From the impact of a Texas meteor to the state’s unprecedented growth, TCU and its faculty and alumni are in the news.
INSTITUTIONAL
The Largest Meteorite Found in South Texas Will Be Housed at TCU
May 26, 2023
Fort Worth Magazine
A series of sonic booms that shook a Texas ranch near El Sauz in the Rio Grande Valley
in mid-February is no longer a mystery. The cause of the ruckus, which was reported
all the way into Mexico, turned out to be a 1,000-pound meteor. Once the analysis
of the meteorite is complete, it will be donated to TCU’s Oscar E. Monnig Meteorite Gallery by the owner of the ranch. Rhiannon Mayne, chair of meteoritics and planetary science and curator for the Oscar E. Monnig Meteorite
Gallery at TCU, said, “The Monnig Meteorite collection is one of the largest university-based
meteorite collections in the world with 2,500 meteorites and 3,000 total pieces.”
Rwanda’s Godeliève Mukasarasi Awarded Honorary Doctorate in the USA
May 17, 2023
KT Press Rwanda
TCU awarded Rwanda’s Godeliève Mukasarasi the honorary doctorate for her contribution in rebuilding the Rwanda’s social fabric
that was torn apart by the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi. She accepted the award on
the occasion of 150-year anniversary of the school. Mukasarasi said that her name
reached TCU following a video documentary in 2016. The film itself was sponsored by
TCU and premiered in Rwanda afterwards.
FACULTY
Safety or privacy? New gunshot detection tool raises ethical questions
May 31, 2023
Fort Worth Report
With 345 gun-violence-related calls already counted in 2023, the city of Fort Worth
and Fort Worth’s police department are considering adding gunshot detection technology
in conjunction with smart streetlights and already existing Flock cameras to help
lower crime rates in areas scheduled for revitalization. Two options are part of a
larger suite of emerging technologies employed by police departments in large cities
across the country, said Johnny Nhan, associate dean of graduate studies and criminal justice professor. “This is a response
to the rise of violent crime. With the shortage of police officers everywhere, they’re
looking for ways to increase the efficiency of the staffing,” said Nhan, who is also
a reserve officer for the Fort Worth Police Department.
Shopping with AI (Artificial Intelligence) [ed: link removed]
May 30, 2023
Yahoo News
The future is now for AI, or artificial intelligence, and it's becoming part of our
everyday lives, including how we shop. Elijah Clark, instructor of professional practice in marketing, talks about how retailers are
using A.I. “Artificial Intelligence is currently being used by businesses and consumers
through websites and whatnot. It’s just something that’s been in the system for quite
a while … but it's getting a little more traction because of what's happening with
CHATGPT and these other A.I. platforms,” Clark said. “The goal is to provide better
service and more efficient marketing towards these customers.”
Where is North Texas growth happening? New regional data shows smaller cities are
leading the charge
May 29, 2023
Fort Worth Report
Although growth slowed slightly during the past three years because of the pandemic,
North Texas’ population remained red hot. The region is now home for over 8 million
people. Since 2020, North Texas has welcomed 453,000 new residents, according to new
data released by the North Central Texas Council of Governments. Fort Worth remained
the top city in sheer numbers, adding nearly 20,000 new people. Kyle Walker, associate professor of geography and director of the Center for Urban Studies at
TCU, said it’s important for growing cities like Fort Worth to also take into account
the smaller cities and surrounding suburbs nearby. “This is important for Fort Worth
to think about as it grows, wanting to make sure the city grows not just as a place
that’s a giant overgrown city with a bunch of suburban subdivisions,” Walker said.
“You want to make sure you’re also growing that economic base, the job space. Make
sure you’re growing a healthy core, you know, along with the growth in sort of the
new neighborhoods on the edges…”
Opinion: Drag queens, Dumpster fires: If you’re not watching Texas politics, you’re
missing out
May 27, 2023
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Texas politics has reached peak reality show. Just the last few days, the current
season of the Legislature has included drag and burlesque performers, other legal
gyrations, heavy drinking and the outright expulsion of an East Texas lawmaker deemed
too disgusting. Yes, even for the Texas House. TCU political science veteran Jim Riddlesperger said the nation’s political divide has also split news and social media. Republicans
have since further divided with show host Tucker Carlson’s departure from Fox News.
