Featured Post from Texas Christian University

On the T-Swift beat? Our expert can fill any of the blank spaces you might have in your coverage

Jul 9, 2024

2 min

She's everywhere - and this month Taylor Swift restarts her world tour meaning coverage of this American mega-star will be global.

Recently TCU's Naomi Ekas was featured in USA Today and Time Magazine where her expert opinion and insight into Taylor Swift's impact on American psychology is helping to explain her place atop planetary pop-culture.

Professor Naomi Ekas teaches a course about the connection between psychology and Swift's place in pop culture at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. She believes there are universal themes listeners have experienced in Swift's lyrics but notes that the pop star's particular worldview may not translate to everyone.

At the beginning of the spring semester, Ekas asked her students what labels they attached to Swift. Many of the responses reflected that were "these are white girl experiences, and this is white girl music and there isn't kind of that representation or that connection kind of outside of that particular racial group," she tells USA TODAY.

"Everyone's dated the bad boy and they’ve had the friendship breakups and they’ve, you know, crashed and burned in relationships, revenge – these are pretty common themes across humankind, but then her particular life and how she's living them out might not connect to everybody," Ekas says. April 24 - USA Today

Last year, when millions of people were trying to snag Eras Tour tickets, students at Texas Christian University were working just as hard to get into "Psychology (Taylor’s Version)," a new class offered by developmental psychologist Naomi Ekas. “We take different topics and themes from her music or her life and apply a developmental perspective to it,” she says. Classes have centered, for example, on infidelity, revenge, attraction, and breakups.

During one recent class, Ekas played Marjorie, the devastating Evermore tune that pays tribute to Swift’s grandmother. (I should've asked you questions, I should've asked you how to be, she sings.) Many of the 120 students started crying and asked if they could have a few minutes to text their grandmother or their mom or their dad. “We were all like, ‘Do we continue with class today? Because we’re very sad,’” Ekas recalls. April 19 - Time Magazine

There will be no shortage of Taylor Swift coverage in the coming months - and if you're a journalist looking to fill a blank space in your story and avoid a cruel summer with no expert sources - then let us help.

Naomi Ekas's research program utilizes a developmental psychology approach to understanding children’s social and emotional development. She also teaches a course about the connection between psychology and Swift's place in pop culture.

Naomi is available to speak with media - simply click on her icon now to arrange a time today.

Connect with:

Naomi Ekas

Department Chair & Professor of Psychology

Naomi Ekas is an expert in autistic and non-autistic children's emotional development.

Marital ConflictEmerging AdulthoodParentingEmotion RegulationCaregiver Care for Families with Autism

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Jan 1, 1970

1 min

TCU Faculty Expert Answers: Why Do We Love Our College Sports?

Sports fandom runs deep. Nowhere is this stronger than in college sports, where traditions, game-day rituals and formative life experiences create bonds and memories that last long after graduation. Dustin Hahn, associate professor of film, television and digital media in the Bob Schieffer College of Communication, recently offered his expertise in a Q&A and completed an Explained in 60 Seconds video in TCU’s social media series to illuminate why we love our college sports and how they shape both identity and community. Read his Q&A from Schieffer College and watch his Explained in 60 Seconds video:

May 5, 2026

2 min

From Amateur Passion to Global Science: How Meteorites Tell the Story of Our Solar System

A recent article in Texas Highways traces how Oscar Monnig, a Fort Worth businessman with no formal scientific training, built one of the most significant meteorite collections in the United States. Beginning in the 1930s, Monnig identified and acquired rare space rocks, often working directly with scientists and collectors, ultimately assembling a collection that would later be donated to Texas Christian University. Today, that legacy is carried forward, and elevated, by Rhiannon Mayne, curator of the Oscar E. Monnig Meteorite Collection and Gallery. Mayne frames Monnig not just as a collector, but as a foundational figure in modern meteoritics whose contributions continue to enable global research. As she notes, his collection ensures that “decades from now” scientists worldwide will still be able to study these materials. “He was definitely one of the most important meteorite collectors of the 20th century,” says Rhiannon Mayne, the curator of the Oscar Monnig Meteorite Collection and Gallery at TCU. She adds that, although he was not a scientist, his gift enables ongoing research in meteoritics. “Decades from now, people all over the world will get to request samples to study because of him.” Expert Insight: Turning a Private Collection into a Global Research Engine Mayne’s role is central to transforming Monnig’s passion project into a living scientific asset. Under her leadership, the collection, now one of the largest university-based meteorite repositories in the world supports both cutting-edge research and public engagement. Her work highlights a key insight: meteorites are not just curiosities, but critical records of planetary formation. By studying them, scientists can access information about the early solar system, and even Earth’s own origins that is otherwise impossible to obtain. Rhiannon Mayne is the curator of the Oscar E. Monnig Meteorite Collection, one of the world’s largest university-based meteorite collections, which also includes a world-class museum. View her profile The article ultimately becomes a story about continuity—how individual curiosity evolves into institutional impact. Monnig’s amateur pursuit laid the groundwork, but it is experts like Mayne who translate that legacy into ongoing discovery, education and global collaboration. In that sense, Mayne embodies the bridge between past and future: preserving a historic collection while ensuring it remains scientifically relevant, accessible and inspiring for the next generation of researchers.

