News
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 11, 2019) – Seven Baylor University students have been selected to receive prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards, including awards for international graduate study and as English Teaching Assistants (ETA) in classrooms worldwide. The seven Fulbrights are the most ever for Baylor in a single year.
WACO, Texas (April 11, 2019) – As 10 teams of Baylor University students, faculty, staff and friends embarked over spring break on Baylor Missions throughout the world, one new journey allowed students to combine their faith and academic disciplines on a first-ever trip to Japan.
WACO, Texas (March 20, 2019) – Bryan W. Brooks, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Environmental Science and Biomedical Studies in Baylor’s College of Arts & Sciences, received international recognition for his contributions and scholarly research on environmental sustainability.
WACO, Texas (March 18, 2019) – Sara L. Dolan, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology and neuroscience in Baylor University’s College of Arts & Sciences, has been awarded a five-year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) – a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – for a project aimed at improving clinical practice for children who have been victims of abuse and trauma.
WACO, Texas (March 14, 2019) — After a rigorous review process, Baylor University’s Mayborn Museum Complex has achieved a significant milestone: accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the highest national recognition afforded the nation’s museums.
WACO, Texas (March 12, 2019) – Baylor University graduate programs in law, business, nursing and health disciplines, education, engineering, the sciences and social sciences and humanities were among those nationally ranked in the 2020 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools rankings, released today.
WACO, Texas (March 8, 2019) – Maxey Parrish, senior lecturer of journalism, public relations and new media in Baylor’s College of Arts & Sciences, was named as a member of the 2019 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Hall of Fame class.
WACO, Texas (March 7, 2019) – Members of Baylor University’s nationally ranked debate program, the Glenn R. Capp Debate Forum, will be spending their spring “break” researching and fine-tuning their arguments for the 73rd National Debate Tournament (NDT), which begins March 20 at the University of Minnesota.
WACO, Texas (March 4, 2019) – The Score, a flagship newsletter for the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 5, the Division for Quantitative and Qualitative methods, dedicated a recent issue solely to Roger E. Kirk, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Statistics and Master Teacher at Baylor University, in celebration of 60 years in the statistics field and his formal retirement at the end of this spring semester.
WACO, Texas (Feb. 28, 2019) — Long before there were therapists, there were biblical psalms — many of them praise to God and pleas for forgiveness. But there are more laments in the biblical book of Psalms than any other type of psalm, says a Baylor University scholar of the Old Testament. And they go a long way toward dealing with reality as opposed to the way we wish things were.
WACO, Texas (Feb. 28, 2019) – Before an overflow crowd that included the daughter of the late Vivienne Malone-Mayes, Ph.D., Baylor University recognized the exceptional life and achievements of the University’s first African-American faculty member during a special ceremony Feb. 26 on the third floor of the Sid Richardson Building.
WACO, Texas (Feb. 27, 2019) – Baylor University has named Nancy W. Brickhouse, Ph.D., as provost following a national search to help lead the institution toward its goal of becoming the next preeminent Christian research university. Dr. Brickhouse will assume her new role May 1.
WACO, Texas (Feb. 19, 2019) – “Black Twitter” is a social media phenomenon that is changing the national conversation, but many people – including professional and strategic communicators – do not understand what it is or how it works, says Baylor University’s Mia Moody-Ramirez, Ph.D., professor of journalism, public relations and new media.
WACO, Texas (Feb. 19, 2019) — Fossil fuel combustion is the main contributor to black carbon collected at five sites around the Arctic, which has implications for global warming, according to a study by an international group of scientists that included a team from Baylor University.
WACO, Texas (Feb. 18, 2019) – Jiajun (Dylan) Jiang, teaching assistant and Ph.D. candidate in the department of geosciences in Baylor University’s College of Arts & Sciences, was selected as a recipient of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT) Outstanding TA Award for demonstrating excellence in his teaching assistant position.
WACO, Texas (Feb. 18, 2019) — Women are more likely than men to believe the Bible is literally true, but a recent Baylor University study finds this may have more to do with how people relate to God than it does gender. Both men and women who report high levels of closeness to God take the Bible more literally – and this confidence grows stronger as they seek closeness to God through prayer and Bible study.