“We use different sources, we read different papers, and we watch point-of-view news,”
he wrote by email. “Younger folks focus on sports, technology and entertainment. It’s
possible to be very well-read — but not on politics.”
Is College Necessary for Business?
May 26, 2023
Practical Ecommerce
Brandon Chicotsky is a professor of marketing at TCU. He states that his students have endured years
of standardized, grade-level tests and are focused on the right answer or the best
GPA. But Chicotsky realizes businesses often face decisions with no right answer.
And that has impacted his method of teaching. “I don’t offer exams in my class,” he
said. “Everything I offer has a subjective outcome, not a definitive answer.”
‘Bigger than myself’: Juneteenth Museum CEO hopes to bring rebirth of Black culture
to Historic Southside
May 25, 2023
Fort Worth Report
A National Juneteenth Museum is coming to Fort Worth. Whitnee Boyd, former coordinator of special projects for the Office of the Chancellor at TCU,
said its leadership pushing forward a new vision for the city will ensure it becomes
a reality, she said. “That is what will set the museum apart from other developments
that have just happened in the past or other areas. This is truly a partnership with
the community,” Boyd said.
Cantey Hanger Partner Julie Bergkamp becomes the fifth Executive-in-Residence (EIR)
at TCU Neeley Business School
May 23, 2023
canteyhanger.com
Julie Bergkamp is the fifth Executive-in-Residence at the TCU Neeley School of Business. As the
David and Marie Louis Kinder Executive-in-Residence, Bergkamp works with TCU student-athletes
to answer questions about general business legal issues surrounding athletics. She
also will be teaching an entrepreneurial law course at the undergraduate level. “I
really enjoy working with students and helping those who are embarking on their professional
journeys. I want to help make business law concepts understandable and practical,”
she said.
Is now a good time to buy a home in Fort Worth? The answer is a bit complicated.
May 19, 2023
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Experts say they don’t see North Texas home prices going down as long as the area
continues to see more people moving here population and a strong job market. The median
home price in Fort Worth in April was $336,250, which was about 5.3% lower than a
year ago, though higher interest rates are likely to swallow up the savings. Leslie Purvis, associate director of the real estate center, predicts interest rates will go down,
but it’s going to be slow and not overnight. “Everybody’s going to be different, depending
on how much money they make,” Purvis said. “I would be more inclined to want to buy,
because I don’t see our housing prices dropping, and I don’t see interest rates dropping
to a degree that I would hold off buying a house for two or three years.”
Welcome to Cowtown: Fort Worth adds more residents than any other city in US, Census
data shows
May 19, 2023
Fort Worth Report
Fort Worth’s population is inching closer to one million after adding more residents
than any other city in the country in 2022, according to new census data. While population
growth was notable in the major urban areas in Texas, some of the smaller cities on
the edge of big metros are also growing very quickly, said Kyle Walker, associate professor of geography and director of the Center for Urban Studies. “You
see DFW and Fort Worth being attractive places to move to in part because housing
costs are comparatively low, and economic opportunities are certainly available. We
have a lot of amenities,” Walker said. “There’s room to grow… It is difficult to build
a major city that is connected to open space. It’s rare for a city to be able to do
both of those things at once.”
You Are Not Alone: A Serial Mediation of Social Attraction, Privacy Concerns, and
Satisfaction in Voice AI Use
May 19, 2023
MDPI
The popularity of voice-activated artificial intelligence (voice AI) has grown rapidly
as people continue to use smart speakers such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home to support
everyday tasks. However, little is known about how loneliness relates to voice AI
use, or the potential mediators in this association. This study investigates the mediating
roles of users’ perceptions (i.e., social attraction, privacy concerns, and satisfaction)
in the relationship between users’ social loneliness and intentions to continue using
voice AI. The co-author of the study is Tae Rang Choi, assistant professor of strategic communication.