Apr 27, 2026

4 min

Seeing Green: Chemistry Professor Transforming Undergraduate Research at TCU

When it comes to advancing both student success and world-class research, Kayla Green embodies how the two can go hand in hand. The chemistry professor and assistant dean of undergraduate affairs at the Louise Dilworth Davis College of Science & Engineering has built an internationally recognized research program while mentoring the next generation of scientists and reshaping how chemistry is taught at Texas Christian University. Her leadership weaves together research and mentorship in ways that have elevated the department’s impact. With more than $2.5 million in external funding and a track record of collaboration around the globe, Green’s work has not only advanced the field of inorganic chemistry, particularly as applied to neurodegenerative diseases and catalysis, but also strengthened TCU’s standing as a hub for undergraduate research excellence. “In the summer heading into my junior year, I began working on what would be my research project in Dr. Green’s lab … that would use iron as a catalyst in molecules. I would end up presenting that research in my senior year,” said Jack Bonnell ’24, a John V. Roach Honors College laureate. Iron is more affordable, more available and less societally problematic than preexisting palladium- or platinum-based molecules. “By the end of my senior year, I was able to achieve comparable results with my iron catalyst as you could achieve with palladium or platinum,” said Bonnell, now a second-year medical student at the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at TCU. “That was a pretty cool moment in my research, to be able to put it up there in comparison to those.” Since joining TCU in 2010, Green has mentored more than 50 undergraduate students in her lab, many of whom have gone on to publish their work, present at national conferences and pursue medical or doctoral degrees. She has also been instrumental in creating programs that prepare students to succeed in challenging classes and stay the course in scientific disciplines. “Dr. Green’s vision and drive have strengthened the foundation of our college,” said T. Dwayne McCay, interim dean of the Davis College of Science & Engineering. “Her ability to inspire students and colleagues alike reflects the kind of leadership that propels our mission forward.” Lifting Them Up One of Green’s most impactful initiatives is Chemistry Boot Camp, a program she developed with colleagues Ben Janesko and Heidi Conrad to help incoming students build confidence before their first chemistry class. “The boot camp helps lift them up, and it’s really helped with retention of students in pre-health and science fields,” said Timothy Barth, psychology professor and associate dean of graduate affairs in Davis College. “She didn’t have to do this; she created it because of her commitment and dedication to the students.” Green’s innovative use of grant funding has expanded laboratory resources, supported student travel to conferences and strengthened research collaborations. The result is a department that rivals larger institutions in both output and opportunity. “Davis College does a fantastic job on undergraduate research training,” Green said. “We are a powerhouse.” For Green, teaching and research are inseparable. Her classroom and laboratory experiences are deliberately interconnected, allowing students to see how chemistry concepts play out in the real world. “Going into a lot of these complicated diagnoses and being able to break them down into digestible pieces of information for patients is a skill that I definitely can see as useful in my future as a physician,” Bonnell said. As much as the material itself, he credits Green’s mentorship and the opportunities she provided for his preparation for medical school. “I had only taken Dr. Green’s general chemistry course in my first semester as a freshman at TCU. I joined her lab in the spring semester of my freshman year, and I knew only the bare minimum about chemistry. I was in meetings with graduate students who had been working on projects for years,” Bonnell said. “At the beginning, she bounced me around, and I worked with different graduate students to learn all the different things they were doing to find my best fit.” That blend of rigor and encouragement has become a hallmark of her approach and a model for other departments seeking to integrate research more deeply into the undergraduate experience. Building on Success Green’s excellence has earned her wide recognition, including honors from the American Chemical Society (Emerging Investigator and Women Chemists Rising Star awards), TCU’s Deans’ Award for Research and Creative Activity and, most recently, the Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Achievement as a Creative Teacher and Scholar. She now brings that same analytical insight and collaborative spirit to her position as the college’s assistant dean of undergraduate affairs, a role she began this academic year. “We’ve already begun to experience her decision-making and analysis as part of the dean’s team,” Barth said. “In a short period of time, she’s proving to be an amazing and remarkable administrator.” Looking ahead, Green continues to build on her success through a National Institutes of Health R15 AREA grant, which supports undergraduate research and provides students with opportunities to contribute to federally funded science. “TCU Chemistry has an incredible record of placing students in medical school, Ph.D. programs and research labs across the country,” Green said. “It’s rewarding to see our students thrive in environments that started with their hands-on experiences here.”