WACO, Texas (Feb. 15, 2019) – The Baylor University Model United Nations team participated in the Fifth Annual Texas Model United Nations Conference (TexMUN) Friday, Feb. 1, to Sunday, Feb. 3.
WACO, Texas (Feb. 13, 2019) – Samantha Yruegas, a fifth-year Ph.D. student in chemistry and biochemistry at Baylor University, has been named to the Periodic Table of Younger Chemists by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). The program celebrates the International Year of the Periodic Table by recognizing 118 young chemists – one for each element of the Periodic Table – who embody the mission and core values of IUPAC through their research, teaching and outreach.
WACO, Texas (Jan. 29, 2019) – Baylor University is mourning the passing of Thomas Charlton, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of History, who served the University for 40 years, including most notably as founding director of the University’s Institute for Oral History and director of The Texas Collection. Dr. Charlton died Jan. 25 in Fort Worth at the age of 82.
WACO, Texas (Jan. 28, 2019) – For the second year, Baylor University will co-sponsor a special conference in Washington, D.C., during Black History Month that brings together educators, filmmakers, theologians and policymakers to explore ways that film and culture can spark important discussions about race and justice.
WACO, Texas (Jan. 23, 2019) – The John Templeton Foundation has awarded a $2.6 million grant to Sarah Schnitker, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology in Baylor University’s College of Arts & Sciences, and co-principal investigator Benjamin Houltberg, Ph.D., director of research at the University of Southern California Performance Science Institute. The grant aims to galvanize widespread scientific development of virtue interventions for adolescents across a diversity of contexts – such as athletic teams, religious organizations, youth community centers and online – that attend to spirituality and transcendent purpose.
WACO, Texas (Jan. 16, 2019) — A type of mosquito that transmits malaria has been detected in Ethiopia for the first time, and the discovery has implications for putting more people at risk for malaria in new regions, according to a study led by a Baylor University researcher.
WACO, Texas (Jan. 7, 2019) – Baylor University is mourning the passing of beloved Professor Emeritus of Physics and Master Teacher Robert G. Packard – “Waco’s Mr. Wizard,” as one newspaper called him – who blazed a unique trail for nearly 60 years in how thousands of students related to physics. Dr. Packard died Jan. 5 in Waco at the age of 94.
WACO, Texas (Jan. 4, 2019) — Americans are happier in states where governments spend more on public goods, such as libraries, parks, highways, natural resources and police protection, a Baylor University study has found.
WACO, Texas (Jan. 3, 2019) - The American Association of Teachers of Japanese has honored Yuko Prefume, Ed.D., senior lecturer in Japanese in Baylor University’s College of Arts & Sciences, with the association’s annual Teacher Award presented at the AATJ Fall National Conference Nov. 16-18 in New Orleans.
WACO, Texas (Dec. 17, 2018) – As 2019 approaches, many Americans are considering ways to improve themselves via New Year’s resolutions.
Whether it’s personal, like losing weight or clearing clutter, or it’s professional, such as being a better manager or breaking away from smartphones, the options are wide-ranging. Here is a listing of Baylor University research that might help advise those seeking positive change in the coming year.
WACO, Texas (Dec. 10, 2018) – John Haldane, Ph.D., The J. Newton Rayzor Sr. Distinguished Professor of Philosophy in Baylor University’s College of Arts & Sciences, was named to “Fifty Minds that Matter: artists, scientists, philosophers, theologians, musicians and architects who are shaping the modern world,” a list published by The Tablet. This follows his being named one of “The Fifty Most Influential Living Philosophers” by TheBestSchools in 2016.
WACO, Texas (Dec. 10, 2018) – Sara Dolan, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology and neuroscience in Baylor University’s College of Arts & Sciences and director of the doctor of clinical psychology (Psy.D.) graduate program, has been recognized as one of 30 “Citizen Psychologists” by the president of the American Psychological Association.
WACO, Texas (Dec. 3, 2018) — Students given extra points if they met “The 8-hour Challenge” — averaging eight hours of sleep for five nights during final exams week — did better than those who snubbed (or flubbed) the incentive, according to Baylor University research.
WACO, Texas (Nov. 12, 2018) — In a follow-up to their groundbreaking study, Baylor researchers were able to reconstruct baleen whales’ lifetime stress response to whaling and other manmade and environmental factors spanning nearly 150 years.
