Meet the Experts
Baylor faculty and representatives actively shape and advance their disciplines, and their expertise is sought by peers and media, as well as by University students in academic settings. In this ongoing series, here are four of the many University representatives upon whom media outlets—USA Today and The Washington Post to Smithsonian Magazine, CNN and Fox News—call for insight and understanding on today’s topics.
West Explosion
AMBER ADAMSON, BA ’04, MA ’13, lecturer in journalism, public relations and new media, interviewed more than 40 first responders about the 2013 fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, for her 2014 book The Last Alarm: First Responders’ Stories of the West Explosion. It is a comprehensive chronicle of the disaster. The recent fifth anniversary of the explosion prompted a remembrance of those who served and those who gave their lives that day. Among the numerous media outlets interviewing Adamson and referencing her book were The Washington Post and KWTX-TV Waco.
Faith and Medicine
DR. JEFF LEVIN, University Professor in Baylor’s medical humanities program and director of the program on religion and population health in the Institute for the Studies of Religion, is one of the nation’s foremost experts on faith and medicine. Levin was the first person to be funded by the National Institutes of Health to study epidemiology of religion, and his research has covered topics from the numbers of people who pray for healing to partnerships between faith-based and healthcare organizations. CNN, CBS, Fox News, HuffPost and more have called on his expertise, and the Institute for Scientific Information named Levin one of the world’s most highly cited social scientists.
Antarctic Explorer
DR. STEPHEN TRUMBLE, associate professor of biology and a marine mammal expert, spent two months in Antarctica this spring to begin a three-year study on leopard seals, a project funded by the National Science Foundation. His previous research of whale earwax, in which the findings showed the wax, like rings on a tree, gives a physiological and ecological glimpse into whales’ lives, is a valuable resource for marine scientists in various disciplines. USA Today, Smithsonian Magazine, Newsweek, The Washington Post and Science News for Students are some of the outlets that have covered Trumble’s research.
Education Research
DR. LAKIA SCOTT, assistant professor of curriculum and instruction in Baylor's School of Education, is a leading education researcher on issues such as diversity, urban literacy, historically black colleges and universities, and student retention of learning over the summer. Among her many books, Scott co-edited Culturally Affirming Literary Practices for Urban Elementary Students, a textbook for pre-service and in-service teachers to learn about literacy gaps and provide greater opportunity for traditionally underserved student populations. The outlets covering her work include public radio’s Texas Standard, KWTX-TV Waco, and numerous journals, such as Journal of Media Literacy Education and Journal for Multicultural Education.
To view a list of some of the Baylor professors and representatives called upon for acumen and expertise when news breaks, visit the University’s Expert Directory at baylor.edu/mediacommunications.