Trinity College of Arts and Sciences recently celebrated the achievements of three 2025 Ph.D. graduates selected as the first recipients of the Trinity Distinguished Dissertation Award. Nominated by their programs and representing each of Trinity’s three divisions — Natural Sciences, Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences — the recipients demonstrated remarkable academic excellence in their fields. This award honors not only their dissertation work but also their contributions to fostering a positive and enriching graduate… read more » about Trinity Recognizes Excellence in Ph.D. Research
Duke Professor of Political Science Pablo Beramendi has been awarded the 2025 Daniel Elazar Distinguished Federalism Scholar Award from the American Political Science Association (APSA). The Daniel Elazar Distinguished Federalism Scholar Award recognizes distinguished scholarly contributions to the study of federalism and intergovernmental relations.Beramendi's research delves into the political economy of inequality and redistribution, with a particular emphasis on the territorial dimensions of distributive… read more » about Pablo Beramendi Receives Daniel Elazar Distinguished Federalism Scholar Award
Duke Professor Emeritus of Physics Lawrence Evans passed away on Sunday, May 25, at the age of 92. A long-standing member of the Duke University family, Evans joined the faculty in 1963 as an assistant professor and would spend the next 27 years as an active member of the Physics Department, including serving as chair from 1987 to 1997. He was deeply involved in the university community more broadly and was a leader who helped shape faculty governance at the university. Evans continued to be engaged with the… read more » about Physics Professor Lawrence Evans Passes Away
For many people, the to-do list, the calendar, the overscheduled busy-ness of life can be overwhelming. There are some ways to tune out all that, and one musician found that improvising — playing with others without sheet music or a conductor — helped her be fully in the moment.Here & Now's Scott Tong speaks to Nina Moske, who is a flutist and recent graduate of Duke University, about how playing improvisational music has helped her escape the clock. She wrote about it in the Washington Post.This segment… read more » about Duke Music Alum Finds Focus Through Musical Improvisation
“At that moment the power of reading made itself clear and real to me. If I could see the words, then no one could control them or what I got from them. They couldn’t even know if I was merely seeing them or reading them, sounding them out or comprehending them. It was a completely private affair and completely free and, therefore, completely subversive.” – James by Percival Everett“James,” by Percival Everett, has been selected as the Duke Common Experience reading for the summer of 2025. “James” retells… read more » about “James” Selected as Duke Common Experience Reading
When it comes to the tiny particles that make up our universe, do you think you know more than a seven-year-old? You might — if you’ve been reading the Meet the Universe! children’s book series authored by Assistant Professor of Physics Eve Vavagiakis, a cosmologist who studies the remnants of the Big Bang and builds telescope cameras with an unprecedented ability to measure the oldest light in the Universe.Vavagiakis’ interest in science began as young child, reading books about animal species… read more » about If You Think Physics is Just for Grownups, Think Again
In hospital intensive care units, neurologists often use a simple scorecard to quickly evaluate a critically ill patient’s likelihood of having a brain-damaging seizure so they can prevent it.The scorecard saves lives, lowers costs and helps doctors make far more efficient use of important, expensive medical equipment. But it wasn’t always that way. Until about 2019, hospitals had no way to quickly monitor a patient’s electronic brain activity and accurately predict whether a seizure was lurking. Often, a patient… read more » about A Tool That Helps Predict a Brain-Damaging Seizure
As their first year at Duke winds down, we’re checking in with our Trinity undergrads to see how they navigated the challenges of campus life, coursework and newfound independence. Four common themes emerged across their individual experiences — balance, adjustment, connections and growth — shaping a year defined by new beginnings and meaningful discoveries. Tobias Williams (Elizabeth Richardson/Trinity Communications) Beginnings and Discoveries: Spring SemesterMay 19,… read more » about Trinity in Four Acts: Tobias Williams
As their first year at Duke winds down, we’re checking in with our Trinity undergrads to see how they navigated the challenges of campus life, coursework and newfound independence. Four common themes emerged across their individual experiences — balance, adjustment, connections and growth — shaping a year defined by new beginnings and meaningful discoveries. Daniella Freedman. (Elizabeth Richardson/Trinity Communications) Beginnings and Discoveries: Spring SemesterMay 19… read more » about Trinity in Four Acts: Daniella Freedman
As their first year at Duke winds down, we’re checking in with our Trinity undergrads to see how they navigated the challenges of campus life, coursework and newfound independence. Four common themes emerged across their individual experiences — balance, adjustment, connections and growth — shaping a year defined by new beginnings and meaningful discoveries. Amylyn DePaz-DePaz. (Elizabeth Richardson/Trinity Communications) Beginnings and Discoveries: Spring SemesterMay… read more » about Trinity in Four Acts: Amylyn DePaz-DePaz
