Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Duke University senior Sejal Mayer-Patel has been named a Schwarzman Scholar, a program that funds one year of graduate study in Beijing. From an initial pool of more than 4,200 applicants, the second highest in the program’s history, Mayer-Patel is among 150 scholars chosen from around the world. Schwarzman scholars develop leadership skills through a fully funded one-year master’s degree program in global affairs, designed to enable future leaders of the 21st century to engage with China. Scholars are selected based on… read more » about Duke Senior Named a Schwarzman Scholar for Graduate Study in China
The Southern Economic Association® (SEA) presented and honored its inaugural cohort of Distinguished Fellows on November 19, 2023 during its 93rd Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA. The inaugural cohort consists of all living past Presidents of the Association, who are at least two years removed from office. The SEA Board unanimously approved a resolution creating a Distinguished Fellows Program at its 92nd Annual Meeting. Distinguished Fellows have a substantial record of exceptional scholarly achievement and long-term… read more » about Four Duke Scholars Among Those Honored by the Southern Economic Association As the Inaugural Cohort of Distinguished Fellows
For junior Alex Ozonoff, declaring a major in Biology was the obvious choice — after some soul searching and deep dives into entomology, epidemiology and microbiology, that is. And as his career decisions began to feel more real than hypothetical, he fixated on becoming a doctor. “My mother is a physician assistant, and my dad is a surgical technician, so I’ve always been exposed to medicine,” he explains. “It seemed clear to me from early on what I’d pursue.” On the pre-med track with a concentration in Biochemistry,… read more » about Piano and Pre-Med: Achieving a Balance
The Undergraduate Research Support Office is pleased to announce that Duke has been chosen to extend the Duke Amgen Scholars Program for Summer 2024. The program has hosted 57 Amgen Scholars representing 40 universities from 23 states since 2019. The new cohort of Amgen Scholars will arrive at Duke in Summer 2024. These students will be paired with faculty mentors who lead cutting-edge research in biotechnology and drug discovery. Engaging in independent research aligned with the lab's ongoing projects, scholars will… read more » about Undergraduate Research Support Office Awarded Renewal of Amgren Scholars Program
Esha Naidu, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience works closely with Sarah Gaither, Nicholas J. and Theresa M. Leonardy associate professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and Makeba Wilbourn, associate professor of the practice of Psychology and Neuroscience. Her research explores how social contexts and individual differences, such as culture, identity, religious beliefs and personality, impact feelings of belonging. Naidu’s work also examines how… read more » about Bringing Feelings of Acceptance and Belonging Within Reach with Postdoctoral Associate Esha Naidu
“Decades ago, people would ask: ‘Why are you are even studying culture? That just doesn't matter. All humans are the same,’” said Cristina Salvador, assistant professor of Psychology and Neuroscience. That didn’t sit well with her. Growing up in Quito, Ecuador and moving to the United States in high school, Salvador found herself questioning the psychological literature she was exposed to, based on her personal observations and cultural experiences. “To me, it was always — this study is interesting, but I don’t think it… read more » about New Research from Cristina Salvador Challenges the East-West Binary
DURHAM, N.C. -- We humans are fixated on big brains as a proxy for smarts. But headless animals called brittle stars have no brains at all and still manage to learn through experience, new research reveals. Relatives of starfish, brittle stars spend most of their time hiding under rocks and crevices in the ocean or burrowing in the sand. These shy marine creatures have no brain to speak of -- just nerve cords running down each of their five wiggly arms, which join to form a nerve ring near their mouth. “There's no… read more » about Brittle Stars Can Learn Just Fine — Even Without a Brain
The Department of Statistical Science is delighted to announce that two Duke students were among winners from the Spring 2023 Undergraduate Statistics Project Competition. Ro Huang placed in the top three for their class project, “Bring The Heat: Exploring The Relationship Between Temperature And Short & Long-Distance Running Performance,” and Naomi Rubin placed in the top three for her research project, “Evaluating Student Perception Of Assessment In Introductory Quantitative Studies.” Ro Huang (… read more » about Duke Students Win at the Undergraduate Statistics Project Competition
Lauren D. Ginsberg, associate professor of Classical Studies and an expert on Ancient Rome, answers the internet's burning questions about the Roman Empire. What did Romans snack on in the Colosseum? Why does Ancient Roman concrete differ from modern forms of concrete? Did gladiators really fight lions? This Roman expert answers all these questions and much more with WIRED's Tech Support. read more » about Classicist Lauren Ginsberg Has Answers to Your Roman Empire Questions
Duke senior Chloe Nguyen, from Las Vegas, Nev., and recent alumnus Christopher (Chris) Kuo, from Wellesley, Mass., received the George J. Mitchell Scholarship. They are two of the 12 Americans selected this weekend for the program, which supports a year of graduate study in Ireland. This year, nearly 350 students applied for the scholarship, named in honor of U.S. Sen. George Mitchell’s contributions to the Northern Ireland peace process. Recipients are chosen based on academic distinction, leadership, and service. “I am… read more » about Duke Senior, Alumnus Win Mitchell Scholarships
DURHAM, NC – Scientists can now pinpoint where someone’s eyes are looking just by listening to their ears. “You can actually estimate the movement of the eyes, the position of the target that the eyes are going to look at, just from recordings made with a microphone in the ear canal,” said Jennifer Groh, Ph.D., senior author of the new report, and a professor in the departments of psychology & neuroscience as well as neurobiology at Duke University. In 2018, Groh’s team discovered that the ears make a subtle,… read more » about Your Eyes Talk to Your Ears. Scientists Know What They’re Saying.
The Board of Directors of Optica (formerly OSA), Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide, has elected Martin Fischer, research professor of Chemistry and Physics, to the Society’s 2024 Fellow Class. He is being honored “For pioneering contributions to nonlinear optical microscopy and imaging in biomedicine, materials science and cultural heritage.” Fischer, who directs the Advanced Light Imaging and Spectroscopy (ALIS) facility, researches novel laser microscopy methods that provide non-invasive, high-… read more » about Martin Fischer Elected Fellow Member of Optica
In 2020, the suicide rate for Veterans was 57.3% greater than for non-Veteran U.S. adults, adjusting for age and sex differences. This statistic underscores the vital importance of Timothy Strauman’s research. The Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience studies the factors that influence our ability to regulate our emotions and the health consequences, including depression and suicide, that can arise when we’re unsuccessful. One of his most recent projects focused on a population that is particularly… read more » about Combating Veterans “Deaths of Despair”
Design by Shaun King/Trinity Communications In 1975, when Craig Asplund became one of the first Duke students to graduate with a computer science major, the entire state of North Carolina had less computing power than the phone in your pocket today. Jian Pei, Arthur S. Pearse Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and department chair, gives the opening speech at Duke Computer Science's 50th anniversary celebration event. (Kevin Seifert)… read more » about Pushing Boundaries and Creating History: 50 years of Computer Science at Duke
