About the Award
In 2013, Dr. Clara M. Lovett created the Dr. Benjamin F. Brown IV Fund for Interdisciplinary and Collaborative Scholarship (the Brown Fund) to honor her late husband. Dr. Brown grew up in Waco, and he graduated from Baylor University in 1950 with a B.A. in History and English. He later earned a Ph.D. in Modern European History from Harvard University. An authority on the history of modern Italy, he taught at Sonoma State University and at the University of Kansas. Later, he joined the Directorate of Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency, first as scholar-in-residence and then as senior political analyst.
OVERVIEW
The Brown Fund supports research or curriculum development projects on issues of global significance. The program gives preference to faculty applicants engaged in interdisciplinary and collaborative projects on issues of global importance. Applicants are especially encouraged to consider projects that make use of resources in, and travel to, Washington, D.C. However, other cities will be equally considered. Scholars whose research takes place in cities where Baylor has semester programs (such as Washington, D.C. and New York) will be strongly encouraged to engage with the students and faculty there.
Each year, the Selection Committee will choose one or more projects to receive awards of up to $25,000 each.
SELECTION COMMITTEE 2026-2027
- David Corey, Professor Political Science in the Honors College
- Annie Ginty, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience
- Andrew Hogue, Associate Dean for Engaged Learning
- Julie King, Teaching Professor in Environmental Law
- Kevin Magill, Associate Professor of Curriculum and Teaching
- Rebecca Flavin (Ex-Officio), Director of Baylor in Washington and Teaching Professor of Political Science
Previous Winners
Curriculum Development for the New “Civil Discourse Alliance”
Principal Investigator: Michael Whitenton
Project Year: 2024
Department: Baylor Interdisciplinary Core College/School: Honors College
Non-Technical Abstract: Polarization presents a significant threat to democracies worldwide, spanning political, social, racial, gender-based, and religious fault lines and exacerbating divisions and distrust. The United States, in particular, faces deepening divisions, impacting societal cohesion, policymaking, and even mental health. On college campuses, polarization manifests as fear of expressing opinions about contentious topics due to concerns about social backlash or professional repercussions. Yet, research indicates that fostering civil discourse and genuine relationships across divides can substantially lessen polarization’s effects. To further explore the potential for civil discourse training to address this global problem, I am creating a Civil Discourse Alliance (CDA) within Baylor’s Honors College. The funding I am seeking is for curriculum development. I intend to see what has worked best nationwide to reduce polarization's adverse effects and implement course content and best practices in some pilot courses in the Honors College. Eventually, the CDA will be a hub for curriculum development and enhancement, interdisciplinary research, and co-curricular activities to promote civil discourse and bridgebuilding across campus. I will disseminate the results of my grant activities through a curricular document presented to the CDA Curricular Development task force for immediate implementation in targeted Honors College curricula. I will also share the results on the forthcoming CDA website, a virtual hub for civil discourse-related programming at the University and beyond. In lockstep with Baylor’s Faithful Trajectory Model for Intercultural Engagement, this project furthers the Christian calling to love our neighbor as ourselves, facilitating deep listening and understanding that ultimately enriches our love for our neighbor, ourselves, and God. By supporting this curriculum development project, the Brown Fund will enable Baylor to better equip students for worldwide leadership and service characterized by love amidst a polarized global landscape.
A Grand Strategy for Harnessing the Power of Cyber Defense
Principal Investigator: Peter Campbell
Project Year: 2024
Department: Political Science College/School: Arts and Sciences
Non-Technical Abstract: Dr. Jeff Donahoo and I recently published the results of our interdisciplinary collaboration between Baylor Political Science and Baylor Computer Science in a piece entitled “Harnessing the Power of Cyber Defence” (Survival: Global Politics & Strategy, April-May 2024, Vol. 66, No. 2). There we argue that computer network defense is getting both stronger and cheaper, driving up the cost of cyber-attacks and strengthening deterrence. We explain this phenomenon by setting out the tactical advantages that defenders enjoy in conventional ground combat, like preparing the terrain the attacker will traverse, and showing how they apply to the defense of computer networks. We show, moreover, that technical advances in computer network defense, like the ability to alter the configuration of a network during an attack, amplify these defensive advantages in the virtual space. Perhaps most importantly, these defensive tactics enable the day-to-day operations of a network to continue, while they address ongoing attempts to penetrate that network. In other words, these defensive tactics make networks more resilient in the face of cyber-attacks.
