained married, according to a study led by Baylor University. That lower level may play a role in having trouble forming attachments when they are grown.
WACO, Texas (Sept. 7, 2020) – Baylor University Libraries has been awarded a $300,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to support the research of two Browning scholars at Baylor's renowned Armstrong Browning Library.
WACO, Texas (Aug. 31, 2020) — People who did not have a large heart rate response to a stress task surprised researchers later — after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic — when they showed more symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder related to the crisis than others who also did the stress task and COVID-19 stress ratings.
WACO, Texas (Aug. 21, 2020) - An interdisciplinary team of Baylor University scientists and engineers has been awarded a nearly $600,000 grant to study the effectiveness of a horseback-riding simulator as a treatment for children with autism.
WACO, Texas (Aug. 17, 2020) – People who experience threats to their existence — which these days may well be economic and political instability — are more likely to experience miracles, according to a Baylor University study.
WACO, Texas (Aug. 13, 2020) - A leading international research organization which funds outstanding early-career researchers and provides opportunities for mentorship and collaboration has named a Baylor University anthropology professor to its prestigious global scholar program.
WACO, Texas (Aug. 10, 2020) – Leigh Greathouse, Ph.D., a leading researcher in the relationship between diet, the microbiome, disease and health at Baylor University, has been awarded a prestigious Career Development Award from the Department of Defense (DoD) to study the link between diet and colon cancer treatment.
WACO, Texas (July 31, 2020) – Texas researchers from the University of Houston, Baylor University and Texas A&M University have discovered evidence for why the earth cooled dramatically 13,000 years ago, dropping temperatures by about 3 degrees Centigrade.
WACO, Texas (July 24, 2020) — A mountain people in Uganda — branded as selfish and loveless by an anthropologist half a century ago — really is not, according to a study led by a Baylor University anthropologist.
WACO, Texas (July 9, 2020) – Liela Romero, Ph.D., a highly regarded rising cancer researcher and 2011 Baylor University alumnus, has joined the Baylor faculty with the support of a $2 million grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).
WACO, Texas (July 8, 2020) – Psychiatric inpatients with major depressive disorders who increased in the virtue of patience during hospitalization also showed fewer symptoms of depression, according to a Baylor University study.
WACO, Texas (July 7, 2020) – Perceived pregnancy discrimination indirectly relates to increased levels of postpartum depressive symptoms for mothers and lower birth weights, lower gestational ages and increased numbers of doctor visits for babies, according to a management study led by Baylor University.
WACO, Texas (June 25, 2020) – Baylor University’s drive toward Research 1 (R1) status received a major boost this spring as four faculty members earned prestigious CAREER development awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The grants represent the largest number of CAREER awards earned by Baylor faculty in a single semester and nearly doubled the University’s total number of active CAREER awards to nine.
WACO, Texas (June 22, 2020) – People felt less gratitude when they read about receiving a favor along with many other individuals, as opposed to a favor that was only given to themselves, according to a Baylor University psychology study.
WACO, Texas (June 15, 2020) – A new treatment for stress which combines mindfulness with hypnotherapy has shown positive results in a Baylor University pilot study.
WACO, Texas (May 19, 2020) – A Russian paleontologist visiting the Natural History Museum in London desperately wanted a good look at the skeleton of an extinct aquatic reptile, but its glass case was too far up the wall. So he attached his digital camera to a fishing rod and — with several clicks — snagged a big one, scientifically speaking.
WACO, Texas (May 18, 2020) – Chemical compounds found in many consumer products could be major contributors to the onset of lipid-related diseases, such as obesity, in humans, according to a Baylor University study.
WACO, Texas (May 7, 2020) — Youth aging out of foster care, at-risk single moms and homeless veterans achieved significant life transformation through an intensive, volunteer-based, relationship-focused model, according to a preliminary study of a limited number of participants in the Open Table program conducted by Baylor University’s Program on Prosocial Behavior.
WACO, Texas (May 4, 2020) – The Baylor University Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, known nationally as the McNair Scholars Program, is wrapping up an impressive 2019-2020 academic year with an inaugural national McNair Research Conference held in September and Baylor’s largest graduating cohort of McNair Scholars.
WACO, Texas (April 27, 2020) – Most treatment providers for individuals with alcohol use disorders are well versed in either the 12-Step Alcoholics Anonymous program or in a different treatment such as cognitive behavioral therapy — but the two approaches can mesh well, according to a Baylor University researcher.
