Baylor in the News – Jan. 21-27, 2024

January 28, 2024
NASA Exhibit at Mayborn

One of the two dozen interactive stations at the Journey to Space exhibit at the Mayborn Museum at Baylor. The traveling exhibit was created by the Sciences Museum of Minnesota in partnership with NASA’s Johnson Space Center and the California Space Center.  (Photo credit: Science Museum of Minnesota)

Contact: Baylor University Media & Public Relations, 254-710-1961

Follow us on X (Twitter): @BaylorUMedia

WACO, Texas (Jan. 28, 2024) – Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories about the Mayborn Museum’s new “Journey to Space” exhibit, Baylor researchers’ development of a probiotic targeted to kill a gut bacteria attributed to gastric cancer cases and Baylor Opera Theatre’s first Spanish language performance of the zarzuela “Luisa Fernanda,” which includes dance and spoken lyrics between the singing.

Jan. 22, 2024

Baptist Standard: Voices: Spiritual formation is part of the Great Commission 

Rev. Ben Simpson, associate director of spiritual formation at Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary, writes about what spiritual formation is and what it looks like in practice. 

Waco Tribune-Herald: Review: Waco Symphony sparkles in opening of spring season 

This review of the Waco Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony mentions the debut of “Still,” a commissioned piece by Ben Johansen, Ph.D., senior lecturer in composition and computer music and Baylor School of Music webmaster. Miguel Harth-Bedoya, The Mary Franks Thompson Director of Orchestral Studies, conducted the performance. 

Baptist News Global: Politics, faith and mission: A conversation with Jemar Tisby

Greg Garrett, Ph.D., The Carole Ann McDaniel Hanks Professor of Literature and Culture at Baylor, shares his interview with Jemar Tisby, a New York Times bestselling author and historian who focuses on the issues of race and justice through a Christian lens.  

Jan. 23, 2024 

Newswise: Baylor Honors University of Texas Professor with $250,000 Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching 

Baylor University awarded its Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching to Jay L. Banner, Ph.D., F. M. Bullard Professor in the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin. The biennial award seeks to recognize excellent teachers and connect them with Baylor students. This story also was covered by UT News and Hoodline.

KWTX-TV (CBS/Waco): Baylor University hosts Politics and Faith discussion 

Baylor President Linda Livingstone, Ph.D., moderate a panel discussion on faith and politics in which guest speakers discussed the role of faith in politics with the purpose of better equipping students to make informed decisions. Kevin Villegas, Ph.D., dean of Intercultural Engagement and Division of Student Life Initiatives, and President Livingstone are quoted in this article.
Baptist News Global: More thoughts on Mary breastfeeding, hierarchy and ‘kin-dom’ versus ‘kingdom’

Baylor faculty members Mikeal Parsons, Ph.D., University Distinguished Professor and The Kidd L. & Buna Hitchcock Macon Professor of Religion, and Beverly Gaventa, Ph.D., retired Distinguished Professor of Religion, are quoted in this article about differences between using the terms ‘kin-dom’ or ‘kingdom’ and hero language in the Christian faith. 

Jan. 24, 2024

PolitiFact: Razor wire and a blocked Border Patrol. What’s going on in Eagle Pass, Texas?

Michael Parrish, Ph.D., emeritus professor of history at Baylor, is quoted in this fact-checking article about the current situation at the Texas border. 

Jan. 25, 2024 

Waco Tribune-Herald: Baylor Opera Theatre says ‘sí’ to Spanish opera 

Baylor Opera Theatre will stage its first Spanish-language opera, with a performance that features subtitles above the stage action, costumes and choreographed dances. The story, set in 1898, follows a young woman and the trials of her love triangle between an army colonel and a wealthy landowner. 

Waco Tribune-Hearld: Mayborn exhibit shows challenges of life in space

The Mayborn Museum at Baylor has opened Journey to Space, one of the largest touring exhibits to visit the Mayborn. The display features two dozen information stations and demonstrations created by the Sciences Museum of Minnesota in partnership with NASA’s Johnson Space Center and the California Space Center. 

Jan. 26, 2024

Baylor Connections: Felipe Hinojosa, Ph.D., Jackson Family Chair for Baylor in Latin American

AUDIO: Illuminate’s Baylor in Latin America initiative shapes research, outreach and service to neighbors close to home and throughout Latin America. Last summer, Felipe Hinojosa, Ph.D., joined the Baylor faculty as The Jackson Family Chair for Baylor in Latin America and professor of history. In this Baylor Connections, Hinojosa shares stories of formative experiences that shaped his path to higher education, the vision that drew him to Baylor from Texas A&M, and his hopes for collaborative work throughout the institution to advance the Baylor in Latin America initiative.

Drug Discovery News: Engineering probiotics kill H. pylori, a cancer-causing bacterium 

Chris Kearney, Ph.D., associate professor of biology at Baylor, led a team of researchers to develop a probiotic targeted to kill Helicobacter pylori, a gut bacteria that researchers attribute 75% of gastric cancer cases. 

Jan. 27, 2024

KWTX-TV (CBS/Waco): Baylor’s live bear mascots celebrated first birthday 

Baylor’s newest live mascots, Judge Indy and Judge Belle celebrated their first birthday with a birthday party on campus hosted by the Baylor Chamber of Commerce.

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.