DURHAM, N.C. – With multiple COVID-19 vaccines on the way in the United States, public health officials now face the daunting challenge of convincing skeptics to actually get the vaccine. Three Duke experts in public health messaging, leadership and human behavior spoke with journalists Thursday in a virtual media briefing about challenges and solutions. Replay the briefing on YouTube. Here are excerpts: ON REACHING PEOPLE WHO DON’T FOLLOW PUBLIC HEALTH RECOMMENDATIONS Dan Ariely,… read more » about To Convince Vaccine Skeptics, Use Empathy, Information and a Re-Start, Experts Say
Of all the things that make college students anxious, now you can add ghost cars to the list. Not haunted, unoccupied moving vehicles, Flying Dutchman style. “Ghost cars” is a term Duke Parking & Transportation (DPT) uses to define cars that enter or leave parking lots when the gates are up, like during a football game or evening event. The gate sensors don’t record them both entering and exiting, which causes problems in keeping an accurate count of the cars using a lot. A few summers ago, DPT asked a group of… read more » about Quantitatively and Qualitatively, Data+ and Its Affiliated Programs Are Big Hits
Mark Anthony Neal was waiting for his order at a restaurant one afternoon in 2011 when a man he didn’t know approached him. “He said, ‘I just saw you on TV talking to Cornel West. That was so cool,’” recalled Neal, the James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of African and African American Studies. Neal spoke with West, a philosopher and political activist, in Raleigh for the first season of his webcast “Left of Black,” a web series featuring interviews with Black Studies scholars. The interview debuted on YouTube… read more » about 300 Episodes Later, ‘Left of Black’ Celebrates 10 Years
Alexander Kirshner, an associate professor of Political Science, argued in The Hill that Donald's Trump's "refusal to acknowledge that the election has been called for Joe Biden or even to allow Biden to receive the customary security briefings given to the presidents-elect has generated broad concern about the state of our constitutional system." read more » about Saving Legitimate Opposition
Laurent Dubois, professor of Romance Studies, was quoted in a U.S. News & World Report story about the legacy of late Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona. "I think partly there is this sense that writers and football players kind of embody the soul of nations and the Latin American continent in a way that no-one else does, certainly not political leaders," Dubois said. read more » about Maradona Mourning Shows Again Latin America's Devotion to Sport and Arts
Assistant professor of Psychology and Neuroscience Sarah Gaither appeared on Good Morning America to discuss the biracial contestants on The Bachelorette. "Watching these two people interact with each other was showing real, raw emotion about what it means to be contending with being Black and biracial in America," she said. read more » about The New ‘Bachelorette’ Gets Candid with Her Suitors
When it comes to racial history, the U.S and South Africa (and the U.K.) “are all knit together by anti-Black racism,” said Anne-Maria Makhulu at the Duke event: ‘"A Luta Continua" (The Struggle Continues): Anti-Racism in South Africa and the US.’ Anne-Maria Makhulu is Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology and African and African American Studies at Duke University, and the author of "Making Freedom" and co-editor of "Hard Work, Hard Times." She is also co-chair of the Concilium on Southern Africa (… read more » about Duke's Anne-Maria Makhulu Speaks About Anti-Black Histories in U.S. and South Africa
“This is a project which I began inspired by the lockdown imposed by the global pandemic. The project started as a pseudo-autobiographical documentation of my experience, recording things seen and heard out of my balcony during my time in lockdown. Aimed at fostering a community and hopefully providing some entertainment, the project evolved into a constantly-growing website, inviting people to share their own balcony community in order to grow a shared virtual one. I had initially made this for a class, but the project… read more » about Sofia Zymnis ’21: Virtual Balconies
“This calligraphic piece, Heaven’s Roof, juxtaposes two meditations, from two religious traditions and in two different languages, both on the wonders of creation and the God who, like an architect, designed and created our cosmic home. The inspiration for this piece came to me recently when I took a workshop in runes, an ancient writing system used in Germanic languages such as Old Norse and Old English. I thought back to a poem I studied in college, ‘Caedmon’s Hymn,’ a beautiful hymn from the earliest Christian… read more » about Jonathan Homrighausen ’23: Heaven’s Roof
During Yom Kippur, Jews traditionally read the entirety of the Book of Jonah from the Hebrew Bible. Known as the Day of Atonement, the holiday -- the holiest day in Judaism -- is dedicated to repentance, and the Book of Jonah is a fitting reading. It tells of God sparing the city of Nineveh, known for its wickedness, when the people repent for their sins. The New Testament includes references to Jonah as well, but not primarily as a story of repentance. For Christians, Jonah’s three days and nights in the belly of the fish… read more » about Learning From the Bible’s Many Meanings
William A. Darity (Samuel DuBois Cook Distinguished Professor of Public Policy, Economics and African and African American Studies), Malachi Hacohen (Professor of History) and Adam Hollowell (Adjunct Instructor of Education) co-wrote an article for Inside Higher Ed about Duke's new inequality studies minor, arguing that students, professors and administrators need a deeper understanding of how human disparities have developed, why they persist and how they evolve over time. read more » about The Importance of Inequality Studies
James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of African & African American Studies Mark Anthony Neal wrote about Pattie LaBelle for T: The New York Times Style Magazine. Neal argued that she is the embodiment of success, the personification of warmth and an artist who changed the landscape of American music. read more » about Patti LaBelle, the Doyenne of Philadelphia Soul
Anne-Maria Makhulu, an associate professor of Cultural Anthropology, joined WUNC's The State of Things to discuss her life and career, describing her autobiographical research, her upbringing with an English mother and South African father and her time living in England, Switzerland and Botswana. Listen to the interview at the WUNC website. read more » about How Global Issues At The Dinner Table Made A Cultural Anthropologist: Meet Anne-Maria Makhulu
Kerry Haynie, an associate professor of Political Science and African & African American Studies, co-wrote an article for the Washington Post describing his new research with Beth Reingold and Kirsten Widner, which found that "women of color are the most likely to address the needs of multiple marginalized groups with their legislative portfolios, but Latinas and Black women approach such issues somewhat differently." read more » about Women of Color Won Congressional Seats in Record Numbers. How Will They Legislate?