Current U.S. strategy does not take into account the growing power of cyber defense vs. offense. I, Peter Campbell, Associate Professor in Political Science and Principle Investigator, am applying to the Dr. Benjamin F. Brown IV Fund for Interdisciplinary and Collaborative Scholarship to support travel to Washington D.C. to collaborate with practitioners and scholars of cyber security, national security strategy, foreign policy, development, economics, and international relations. The goal is to build the outlines of a grand strategic plan for the defense of the Internet that harnesses the growing defensive advantages that Dr. Donahoo and I set out in our research. Cyber defense is more than simply a U.S. national security issue. It is a global issue with global significance because of the key role that computers, computer networks, and the Internet play in international supply chains and economic prosperity, especially for developing countries. This is why we need a grand strategic plan for cyber defense that incorporates all of the elements of national power and includes allied governments and international business. Clearly, this grand strategic plan must harness the diplomatic, intelligence, military, and economic elements of national power and merge them with the growing power of cyber defense. Such a plan necessarily reaches across disciplines, governments and agencies, societies and sectors of the economy. Moreover, given the centrality of the Internet for the global economy and societies this endeavor could do a great deal to serve the common good.
The Problem of Political Leadership in Polarized Societies
Principal Investigator: Luke Winslow
Project Year: 2024
Department: Communication College/School: College of Arts & Sciences
Non-Technical Abstract: Since the 1970s, the United States has grown more cynical, fragmented, polarized, and distrustful. As we approach a contentious 2024 presidential election, the seams of liberal democracy will continue to be tested. My project—The Problem of Political Leadership in Polarized Societies—will explore how political speechwriters in Washington, D.C. use political rhetoric to redress hyper-polarization in contemporary democracies. Using Baylor’s network in Washington, D.C., I will interview speechwriters in Washington, D.C. to offer an account for how political leadership is being communicated in a polarized climate. Ultimately, I will use the resources of the Brown Fund to disseminate my findings in influential scholarly outlets and the public sphere, offering a fresh and valuable contribution of interest to scholars, teachers, journalists, and practitioners of political leadership.
Childhood Appetite Regulation Among the Indigenous Shuar of Ecuador
Principal Investigator: Dr. Samuel Urlacher
Project Year: 2025
Department: Anthropology College/School: College of Arts and Sciences
Non-Technical Abstract: Appetite regulation is remarkably underexplored given its central role in how humans biologically and behaviorally manage hunger, food intake, and energy balance. During childhood, appetite regulation plays a critical role in maintaining energy stores to support metabolic tasks such as brain development and body growth. Child appetite regulation is also linked to later-life risk of conditions such as obesity and type II diabetes, impacting lifelong metabolic health. Despite this, almost all research on child appetite regulation has been conducted in industrialized, energy-abundant settings. Little is known about child appetite regulation globally, particularly in lower- to middle-income countries and non-industrialized, subsistence populations that typically live within low-resource settings. This gap in research restricts our understanding of how variation in an individual’s lifestyle and environment shape appetite regulation mechanisms and, in turn, influence lifelong metabolic function. In this project, we will study both biological and behavioral aspects of appetite regulation among a subsistence-based, Indigenous Amazonian population in Ecuador called the Shuar. The Shuar currently experience diversity in market integration, environmental conditions, and lifestyle – including variation in reliance on garden vs. market foods, pathogen burden, and immune function – which may influence appetitite. We will measure a key appetite regulating hormone, leptin, and identify eating behaviors in Shuar children (ages 4-12 years). We piloted this approach in Ecuador last summer, and our preliminary data support evidence from the literature that leptin in children from subsistence populations is remarkably diminished and plays an adaptive role in successfully managing limited food and energy availability. Additional preliminary data also suggests that biological mechanisms of appetite regulation, such as leptin, influence Shuar children’s eating behaviors. This interdisciplinary and collaborative study will build on our pilot work to be the first to assess appetite regulation in children from a subsistence-based population, contributing to global understanding of child appetite regulation and the impact of early life adversity on lifelong metabolic health.