Anchorage Chamber Music Festival Reveals 11th Season Lineup
May 16, 2023
BroadwayWorld.com | 2,075,884 unique visitors per month
Anchorage Chamber Music Festival has announced its 11th Season, to be held July 5
—15, 2023 in Anchorage, Alaska. The season will convene professional musicians from
all corners of the world to perform exceptional concerts across Anchorage and teach
a rigorous week-long chamber intensive course for aspiring young musicians. Among
the guest artists and faculty is Haerim Elizabeth Lee, assistant professor of violin at TCU.
WFAA Digital Parenting: What parents need to know about A.I.
May 16, 2023
WFAA-TV (Dallas, TX)
We've seen the headlines. Artifical Intelligence, or AI, is everywhere lately, it
seems. And so are the worries about how it can possibly impact our kids. Is it a powerful
learning aid? Or a quick pathway to cheating and bypassing schoolwork? “I think it’s
an amazing tool to help children learn,” Beata Jones, professor of professional practice in business information systems, said. Her computer
science Ph.D. focused specifically on the technology, which, while in the news a lot
lately, has been in the works for decades.
Women Too Respond to Sexual Cues by Taking More Risks [ed: link removed]
May 14, 2023
Americantalk.live
In a recent study, female students to performed “customer research” for an apparel
company by examining men’s boxers or T-shirts, and then rating the items on factors
such as fabric quality. Researchers found that subjects who had handled the boxers—a
“sexual cue”—were more willing to take risks and more impatient for rewards than those
assigned to evaluate the T-shirts or to only look at the boxers. In one study cited,
experts including Sarah E. Hill, psychology professor, showed that visual sexual cues cause women to change their
beauty-related decisions. They are more likely to buy diet pills or coupons for the
tanning salon, for example. But it takes a stronger trigger to change their financial
decisions.
STUDENTS
Texas Health combats loneliness through “Reduce SILOS”
May 31, 2023
Azle News
On May 2, 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General released a report declaring loneliness a
public health emergency. In 2019, Texas Health applied for a grant to implement programs
focused on addressing social isolation. The program connected individuals to social
work students from Texas Christian University. They conducted reminiscent interviews, where students talk to individuals about
where they were during specific major events in history and build a bridge between
generations.
Raising Joy Podcast: Supporting Black Men and Boys with Antonio Igbokidi
May 31, 2023
checkupnewsroom.com
Antonio Igbokidi, a third-year medical student discussed his Barbershop Talk Therapy mental health
initiative. Igbokidi started Barbershop Talk Therapy in 2021 as a way to “bring therapy
into communities of color – specifically men of color – to be able to destigmatize
mental health and to be able to provide a safe space fo talk about things that have
been on our mind.” He never dreamed his program would take off, with more than 100
people now attending sessions across Fort Worth.
Grad Goals: From Bryan Adams to STEM scholar
May 29, 2023
dallasisd.org
When Che’la W. walks across the stage to signify the culmination of high school, she’ll be standing
next to her twin brother as she has done for many milestones in life. But this moment
will be different. After high school, Che’la and her twin will go their separate ways
as she leaves Dallas to attend TCU on a full-ride scholarship. The STEM Scholar program is
one of TCU’s most ambitious programs and provides academic support and leadership
development to students from underrepresented populations. “The scholarship is for
underrepresented people in the STEM field, but I feel underrepresented in a different
sense,” Che’la expressed. “I participate in a lot of activities and I work really
hard, but colleges don’t acknowledge that. TCU did.”
Southwest High School valedictorian hopes to make change as a diplomat
May 26, 2023
Fort Worth Report
When David Duong moved to the U.S., he started sixth grade knowing a handful of English words. Now,
the Southwest High School valedictorian hopes to become a diplomat. On a gloomy, chilly
day in March 2016, Duong stepped off a plane from Vietnam into the DFW International
Airport. Just a few years later on June 1, Duong will graduate as the valedictorian
of Southwest High School and will attend TCU in the fall to study political science
with a full ride, thanks to TCU’s Community Scholars program.
