Environmental Sustainability Certificate
A new certificate at Baylor is helping students prepare for careers in environmental sustainability. Offered by the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, this new Certificate in Environmental Science Sustainability will focus on what can be done to care for the Earth and its limited resources.
To complete the certificate, students must complete 12 hours of coursework. 9 hours are dedicated to Baylor courses, and the remaining three hours are reserved for a research project with a Baylor professor or a sustainability-focused internship.
“Sustainability is one of the defining challenges of the 21st century. It involves the impacts of certain activities on the environmental health of our resources, but more significantly, how those activities affect people,” said Julie King, undergraduate program director in environmental sciences, according to an article from the College of Arts & Sciences. “When we think about sustainability in the context of the operation of businesses, universities, churches and families, we are looking at the core concept of sustaining resources for use by future generations in a healthy way that continues to benefit us –– not harm us.”
Gut Health Research
At Baylor, professors are turning their attention to the importance of gut health. Through their research, they are answering important questions about the human microbiome.
One question researchers are seeking to answer is whether a healthy gut can help prevent colorectal cancer. Dr. Leigh Greathouse, associate professor of nutrition sciences, is researching the connection between vitamin D, gut health, and cancer prevention.
Dr. Jake Minich, assistant professor of biology, is also focusing his research on gut bacteria — but in a different way. His work focuses on how gut bacteria could help identify malnutrition in children before the effects become visible.
There is also Dr. Aaron Wright, Baylor’s Schofield Endowed Chair in Biomedical Science, who is researching why the same treatments work for some patients with digestive disorders but not others. He says part of the answer is the unique collection of microbes that comprise each patient’s gut. Wright is part of a $5.6 million National Institutes of Health-funded team to develop personalized microbiome-based therapies.
Jared Miller and the State Bar Tax Scholarship
Jared Miller, a third-year law student at Baylor Law School, was selected for the 2026 State Bar of Texas Tax Section scholarship. This extremely competitive honor recognizes students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement and a strong commitment to practicing tax law. Miller is the third Baylor student in the last five years to receive the honor.
“Receiving the State Bar of Texas Tax Section Scholarship is a tremendous honor because tax law has been the central thread running through my academic and professional life,” said Miller, according to an article from Baylor Law. “As I prepare to begin my legal career, I am grateful for the encouragement from my faculty mentors and future colleagues in the Texas bar.”
Texas State Board of Physical Therapy
Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, Dr. Tiffany Barrett, was appointed by Governor Greg Abbott to the Texas State Board of Physical Therapy Examiners. The board regulates the practice of physical therapy in the state of Texas. Barrett joined Baylor’s faculty in 2025.
“I am deeply honored to receive this appointment and to have the opportunity to serve the people of Texas and the PT profession,” Barrett said, according to an article from the Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences. “Baylor’s mission to prepare leaders for worldwide service resonates deeply with me, and I see this role as a meaningful way to live out that mission through professional stewardship, ethical leadership, and service to the public.”
LHSON FastBacc® White Coat Ceremony
The Baylor Louise Herrington School of Nursing (LHSON) recently hosted a FastBacc® White Coat Ceremony. Students receive their white coat as a symbolic gesture of their progress in the program and their transition to beginning clinical practice. FastBacc® is a 12-month accelerated track for the post-baccalaureate Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Program.
“We are committed to increasing the support that will enable our students to succeed and are honored to host White Coat Ceremonies for our students,” said Dr. Tanya Sudia, Dean and Professor, Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing, according to an article from LHSON. “Participation in this event builds upon our tradition of integrating faith and academic excellence in nursing education, enabling us to provide transformational experiences for our students to realize their calling to Learn.Lead.Serve.®”
iBuild Summer Engineering Academy
Baylor summer camps continue, this time at Waco’s new Bledsoe-Miller STEAM Center. Dr. Elon Terrell, a Baylor ECS faculty member, led a weeklong academy for middle school students interested in engineering. This hands-on learning experience allowed students to engage with a variety of tasks and building challenges in different areas of engineering.
“The Bledsoe-Miller STEAM Center values its partnership with Baylor’s School of Engineering & Computer Science,” said Lindsey Helton, Bledsoe-Miller STEAM Center executive director, according to an article from the School of Engineering and Computer Science. “Through collaborations like this, we are able to provide students across Waco with access to high-quality engineering curriculum and hands-on learning experiences that spark curiosity, build confidence, and inspire the next generation of engineers.”
Woolley Award
The Baptist Collections at Baylor University Libraries recently received an exciting honor, being named winners of the David C. Woolley Award. The award was presented at this year’s meeting of the Baptist History and Heritage Society (BHHS). Each year, the honor is presented to a library or archive that demonstrates outstanding achievement in preserving Baptist history.
“I am delighted to receive this year’s Davis C. Woolley Award that recognizes the important work of the Baylor Libraries to preserve Baptist history,” said Jeffry Archer, Dean of Libraries, Museums, and the Press at Baylor University, according to an article from Baylor Libraries. “Baylor treasures its Baptist heritage, and the ongoing care, curation, and expansion of our Baptist Collections preserves the history of this vibrant Christian tradition for our Baylor students, faculty, and researchers from around the world.”
