Baylor Sleep Neuropsychologist Earns TEDx Editor’s Pick Recognition

Contact: Shelby Cefaratti-Bertin, 254-327-8012 
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Baylor University is proud to announce that the TEDxBaylor University talk – “The Eight-Hour Sleep Challenge During Finals Week” – by Michael K. Scullin, Ph.D., has been selected as an Editor’s Pick for representing “a valuable and timely idea” for TED’s global audience.

Less than 1% of the hundreds of thousands of TEDx Talks published each year receive this distinction, recognizing Scullin’s research-backed sleep challenge as one of the most important contributions toward TED’s “ideas worth spreading.” The TED team selects Editor’s Picks for those talks that stand out through audio/visual quality, the flow of the presentation and how the ideas might uniquely contribute to their overall library.

Scullin, a professor of psychology and neuroscience in Baylor’s College of Arts & Sciences, is an internationally recognized researcher in sleep and cognition. His “Eight-Hour Sleep Challenge” talk was delivered at the inaugural TEDxBaylor University event in November 2025 and explores his evidence-based experiment encouraging students to prioritize at least eight hours of sleep during finals week – challenging the common “all-nighter” approach many college students adopt.

“TED’s slogan is that ‘Ideas Change Everything.’ As such, I’m truly honored that they selected my TEDxBaylor University talk as an Editor’s Pick,” Scullin said. “Many people know that sleep is important, but they view sleep habits as unchangeable. My talk tells the story of a decade of teaching experiences, laboratory experiments and the unconventional approaches I’ve taken to improving students’ sleep during finals exams. I’m so grateful to learn that TEDx believes this idea to be worth sharing.”

Scullin’s talk will be promoted on TED’s official website and added to a curated playlist of Editor’s Picks on the TEDx Talks YouTube channel. With more than 44.4 million subscribers, this recognition significantly amplifies the reach of both Scullin’s talk and the research behind it. 

ABOUT TEDx, x = INDEPENDENTLY ORGANIZED EVENT

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)

ABOUT TED

TED is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to discovering, debating and spreading ideas that spark conversation, deepen understanding and drive meaningful change. Our organization is devoted to curiosity, reason, wonder and the pursuit of knowledge – without an agenda. We welcome people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world and connection with others, and we invite everyone to engage with ideas and activate them in your community. 

TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, but today it spans a multitude of worldwide communities and initiatives exploring everything from science and business to education, arts and global issues. In addition to the TED Talks curated from our annual conferences and published on TED.com, we produce original podcasts, short video series, animated educational lessons (TED-Ed) and TV programs that are translated into more than 100 languages and distributed via partnerships around the world. Each year, thousands of independently run TEDx events bring people together to share ideas and bridge divides in communities on every continent. Through the Audacious Project, TED has helped catalyze more than $3 billion in funding for projects that seek to make the world more beautiful, sustainable and just. In 2020, TED launched Countdown, an initiative to accelerate solutions to the climate crisis and mobilize a movement for a net-zero future, and in 2023 TED launched TED Democracy to spark a new kind of conversation focused on realistic pathways towards a more vibrant and equitable future. View a full list of TED’s many programs and initiatives.

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 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. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu.