DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke juniors Monica Desjardins and Darien Herndon have been named two of 55 recipients of the Udall Scholarship, which recognizes students who have demonstrated a commitment to careers in the environment or Native American tribal public policy or health care. Both Desjardins, a psychology and global health major from Maricopa, Arizona, and Herndon, a biology major from Lumberton, North Carolina, have been recognized as scholars in the area of Native American tribal health care. Only 8 of the 55 scholarships… read more » about Two Duke Students Awarded Udall Scholarships for Work in Native American Tribal Health Care
Congratulations to the following student award winners from Duke University units in 2020. African & African American Studies John Hope Franklin Award for Academic Excellence: Elizabeth DuBard Grantland Karla FC Holloway Award for University Service: Beza Gebremariam Mary McLeod Bethune Writing Award: Jenna Clayborn Walter C. Burford Award for Community Service: Kayla Lynn Corredera-Wells Art, Art History & Visual Studies… read more » about Student Honors and Laurels for 2020
Coronavirus is riding roughshod over American secondary education, creating myriad new problems for educators ranging from the basic logistics of classroom teaching to the challenge of helping children deal with a weighty new wave of confusion and anxiety. But this global pandemic may also present an opportunity for education leaders to substantially re-think long-held education practices that could use some improvement, three Duke experts said Wednesday. In a virtual question-and-answer session with journalists,… read more » about How to Teach Kids at Home During Pandemic
Duke faculty members throw themselves into remote and unfamiliar environments for their research. From exploring villages in West Africa to traveling by train in the far corners of Siberia, remote research has taught faculty valuable lessons about working and living. Eve Duffy, associate vice provost for Duke Global Affairs, said traveling teaches vital traits to help during this time: flexibility, patience and forming a positive outlook. “Our faculty know everything isn’t going to work out how they anticipated… read more » about Distancing Lessons from Faculty Who Travel to Remote Places
DURHAM, N.C. -- Eighteen Duke students and alumni have been awarded Fulbright placements to teach English, study and do research abroad during the 2020-2021 academic year. The Fulbright US Student Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program, offering opportunities in over 140 countries. The Fulbright award is designed to facilitate cultural exchange and increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and those of other countries. The awards are announced on… read more » about Eighteen Duke Students And Alumni Awarded Fulbright Scholarships
Thomas Newpher, P&N Assistant Professor of the Practice, and Ben Thier, Neuro major (’20), delivered the first-ever TEDxDuke joint student-professor talk: The Changing Landscape of Higher Education, on February 8, 2020 at Reynolds Industries Theater at Duke University. “It was the most humbling and fulfilling experience to end my senior year at Duke by giving this TEDx talk with my professor and mentor, Thomas Newpher,” Thier shared in a post on LinkedIn. “[In the talk] we discuss how… read more » about Thomas Newpher and Ben Thier Deliver Talk at TEDxDuke
President Vincent Price, Provost Sally Kornbluth and six other Duke faculty members have been elected members of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences (AAAS) for 2020. They are among 276 artists, scholars, scientists and leaders honored this year. “The members of the class of 2020 have excelled in laboratories and lecture halls, they have amazed on concert stages and in surgical suites, and they have led in board rooms and courtrooms,” Academy President David W. Oxtoby said in a statement. “With today’s election… read more » about Dean of Social Sciences and 7 Senior Faculty Join American Academy of Arts & Sciences
At a very basic level, the digital technologies we depend on everyday operate by manipulating the charge of electrons. But a Duke chemist is searching for materials that would allow engineers to build electronics that can do more than that — which could open the door to faster computing, increased data storage, even entirely new kinds of technology. “In information storage, manipulating the ones and zeroes of binary data fundamentally involves controlling the charge of the electron,” said Michael Therien, the William R.… read more » about Chemist Puts New Spin on Organic Materials
Five Duke professors with demonstrated excellence in research and undergraduate instruction have been selected as the 2020 Bass Fellows. “This moment of crisis has highlighted the importance of having faculty who excel, both in teaching and in research,” said Gary Bennett, vice provost for undergraduate education. “Bass Fellows represent the best that Duke offers -- faculty with a commitment to discovery and delivering a transformational undergraduate education, one that changes lives and strengthens our global communities… read more » about Five New Bass Professors Named for Excellence in Teaching and Research
