It's 1994, and a mathematical algorithm puts a spotlight on quantum computing for the first time.Defence departments, spy agencies and cybersecurity experts are on edge over the explosive Shor's algorithm.They spend decades and billions of dollars searching for a solution before something called "Q-day" arrives. read more » about Duke Physicist Henry Everitt Featured in ABC Radio National's 'Science Friction'
When people think about religion during the U.S. civil rights movement, Christianity is typically at the front of their minds. But according to Ellen McLarney, Professor of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, that’s an incomplete picture. Ellen McLarney, associate professor of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Duke University, is the author of “Black Arts, Black Muslims: Islam in the Black Freedom Struggle.” (Courtesy of McLarney) Her new book, “Black Arts, Black Muslims: Islam in the… read more » about Ellen McLarney’s New Book Traces Islamic Influences in the Black Arts Movement
For decades, pain research has relied heavily on rodent models. But an initiative by the National Institutes of Health to reduce reliance on opioids by humans is pushing scientists toward non-rodent models that better reflect human chronic pain.It’s called the Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative (HEAL), and Duke University’s Canine Cognition Center and NC State are collaborating. NC State conducts medical workups and assessments of emotional state, while the Cognition Center focuses on testing memory, problem-… read more » about Researchers at Duke and NC State are Collaborating to End Chronic Pain in Humans and Dogs
Inspiration has a way of popping up in unexpected places. Sometimes, it begins by simply noticing something others have overlooked. For Lauren Puckett, manager for the Art, Art History and Visual Studies studios, inspiration came in the form of a broken and boarded-up stained-glass window in an aging Durham church. "I'm an artist trained in stained glass, so every time I drove past, that window was all I could see," she explains. What began as her altruistic desire to restore a piece of local history became… read more » about A Window into Community
Felipe De Brigard and Polly Ha are two of five Duke University faculty members named Provost Faculty Fellows for the 2026-27 academic year. The selective program aims to introduce Duke faculty members to key leadership roles and responsibilities and areas of strategic focus of the university. Fellows were nominated by their deans and submitted proposals for projects connected to their interests. read more » about Two Trinity Professors Named Provost Faculty Fellows
In May, the Durham City Council voted to provide $4.5 million to develop and preserve several hundred units of affordable housing, the most recent step in a series of initiatives that the city, county and community health sectors have taken to address challenges in Durham and the Triangle as growth and development in the region drive housing prices up.The Cook Center on Social Equity at Duke University and the Duke Center for Community-Engaged Scholarship (DCCES) have awarded three 12-month grants for community-engaged… read more » about Duke Economist David Berger Awarded Seed Grant to Address Affordable Housing in Durham
This is a summary of an interview by Carol Bales on Duke Center for Documentary Studies.Duke MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts alum Emma Geiger held onto an idea long before it fully took shape. The idea, first proposed in 2018, was to trace her family’s Icelandic roots. It has become Til Íslands (“To Iceland”), a new exhibition at the Duke Center for Documentary Studies (CDS). Visit the exhibition, on view through October 2. The Pitch: Holding on to a Good… read more » about This Duke Alumna Traced Her Family History Back to Iceland
Have you ever wondered how meaning is represented, organized and transformed within AI systems? It turns out the answer looks less like language as we know it and more like a shifting map of relationships between concepts.Before AI can process language, it converts words into numerical representations called “embeddings,” where words with similar meanings are positioned closer together. The Historical Shifts and Geographical Drifts: An Exploration of AI Embedding Space project team explored how these meanings – and their… read more » about Trinity Students Reflect on AI-Focused Bass Connections Project
Ingrid Daubechies, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor Emerita of Mathematics, has been named to the Andrew Carnegie Foundation’s 2026 Class of Great Immigrants, Great Americans, recognizing 25 distinguished naturalized citizens whose contributions have strengthened America. The tribute, launched by Carnegie more than 20 years ago, is celebrated every Fourth of July. Daubechies was born in the small coal-mining town of Houthalen, Belgium. She earned a bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. in physics from the Vrije Universiteit… read more » about Ingrid Daubechies Named to Carnegie Foundation’s ‘Great Immigrants, Great Americans’
