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From the cost of goods to the China balloon, advertising Jesus and a Los Angeles mural event, TCU and its faculty, students and alumni are in the news.

150th: LA Mural

TCU Mural in L.A. Celebrates ‘NCIS’ Writer Alum’s Inspiring Life Story
Feb. 10, 2023
Dallas Innovates
Katherine Beattie, a 2008 graduate of TCU, has lived a life story worth telling. Now TCU has helped celebrate it with a huge mural in Los Angeles—one of a series of murals nationwide highlighting alumni who are “leading on” in extraordinary ways.

Briefly... -- Mobility Management 
Feb. 9, 2023
Mobility Management 
In Los Angeles this month, you'll find a larger-than-life mural of Katherine Beattie ’08, a producer/writer for the popular NCIS television franchise. The mural is part of TCU’s 150th-anniversary celebration of alumni. The painting of Beattie, who graduated with a degree in communications in 2008, was unveiled on Feb. 6. “I am so grateful to everyone at TCU for broadening my worldview, helping me develop empathy and tapping into the person I wanted to be. It is so meaningful to be celebrated like this and to know that I am viewed as a leader in my community. As one of just a few disabled people working behind the camera in Hollywood, I get to create authentic characters and write storylines that celebrate disability as part of natural human diversity, not something that is sad or tragic,” Beattie said.

TCU continues 150th anniversary celebration with new mural in Los Angeles
Feb. 8, 2023
Fort Worth Business Press
TCU is on the road to continue its 150th anniversary celebration by unveiling a mural honoring 2008 graduate Katherine Beattie, a producer/writer for the popular TV show NCIS. The unveiling featured the second in a nationwide series of hand-painted, large-scale murals highlighting notable Horned Frogs who found personal and professional inspiration while attending TCU.

INSTITUTIONAL

Black History Month: MLK's Fort Worth Visit Remembered 
Feb. 22, 2023 
KXAS-TV
The one and only time that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. visited Fort Worth was in October of 1959, and Fort Worth was still in the midst of segregation. Historians say that King was met with hatred and even a bomb threat when he visited, but it also sparked change. Because they could not find a hotel willing to house the civil rights leader, King stayed at a home on in the now-historic Southside neighborhood. He stayed upstairs in Vada Felder’s home on Stewart Street, and attended a reception at the Bellaire Drive West home of the Revs. Alberta and Harold Lunger, Professor of Social Ethics, Brite College of the Bible (now Brite Divinity School) at Texas Christian University.

Fort Worth Symphony makes big sounds in TCU’s new Van Cliburn Concert Hall 
Feb. 14, 2023
The Dallas Morning News 
In an area blessed with quite a few acoustically outstanding concert halls, Texas Christian University has added yet another. Van Cliburn Concert Hall, in the recently opened TCU Music Center, has a rich spaciousness of sound almost unimaginable in a 717-seat hall. It got a workout on Feb. 11 in a Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra concert led by principal guest conductor Kevin John Edusei.

FACULTY

Supreme Court considers a case that could dramatically change the Internet
Feb. 21, 2023
CBS-11
A current case in the high court is exploring if Google can be held responsible for its subsidiary, YouTube, recommending terrorist videos in its algorithm. “Certainly, YouTube did not create these videos, but their algorithm pushed these videos to certain people,” Josh Bentley, associate professor and director of graduate studies in strategic communication, said. “If the Supreme Court changes the rules of the road on the internet and says ‘algorithms that promote content can get you sued,’ that is going to be a huge transformation in the way all of these function.”

Power struggles between state and local officials escalate in Texas 
Feb. 21, 2023
KERA News
The newest battle centers on criminal district attorneys in Texas' big cities, who are mostly Democrats. Some of these chief prosecutors have told their communities they will not zealously pursue criminal cases against women who seek abortions or families who obtain gender-affirming health care for their children. “Bills targeting sheriffs who defy state authority seem unlikely,” Emily Farris, associate professor of politicial science, said. “In Texas, where you have a conservative Legislature and conservative sheriffs, they’re going to be less likely to oppose each other.” 

