Baylor Connections

Holly Burchett

What does it mean to be a Solid Gold Neighbor in the community? Holly Burchett, Baylor Director of Community Relations, explains on this Baylor Connections. Burchett shares about partnerships between Baylor and local businesses, non-profits, educational institutions, health organizations, boards and more throughout the Waco area to connect university and community and address meaningful issues.

Bryan Shaw and Greg Hamerly

When Bryan Shaw’s son, Noah, was diagnosed with pediatric eye cancer at four months old, it sparked in Shaw a mission to help other families avoid the challenges his faced. On this Baylor Connections, Dr. Bryan Shaw, associate professor of chemistry, and Dr. Greg Hamerly, associate professor of computer science, share the moving story behind the White Eye Detector app, an effective screening tool that analyzes photos in the phone to more quickly catch pediatric eye disease. Retinoblastoma claimed Noah’s eye, but today he is a healthy 11-year old who knows his experiences are helping others.

Caleb Martin

What role does chemistry play in consumer electronics? Dr. Caleb Martin, associate professor of chemistry at Baylor, conducts nationally-recognized research in the process of boron compound synthesis, which has the potential to improve a number of everyday electronic products using LED lights. In this Baylor Connections, he shares how that process works, the impact of a National Science Foundation CAREER grant, and the ways Baylor’s research focus will impact the University’s ability to address important challenges.

Matthew Fendt

What is the role of gaming in higher education? Matthew Fendt, Baylor lecturer of computer science, is an expert on artificial intelligence, the gaming industry, and the role of gaming and interactive digital environments in education. In addition to teaching classes like Baylor’s gaming capstone, in which students create their own video games, Fendt has partnered with professors across campus to create tools for data collection. He recently partnered with Baylor Public Health and the Family Health Center in Waco to create a decision support tool for primary-care physicians. He shares how these various threads tie together in this Baylor Connections.

Jon Eckert

Jon Eckert joined the Baylor faculty in 2019 as the Lynda and Robert Copple Endowed Chair in Christian School Leadership. In this Baylor Connections, he examines the ways Baylor can help Christians in education, both in faith-based and non-faith-based school contexts. A longtime teacher and professor who served in the U.S. Department of Education during the Bush and Obama administrations, Eckert shares foundational values in education and casts a vision for future growth in the Center for Christians in Education.

Kevin Chambliss

Kevin Chambliss examines Baylor’s research growth and future aspirations in this Baylor Connections. Dr. Chambliss, a longtime professor and researcher in Chemistry and Biochemistry, was named as Baylor’s Vice Provost for Research earlier this year. In this role, he works with faculty across the university in identifying funding sources, building partnerships and more. Additionally, his office will oversee a new area of research growth through the formation of a postdoc hiring program, which he explains on the program.

Julie Hoggarth

Julie Hoggarth, archaeologist and assistant professor of anthropology at Baylor, received national attention for the discovery of an ancient vase containing stories of war and conflict among the ancient Maya. While leading a dig in Belize, Hoggarth and her team found the Komkom vase, dated A.D. 812, which featured one of the largest hieroglyphic texts ever uncovered in the Central America lowlands. In this Baylor Connections, she explains how the vase helps shape our understanding of Maya societal breakdown and digs into the stories and meaning behind the text.

Annette von Jouanne

Annette von Jouanne, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Baylor, is a national leader in energy systems and renewable energy. In this Baylor Connection, Dr. von Jouanne examines renewable energy in various forms, particularly as it relates to transportation. Dr. von Jouanne worked on the first hybrid sport utility vehicle and partners with the U.S. Navy on electric ship development, and shares her insight on the present and future of electric vehicles.