Imagine floating 60 feet below the ocean's surface, tethered to a lifeline so you don't drift away. Large jellyfish drift overhead. Around you, 20-foot-long transparent, chain-like structures snake silently through the darkness, each composed of hundreds of individual animals. Strange creatures shimmer, vanish or glow with light of their own. "You really feel like you've left the Earth and you've moved to a water planet where the animals aren't like anything you could ever… read more » about Finding Beauty in the Invisible: Sönke Johnsen and the Language of Light
In this podcast episode, Kristin Stephens-Martinez discusses semi-flipped teaching with guest Diane Horton from the University of Toronto and co-host of In the Loop, a podcast for computer science undergraduates. read more » about Duke Computer Scientist Kristin Stephens-Martinez Explores Semi-Flipped Teaching on CS-Ed Podcast
After years of planning, construction and testing, the NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory has officially begun the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), a decade-long effort that will generate the most comprehensive time-lapse record of the universe ever assembled. Rubin's 8.4-meter Simonyi Survey Telescope and the world's largest digital camera will scan the visible southern sky, capturing everything from nearby asteroids to distant galaxies. By comparing images taken over 10 years, astronomers will be able to watch… read more » about Rubin Observatory Begins Decade-Long Survey of the Dynamic Universe
We invited Duke University faculty to reflect on the Declaration through the lens of their own discipline. Each contributor responded to a common prompt: “250 years later, how does your field help us understand, advance or challenge the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence?” By Sarah Gaither, Nicholas J. and Theresa M. Leonardy Associate Professor Psychology & Neuroscience The Declaration's preamble speaks in collective terms: “We hold these truths… read more » about The Declaration at 250: Psychologist Sarah Gaither Reflects on Life, Liberty & Belonging
We invited Duke University faculty to reflect on the Declaration through the lens of their own discipline. Each contributor responded to a common prompt: “250 years later, how does your field help us understand, advance or challenge the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence?” By Jian Pei, Arthur S. Pearse Distinguished Professor of Computer Science Two hundred fifty years after the Declaration of Independence, computer science has never been more powerful… read more » about The Declaration at 250: Computer Scientist Jian Pei Reflects on Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
We invited Duke University faculty to reflect on the Declaration through the lens of their own discipline. Each contributor responded to a common prompt: “250 years later, how does your field help us understand, advance or challenge the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence?” By Jonathan Mattingly, Kimberly J. Jenkins Distinguished University Professor of New Technologies in MathematicsMathematics empowers the algorithms that drive our technological society.… read more » about The Declaration at 250: Jonathan Mattingly Reflects on Exploring a Better Path Forward, Mathematically
We invited Duke University faculty to reflect on the Declaration through the lens of their own discipline. Each contributor responded to a common prompt: “250 years later, how does your field help us understand, advance or challenge the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence?” By Anna Storti, Assistant Professor of Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies The Declaration of Independence may not readily bring to mind issues of gender and sexuality. That founding… read more » about The Declaration at 250: Feminist Theorist Anna Storti Reflects on Teaching, Learning and Practicing Liberation
The Andrew Carnegie Foundation announced its annual list of “Great Immigrants, Great Americans” on Tuesday. The 2026 class includes Ingrid Daubechies, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor Emerita of Mathematics. read more » about Ingrid Daubechies Named to 2026 Class of ‘Great Immigrants, Great Americans’
The federal government plans to scrap requirements for companies to disclose climate risks to investors, but investors say the choice to cut out global warming could leave them out in the cold. Lee Reiners, a lecturing fellow at Duke University’s Financial Economics Center, comments. read more » about Duke Economist Lee Reiners Comments on What the SEC Climate Repeal Means to Investors
It was a financial experiment meant to help people through a precarious time – and it may have had unintended consequences.At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, when the economy screeched to a halt, officials in the first Trump administration decided to grant a reprieve. They let people pause payments on federal student loans and froze interest in March 2020, allowing millions of borrowers to benefit from one less strain on their bank accounts....Another paper found that instead of paying down debt, borrowers with… read more » about Duke Economist Michael Dinerstein: The Surprising Impact of the Student Loan Pause