“For my first Zoom class, on a Tuesday, I sat at my desk and wore a blazer. By Thursday, I was on my couch and it was just more like having a conversation. My cat even visited — my students asked to meet her,” says Sherryl Broverman.> The Duke associate professor of biology and global health is talking about the first time she taught her pandemic class online a few weeks ago. The course, Biology 154 - Aids and Other Emerging Diseases, is one of the largest electives at Duke and she’s been teaching it every Spring for 20… read more » about Teaching a Pandemic Course During a Pandemic
A white student asks: Was the criticism leveled at rapper Eminem racist when he came on the scene in the 1990s because he’s white in a predominantly black genre? No, says political scientist Ashley Jardina. That’s because society does not treat white people -- including Eminem -- with historic, widespread discrimination simply for his skin color. Prejudice, yes. Racism? No. Such is the goal of the spring political science course, “Racial Attitudes and Prejudice,” which delves into work from sociology, social psychology and… read more » about Race in Politics: Undergraduates Learn the History, Implications
Gabriel Rosenberg, associate professor of Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies, makes a historical argument for why the U.S. needs policies that encourage people to stay home. Read more at the Washington Post. (Photo by Nam Y. Huh/AP) read more » about The Government Must Pay People to Stay Home
John Brown, the director of Duke University’s Jazz Program and a professor of the practice of music in the Department of Music, calls on the university art community to lead during this incredibly challenging moment. His words below, shared on March 15, inspired a broad invitation to artists in and around the Duke community to remind us why art and artists are essential. “I want Duke to be first in acknowledging the human need for art during these difficult times, and to show how we as a university are resilient. We can… read more » about John Brown: “The Human Need for Art”
The Betsy Alden Outstanding Service-Learning Awards recognize annually one community partner, one faculty member, and one graduating senior for their outstanding commitment to the ideals of service-learning. We are pleased to recognize the following award recipients for their excellent work: STUDENT RECIPIENT: Axel Herrera Ramos (Duke ‘20) Axel Herrera Ramos, a double major in Economics and Sociology, was born in Honduras and immigrated to the United States at the age of seven with his family. He… read more » about 2020 Betsy Alden Outstanding Service-Learning Award Winners
April is National Poetry Month. As the coronavirus pandemic continues, we wondered if Duke’s writers and literature scholars are turning to particular poems right now, perhaps for their beauty, wisdom, or potential to inspire, or as a mirror for this moment. Duke Today reached out to three professors in Duke’s English department and literature program with the question, “What poem are you reading now?” Faulkner Fox, a writer and lecturing fellow in the English department, is the guiding force behind the “… read more » about Poems for this moment
Bold thinking is an essential part of Duke’s approach to scholarship, and three ongoing projects show the unexpected results. Adriane Lentz-Smith, Gabriel Rosenberg, and Aarthi Vadde have been named 2020–21 National Humanities Center Fellows. They will spend a year away from their regular teaching duties as resident scholars at the Research Triangle Park–based center, researching and writing new books. Chosen from 673 applicants, they join 30 other humanists from the U.S. and four foreign countries working in 18 different… read more » about The Police State, Livestock Breeding and Web 2.0: Research by 3 Duke Professors
COVID-19 has changed the world, and Duke is no exception. To ensure public safety, the university was forced to cancel in-person events, move classes online and close most of its labs. With little notice, we — students, faculty, researchers and staff — had to find new ways to continue working on our projects and, even more importantly, connect with our communities. But people have responded with aplomb. Community members from across the university have found new ways to support one another. They have shared expertise,… read more » about In Good Company
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, the question of where to turn for solid information has never been more important. Many Duke experts are being approached now for their expertise and insight. But where do they turn for guidance and the latest information? Duke Today asked several Duke experts to share their preferred sources. We’ll share their insights over the coming weeks. Peter Feaver, a professor of political science at the Sanford School of Public Policy and director of the Duke Program in American… read more » about Peter Feaver: Who Are Your Trusted Sources on COVID-19?
