Baylor in the News – June 6-12, 2021

June 13, 2021

Media Contact: Baylor University Media and Public Relations, 254-710-1961
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WACO, Texas (June 13, 2021) – Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories as they shared their thoughts and expertise on the future of work in a post-pandemic world, new technology that can dramatically increase the range of colors displayed on a digital screen, how musical “earworms” can disrupt sleep and why a Baylor freshman’s graduation photo recreating an “Toy Story 3” scene has tugged hearts and gone viral.

June 7, 2021

The Atlantic: The Scandal Rocking the Evangelical World
Baylor history professor Thomas Kidd, Ph.D., is quoted about the misuse of the term evangelical in this article about the sudden departure from the SBC of one of the most influential and respected evangelicals in America forcing an overdue conversation about the crises of American Christendom.

Forbes: ‘Reverse Sponsorship’ Sees Baylor University Buy Naming Rights At Topgolf Waco
Topgolf Entertainment Group has activated its new three-year partnership with Baylor University that includes digital field naming rights that will integrate “Baylor Field at Topgolf Waco” into the digital replays of guest shots traced through the Toptracer technology.

Baptist Standard: Matt Homeyer: God’s call is like a life preserver to the drowning
Q&A with Matt Homeyer, D.Min., assistant dean of external affairs at Truett Seminary and interim pastor at Bosqueville Baptist Church, about his background and thoughts on education, the church and ministry.

June 8, 2021

“The Source” Texas Public Radio: The Pandemic Challenged Conventional Thinking About Work. Can We Go Back To Business As Usual?
AUDIO: Remote work expert Sara Perry, Ph.D., associate professor of management at Baylor, is a guest on “The Source” on Texas Public Radio to discuss the future of work in a post-pandemic world and if the traditional workplace will – or should – return to its pre-COVID ways.

Reform Austin: Texas Evangelical Women May Hold the Key To Herd Immunity
Through her Friendly Neighbor Epidemiologist Facebook page, Baylor epidemiologist Emily Smith, Ph.D., who is married to a pastor, mixes her scientific rhetoric with devout appeals that come from her religious credentials, reaching people who might otherwise be closed to hearing a different point of view on vaccines.

Waco Tribune-Herald: Baylor's bear enclosure gets Association of Zoos and Aquariums accreditation, a first for a university-owned facility
Association of Zoos and Aquariums accreditation has put the Baylor Bears’ on-campus enclosure in the same league as the best zoos in the world by putting its stamp of approval on Baylor’s Bill and Eva Williams Bear Habitat.

June 9, 2021

Tech Transfer Central: Baylor researchers develop system that could expand the color range on digital screens
A research team at Baylor University has developed a technology that can drastically increase the range of colors displayed on a digital screen.

June 10, 2021

EurekAlert: Music listening near bedtime disruptive to sleep, Baylor study finds
A new study led by Baylor sleep researcher Michael Scullin, Ph.D., found that the relationship between music listening and sleep with the involuntary musical imagery, or “earworms,” when a song plays in a person’s mind can affect their sleep patterns.

Religion News Service: Friends mourn Steve Austin, former pastor and author who wrote about suicide and mental health
Holly Oxhandler, Ph.D., associate dean and associate professor of social work at Baylor, pays tribute to the late Steve Austin, a former pastor who wrote candidly about his struggles with mental health. Oxhandler became friends with Austin because of their shared interest in the intersection of mental health and faith.

June 11, 2021

Baylor Connections: Jeremy Vickers, Ph.D., Associate Vice President for External Affairs
AUDIO: It’s a “summer of hope” in Waco, with events returning and businesses moving towards more traditional experiences. What can residents and visitors anticipate this summer? On this Baylor Connections, Jeremy Vickers, Ph.D., associate vice president for external affairs, explains how people can discover ways – from major summer events to new business and dining opportunities – to make the most of Summer 2021 in Waco.

NPR Morning Edition: Southern Baptists Prepare To Meet To Elect A Leader Following A Rocky Year
AUDIO: Beth Allison Barr, Ph.D., associate dean, associate professor of history and author of “The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth,” is quoted in this story about what’s at stake during this year’s meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention.

TODAY.com: Viral high school graduation photo re-creates 'Toy Story' scene
An incoming Baylor freshman’s graduation photo that recreated iconic “Toy Story 3” scene where Andy leaves his toys on the steps before heading off to college has tugged hearts and gone viral.

Christianity Today: For Popular Twitter Seminarian, Sassiness Is a Spiritual Gift
Truett Seminary student Leah Boyd represents a new generation of women in ministry, bringing a sense of humor and hope to theological debates. History professor Beth Allison Barr, Ph.D., author of “The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth,” also is quoted in this article.

Display Daily: Baylor Researchers Introduce 6P Color Imaging System that Could Revolutionize TV, Cinema Storytelling
Baylor University researchers, including Corey Carbonara, Ph.D., and Michael Korpi, Ph.D., professors of film and digital media, recently unveiled a new color imaging with the capacity to dramatically increase the range of color a digital screen can display. The 6P color system also was reported on by etcentric.com.

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 at www.baylor.edu/news/experts.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 19,000 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 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.