How Thinking About the Past Can Help Your Relationship Now
May 20, 2023
Psychology Today
Key points Nostalgia can serve many functions, not only for your own well-being but
for your relationship. New research on a nostalgia induction for members of a couple
shows how it can promote a sense of commitment. Practicing nostalgia, such as thinking
back on “your song,” can help offset the challenges of the present. According to Ph.D.
student Julie Swets ’20 MS and colleagues (2023), there are psychological benefits of engaging in this type
of “sentimental longing for the past."
Bryn Carden Appears in TX Rangers Promo Videos for the Nike City Connect Jersey
May 17, 2023
EIN News
When she is not studying as an undergraduate at the TCU Neeley School of Business or
exercising her entrepreneurial skills as a co-founder of BF Hats and a creator of
Styles for Smiles, Bryn Carden is pursuing her love of modeling. In a Texas Rangers’ promotional video titled “Home,”
Carden shows her commitment as a Texas fan wearing the latest jersey available from
the Texas Rangers Nike City Connect jersey line. “It was an honor to represent a team
and place I hold close to my heart and call home. Being a part of this experience,
helping debut the Texas Rangers’ newest jersey was truly a dream,” said Carden.
Examining the Role of Telemedicine in Diabetic Retinopathy
May 17, 2023
MDPI
With the increasing prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR), screening is of the utmost
importance to prevent vision loss for patients and reduce financial costs for the
healthcare system. Unfortunately, it appears that the capacity of optometrists and
ophthalmologists to adequately perform in-person screenings of DR will be insufficient
within the coming years. Telemedicine offers the opportunity to expand access to screening
while reducing the economic and temporal burden associated with current in-person
protocols. The study was conducted and written by a team, including third-year medical
student Arsalan Ali from the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU.
Another exodus? Black descendants of Denton's Quakertown face tough choices and an
uncertain future
May 17, 2023
KERA News (Dallas, TX)
About 100 years ago, Black families started to build neighborhoods in a sparsely populated
portion of southeast Denton. These families were distraught descendants of former
slaves forced to leave a freedmen's community in central Denton known as Quakertown
by white city officials. The former residents of Quakertown formed a new community
known as Solomon Hill. Now these neighborhoods are under threat as well. Chelsea Stalling has conducted research into white supremacist efforts in North Texas. She says Quakertown
was a prime example of a community that was ravaged after it had built its own generational
wealth. “It really was a very insular community that took care of itself and took
care of its own,” said Stallings, who is working on a doctoral degree in American
history. “A lot of families had animals and gardens. They had access to their own
food.”
So Much to Celebrate!
May 17, 2023
North Dallas Gazette
Congratulations to Benjamin K. of Kimball High and Taylor M. of Carter High, who were both awarded full scholarships
to attend TCU in the fall as part of TCU’s Community Scholars program. These four-year
academic scholarships are valued at approximately $300,000.
ALUMNI
Dance ensemble closes out 20th season with ‘Superbloom’
May 30, 2023
Riverside-Brookfield Landmark
Dance ensemble The Seldoms will close out their 20th season with a world premiere
performance of “Superbloom” at the Harris Theater in Chicago. Founded in 2002, The
Seldoms were conceived by North Riverside resident Carrie Hanson ’90 and two partners. “We started doing work that was multidisciplinary in nature, but
when my partners moved on, it quickly became a platform for my artistic and choreographic
voice,” Hanson said.
Jerry Parks: Solving protein puzzles for better environmental, human health
May 30, 2023
OAK Ridge National Laboratory
As lead for the molecular biophysics group at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge
National Laboratory, Jerry Parks ’99 uses his expertise in computational chemistry and bioinformatics to unlock the inner
workings of proteins, molecules that govern cellular structure and function and are
essential to life. Applying his expertise across science domains was one of the reasons
he chose the versatile research environment at ORNL. “Large multidisciplinary projects
are a nice way to get a lot of diverse scientists into a room on the same project,
all working toward a common goal,” Parks said. As a senior at TCU, Parks began hearing
more about the burgeoning field of computational chemistry and decided to pursue the
subject in graduate school.