WACO, Texas (Oct. 18, 2018) – Award-winning author and historian Thomas S. Kidd, Ph.D., has been named the inaugural holder of The James Vardaman Endowed Professorship of History at Baylor University.
WACO, Texas (Oct. 3, 2018) – The National Science Foundation (NSF) supports researchers at every level of experience, but the agency also places a high priority on cultivating the work of promising scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians through Early Career Development Grants, known collectively as CAREER grants. Five Baylor University faculty members have received these grants that dramatically develop their research paths early in their academic careers.
WACO, Texas (Sept. 30, 2018) – More than 80 Baylor University faculty who share their knowledge, research and expertise with the news media were honored Sept. 27 by Baylor Media Communications during the inaugural Newsmakers Luncheon.
WACO, Texas (Sept. 27, 2018) – Baylor University’s Martin Museum of Art will celebrate its reopening after a summer renovation project with an exhibit featuring “John James Audubon: Life, Work and Legacy.” The exhibition will open Saturday, Sept. 29, and run through Nov. 11.
WACO, Texas (Sept. 14, 2018) – Baylor University religion doctoral candidate Joshua Smith traveled to Germany for two months over the summer to improve his language skills, further his dissertation research and gain networking opportunities.
WACO, Texas (Sept. 13, 2018) – Baylor University’s 25 inaugural McNair Scholars are ready to soar, like the program’s namesake Dr. Ronald E. McNair, a laser physicist and NASA astronaut who was inspired to work hard and persevere in his studies by his family and by a teacher who recognized and believed in his scientific potential.
WACO, Texas (Sept. 13, 2018) – One of the many benefits for the high-caliber students participating in Baylor University’s McNair Scholars program is the opportunity to conduct research with their faculty mentors over the summer. The McNair Scholars program prepares first-generation, low-income and/or underrepresented students to achieve their goal of attaining a doctoral degree.
WACO, Texas (Sept. 11, 2018) — Bereaved children whose late mothers were very religious are likely to be less religious after their mother dies than youths who did not suffer a maternal loss. Conversely, children whose late mothers placed no importance on religion are more likely to become religious — especially when it comes to praying often, a Baylor University study finds.
WACO, Texas (Sept. 6, 2018) – Baylor University theologian Ralph Wood, Ph.D., was recently presented with the 2018 Russell Kirk Paideia Prize in honor of his lifetime of dedication to the cultivation of wisdom and virtue.
WACO, Texas (Aug. 10, 2018) — Baylor University is mourning the death of Stephen L. Williams, Ph.D., retired associate professor of museum studies, who died July 31 in Waco. He was 70.
Waco, Texas (Aug. 10, 2018) — Baylor University is mourning the passing of Charles E. Reeder of Waco, Ph.D., Associate Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, who died Aug. 8. He was 91.
WACO, Texas (Aug. 1, 2018) — Eleven Baylor University faculty members have been selected to serve as 2018-19 Baylor Fellows for their excellence in teaching and desire to transform student thinking through innovation.
WACO, Texas (July 25, 2018) – Bart Yeates, a geosciences doctoral student in Baylor University’s College of Arts & Sciences, has been selected as a recipient of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT) Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award for 2018.
WACO, Texas (July 25, 2018) – A federal grant of $91,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), plus matching support of $30,000 from Baylor University, will bring together Baylor scientists, science educators and local teachers in an effort to teach the next generation about water quality and reuse.
WACO, Texas (July 24, 2018) – Environmental scientists have identified 22 key research questions surrounding the risks associated with chemicals in the environment in Europe.
WACO, Texas (July 23, 2018) — Quick! Snap a selfie and share the sensations! Or not. If you want to preserve the memories, process before you post, says Baylor psychologist Charles Weaver, Ph.D.
WACO, Texas (July 20, 2018) – Day 16. The set is calm, quiet.
The film crew stands poised with boom mics, lighting equipment and cameras in an alley behind Dichotomy, a local coffee establishment in downtown Waco. Two men – the actors in this scene – stand in the center of the crowd, awaiting direction.
WACO, Texas (July 13, 2018) – A nationally known advocate for diversity in journalism,