A massive infusion of government cash and other resources is needed to help keep families afloat during the pandemic, a trio of Duke scholars said Tuesday. The recently approved $2 trillion stimulus bill won’t come close to solving the problems facing America’s working families, particularly African Americans, children and people who rely on government assistance to eat, they said during a web-based press conference. Here are excerpts: ON WHAT BLACK FAMILIES FACE RIGHT NOW William “Sandy” Darity,… read more » about Duke Experts on How to Help Struggling Families in The Pandemic
Duke University has awarded distinguished professorships to 29 faculty members from eight Duke colleges and schools. While the annual University Distinguished Professors dinner will be postponed until social gathering restrictions are lifted, Provost Sally Kornbluth is ready to congratulate this year’s recipients now. “I am thrilled to honor this wonderful cohort of scholars, teachers, and members of the Duke community,” Kornbluth said. “Becoming a distinguished professor at Duke is a great achievement, and one that is… read more » about Duke Awards 29 University Distinguished Professorships
"I've been on guard for some mischief," Kyle Beardsley said, expecting a joke when he received the announcing email on April Fools Day, but he was surprised with delight to hear that he received the 2020 Inclusive Faculty Award from the Duke Graduate & Professional Student Council. For the past three years, Dr. Beardsley has served as the department's Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), a job that includes carrying on important academic traditions like the End of Year Conference, also known as Beramendi Day, but… read more » about Kyle Beardsley Honored with Inclusive Faculty Award from GPSC
Religious Studies Ph.D. student Michael Grigoni is interview on WUNC's The State of Things about his research, which focuses on gun ownership among white American evangelicals. Listen to the interview at WUNC. read more » about Thoughts, Prayers And More Ammunition: Meet Mike Grigoni
In 2011, at the unveiling of a highway marker honoring Pauli Murray — the lawyer, priest, civil rights advocate, and Durham native — Helen Solterer began a literary journey through time and place. It was there that Solterer, a professor of Romance Studies, first learned of Murray’s poetry. Solterer was particularly struck by Murray’s 1944 poem “Dark Testament,” calling it Murray’s “freedom song” about “the curse of lynching in North Carolina.” It’s a stunning work of literature in its own right, and Solterer also heard a… read more » about Duke Guggenheim Fellow Asks What Makes Literature Feel Timely
Right now, it’s OK not to feel OK. In this unprecedented time of coronavirus-prompted social distancing, it’s unlikely that a person doesn’t encounter some level of anxiety or stress. But there are ways to approach it, according to three Duke experts who spoke to media Wednesday. Here are excerpts: ON BEING NORMAL Timothy Strauman, professor of psychology and neuroscience: “If you’re not feeling unsettled and worried and projecting into the future, then you’re not paying attention. This is… read more » about Dealing With Coronavirus: It’s OK To Be Anxious
DURHAM, N.C. -- Since the 1980s, a sprawling mountaintop removal mining complex in southern West Virginia has been leaching pollutants -- such as selenium -- into nearby streams at levels deemed unsafe for aquatic life. Now, even though the mine is closed, researchers have also found high concentrations of selenium in stream insects when they fly out of the water and the spiders that eat them along the banks, an indication that the contaminant moves from water to land as it makes its way up the food chain. The study shows… read more » about Stream Pollution From Mountaintop Mining Doesn’t Stay Put in the Water
Mark Anthony Neal, the James B. Duke Professor of African & African American Studies, euologizes famed musician Bill Withers as a man who "eschewed the hit machine for emotional truth." Read more at NPR. read more » about Bill Withers' Legacy Is So Much Deeper Than The Hits We All Know