I write stories about big ideas and the people behind them.
Zach Martino writes about higher education, research and people making change. He has an abiding interest in arts and culture.
Higher education and research
Facial Recognition Has Made It Nearly Impossible to Disappear
Sharrona Pearl maps how plastic surgery once helped fugitives escape, and why facial recognition technologies have made it nearly impossible, uncovering privacy concerns.
Firing a Problematic Founder Can Backfire: TCU Research Explains the Consumer Loyalty Paradox
Lan Anh Ton finds that consumers value a brand’s essence as much as its ethics, showing that firing leaders associated with misconduct might not be a company’s best strategy.
David Lay Williams Discovered His True Passion for Political Thought at TCU
David Lay Williams, the author of The Greatest of All Plagues, recounts his path to his celebrated book on economic inequality.
Statistics in Sports Broadcasts Add to Spectator Experience
Dustin Hahn studies how statistics in sports broadcasts have changed since the 1970s, and how those numbers affect fans’ experience and identity.
Books, culture, and profiles
Why Robert Olen Butler’s 19th Novel Landed at a University Press in Fort Worth
A profile of the Pulitzer winner and his novel Twice Around a Marriage, and why he sees university presses in literary publishing’s future.
“Buffalo Phil” Caragol: From CU Superfan to Memoirist
The Viking-helmeted CU fan on his memoir The Blunder Years, 1970s Boulder, and reconciling two public personas.
‘De Niro Method’ Tracks Actor’s Evolving Career
R. Colin Tait spent five years in the De Niro archives, unearthing the actor’s influence on his films and dispelling masculine misconceptions.
Reporting
The Primary Filter: Colorado’s Shifting Caucus System
Colorado Democrats changed how they chose candidates in 2022. How does this new system work? And can it work for both progressives and the establishment?
Decoding Dark Money in Colorado Elections
Dark money has infiltrated Colorado politics. Candidates in the 2026 Democratic races weigh in and discuss the future of political financing nationwide.
Asylum-Seekers Find Solace in DASH Network
A long-form feature on a Fort Worth nonprofit founded by a TCU alumna that houses asylum-seekers, told through a move-in day, the legal process, and the friendships that form.
Forthcoming in 2027
Frustrative Nonreward
Mauricio Papini discovered a neurological driver of mental health disorders, substance abuse and negative responses to pandemics.
Reading Practice
Melissa Reynolds won the history of medicine’s highest honor, the William H. Welch Medal, for her first book about manuscripts in medieval England.
About
I write profiles and research features for university publications and reporting for a Boulder County magazine. I’m drawn to stories where one person’s work opens onto a larger question.
I’d like to write more about academia, with a focus on science and the humanities. I’m also searching for assignments about creative projects and people.