When Kevin Warsh was sworn in as Federal Reserve chairman at the White House last month, he reached back to the man last sworn in at the same spot 39 years ago. Alan Greenspan was the first to “show me what this role demands,” Warsh said.One month in, Warsh is showing what he thinks the role demands, altering the machinery his predecessors built. He announced five task forces on such matters as communications and the data the Fed relies on. Supporters say these moves will boost the Fed’s credibility. Though Warsh’s approach… read more » about Ellen Meade on Alan Greenspan, Former Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Fed
The American Revolution was not a sudden moment but the result of decades of political debate, economic change and intellectual exchange that stretched across the Atlantic world. And while the signing of the Declaration of Independence marked a historic turning point, it also ushered in a period of uncertainty, experimentation and profound change. This collection of books by Trinity College of Arts & Sciences faculty invites readers to explore the Revolutionary era from multiple perspectives. Together, these works… read more » about Revolutionary Reading: Trinity Faculty Books for America’s 250th
"I believe the European quantum sector can play a leading role," said Jungsang Kim. "Indeed, if we look back at the history of quantum physics, we see that it originated in Europe; the foundational work in the field during the last century was all carried out there." read more » about Duke Physicist Jungsang Kim: European Quantum Field Can Play a Leading Role
Hosts from NPR's science podcast Short Wave talk about an exoplanet with pink, salty clouds, the surprising social structure of ancient human relatives and the origins of laughter. ... CHARLES MUSIBA: Could this be an intentional sort of disposal of the bodies? The answer, probably, is yes. I'd like to see a little bit more evidence, but it sort of strongly suggests that way. And the biggest question is, where are the males? read more » about Duke evolutionary anthropology professor discusses exoplanetary salt clouds, ancient families and laughter's origin
From mythic retellings to mind-bending science, Trinity faculty are putting all kinds of books in their beach bags this summer. Their picks move between bold storytelling and big ideas, and are blending fiction, biography and explorations of the world around us. Check out this reading list full of curiosity and surprise. You might find your next read, and the kind of books that stay with you long after you close it. Faculty Share Their Summer Reads Naiima … read more » about Let Trinity Faculty Pick Your Next Summer Read
In Sarah Balakrishnan’s class, history research looks a little different. Students work in teams to investigate unsolved historical questions, weighing conflicting evidence and uncovering new clues as they piece together the past. (Courtesy of Balakrishnan) Balakrishnan, the Andrew W. Mellon Assistant Professor of History, wanted students to approach the past the way historians do: by piecing together clues and building an explanation from the evidence.The course, called “… read more » about Escape Into the Past with This Trinity History Class
A bronzed statue unveiled Saturday pays tribute to John Jasper White, an enslaved mariner and notable figure in North Carolina maritime history....The statue was made by sculptor Stephen Hayes, an art professor at Duke University.“It’s a life-sized statue of John Jasper White and it's bronzed,” Hayes said. “He’s holding a ship wheel and the spear that he would have used to escape with.” read more » about Duke art professor Stephen Hayes unveils statue of Currituck Jack
Aarthi Vadde, E. Blake Byrne Associate Professor of English, spends a lot of time thinking about what happens to literature when anyone can write whatever they want, whenever they want, in public. “We’re in this era of mass writing, where if you want to, you can make a free account and start expressing yourself in the world,” Vadde says. (Courtesy of Columbia University Press) Her new book, “We the Platform: How the Internet Changed Twenty-First-Century Literature”, out this June with… read more » about What Happens When Everyone Can Be a Writer? Aarthi Vadde’s New Book Asks Just That
The TeachHouse model addresses the most pressing challenges facing the profession. Co-founder Jan Rigsbee has plans for it to expand. read more » about Duke education professor addresses the community of teachers in Durham
The yearlong series will explore how the humanities shape academic freedom and democracy at U.S. universities. Charlotte Sussman and James Mulholland lead the collaborative Sharing Ground initiative at Duke University and N.C. State University. Duke University and N.C. State University have been awarded a Sawyer Seminar grant for a cross-institutional collaboration exploring challenges to academic freedom that U.S. universities are currently facing. Sharing Ground:… read more » about Sawyer Seminar Supports Duke-N.C. State Collaboration on Academic Freedom
Why does a splash of color on canvas sometimes stop us in our tracks while other abstract paintings leave us cold? A new study from Trinity College researchers suggests the answer may lie in how viewers draw on their own life experiences. Cognitive psychologist Anna Smith led research investigating viewers' reactions to abstract art as part of her Ph.D. at Duke. “Abstract art leaves more room for people to generate their own interpretations,” said Anna Smith, a cognitive… read more » about When Abstract Art Moves You, Your Memories May Be Why