WACO, Texas (April 15, 2020) – Religious Americans were better able than less religious ones to weather the economic storm of the 2008 recession, at least in terms of well-being, according to a study that may have implications for the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
WACO, Texas (April 7, 2020) – College students who listened to classical music by Beethoven and Chopin during a computer-interactive lecture on microeconomics — and heard the music again that night — did better on a test the next day than did peers who were in the same lecture, but instead slept that evening with white noise in the background.
WACO, Texas (March 24, 2020) – Three new species of toothed pterosaurs — flying reptiles of the Cretaceous period, some 100 million years ago — have been identified in Africa by an international team of scientists led by Baylor University.
WACO, Texas (March 16, 2020) – A clear majority of participants in a national survey about the zero-tolerance policy on the United States/Mexico border strongly opposed separating immigrant families and charging the parents as criminals, according to Baylor University research.
WACO, Texas (March 4, 2020) – Baylor University interior design students and an associate professor are assisting with the design for a hyperclean play space for children who have cancer and are undergoing chemotherapy, as well as for youngsters with a host of other diseases which also may compromise immunity.
WACO, TX (Feb. 27, 2020) – American Journal of Public Health has published a new article, “Identifying Needs for Advancing the Profession and Workforce in Environmental Health,” which aims to identify priority challenges and related research needs to catalyze effective delivery of essential environmental health services for common environmental health program areas in U.S. health departments.
WACO, Texas (Feb. 12, 2020) – With more than a quarter of U.S. adults now having tattoos — and nearly half of millennials sporting them — only a handful of studies have focused on religious tattoos. But a new study by researchers at Baylor University and Texas Tech University analyzes faith-centered tattoos and is the first to use visual images of them.
WASHINGTON (Feb. 3, 2020) — The Publications Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS) has announced that Bryan W. Brooks, Ph.D., of Baylor University has joined Environmental Science & Technology Letters as editor-in-chief.
WACO, Texas (Jan. 17, 2020) – Baylor University and the Texas Business Journals today unveiled the results of a research partnership that provide insights from business leaders across the state.
WACO, Texas (Dec. 18, 2019) — Forager-horticulturalist children in the Amazon rainforest do not spend more calories in their everyday lives than children in the United States, but they do spend calories differently. That finding provides clues for understanding and reversing global trends in obesity and poor metabolic health, according to a Baylor University researcher in a study published in Science Advances.
WACO, Texas (Dec. 13, 2019) – Emeka Okafor, Ph.D., assistant professor of epidemiology in public health at Baylor University, has received a career development grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the effects of drug use, particularly cannabis, on treatment outcomes of patients with HIV.
WACO, Texas (Dec. 13, 2019) – Marco Franco, a doctoral candidate in environmental science at Baylor University, has been awarded the 2020 Colgate-Palmolive Award for Student Research Training in Alternative Methods from the Society of Toxicology.
WACO, Texas (Dec. 09, 2019) – Preventing serious medical conditions typically requires patients to follow treatment plans, which may involve taking medication, exercising or following a diet. Although the effectiveness of these plans often depends on patients adhering to their treatment plan, around 50 percent of patients fail to adequately use those plans, studies show.
WACO, Texas (Dec. 4, 2019) — Hundreds of environmental health professionals across the nation report challenges and research needs in six areas — drinking water quality, wastewater management, healthy homes, food safety, public health pests and emerging issues such as disaster risk reduction and new facility types for body art and cannabis-infused products — in research from Baylor University and partners.
WACO, Texas (Dec. 2, 2019) – Americans travel farther on average to their worship places than they did a decade ago. But while those who belong to a congregation in their neighborhood attend more often, “worshipping local” does not make them feel closer to their neighbors or more satisfied with the neighborhood, according to a new study by researchers at Baylor University and Calvin University.
WACO, Texas (Dec. 2, 2019) – FOMO – aka the “fear of missing out” – can have a positive impact on well-being when it leads to social media use that increases social connections, according to a new Baylor University study.
WACO, Texas (Nov. 20, 2019) – Lake Victoria, the largest lake on the African continent and the largest tropical lake in the world, has the potential to dry up more quickly than researchers previously realized, and the White Nile tributary (the only outlet for Lake Victoria) could disappear within a decade, according to a new study published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters.
WACO, Texas (Nov. 13, 2019) — Strong same-sex friendships among male firefighters can help cut down on their stress — but loving relationships with their wives may increase anxiety for those who constantly face danger, according to a Baylor University study.
