Baylor in the News – Nov. 12-Nov. 18, 2023 

Contact: Baylor University Media & Public Relations, 254-710-1961
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WACO, Texas (Nov. 19, 2023) – Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories about how a leaf’s visual characteristics can help tell its story, the importance of understanding the systems behind AI and the path forward, and a remarkable $5,000 putt at a Baylor basketball game that caught the attention of national TV morning show.

Nov. 12, 2023

Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers: EP290 The surprising research about how talent is developed

AUDIO: Rishi Sriram, Ph.D., associate professor of higher education and student affairs at Baylor who researches the development of talent, is a guest on this podcast to discuss talent as not a cause, but an outcome. It is cultivated, developed and learned.

Nov. 13, 2023

KXXV-TV (ABC/Waco): Baylor University acknowledges history with slavery with plan for new monument

VIDEO: Baylor Regents approved funds and plans for a “Memorial to Enslaved Persons” on Founders Mall. The memorial is designed to honor and recognize enslaved people who were involved in the construction of Baylor’s original campus in Independence.

Park Cities People: Shoes, Socks, Exams for Those Experiencing Homelessness

Nursing students from the UT-Arlington and Baylor Schools of Nursing washed feet, conducted basic foot health checks and provided basic care during a recent foot care clinic organized by the Rotary Club of Park Cities for people experiencing homelessness. Shelter clients also received new shoes, socks and foot care packets that included nail files, clippers, antibiotic ointment and lotion.

The Christian Century: The literal drama of church history

Philip Jenkins, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of History and director of Program on Historical Studies of Religion in Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion, writes in this essay that life in the Roman and Byzantine empires was utterly theatrical.

Baptist News Global: Baylor regents allocate $6.3 million for Memorial to Enslaved Persons

Baylor University regents have allocated $6.3 million for construction of a Memorial to Enslaved Persons to be located on Founders Mall at the Waco, Texas, campus. Erecting such a memorial was among recommended actions in the final report of a Commission on Historic Campus Representations in 2021. The monument will recognize the enslaved men and women who were instrumental in building Baylor’s original campus in Independence, Texas.

Fortune: Is an Ed.D. degree worth it?

Laila Y. Sanguras, Ph.D., graduate program director of the Ed.D.-Learning and Organization Change program at Baylor’s School of Education, is quoted about the benefits of obtaining an Ed.D. and its usefulness to the wide variety of education students.

Nov. 14, 2023

The Atlantic: The Plight of the Eldest Daughter

Research on adult daughters by Allison Alford, Ph.D., clinical assistant professor of business communication at Baylor, is highlighted in this article about her term “daughtering,” which describes the family work usually taken on by girls. She explains the importance of reevaluating a daughter’s role in the family.

Baptist News Global: ‘Both of these Jameses are speaking into 2023 in ways that are important and necessary’

Greg Garrett, Ph.D., The Carole McDaniel Hanks Professor of Literature and Culture at Baylor, participated on a panel that discussed the importance of two prominent Black authors, James Cone and James Baldwin. Garrett is quoted about the relevance of Baldwin’s work today.

The Wall Street Journal: How Gen Z Feels About Working From Home

Baylor University senior entrepreneurship major Molly Jenkins is among the students discussing the potential of remote and hybrid work after WeWork’s bankruptcy.

KRBC-TV (NBC/Abilene): What pathogens are common in the Abilene area? Wastewater testing coming soon

VIDEO: The Abilene-Taylor County Public Health District is partnering with the Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to sample wastewater in the Abilene area for common pathogens. The samples collected will be sent to Baylor University for testing.

Nov. 15, 2023

Baptist Standard: Around the State: DBU presents awards at Leadership Gala

In this roundup, Jeremy Counseller, The Abner V. McCall Chair of Evidence Law, is highlighted for his appointment as the dean of Baylor Law School beginning July 1. Joel Gregory, Ph.D., The George W. Truett Endowed Chair in Preaching and Evangelism, will retire after 19 years as faculty.

Signal: Advice for Military Applied Artificial Intelligence

John Carbone, Ph.D., lecturer in applied AI and applied data sciences at Baylor, spoke on a panel representing Forcepoint, a software company, about the future of AI. Carbone is quoted about the importance of understanding the systems behind AI and the path forward.

Nov. 16, 2023

Good Morning America: Two Baylor basketball victories, record student attendance and a $5,000 winning putt

VIDEO: In its morning segment, Good Morning America mentions Baylor Basketball's doubleheader victories at the Ferrell Center, record student attendance and the remarkable 96-foot putt that won $5,000 for a Baylor fan.

The Washington Post: Why do trees have differently shaped leaves?

Dan Peppe, Ph.D., a paleobiologist and associate professor of geosciences at Baylor who has studied how climate affects leaf features, is quoted in this article about how a leaf’s visual characteristics — its size, perhaps, or the shape of its edges — can help tell its story, including the conditions it grows in and even traces of its evolutionary history.