In HBO’s ‘The Last of Us,’ a fungus destroys the world. Could that really happen? 
Feb. 20, 2023
The Dallas Morning News 
In HBO’s The Last of Us, a “zombie ant” fungus starts to infect humans, causing the end of the world as we know it. The fungus from the show, called Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, exists in real life. Are we in danger of a zombie ant apocalypse anytime soon? Probably not. But there are fungi that can infect humans in Texas and around the world. “When we think of a pandemic today, the coronavirus immediately comes to mind. Viral pandemics aren’t the same as fungal ones,” according to Floyd Wormley, a researcher of fungal infections and associate provost for research. “Viruses need to enter the human body and hijack cells to cause disease. Fungi, in contrast, can grow on their own and can cause disease either on or inside the body. But very few fungi can actually survive inside of our bodies and cause disease, he said. “Our warm-blooded, bodies are too hot for the fungus to thrive. It’s too hot in the kitchen, so they cannot handle it.”

'He Gets Us' Super Bowl Ads' Dallas Ties; Seek to Rebrand Jesus, Christianity Amid Low Church Membership
Feb. 17, 2023
Dallas Observer 
As North Texans tuned into the Super Bowl, many were struck by a pair of slickly produced ads promoting a completely different type of product: Jesus. The “He Gets Us” commercials made a lasting impression on viewers and attracted both praise and condemnation from far-flung editorial departments. “The size of the ‘He Gets Us’ campaign is certainly significant,” J. Sage Elwell, associate professor of religion and art and chair of TCU’s religion department, said. “Whether folks like it or not, agree with it or disagree, it’s well done.”

Focus at Four: The future of cryptocurrency 
Feb. 17, 2023
KBTX-TV (Bryan, TX) 
The price of Bitcoin has soared, it's up almost 40% since the beginning of the year. It briefly hit $24,000 in January, the best month since October 2021. What's next for bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies? “Bitcoin’s price appreciation is actually consistent with other coins’ appreciation,” Kelly Slaughter, associate professor of professional practice in the information systems and supply chain management department, said. “Since the beginning of the year, Bitcoin is up 43%, Ethereum is up 40%, Dogecoin is up 33% and Cardano is up 63%.”

Analysts Flag Increase in USA Commercial Inventories 
Feb. 17, 2023
Rigzone 
Market watchers are looking at U.S. commercial inventories, Russia’s production cut, Chinese demand and more. Tom Seng,assistant professor in energy at TCU’s Ralph Lowe Energy Institute, said, “Oil prices are lower week-on-week, largely due to an unexpectedly high increase in U.S. commercial inventories, a potential new release of SPR oil reserves and stock market jitters. And, despite an announced cut in supply by Russia and an upwardly-revised forecast for 2023 global oil demand. Further bearish signals included reduced refinery usage, lower-than-normal heating oil consumption and an eighth straight week of inventory gains.” 

AI-Ready or Not? 
Feb. 16, 2023
Dallas Innovates 
Innovations in artificial intelligence are transforming the workplace, and it’s predicted that millions of today’s jobs won’t even exist by 2030. So, how are area universities preparing students for this latest industrial revolution?  Liran Ma, computer science professor, is planning to develop a series of real-world, story-based, hands-on learning activities hosted on a unified lab platform to promote Al/ML skills acquisition across STEM majors at the undergraduate level. Ma and other TCU researchers have submitted a grant proposal to the National Science Foundation, aiming to make a broad impact in preparing tomorrow’s workforce in AI/ML. 

Stay Effing Positive: Trauma at Work 
Feb. 16, 2023
Social Geek Radio
Ingrid Schneider and Brett Larimer dive deep into the topic of trauma in the workplace with Amanda Purvis, a trauma expert from TCU’s Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development. They explore how trauma affects our brains and bodies, how to support employees who have experienced trauma and, most importantly, how to do our own work as leaders to create a safe and supportive workplace. “Trauma at work is a big topic. It's one that people may be afraid of,” she said.

'Constitutional sheriff' group elevates members with extremist ties 
Feb. 16, 2023 
Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting 
The Arizona-based Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, a group described as anti-democratic by domestic extremism researchers, is elevating some of its most controversial members—including those with direct ties to other anti-government and white nationalism movements—into formal leadership positions. A recent nationwide survey conducted by The Marshall Project and political scientists at TCU (Emily Farris, associate professor) and Tulane University found nearly half of the 500 sheriffs who completed their survey agreed with CSPOA’s core claim that a sheriff’s authority within their county supersedes that of the state or federal government.