Baylor Global Hub Rome
Principal Investigator: Dr. Jenny Howell and Dr. Annie Ginty
Project Year: 2025
Department: Honors College and Department of Psychology and Neuroscience College/School: Honors College and College of Arts and Sciences
Non-Technical Abstract: Baylor University is aiming to launch a Global Hub in Rome, Italy. This initiative aligns with Baylor’s mission to integrate academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community and directly aligns with Baylor in Deeds. The Rome Hub will focus on addressing critical global issues such as food security and sustainability, providing students with transformative learning experiences.
The hub will offer a central course required for all students who participate. Students will engage in other activities that align with their major area of study and career goals, but this core course will provide all students the opportunity to grow as a community in their understanding of global issues and living a life serving others. The course will cover the concept of the Common Home and equip students with the knowledge and skills to tackle global challenges. Students enrolled in the course will engage in a week-long service opportunity related to the sustainability and developmental goals (SDGs), have tours and learn about the work of leading organizations addressing these goals (e.g., World Food Program), and develop proposals to address an issue related to hunger and poverty in Waco. The course will challenge students to make connections locally and globally. The current funding request is to help with the curriculum development of this unique course that crosses discipline boundaries and exemplifies engaged service learning.
The initiative aims to enhance student learning through a transdisciplinary approach, integrating arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. It will foster global citizenship and leadership, encouraging students to apply their knowledge in meaningful ways. Additionally, the hub will build collaborative partnerships, enriching the student experience and expanding Baylor’s network.
The proposed project involves multiple phases, including curriculum development, partnership building, and planning for service and learning trips. The goal is to have the core course ready for approval by December 2025 and to launch a pilot trip in May 2026. The initiative has the promise to make a significant impact on both the students and the global community and would not be possible without the proposed funds to build the curriculum in intentional ways with a focus on the global good.
Promotion of Global Public Health Through Education and Implementation of Evidence-Based Pediatric Care in Zambia, Africa
Principal Investigator: Dr. Kari Guffey APRN, DNP, CPNP-AC,PC, Clinical Assistant Professor, Pediatric PNP Track Coordinator, Baylor University (BU Graduate Nursing School)
Project Year: 2026
Department: Graduate School and Undergraduate School of Nursing College/School: Louise Herrington School of Nursing, School of Engineering, Honor’s College
Non-Technical Abstract: Background: Approximately 4.9 million children worldwide die each year from reversible conditions such as pneumonia, sepsis, diarrhea, and malaria. Underdeveloped countries consistently have higher mortality rates, especially children. In fact, childhood mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for over half (nearing 60%) of the annual global burden. In 2025, Sub-Saharan Africa sustained a concerning rise in childhood deaths. This regional disparity has been consistent and the rise in deaths is concerning.
Problem: Baylor University LHSON has a relationship with Family Legacy and Tree of Life Clinic in Zambia. Preventable deaths due to lack of education and resources remain prevalent. With standardized education, resources and management guidelines, this trend could continue to decrease over time. Thousands of children could survive with low-cost interventions such as recognition of illness, resuscitation education, and ongoing training of the available health care personnel. With consistent training programs as well as follow-up, there is a significant potential for building programs that will maximize impact and improve the pediatric outcomes in these populations. This interdisciplinary team project will include LHSON PhD and DNP faculty from the undergraduate and graduate nursing schools, undergraduate students from computer science and graduate students from the school of theology.