Southeastern Oklahoma State University: SE alum Gerber wins Distinguished Service Award from American Forensics Association

Matthew Gerber, Ph.D., associate professor of communication at Baylor and former Glenn R. Capp Chair of Forensics, was awarded as a recipient of the American Forensics Association’s Distinguished Service Award.

Anxious Bench: Heaven on their Minds? Scientific Theories of Religious Belief and Behavior

Philip Jenkins, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of History and director of Program on Historical Studies of Religion in Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion, writes in this blogpost about how his current work on Lived Religion relates to scientific explanations for religious behavior, especially the very similar the things people do in different religious traditions, however widely separated by place or era.

Finding Genius Podcast: The Role of Christianity in Business | How Faith Can Influence Work Ethics
AUDIO: Mitchell J. Neubert, Ph.D., professor of management, senior associate dean of Research and Faculty Development for the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor and The Chavanne Chair of Christian Ethics in Business, discusses how faith plays into his research and teaching at Baylor., “spiritual capital” and its contributions to business predictions and the connection between faith and resilience.

Nov. 17, 2023

Baylor Connections: Dustin Benac

AUDIO: Baylor’s Program for the Future Church is housed within George W. Truett Theological Seminary. The program exists to convene professors and church and community leaders to listen, imagine and pilot solutions for emerging changes facing the Church, with resources to connect stakeholders virtually and in-person. In this Baylor Connections, Dustin Benac, Th.D., program director and co-founder and author of the book Adaptive Church, takes listeners inside the challenges and opportunities for local churches to serve both the current and future Church together.

The Christian Chronicle: The Lord ‘led us to Darwin’

This article about a predominantly White, 96-year-old Nashville church naming its first Black preaching minister mentions a 2020 Baylor sociology study that found that racially diverse churches have tripled in the past 20 years.

Waco Tribune-Herald: 'Best Day Ever' for 14 families at Baylor Law's Adoption Day

Fourteen families got a little bigger Friday during the 16th annual McLennan County Adoption Day event at Baylor Law School. Every year since 2008, the Adoption Day event has been planned by Baylor Law Professor Bridget Fuselier, J.D., who joins about 100 students to decorate the law school building into a children’s movie themed party. KXXV-TV also covered Adoption Day, which Fuselier said is meant to highlight foster care adoptions and the need for more foster families nationwide.

Pepperdine University: Pepperdine University Hosts International Prison Reform Experts for Symposium on First-Ever Multiyear Study of Colombia’s Prison System

Byron R. Johnson, Ph.D., and Sung Joon Jang, Ph.D., research professor of criminology at Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor, participated in a symposium on “Human Flourishing and Justice: Offender Rehabilitation and Restorative Prisons” held by Pepperdine’s Center for Faith and the Common Good. The discussion centered on a multiyear study in Colombia’s prison system to measure the efficacy of international prison programs in offender rehabilitation, recidivism reduction and general correctional reform.

Lutheran Alliance for Faith, Science and Technology: New center at Baylor ties science, religion with human flourishing

Baylor University opened the doors on a new “multidisciplinary” center last month that aims to study the science of human flourishing. The Baylor Research in Growth and Human Thriving Science (BRIGHTS) Center was founded by psychology professor Sara Schnitker, Ph.D., whose team is looking to advance human flourishing research across a number of areas, including the relationship between religion and spirituality in flourishing.

Waco Tribune-Herald: WWII vet, longtime Baylor professor Rufus Spain dies at 100

Rufus Spain, a well-known Baylor University history professor who served in World War II and the Korean War, has died at 100.

Space.com: April 2024 total solar eclipse viewing events: Parties, festivals and more

This round-up of stadiums, music festivals, a rodeo and a Dark Sky Reserve that will provide ways to experience the total solar eclipse in the U.S., Canada and Mexico on April 8, 2024, mentions Eclipse Across Texas event at McLane Stadium, staged by Lowell Observatory, the City of Waco, Baylor and Warner Bros. Discovery.

BYU: Gratitude gobbles: How acknowledging God and people can make your Thanksgiving meaningful

Gratitude isn't just about listing things you're thankful for; a BYU study suggests expressing thanks to others and to God enhances empathy and indebtedness, fostering a spirit of giving and love. The study was coauthored by Jenae Nelson, a BYU Ph.D. graduate and current postdoctoral research associate at Baylor and Harvard.

Nov. 18, 2023

The 1014: Exploring Cutting-Edge Drone Technology at Lehigh University

The top performers in Lehigh University’s Defend the Republic Drone Competition were George Mason University, the University of Florida, and Baylor University. The purpose of the competition was to test new methods of navigation and object capture in a complex and demanding environment.

ABOUT BAYLOR MEDIA & PUBLIC RELATIONS

Baylor's Office of Media and Public Relations (M&PR) supports the University's Illuminate strategic plan as a top Christian research university by focusing on faculty research and expert opinions, innovative teaching, major awards and recognition, and community involvement. Through its media training workshops, the Baylor M&PR team develops faculty experts to effectively communicate the impact of their research or speak as subject-matter experts into national trends and conversations with media outlets, through Hot Topics and on the Baylor Connections podcast. Our faculty expert directory is available on the M&PR website.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.