Fort Worth ISD wants more kids in its pre-K program. Experts say the benefits are many
Feb. 15, 2023
Fort Worth Report 
Experts say there are benefits to kids attending pre-K programs. “Many pre-K classrooms include what’s called a dramatic play center,” Michelle Bauml, associate professor of early childhood learning, said. “At about 3 years old, children start to really develop their imagination. Going from hearing a book about restaurants to playing as they work in a restaurant is a connection to reading, which makes it more meaningful. They engage in these conversations that are really imaginative, with rich dialogue,” Bauml said.

5 products that are actually cheaper now than they were a year ago 
Feb. 15, 2023  
MarketWatch 
Prices for many staple consumer products have grown significantly over the past year. Why have used cars, specifically, experienced such a decrease? “The year was hit hard after COVID as the supply of chips dried up, and this actually led to spectacular increases in used-car prices,” John T. Harvey, professor of economics, said, adding that “because things are, while still short of normal, nevertheless getting there, used car prices fell.”

In Texas it is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain public records. Collin County is no exception
Feb. 15, 2023
Local Today 
Texas citizens and journalists often face lengthy litigation over requests for disclosure of records. Proponents of transparency in government say this is happening across Texas. Government officials often require that disclosure requests be submitted for information that is clearly public—even if the same information was previously requested and released. Daxton “Chip” Stewart, professor of media law, said, “Government agencies in Texas have become increasingly hostile to requests for public records and are using tactics designed to keep public information paid for with taxpayers’ money private. And some governments are hiring private lawyers, also paid with taxpayers’ money, to fight requests for disclosure of records filed by private individuals and journalists.”

Fourth Object Shot in Eight Day Span
Feb. 13, 2023
Fox 4
Another object was shot down in Canada and President Biden ordered a third taken down in northern Alaska. Adjunct professor Tracy Walder is a former CIA officer and FBI special agent who specialized in Chinese counterintelligence. She says we may be hearing about these objects more because military officials are more attuned to them. “On the other hand, it's frustrating because why haven't we been catching these, right? Why is it just now?”

How founders of an investment platform broke down barriers to invest in agriculture 
Feb. 12, 2023 
Fort Worth Report 
Two entrepreneurs want to use their platform to lower the barriers to invest in agriculture. There’s a big demand for funding in the sector because in general, agriculture is an expensive business. Ranches, for example, take a lot of money to start and operate, according to Jeff Geider, director of the Institute of Ranch Management at TCU. “Buying land, buying livestock, buying whatever necessary equipment … all the things to operate on a day-to-day basis, it requires a huge amount of capital,” Geider said. 

Will DFW’s thirst flood the ‘Texas rainforest’? Inside the fight over Marvin Nichols Reservoir
Feb. 10, 2023
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Jim Marshall,chair of pediatrics at the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at TCU, is a part of the proposed Marvin Nichols Reservoir project that would provide the DFW area with water in the coming decades. Since the turn of the century, DFW water planners have been clear: North Texans are going to need a lot of water in the coming decades, and one way to get it is by building a reservoir about 150 miles away. “Being a critical care specialist who’s resuscitated a lot of children, I can tell you, there’s always hope,” Marshall said.

Tarrant County launches Election Integrity Task Force 
Feb. 8, 2023 
WFAA 
The new Election Integrity Task Force has been launched in Tarrant County. “This has been an issue that several people countywide and Tarrant County ran on in the election of 2022,” Jim Riddlesperger, political science professor, said. “There has been precious little — if any — evidence that there has been voter fraud of any kind, but that really doesn’t mitigate the fact that many voters believe that there has been voter fraud.” 

Obesity on the big screen: Society 'hides' fat people - Body size intersects with oppression - News Bulletin 247
Feb. 9, 2023
News Bulletin 247 
Modern television fiction does not shy away from polarizing topics. Today, for a series or a film to be successful, it must actively participate in the social process. “Laziness, stupidity, gluttony or non-existent sex life are some of the concepts associated with fat people,” Jeanine Gailey, sociology professor, said. “When women are not desirable, according to beauty standards, they are not shown on the screen,” she notes. 