This month we offer a collection of Duke-authored books that explore historical and current aspects of faith, spirituality and religious culture in society. These books along with many others are available at the Duke University Libraries, the Gothic Bookshop or the Regulator Bookshop. The Bible With and Without Jesus by Marc Zvi Brettler What It's About: Professor Marc Z. Brettler and co-author Amy-Jill Levine take readers on a guided… read more » about Eight Duke Books on Religion and Spirituality
The U.S. State Department’s School of Language Studies categorizes languages according to how difficult they are for native English speakers to learn. There are four languages in Category IV, the highest: Arabic, Chinese (including Mandarin and Cantonese), Japanese and Korean. They typically require 2,200 class hours before a language learner reaches “professional working proficiency.” Category III—1,100 hours for professional working proficiency—includes languages like Hebrew, Hindi, Persian, Tibetan, Turkish and Urdu.… read more » about Skilled Instruction Enables Language Mastery in Asian & Middle Eastern Studies
DURHAM, N.C. – Duke University senior Yuexuan Chen has been named a Schwarzman Scholar, a program that funds one year of study in Beijing, the organization announced Monday. Chen, from Cleveland, is among 140 scholars chosen from more than 3,600 applicants worldwide. The scholars develop leadership skills through a one-year master’s degree in global affairs, with specialization tracks in public policy, economics or international studies. Scholars are selected on the basis of leadership potential, entrepreneurial spirit… read more » about Duke Senior Named a Schwarzman Scholar, Will Study in Beijing
A chemistry and computer science major seeking to further explore solutions to climate change. A first-generation college student who studies the connection between race, history and educational policy. An African and African American Studies major who translated her research into service helping others in Durham overcome racial barriers to housing and education. These are the recipients of this year’s Faculty Scholars Awards, the highest bestowed by Duke faculty on undergraduates and honors students for a record of… read more » about Three Undergraduates Named Faculty Scholars for Outstanding Records of Research
One evening this fall, Jonathan Bagg was walking on East Campus when he heard the music of a brass quartet coming from somewhere under the trees. With the threat of COVID-19 pushing the student musicians out of rehearsal spaces in the Biddle Music Buildings, the outdoor serenade was a reminder that life in Duke’s Music Department has been especially different. “Clearly they were having the greatest time being outside,” said Bagg, professor of the practice and chair of the Music Department . … read more » about Keeping the Music Flowing in a Pandemic
Six members of the Duke faculty have been named have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Election as a AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers. They are among 489 new fellows elected this year. The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874. A virtual induction ceremony for the new fellows in the organization’s 24 sections will be held on Feb. 13, 2021. Engineering L. Catherine Brinson, Sharon C.… read more » about Six from Duke Named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
DURHAM, N.C. – Two Duke University seniors were among 32 recipients selected this weekend for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarships. Kendall Jefferys, from Keller, Texas, and Jamal Burns, from Saint Louis, Missouri, were chosen from among 953 applicants at colleges and universities throughout the country. The scholarships provide all expenses for two or three years of study at the University of Oxford in England. Recipients are selected on the basis of high academic achievement, personal integrity, leadership… read more » about Two Duke Seniors Awarded Rhodes Scholarship
DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke University senior Amelia Steinbach of Durham, North Carolina, is one of 12 Americans selected this weekend to receive the George J. Mitchell Scholarship for a year of graduate study in Ireland. This year, 453 students applied for the scholarship, named in honor of Sen. George Mitchell’s contributions to the Northern Ireland peace process. Recipients are chosen on the basis of academic distinction, leadership and service. Steinbach, a political science major with minors in Gender, Sexuality &… read more » about Duke Senior Awarded George J. Mitchell Scholarship to Study in Ireland
New Duke biology professor Ke Dong is drawn to creeping, crawling, swarming pests that make most people squirm: invincible cockroaches and blood-sucking mosquitoes. Rot-loving fruit flies and parasitic mites. Her interests started early, while growing up on the campus of a silkworm research institute in southeastern China where her mother worked as a chemist. As a child, Dong didn’t have the standard childhood pets. Instead of a cat, or a dog, she raised caterpillars. The institute where her mother worked grew row upon row… read more » about Duke Welcomes Professor Ke Dong, Insect Neurotoxicologist
Lillian Pierce, the Nicholas J. and Theresa M. Leonardy Professor of Mathematics, was quoted in a Quanta Magazine article about Nicolas Bourbaki, an anonymous society that has written books intended as pure expressions of mathematical thought for almost a century. Pierce describes meeting the group and explains that their anonymity is in a “spirit of fun." “There is no rigor to the secrecy,” she said. Read the article at Quanta. read more » about Inside the Secret Math Society Known Simply as Nicolas Bourbaki
All Babies and Children Thrive (ABC Thrive) has awarded seed grants of up to $40,000 to four interdisciplinary teams of Duke faculty. The teams will explore new interventions to support positive early childhood development ranging from tools for earlier identification of children at risk for neurodevelopmental challenges, to methods for teaching young children prosocial behaviors, to improving outcomes for black children and families through early care interventions and new teaching methods. At the end of a successful… read more » about Four Faculty Teams Receive ABC Thrive Seed Grants to Improve Early Childhood Outcomes