WACO, Texas (Nov. 11, 2019) – The roles of daughters in the family structure and in society are difficult to define and they’re rarely understood – even by daughters themselves – said Allison Alford, Ph.D., clinical assistant professor of business communication in Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business.
WACO, Texas (Oct. 23, 2019) – Baylor University has partnered with four Department of Energy laboratories and more than a dozen universities in a research alliance to address the nation’s water security issues through desalination and will share in a $100 million grant funding the project for five years.
WACO, Texas (Oct. 16, 2019) — A small Bolivian society of indigenous forager-farmers, known for astonishingly healthy cardiovascular systems, is seeing a split in beliefs about what makes a good life. Some are holding more to the traditional — more family ties, hunting and knowledge of forest medicine — but others are starting to favor material wealth, a Baylor University study finds.
DALLAS, Texas (Oct. 15, 2019) – Baylor University’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing (LHSON) and Baylor Scott & White Research Institute have received funding from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering of the National Institutes of Health to develop and study an immersive virtual reality simulator for nurses to train on safe medication administration practices.
WACO, Texas (Oct. 3, 2019) – Baylor University announced today the formation of a postdoctoral researcher hiring program to support and enhance research across the University. The postdoctoral hiring program will dramatically accelerate Baylor’s efforts to deliver top-level research marked by quality, visibility and impact through the planned addition of 65 professional researchers over the next three years.
WACO, Texas (Oct. 3, 2019) — A Baylor University researcher’s prototype smartphone app — designed to help parents detect early signs of various eye diseases in their children such as retinoblastoma, an aggressive pediatric eye cancer — has passed its first big test.
WACO, Texas (Sept. 24, 2019) – Baylor University’s Texas Hunger Initiative has taken an important step this week in helping move the University towards its Research 1/Tier 1 aspirations with the announcement of a $5 million grant to expand access to food for students living in rural Texas communities.
WACO, Texas (Sept. 23, 2019) – Amanda S. Hering, Ph.D., associate professor of statistical science in Baylor University’s College of Arts and Sciences, has been awarded the Abdel El-Shaarawi Early Investigator’s Award from The International Environmetrics Society (TIES).
WACO, Texas (Sept. 20, 2019) – Baylor University’s McNair Scholars program will host its inaugural national McNair Research Conference Sept. 26-27 on the Baylor campus, highlighting student research presentations from McNair Scholars at Baylor and around the country, as well as other Baylor undergraduates engaged in faculty-mentored research.
WACO, Texas (Sept. 19, 2019) – Storytelling that educates and entertains – aka “edutainment” – is a powerful communications tool that can lead to positive health-related changes among multicultural millennials, according to a new marketing study from Baylor University.
WACO, Texas (Sept. 17, 2019) – Steven L. Forman, Ph.D., professor of geosciences and director of the Geoluminescence Dating Research Laboratory at Baylor University, will receive the international Farouk El-Baz Award for Desert Research from the Geological Society of America, becoming only the 21st scientist to receive the award. The GSA will present Forman with the award during the organization’s meeting Sept. 23 in Phoenix, Arizona.
WACO, Texas (Sept. 16, 2019) - A group of forager-farmers in Bolivia’s tropical forests - known for having remarkable cardiovascular health and low blood pressure - experienced changes in body mass and diet over a nine-year period, with increased use of cooking oil being the most notable dietary change.
WACO, Texas (Sept. 13, 2019) – Howard Lee, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics in Baylor University’s College of Arts & Sciences, was awarded the prestigious Director’s Fellowship from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
WACO, Texas (Sept. 4, 2019) – For millions of football fans across the United States, fall is the time to break out the grills, load vehicles with coolers and food and games, and gather with friends for the time-honored tradition of tailgating.
WACO, Texas (Aug. 28, 2019) – At today’s regular Fall Faculty Meeting, Baylor University officially announced plans to pursue Research 1/Tier 1 (R1/T1) recognition by building on Illuminate, the University’s strategic plan, which will guide Baylor towards joining the nation’s top research universities and achieving status as the world’s preeminent Christian research university.
WACO, Texas (Aug. 23, 2019) — Caregivers of people with dementia lose between 2.5 to 3.5 hours of sleep weekly due to difficulty falling asleep and maintaining sleep — a negative for themselves and potentially for those who receive their care, Baylor University sleep researchers say.
WACO, Texas (Aug. 19, 2019) — Whether making the transition to college, starting a new job, ending a relationship or retiring, change can cause psychological stress, which in turn can make for wear and tear on the body. A new video series from Baylor University offers ways to cope.
