Baylor Connections

Rizalia Klausmeyer

Research and teaching are not separate functions of the Baylor experience, but rather inform one another and enhance engaged learning for students. In this Baylor Connections, Dr. Rizalia Klausmeyer, director of the Office of Undergraduate Research in Baylor’s Office of Engaged Learning, describes the impact of research experiences for students and shares ways they can get involved in research across a variety of disciplines.

Peter Klein

Baylor’s Entrepreneurship and Corporate Innovation department is one of the nation’s elite—ranked in the top 10 by U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review, and Entrepreneurship magazine for more than a decade. Peter Klein is the W. W. Caruth Chair and Professor of Entrepreneurship at Baylor. In this Baylor Connections, he examines the entrepreneurial mindset in a variety of settings, considers the impact of COVID-19 on business leaders, and shares how Baylor Entrepreneurship and Corporate Innovation has established itself as a top national program.

Lauren Barron

Baylor’s pioneering Medical Humanities program shapes medical practitioners who treat patients as a whole person as they care for them. Last fall, the DeBakey Medical Foundation made a significant investment in Baylor Medical Humanities that will grow the department and formed a chair position. In this Baylor Connections, Dr. Lauren Barren, the inaugural DeBakey Chair of Medical Humanities, shares how the program partners the humanities with science education to holistically prepare those going into the medical field

Stacie Petter

January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention month, highlighting a complex problem that challenges communities close to home and around the world. Stacie Petter, the Ben H. Williams Professor of Information Systems and Business Analytics, uniquely applies her discipline to combat trafficking and slavery. In this Baylor Connections, Petter shares information systems’ role in that fight and explains how a grant from the National Science Foundation will help equip law enforcement with resources to identify and prosecute trafficking in their area.

Joaquin Lugo

The CDC estimates that 1 in 54 U.S. children meets criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder, a figure which brings into clear focus the importance of autism research. Joaquin Lugo, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience, is a leading autism researcher focused on uncovering connections between autism and other genetic conditions. In this Baylor Connections, he shares how he follows the data in research in search of autism treatment and analyzes ways families seeking to support their children can sift through a vast array of information and rumor to find evidence-based ASD insights.

Emily Smith

To over 50,000 Facebook followers, she’s known as “Your Friendly Neighbor Epidemiologist,” sharing accessible and actionable insights into the COVID-19 pandemic. Those followers, however, may not know that the Baylor professor behind that account is a leader in global health and an advocate for surgical care for children around the world. In this Baylor Connections, Emily Smith, assistant professor of epidemiology, shares the story behind her highly-regarded social media outreach and takes listeners into the halls of the United Nations to understand the need for increased access to surgical care for children and their families.

Benjamin Ryan

An expert in environmental health and disease, Benjamin Ryan, clinical associate professor of environmental science at Baylor, has been called on by organizations like the United Nations, World Health Organization and more to address disasters and disease. In this Baylor Connections, he shares what it means for communities to be resilient in the face of such challenges and explains a program he and other colleagues developed which has helped over 4,000 communities around the world equip and prepare.

Perry Glanzer

What does it mean to help students discover meaning and build a moral foundation during their time in college? In this Baylor Connections, Perry Glanzer, professor of educational foundations in the Baylor School of Education, shares insights from research into religion and higher education and examines the role of a Christian university both now and in the future.