'The mission hasn't changed.' Dance Theatre of Harlem makes return visit to TCU 
Feb. 8, 2023
KERA
Nearly 50 years after its first residency at TCU, Dance Theatre of Harlem returned to campus this week. “Dance Theatre of Harlem really started the conversation and opened up the field of classical ballet, which had been pretty exclusionary to dancers of color. And that’s a significant achievement,” Keith Saunders, assistant professor of professional practice, said. “That conversation is still being had today, and that work is still being done.” Saunders and his wife, Kellye Saunders, an adjunct professor, both work at TCU’s School for Classical & Contemporary Dance and are alumni of Dance Theatre of Harlem.

Former CIA Agent Discusses Significance of Chinese Balloon 
Feb. 4, 2023
KERA
As all eyes were trained on the sky when a suspected Chinese spy balloon worked its way across the United States. TCU adjunct professor and former CIA officer and FBI special agent Tracy Walder couldn’t help but reflect on her past career. “My job was to catch Chinese here in the United States,” said Walder. “I think what the public doesn't realize is that so many countries, China, us, Russia, have satellites up in space that spy. We just don't see it every day with our naked eye. So, to see it kind of like this invading our air space in such an obvious way was very surprising to me,” she said. 

Guest column: Listening helps us generate goodwill, possible solutions, but then what?
Feb. 4, 2023
Fort Worth Report
Last month, the Fort Worth Report invited two TCU researchers, Jacqueline Lambiase and Ashley English, who teach at TCU’s Bob Schieffer College of Communication, to envision a session on listening as part of this publication’s Candid Conversations where they emphasize listening as an important tool for relationship-building, problem-solving and even reconciliation. For three years, they have worked on a small research team to study listening, especially related to cities, and how they focus on better engagement with all residents. The main focus of this work centers on the voices of Black stakeholders.

This Fort Worth barbershop will offer more than free haircuts on Sunday 
Feb. 2, 2023  
Fort Worth Report 
The first Barbershop Talk Therapy in 2023 took place at the Lake Como House of Fades Barbershop in Fort Worth. Attendees receive free haircuts and health screenings, including blood pressure, glucose readings, some light blood work, all led by David Capper, academic chair of clinical sciences at the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU. Meanwhile, Brian Dixon, a psychiatrist and assistant professor of clinical sciences at the medical school, facilitated a discussion among the barbers and patrons. 

Everything We Know About the Controversy Over Andrea Riseborough's Oscar Nomination
Feb. 1, 2023
Yahoo News 
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences received public backlash following its Oscar nomination announcement, with critics raising questions about whether the grassroots campaign violated any rules and if the nomination should have instead gone to a Black woman. The ongoing controversy marks the latest instance of the Academy being called out for its lack of diversity when considering who gets an Oscar. “Davis and Deadwyler not making the nominations list did not come as a surprise,” Frederick W. Gooding Jr., Dr. Ronald E. Moore Honors Professor of Humanities, said. “Overall, the Academy’s patterns are always consistent.”

ALUMNI

Finding a new path in the corporate world 
Feb. 16, 2023
Fort Worth Report
After a decade and a half in corporate America, David Aspinall MBA ’18 was looking for something different and more entrepreneurial. And, maybe, something a little more meaningful to the community at large. The Manchester, England, native had found his way to North Texas and Fort Worth in 2015 as a regional president for Sprint. Part of what began changing his thought process was getting his master’s in business administration from TCU’s Neeley School of Business. “Going to Neeley was one of the really amplifying factors of my journey from being a company executive into a more entrepreneurial way of thinking,” Aspinall said.

January photo contest winner scores with TCU football victory picture 
Feb. 13, 2023
Fort Worth Report 
Fort Worth resident Henry Adiletta ’22 and his friends witnessed something they never thought they would see: their alma mater, TCU, beating the University of Michigan in the College Football Playoff semifinal, 51-45. To remember that historic moment, Adiletta gathered his friends, hugged shoulders and turned their backs to the camera to show off their matching jerseys. “That was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Adiletta said. “We all got matching Kell jerseys just for fun because we lived on Kell Street for two years.”