Objectives: Our international, interdisciplinary research team is seeking funds to obtain medical equipment. We will develop and implement an educational and culturally relevant pediatric resuscitation and sepsis recognition protocol. In addition, the team will design and trial a mobile device application for the nurses of Family Legacy. The overarching objective is to develop, implement and evaluate the education provided in the app to the local nurses and physicians in Zambia; train them on the use of resuscitation packs, use of i-Stat lab collection, and recognition of pediatric sepsis. This program will incorporate existing World Health Organization (WHO) educational resources as well as diverse simulation modalities to replicate pediatric emergencies and acute care situations that the nurses will encounter in practice. We also intend to incorporate faith-based support into the education for the nurses.
Strategy: Our team will work with Family Legacy and the Tree of Life Care Facility to initiate an evidence-based educational program focused on pediatric resuscitation as well as early recognition of pediatric sepsis. This program’s cornerstone focuses on a sustainable and global lens and will be formatted in a hybrid environment through online and in-person educational sessions. The mobile app will be created and then trialed initially prior to full roll out. The PI will deliver the i-Stat equipment to Lusaka and provide in-services and demonstrations then follow up virtually. Scenarios will surround emergencies and sepsis, initially, then progressively move to advanced care and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS).
Significance: This project will support the global health care of children and provide valuable education and training to providers in Zambia. There are also ongoing and sustainable relationships being built between BU (interdisciplinary collaboration) and Family Legacy for additional research, projects, and opportunities for mission. This project will meet the goals of research as set by BU and LHSON. This will be foundational to advancing and reinforcing educational readiness for the nurses of Family Legacy while offering a training curriculum that can be replicated. This is a core curriculum that will be utilized routinely and built upon over time.
Navigating Health in the Age of Generative AI: A Pilot Study of Veteran LLM Use for Health Information Seeking and Therapeutic Communication
Principal Investigator: Kayla Rhidenour, Ph.D. & Kara Poe Alexander, Ph.D.; Co-Investigator: Kelly Ylitalo, Ph.D.
Project Year: 2026
Department: Communication, English, & Public Health College/School: Arts & Sciences, Robbins College of Health and Human Services
Non-Technical Abstract: Military veterans are among the most underserved populations in American mental health care. Despite high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and significant barriers to formal treatment, many veterans have long turned to informal digital spaces to seek health information, find community, and process difficult experiences by writing through their thoughts and reflecting on their lives. As generative artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT and Claude become part of everyday life, growing evidence suggests that Americans are increasingly using these platforms for emotional support and health-related conversations, yet we know almost nothing about how veterans are engaging with these tools, or what the consequences of that engagement may be—whether it is helping, harming, or simply filling a gap that other systems have failed to address. This is significant because veterans represent a high-need, underserved population whose mental health challenges are well-documented, and if they are turning to AI to fill the void left by inaccessible formal care, the implications for personal well-being, health equity, platform design, and policy are substantial.
This interdisciplinary pilot study brings together scholars in health communication, public health, and rhetoric and writing studies to conduct qualitative interviews with up to 40 veterans in the Waco and Central Texas region. We will examine why veterans do or do not use AI tools for health purposes, how they communicate within these platforms, and what public health implications their use patterns suggest. A research and engagement visit to Washington, D.C. will connect our findings to veteran health policy conversations and provide an educational experience for Baylor in Washington students. Findings will support future external grant applications to the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Defense, positioning Baylor as a leader in community-engagement research on AI-mediated health information seeking and mental health support among veteran populations. This agenda has implications for stigmatized and underserved communities navigating informal digital health tools worldwide.
MORE INFORMATION
Learn more about award conditions and application instructions.
Questions? Email Washington@Baylor.edu