Cross-Faith AI Consortium
Baylor is a part of a newly formed multi-university academic consortium – The Consortium for Evaluation of Faith and Ethics in AI (CEFE-AI). In collaboration with Brigham Young University, the University of Notre Dame, and Yeshiva University, researchers have discovered a pattern of religious perspectives being excluded from AI responses.
“More than any previous technology, AI influences public discourse and perceptions. When AI actively excludes religious voices from these important conversations, it impoverishes humanity, rather than enriching it,” said Fr. John Paul Kimes of the University of Notre Dame, according to a Baylor press release. “The exclusion of faith from the digital public square diminishes our capacity for authentic dialogue which is necessary to build up the common good.”
HSB Faculty at International Conference
Hankamer School of Business clinical professor of Management, Rachel Woods, recently traveled to the Philippines to speak at the Transcend 2026: Trailblazing Relationships across Nations, Sharing Cultures & Embracing New Dimensions conference and the 4th annual Collaborative Online International Learning Conference (COIL).
During her time at the conferences, Woods spoke to students and faculty from universities across the Philippines about entrepreneurship, leadership, and the power of online international learning.
“The emphasis of my presentation was on how to foster a transformational and relational COIL experience instead of a transactional one,” Woods said, according to an article from the Hankamer School of Business. “When you focus on healthy dynamics among people, better results and processes follow.”
Surviving the Cure
Across Baylor, researchers are conducting extensive cancer research – joining a global battle to cure the disease. But there are also Baylor researchers who have dedicated their careers to supporting survivors and helping them flourish once in remission.
Assistant professors Cory Dungan, Ph.D., and Michael Wiggs, Ph.D., who specialize in exercise physiology, are exploring ways to combat muscle loss for cancer survivors. Their work focuses on pediatric survivors who have a higher likelihood of surviving cancer and spend the rest of their lives learning to cope with the skeletal muscle and cardiovascular issues that can follow.
“When we’re working with children with cancer, we’re often talking about ‘surviving the cure,’” Wiggs said, according to Baylor’s Summer 2026 Magazine. “Cancer is a major battle, but it’s often short-term. The true long-term battle for pediatric survivors is the consequences of the chemotherapy after the cancer is cured or gone.”
Dr. Sarah Walden to Direct BIC
Sarah Walden, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Rhetorical Theory and Criticism, was announced as the next Director of the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core (BIC). Walden, who completed her undergraduate degree at Baylor as a BIC student, is passionate about the program and the unique opportunities it offers Baylor students.
“I remember how vibrant and exciting the BIC felt when I was a student in the program, and I want to be sure that every new cohort feels the same sense of belonging and passion that it instilled in me,” she said, according to an article from the Honors College. “The program has grown and evolved over the last 30 years, but at its core, we are a group that thinks and cares deeply.”
New LHSON Dean
Tanya M. Sudia, Ph.D., R.N., FNAP, FAAN, took over this week as dean of the Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing, succeeding Linda Plank, Ph.D., R.N., NEA-BC. She joins Baylor after serving as the Interim Nursing Dean at UTA, where she led the largest not-for-profit college of nursing in the U.S.
“I feel confident that my successor, Dr. Tanya Sudia, will exemplify Baylor University’s commitment to excellence and our school motto, Learn.Lead.Serve,” said Plank, according to an article from LHSON. “Faith will continue to be a beacon of light to guide us into the next chapter of the LHSON.”
Law School Boot Camp
Baylor Law School recently wrapped up its 2026 annual Business Law Boot Camp. The event is made possible by support from the Kim and Bill Shaddock Fund for Business and Entrepreneurial Initiatives and sponsorship from Spencer Fane and Haynes Boone.
All participating students advanced through a highly competitive selection process to take part in demonstrations, interactive sessions, and lectures.
“Listening to the different paths they took into transactional law showed me that there is not one strict or traditional route into the field,” said Genesis Paita, a rising 3L student, according to an article from Baylor Law School. “It reassured me that I do not need to have followed a perfect or predetermined path to succeed in transactional law.”
Alumni Connection Developed through Centennial Award Research
Kelly Johnston, Ed.D., associate professor in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction in the Moody School of Education, is developing a new way for Baylor alumni to connect through a digital hub called the Baylor Educator-Scholar Collective.
Johnston, a winner of Baylor University’s 2026 Centennial Professor Award for her research project, will use the funding to further develop the online platform. Her goal is to establish a professional network where Baylor educators can further develop their skills throughout their careers.
“The Moody School of Education has graduates across four departments doing remarkable work in classrooms, schools, and communities,” Johnston told Baylor Instant Impact. “What has always struck me is how much expertise lives in our alumni community — and how rarely we create structured opportunities to keep those voices of expertise in conversation with themselves and with us as faculty. The Educator-Scholar Collective is designed to change that!”
Baylor Supports Literacy Research in New Mexico
For Baylor graduate and undergraduate students in Baylor’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD), hands-on learning opportunities are essential to growth and academic success. That is why students were invited to join a Baylor-led research team on a trip to New Mexico.
Over three days, the team assessed the reading and language comprehension skills of kindergarten and first-grade students. Douglas Petersen, PhD, BCS-CL, the Vance Masteller Endowed Research Chair of Child Language Disorders and Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, led the project.
“Research like this is about solving real-world problems. This initiative will truly change the lives of these children. Also, it will generate crucial data that we can use to seek future external funding for even larger-scale projects, including ones based in Texas,” Petersen said, according to an article from the Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences. “And our Baylor students are an essential part of that work.”
Baylor Develops Defense Technology for U.S. Defense Operations
Baylor professors Brian Jordon, Ph.D., and Paul Allison, Ph.D., are conducting groundbreaking research centered on developing advanced manufacturing and repair technology for U.S. defense applications. The two mechanical engineering professors who lead the Point-of-Need Innovation Center at Baylor are addressing a critical challenge – what happens when military equipment breaks down and needs rapid repair in inaccessible locations.
“What gets us excited is that there is an immediate application,” Jordon said, according to an article from Baylor’s Summer 2026 magazine. “What is needed to complete today’s work? That’s a question that drives us in our work broadly and in this project. We find a lot of fulfillment in knowing that we’re helping the defense of our country in these types of projects.”