Fourth-Year Medical Student's Unexpected lessons in Lived Empathy will Absolutely
Change Lives
May 26, 2023
CBS-Dallas
Dr. Ivette “Ive” Avila ’23 MD was a fourth-year medical student at the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU when she
died of an amniotic fluid embolism shortly after her son was stillborn. She was revived
after six minutes, but, afterward, Avila wondered if she could still be an OB/GYN.
“Will I be able to deliver fetal demises, will I be able to attend to my dying mothers?
I don’t know,” Avila said. But now Avila is ready to help other mothers, made stronger
by her trauma. “When she survives it, because she will, when she’s trying to breathe
through broken ribs, when she doesn’t know if she can get up again, I’m going to hold
her hand, and tell her, ‘Yes, you can, because, you know why, because I did.’”
Strong and steady, Acme Brick’s new CEO brings solid experience
May 25, 2023
Fort Worth Report | 112,613 unique visitors per month
Like the products it manufactures and sells, Acme Brick has been a company with plenty
of stability in the management ranks over its 132 years. Outgoing CEO Dennis Knautz ’75 (’76 MBA) graduated from TCU, where the buildings use Acme Bricks. Most TCU buildings require
200,000 bricks. Knautz joined Acme as controller 1982 sales were $77 million. In 2022,
his final full year as president and CEO, they were $612 million.
Campus of Hope: A Local Non-profit Preps to Aide with Homelessness
May 22, 2023
Fort Worth Magazine
As a result of her mother's mental illness, Abriana Terrell ’18, says her father ended up getting full custody of both her and her older sister when
they were still in elementary school. Flash forward several years, and Terrell began
her mission to help the less fortunate by going into the field of social work. “No
one has an answer to the question of homelessness, that’s why I am doing as much research
as I can, to try and find different avenues,” Terrell said. One way Terrell is looking
into contributing to this scenario is in the form of a multi-million-dollar campus
that, when built, will offer programs and shelter for people struggling with these
very issues.
Travels Well
May 18, 2023
Fort Worth Weekly
Far removed from the rolling hills of San Miguel de Allende — frequently named the
“best city in the world” by publications such as Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler
— renowned restaurant Quince migrated north of the border to open a second location
in flat Fort Worth, where owner Brian Sneed ’90 has lived since graduating from TCU. Quince was named the best rooftop restaurant
destination in the world in 2018 and 2022.
Angelo State professor chosen for Fulbright program
May 18, 2023
KIDY-TV (San Angelo, TX)
Karen Cody ’76, a professor in Angelo State University's Natalie Zan Ryan Department of English
and Modern Languages, is one of only 16 college faculty nationwide selected for a
2023 Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program to conduct research in Mexico this summer.
Fort Worth schools largely skip our rich local history. This book can help fill the
void
May 13, 2023
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Author-historian Richard Selcer ’80 has written a new history of Fort Worth for young people: “Fort Worth, Texas: That’s
My Town!” It is not an official textbook like the state-approved texts that their
older brothers and sisters are assigned in Texas and U.S. history classes. This book
will have to rely on parents and grandparents, school librarians and Fort-Worth-loving
teachers to get the word out. But all the city’s kids – white, Black and brown – will
be able to read about people who looked like them and helped build Cowtown.
MVJ’s Counter-Disinformation Program Welcomes Two New Military Times Hires
May 12, 2023
Military Veterans in Journalism, Inc.
Military Veterans in Journalism announced today the addition of two new members to
its Counter-Disinformation Program team. Allison Erickson ’11, joined the program as part of MVJ’s partnership with Military Times. Erickson, a former Medical Service Corps officer in the U.S. Army, brings a unique
perspective to her role as the project’s investigative reporter. She completed a combat
deployment to Afghanistan and earned several medals, including the Purple Heart and
Meritorious Service Medal. Her journalism career began before her military service
when she studied editorial journalism at TCU.