STUDENTS 

Restoring resilience through joy: The pursuit of happiness in the midst of unprecedented times
February 2023
Sage Journals
Leslie Ekpe, president of the Graduate Student Senate was published on the topic of equity and education in society. “Despite a pandemic that ravaged Black communities with brutal, life-threatening circumstances and months of protesting institutional injustices and extrajudicial police brutality, Black people still found joy in moments of unrest,” she wrote.

There's only one theater like Cry Havoc in North Texas 
Feb. 10, 2023
KERA News
Cry Havoc Theatre has been unique in North Texas. The high school students in the company research topics most teen theaters would never touch: gun violence, sex education, border crossings. Then they write a play and perform it. “It's incredibly special,” Lillie Davidson, first-year journalism student at TCU, said. She's appeared in seven of Cry Havoc's productions, including “Babel,” the one about gun violence. “I've done theater in a lot of places,” Davidson said, “and I don't think that I've found somewhere else that allowed me to have a really deep connection with the work that I was doing.”

ATHLETICS 

Magic Max Duggan Out Now To Prove More People Wrong 
Feb. 21, 2023
Fort Worth Magazine 
Fortunes can quickly change, like the story of Max Duggan, the TCU quarterback and this year’s winner of the Davey O’Brien Award, as prestigious an honor a college football player can earn, save for the most respected of its kind, the Heisman. “About a year ago, I came here for dinner with family friends and I never would have thought I’d be here a year later winning the Davey O’Brien Award,” said Duggan, decked out for the occasion in his finest black tie, his perpetually bloody elbow, on the face of it, patched and anointed with Neosporin. “It’s pretty special to be sitting up here. I’ve been surrounded by so many great people — family, friends, players, coaching staff, people back home — helping me get to this point. To be able to share this with them means the most to me.”

Men’s Tennis: TCU Wins Indoor National Championship 
Feb. 21, 2023
Fort Worth Star-Telegram 
For the second straight year, the No. 3 TCU Men’s Tennis team hoisted the trophy as winners of the ITA Indoor National Championships. The team played their instate conference for No. 8 Texas. The Frogs swept the Longhorns 4-0 to win the Natty. 

How TCU forward JaKobe Coles found his role despite early adversity 
Feb. 20, 202s
Fort Worth Star-Telegram 
TCU Basketball forward JaKobe Coles experienced plenty of adversity at the start of his collegiate career. After a decorated prep career at Denton Guyer, Coles signed with Butler, but the summer before his freshman season was impacted by COVID-19 and limited his options to prepare for the college game. Coles still carved out a nice role with the Bulldogs but tore his meniscus in 2021. After the season, he transferred closer to home to TCU but still couldn’t put in the proper time due to recovering from the injury. Now Coles is in the best stretch of his career with five double-digit scoring games in the last seven outings. “I think it just came from the work and consistency that I was providing the team this summer,” Coles said. “I just worked hard all summer and just knew that if I was able to get a couple of opportunities to play a little bit more this season, I would be able to show I had gotten better.”

Nine TCU players invited to NFL Draft combine 
Feb. 8, 2023
Fort Worth Star-Telegram 
The 2023 NFL Draft combine will have plenty of TCU representation. Nine players from the national runners-up received an invite to Indianapolis for the combine, which will be held from Feb. 28 to March 6. It’s another major milestone for Sonny Dykes and the TCU program after five players were invited to the Reese’s Senior Bowl, the top postseason collegiate all-star game. Here’s the complete list of the Horned Frogs that will be in Indy: Alan Ali, Steve Avila, Derius Davis, Max Duggan, Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, Dylan Horton, Quentin Johnston, Kendre Miller and Dee Winters. 

Texas Christian University sent five players to the Reece’s Senior Bowl
Feb. 4, 2023
Fort Worth Star-Telegram 
The 2023 Reece’s Senior Bowl is in the books. A record five TCU players competed in the exhibition, second most to only the University of Alabama. The Senior Bowl is an all-star game that allows top college draft prospects to showcase their skills to NFL coaches, scouts and media. The Senior Bowl is preceded by a week of practice that pits the participants against each other in various drills and game situations for evaluation. QB Max Duggan was selected as the American team’s QB practice player of the week heading into the Senior Bowl. LB Dee Winters was selected as the American team’s LB practice player of the week.

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