When the world shifted abruptly in March 2020, so too did the research programs of many Duke scholars. Faculty members in myriad fields began gathering real-time data about the pandemic, including several scholars who analyzed various aspects of its psychological impact and are working to bring help to those most affected. Here are a few examples: The COVID-19 Family Study and Coping Together Program Eve Puffer, assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience and global health, has spent much of her… read more » about Eight Duke Scholars Examining the Mental Health Effects of the Pandemic
DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke University junior Carlee Goldberg is among 62 students selected nationally as 2021 Truman Scholars. The scholarship is a memorial to President Harry S. Truman. Students from every state are selected based on their leadership potential, high academic achievement and a commitment to careers in public service and advocacy. The Truman Scholarship Foundation received 845 nominations from 328 colleges and universities. Each new Truman Scholar receives funding for graduate studies, leadership training… read more » about Duke University Junior Named a Truman Scholar
We celebrate the inaugural cohort of Duke’s MFA in Dance: Embodied Interdisciplinary Praxis, a program dedicated to embodied knowledge and practice-led movement discourses. read more » about MFA in Dance Class of 2021
Artificial Intelligence research at Duke covers everything from health to enhancing photos to machine learning. See what some Duke researchers are doing in the field. AI for Everyone Was An Academic Gateway During Winter Breakaway, David Carlson, an assistant professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering taught “AI for Everyone,” which included an introduction to the math and computations underlying machine learning and artificial intelligence. Full Story Duke Students… read more » about Artificial Intelligence Research at Duke
When Egyptian writer Nawal el-Saadawi arrived at Duke University in January 1993, it was supposed to be a short-term residency. It ended up as a four-year visit that made for a series of memorable classes and lectures and lasting relationships between Saadawi and several Duke faculty and students. Her time at Duke may also have saved her life. Saadawi, who died March 21 and was praised in obituaries in the New York Times and elsewhere as one of the leading feminist voices in the Arab world in more than 50 books of fiction… read more » about When Duke Gave Shelter to An Egyptian Intellectual
The Trinity College of Arts & Sciences has hired two new faculty members specializing in Asian American studies. Calvin Cheung-Miaw will join the Department of History and Anna Storti will join the Department of Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies, both as assistant professors. Their positions are supporter by a $4 million grant from The Duke Endowment, a private foundation based in Charlotte, dedicated to hiring up to six new scholars with expertise on Africa, Asian American studies or Latinx studies.… read more » about Trinity to Add Two Asian-American Studies Scholars
A new student-operated texting platform called DukeLine has a single goal: improving the mental health of students through quick peer response. Managed by a team of 21 Duke undergraduates, the program provides anonymous peer support within minutes of outreach. “There are a lot of barriers to students reaching out for help, including personal shame, skepticism about effectiveness and concerns about being misunderstood,” said Nancy Zucker, an associate professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences who advises the program… read more » about ‘In-the-Moment’ Mental Health Support for Students From Their Peers
Launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996, National Poetry Month reminds us of the integral role poets play in our culture. For the 25th anniversary of this annual celebration of poets and poetry, we highlight six poets among the university's faculty who have published collections of poetry. The works of these poets, along with many others, are available at Duke University Libraries, the Gothic Bookshop or the Regulator Bookshop. In addition, Duke University Press is offering a… read more » about Celebrate National Poetry Month with Six Duke Faculty Poets
DURHAM, N.C. -- Some guys have it all: the muscle, the power, the high social status, the accelerated aging. But wait. Faster aging? Who wants that? For male baboons, it’s the price they pay to be at the top. New research appearing April 6 in eLife by Jenny Tung, associate professor of evolutionary anthropology and biology at Duke University, and her colleagues shows that male baboons that climb the social ladder age faster than males with lower social standing. If a male drops in social status, his estimated rate of… read more » about A Male Baboon’s Dominance Gives Him Babies, but Costs Him Years
DURHAM, N.C. -- Emily Ury remembers the first time she saw them. She was heading east from Columbia, North Carolina, on the flat, low-lying stretch of U.S. Highway 64 toward the Outer Banks. Sticking out of the marsh on one side of the road were not one but hundreds dead trees and stumps, the relic of a once-healthy forest that had been overrun by the inland creep of seawater. “I was like, ‘Whoa.’ No leaves; no branches. The trees were literally just trunks. As far as the eye could see,” said Ury, who recently earned a… read more » about Mapping North Carolina’s Ghost Forests From 430 Miles Up
DURHAM, N.C. — Integrating the American classroom has long been a goal of many who seek to eradicate racial discrimination. But a new paper from four economists, including Duke University’s William A. “Sandy” Darity Jr., suggests that Black students do not always benefit from attending racially balanced schools. Instead, Black adults who attended racially balanced high schools in the mid-20th century completed significantly less schooling than those who attended either predominantly black or predominantly white schools,… read more » about For Some Black Students, Discrimination Outweighed Integration's Benefits
George Saunders, the celebrated fiction writer, was doing quite well writing short stories – winning prizes, earning acclaim, making a living. Yet novels remained elusive. “It’s like being a builder of custom yurts and then someone asks you to build a mansion. You say, ‘No, I don’t do that,’” Saunders said. “But wait a minute, maybe I could just put a bunch of those little yurts together.” Saunders did write a novel in the end, and “Lincoln in the Bardo” went on to win the Booker Prize. His comments come from an episode… read more » about Critics and Authors Talk Literature in Novel Dialogue Podcast from Duke English
A March 24 panel discussion in response to the increase of violence against people of Asian descent, including the mass shootings in Atlanta earlier this month, attracted more than 670 Duke faculty, staff and students. Moderated by Nayoung Aimee Kwon, the online event featured presentations on the historical context of anti-Asian violence from Susan Thananopavarn, Eileen Chow and Esther Kim Lee. Syllabus on Asian-American History and Culture In response to recent acts of violence against Asian Americans stemming from a… read more » about The History of Violence Against Asian Americans
While social media platforms can employ algorithms and other tools to help improve the level of public debate, the best way to decrease outrage and polarization is for everyone involved to be responsible for their own online behavior, three Duke experts said Wednesday. Speaking to journalists during a digital media briefing, the three scholars discussed civility, the powers and limits of big platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and the many misperceptions people have about those on the ‘other side’ of the political divide… read more » about Don’t Like Online Outrage? Look Inward
Editor's Note: A previous version of this article mentioned Grace Musila as another hire resulting from this search, selected to join the English Department. Due to a series of unanticipated circumstances and ongoing responsibilities she has in her current role with the Department of African Literature at the University of Witwatersrand, Musila will not be joining Duke this fall. A respected scholar of the political economy, Eric Mvukiyehe, will join the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences… read more » about Expert on Africa to Join Trinity Faculty
Herman Pontzer explains where our calories really go, and what studying humanity’s past can teach us about staying healthy today. read more » about Duke Researcher Busts Metabolism Myths in New Book
Graduate and professional programs across the university also scored impressive rankings in the U.S. News & World Report annual ranking of graduate programs released today. Duke University School of Medicine rose to third among 122 medical schools in the nation for research. In addition to the medical research rating, seven specialty programs in the School of Medicine placed in the top 10: Surgery (second); Anesthesiology (fourth); Internal Medicine (fifth); Radiology (sixth); Pediatrics (seventh, tied);… read more » about Duke Graduate Programs Score High In Latest US News Rankings