January 21, 2014
by Baylor OVPR
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Dr. Susan Bratton’s book, The Spirit of the Appalachian Trail: Community, Environment, and Belief on a Long-Distance Hiking Path (University of Tennessee Press, 2012) recently was recognized as an Outstanding Academic Title for 2013 by Choice, an academic periodical of … Continue reading
January 16, 2014
by Baylor OVPR
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[This post originally appeared on the Baylor Proud blog. Follow Baylor Proud for highlights and news from the entire Baylor family.] In rural Kenya, mothers-to-be face challenges shared by expectant mothers in underdeveloped nations around the globe, transportation chief among … Continue reading
December 16, 2013 by Baylor OVPR | 0 comments
From all of us at the Baylor OVPR, best wishes for a safe and happy holiday season!
November 18, 2013 by Baylor OVPR | 1 Comment
New research by Dr. Bryan Shaw, an assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry in Baylor’s College of Arts and Sciences, suggests that digital photography can help parents and doctors detect a rare form of pediatric cancer.
In the video above, Shaw explains how he and his wife noticed early in their son Noah’s life that in some pictures, his right eye glowed white instead of red — a condition called leukocoria or “white eye.” Noah would later be diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare eye cancer. Leukocoria has long been known as a marker of advanced retinoblastoma, but Shaw and his wife had noticed the effect in some of their earliest baby pictures, beginning when Noah was just 12 days old. The discovery made Shaw curious as to whether white eye in an infant’s pictures might indicate retinoblastoma early enough to improve treatment options for children with the disease.
In collaboration with Noah’s doctors at Harvard Medical School, Shaw analyzed thousands of photographs of Noah and other retinoblastoma patients. Their research revealed that the white glow can show up in pictures earlier in the disease’s progression than was previously believed, and that the degree of leukocoria correlates with the size of tumors present. The discovery may help parents seek diagnosis sooner and improve the prognosis for children afflicted with this serious form of cancer.
Shaw’s research, published recently in the journal PLOS ONE, has been covered in a variety of media outlets. Click the links below to learn more.
September 24, 2013 by Baylor OVPR | 0 comments
Scientists have known for years that the layers of ear wax produced by whales can help determine an animal’s age. But now, research by two Baylor faculty members has shown that there is a lot more we can learn from these foot-long plugs of waxy buildup.
Dr. Sascha Usenko, assistant professor of environmental science, and Dr. Stephen Trumble, assistant professor of biology, discovered that blue whales’ ear wax plugs function as a sort of time capsule, storing traces of contaminants and hormones that can yield knowledge about the whale’s development and exposure to pollutants throughout its lifetime.
Whales produce a new layer of ear wax every six months, so the placement of chemicals in the wax plug allowed Usenko and Trumble to pinpoint chemical exposure to a particular time in a whale’s life. This knowledge will greatly improve scientists’ ability to measure the timing and impact of pollution on whales and their ecosystems.
The groundbreaking study, published in a recent issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, has received attention from news outlets around the world. Click the links below to read more coverage of this exciting research.
August 12, 2013 by Baylor OVPR | 1 Comment
Where We Started (official trailer) from Chris Hansen on Vimeo.
A new film by Chris Hansen, the director of Baylor’s film and digital media program, has been accepted for inclusion in the Knoxville Film Festival. Where We Started is Hansen’s third feature film (Endings, The Proper Care & Feeding of an American Messiah). Its production was supported in part by a grant from Baylor’s University Research Committee.
The film, described by a review in the Underground Film Journal as “simple, yet emotionally complex,” stars Matthew Brumlow and Cora Vander Broek as two married strangers who meet at a hotel while both are traveling alone. Unsatisfied in their marriages, the characters are drawn to one another and begin to consider the possibility of an extramarital affair. As the two talk throughout the film, they become more aware of each other’s manipulations and their own vulnerabilities, leading them to reconsider their situations and the possible ramifications of their infidelity.
The Knoxville Film Festival takes place Sept. 19-22 in Knoxville, Tenn. Click here to read more about Where We Started on IMDb.
August 5, 2013 by Baylor OVPR | 1 Comment
America’s history is filled with tales about ingenious or heroic actions by men and women who made significant advancements in science and technology. Two of these well-worn narratives concern Thomas Edison’s status as the inventor of the light bulb and Benjamin Franklin’s “discovery” of electricity with his famous kite experiment. But how much of what we know about these two stories is really true?
Dr. Blaine McCormick, an associate professor of management in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business, recently appeared on the Military Channel program “America: Facts vs. Fiction,” where he discussed the popular understanding of these stories and suggested that what many of us learned in our history classes may not be completely accurate.
June 20, 2013
by Baylor OVPR
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Baylor has a long-standing commitment to prepare its students for leadership and service in their chosen fields. For students who aspire to careers in science and technology, participating in independent research under faculty mentorship can be a key component of that … Continue reading
May 28, 2013
by Baylor OVPR
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Two faculty members in the Hankamer School of Business recently received a grant from the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology to support their research on boundary violations between family and work responsibilities. Dr. Emily Hunter, assistant professor of management … Continue reading
May 21, 2013
by Baylor OVPR
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Dr. Lori Baker, an associate professor of anthropology, uses forensic science techniques to attempt to identify remains of undocumented immigrants buried in unmarked graves near the U.S.-Mexico border. Baker says that hundreds of immigrants die each year while trying to … Continue reading