WACO, Texas (Aug. 16, 2019) — New research published this week in JAMA Oncology, which includes contributions from a Baylor University undergraduate researcher, has found a lack of racial and ethnic diversity in clinical trials for cancer drugs.
WACO, Texas (Aug. 9, 2019) — From as far as Australia and as near as Scotland, scholars from all over the world recently gathered at Oxford University for the 2019 Baptist Scholars International Roundtable (BSIR) – co-directed by two Baylor University faculty members – which centered on the theme “Baptists and the Kingdom of God.”
WACO, Texas (July 30, 2019) – As density in cities increase along with other global megatrends, researchers are working to address environment and health challenges in collaborative ways.
WACO, Texas (July 25, 2019) – Supervisors driven by profits could actually be hurting their coveted bottom lines by losing the respect of their employees, who counter by withholding performance, according to a new study led by Baylor University.
WACO, Texas (July 22, 2019) — Baylor University biology major Jacqueline Carroll spent her summer in the lab researching seed microbiomes, the microscopic organisms such as bacteria, fungi and archaea that live within the seed. She hopes her research will one day lead to increased crop production (minus the use of genetically modified organisms) and, ultimately, address world hunger.
A team led by a Baylor University researcher has published a breakthrough article that provides a better understanding of the dynamic process by which sunlight-induced DNA damage is recognized by the molecular repair machinery in cells as needing repair.
WACO, Texas (July 3, 2019) – Baylor’s Mathematics for Early Learners Academy (MELA) launched its fourth summer of math intervention for struggling young students on Monday, July 1. The program has proven effective in helping pre-K and kindergarten students who were identified as below level in mathematics to achieve and exceed grade level in their mathematics skills.
WACO, Texas (June 25, 2019) — People who care for their parents outside of their full-time jobs — and are unpaid for that help — experience considerable disruption of their workplace routines. Many are not getting employer support because it is not offered or because they do not feel able to use it, even if available, according to a Baylor University researcher.
WACO, Texas (June 10, 2019) — A mysterious large mass of material has been discovered beneath the largest crater in our solar system — the Moon’s South Pole-Aitken basin — and may contain metal from an asteroid that crashed into the Moon and formed the crater, according to a Baylor University study.
WACO, Texas (May 30, 2019) – The Spencer Foundation recently awarded Baylor University’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work a $50,000 grant to study if and how accredited Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) programs incorporate curricula around religion and spirituality (RS) into social work education as well as assessing faculty views around the topic and how universities’ religious affiliations impact M.S.W. education.
WACO, Texas (May 22, 2019) — Belief in the “Prosperity Gospel” — that God financially blesses faithful followers — does not turn individuals into successful entrepreneurs. But prosperity beliefs can fuel values linked to entrepreneurial thinking, such as power and achievement, according to a Baylor University study.
WACO, Texas (May 20, 2019) – Today, the National Environmental Health Association’s (NEHA) Journal of Environmental Health published the article “Uncovering Environmental Health: An Initial Assessment of the Profession’s Health Department Workforce and Practice.”
WACO, Texas (May 14, 2019) – Baylor University has partnered with four Department of Energy laboratories and more than a dozen universities in a research alliance to address the country’s water security issues through desalination.
WACO, Texas (May 2, 2019) — A Baylor University study published in Science, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, found that recent hybridization of the Gulf killifish — a large minnow common in the heavily polluted Houston Ship Channel — has enabled the species to adapt rapidly to extreme pollution.
WACO, Texas (April 24, 2019) — A new chemical synthesis strategy to harvest the rich information found in natural products — organic compounds isolated from natural sources — has led to the identification of novel, simpler derivatives with potential to selectively protect neurons, important for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, or to prevent the body’s immune system from rejecting organ transplants, according to a Baylor University-led study.
WACO, Texas (April 15, 2019) — The discovery of an ancient painted vase, which bears one of the longest hieroglyphic texts uncovered in the Central America lowlands, is offering new clues into the mysterious breakdown of ancient Maya civilization, says a Baylor University scholar who led the excavation.
WACO, Texas (April 2, 2019) – Research and creative works from hundreds of Baylor University students will be on display April 1-5, during the annual URSA Scholars Week, a celebration of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Achievement (URSA).
WACO, Texas (March 25, 2019) – With Baylor in Latin America one of the five signature initiatives of the University’s Illuminate academic strategic plan, a top scholar who has researched and taught about religion in Latin America for nearly two decades joined the Baylor University faculty this semester.