Baylor faculty & students honored for career contributions and promising new research

It’s always impressive when any one Baylor student or professor wins a statewide, national or even international award — but recently, Bears have been winning so many awards that we can’t write about them fast enough!

Take a moment to check out these four amazing Bears and the work they’re doing in their respective fields:

Dr. Janelle Walter received the Distinguished Service Award from the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. This is the highest honor the AAFCS bestows for achievement, contribution and leadership; Walter is one of just four 2019 recipients. A Baylor professor since 1979, Walter is currently a professor of family and consumer sciences and nutrition sciences program coordinator in Baylor’s Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences.

Dr. Kelly Ylitalo, BA ’04, was awarded a prestigious career development grant from the National Institutes of Health. The $626,000 grant will span Ylitalo’s five-year project studying the link between physical activity and healthy aging. She’ll partner with local health care organizations to develop and test new methods for capturing and interpreting data about physical activity, with the ultimate goal of helping people develop healthy habits.

Dr. Chloe Honum is the recipient of the 2019 Grimshaw Sargeson Fellowship, New Zealand’s most prestigious writing fellowship. A professor of English, Honum says she wants her students to “explore poetry as a space of deep wonder, permission and possibility.” The Sargeson Fellowship is a national literary award offering published by New Zealand writers, based both locally and internationally, and will enable Honum to spend part of the spring semester researching and writing full time through a residence, stipend and tenure at the Sargeson Centre in Auckland.

Samantha Yruegas, a fifth-year doctoral student, has been named to the Periodic Table of Younger Chemists by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.  The IUPAC celebrates the International Year of the Periodic Table by recognizing 118 young chemists — one for each element of the periodic table. Yruegas’ research centers on the element boron and how it could have more utility in materials. Not only is she is passionate about her research, but she mentors the undergraduate students who work alongside her, actively promotes diversity in science, and plans to pursue a career in academic research and teaching.

Sic ’em, Baylor award winners!