Baylor Connections

Provost Nancy Brickhouse

As Provost, Dr. Nancy Brickhouse serves as Baylor’s chief academic officer, overseeing 12 colleges and schools, libraries, the University’s research enterprise and more. In this Baylor Connections, Dr. Brickhouse shares about the University’s increased focus on research. Brickhouse, a Baylor alum, examines the ways research enhances the educational experience and advances the Baylor mission, lists priorities in reaching those goals and talks about her return to her alma mater after over three decades in higher ed leadership.

Peter James

An enormous mass buried beneath the Moon’s largest crater was discovered by a research team led by Dr. Peter James, assistant professor of planetary physics and founder of the Planetary Research Group at Baylor. The mass, five times larger than Hawaii’s largest island, could be the result of an asteroid that formed the Moon’s South Pole-Aitken Basin. In this Baylor Connections, James shares the process of discovering the mass, analyzes its implications and shares broader views of space research.

President Linda Livingstone

Baylor’s 2019-20 Conversation Series will focus on civil discourse, with a variety of speakers and roundtables available to students, faculty and the community to consider this important topic. In this Baylor Connections, Baylor University President Dr. Linda A. Livingstone reflects on the university as a marketplace of ideas, ways to help students grow in the ability to respectfully engage others even in disagreement, and the need for civil discourse more broadly.

Cole Matson

Dr. Cole Matson serves as an associate professor of environmental science at Baylor. An environmental toxicologist specializing in the genetic effects of contaminants on wildlife, Dr. Matson’s research was recently featured in the prestigious journal, Science. The study examined a breed of fish, the Gulf killifish, which has rapidly adapted to and survived in the heavily polluted waters of the Houston Ship Channel. Matson identified hybridization with the Atlantic killifish as having provided the necessary genetic tools for survival in this polluted environment, and he explains how and what that potentially means for other species on this Baylor Connections.

Lori Baker

Along the U.S.-Mexico border, Lori Baker engages in challenging and important work to repatriate families with lost loved ones. Dr. Baker, professor of anthropology and vice provost for faculty development and diversity at Baylor, founded Reuniting Families in 2003 to assist government agencies with the recovery, identification and repatriation of deceased migrants. Families throughout Latin America have found a friend in Baker and her team, who bring caring and dignity to the lost, and show love to the families faced with unimaginable choices. In this Baylor Connections, she shares the heart behind that work and the examines conditions that shape the border today.

David Jack

In David Jack’s line of work, there’s zero room for error. The fruit of his expertise can often be found in airplanes and automobiles. Jack, an associate professor of mechanical engineering, is a national leader in the research and development of composite materials. His goal is to create products that are more lightweight, durable, and most importantly, are safer. In this Baylor Connections, Dr. Jack unpacks the field of materials science, a vital and growing realm that is one of the five signature initiatives in Illuminate, and shares how it positions the University for even greater breakthroughs.

Mark Childers

Mark Childers came to Baylor in 2014 after 18 years in the United States Secret Service. In his role as Associate Vice President for Public Safety and Security, he oversees the Baylor Department of Public Safety, comprised of four divisions including the Baylor Police Department. In this Baylor Connections, he examines steps to keep the Baylor community safe and shares more about “Sic ‘em for Safety” month events in September.

Sara Dolan

As one of just 30 American Psychological Association “Citizen Psychologists” in the nation, Sara Dolan has a demonstrated commitment to research that benefits the community. Since coming to Baylor in 2007, Dr. Dolan, an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience, has blended high-level research with service to others. After the West, Texas fertilizer plant explosion in 2013, she provided pro bono crisis intervention to emergency workers and community residents. More recently, she received a $3 million grant to facilitate evidence-based assessments for practitioners working with childhood victims of abuse and trauma. In this Baylor Connections, Dolan shares experiences working with first responders, soldiers and citizens, and examines themes of community, scholarship and resilience.