As their first year at Duke winds down, we’re checking in with our Trinity undergrads to see how they navigated the challenges of campus life, coursework and newfound independence. Four common themes emerged across their individual experiences — balance, adjustment, connections and growth — shaping a year defined by new beginnings and meaningful discoveries. (Elizabeth Richardson/Trinity Communications) Beginnings and Discoveries: Spring SemesterMay 19, 2025… read more » about Trinity in Four Acts: Drew Smith
Lee D. Baker has been appointed vice provost for undergraduate education at Duke, Provost Alec D. Gallimore announced today.Baker, a professor in the departments of Cultural Anthropology and African and African American Studies, has been a member of the faculty for 30 years. He served as chair of the Arts & Sciences Council from 2005-2007, dean of academic affairs in the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences from 2008-2016, chair of Cultural Anthropology from 2017-2020, and director of the Program in International… read more » about Lee D. Baker Appointed Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
The first monologue Daniel Dae Kim ever performed was by David Henry Hwang.He had to do one for his college summer program at the National Theater Institute in Connecticut. Kim chose a scene from “FOB,” Hwang’s play about the assimilation struggles of a Chinese American. So, it’s fitting that 35 years later Hwang — the first Asian American to win the Tony Award for best play — would be the one to bring Kim into the Tony spotlight.For a long time, Hwang felt the only way to get a play with Asian characters made was to set it… read more » about Esther Kim Lee on Bringing Asian Americans Into the Theater
Eight faculty in Duke University’s Trinity College of Arts & Sciences have been honored with named professorships, effective July 1.These endowed positions recognize leadership and commitment to excellence in scholarship and research. Their recipients are outstanding teachers, mentors and researchers whose contributions are invaluable to the College of Arts & Sciences, as well as their students and colleagues.“Trinity is defined by the strength of its faculty, and we are extraordinarily fortunate to count these… read more » about Eight Trinity College of Arts & Sciences Faculty Honored With Named Professorships
The Office for Faculty Advancement has awarded seed grants to six new projects led by Duke faculty members. The theme for this grant cycle is “Deepening Engagement and Improving the Faculty Experience.”Faculty were invited to propose creative approaches to strengthening faculty communities and relationships; innovative initiatives to improve the culture in departments, centers and schools; and new faculty groups that deepen engagement on topics relevant to the faculty experience.The seed grant program will provide financial… read more » about Trinity Faculty Join New Projects to Deepen Engagement and Improve the Faculty Experience
In the quest to unravel the mysteries of human cognition, a new study led by researchers from Duke University and Humboldt and Hamburg Universities in Germany has illuminated the neural underpinnings of those remarkable “aha!” or insight moments that often accompany sudden problem-solving breakthroughs. This collaborative research employed cutting-edge functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to capture the brain’s activity patterns as participants engaged in solving ambiguous visual puzzles. Beyond merely satisfying… read more » about Duke Research Uncovers the Moment Insight Lights Up the Mind
DURHAM, N.C. -- Have you ever been stuck on a problem, puzzling over something for what felt like ages without getting anywhere, but then suddenly the answer came to you like a bolt from the blue?We’ve all experienced that “aha! moment,” that sudden clarity or magical epiphany you feel when a new idea or perspective pops into your head as if out of nowhere.Now, new evidence from brain imaging research shows that these flashes of insight aren’t just satisfying — they actually reshape how your brain represents information,… read more » about Brain Scans Reveal What Happens in the Mind When Insight Strikes
Duke Physics Ph.D. alum Tyler Johnson was awarded the 2025 Springer Thesis Prize. Johnson’s award-winning thesis, “The First Indication of Neutrino-Induced Nuclear Fission,” will be published in a book series called “Springer Theses”.The series “Springer Theses” brings together a selection of the very best Ph.D. theses from around the world and across the physical sciences. The work reported in the thesis must represent a significant scientific advance.Johnson’s thesis, which was conducted under advising by… read more » about Ph.D. Alum Tyler Johnson Awarded the 2025 Springer Thesis Prize
Berndt Mueller, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Physics, has been elected as an honorary member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences for his contributions to theoretical nuclear physics. Mueller is internationally known for his work on quark-gluon plasma, the high-energy state of matter believed to have existed just microseconds after the Big Bang. His research has helped shape modern understanding of how the universe evolved from chaos to order, and has played a leading role in major international… read more » about Trinity Physicist Berndt Mueller Elected Honorary Member of Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Nancy MacLean, a Duke professor of history and public policy, studies the past, but these days she should also get credit for predicting the future. MacLean’s 2017 book, “Democracy in Chains,” explored how Libertarian billionaire Charles Koch and others sought to free capitalism from regulation by creating systems that would enable a wealthy minority to rule. MacLean showed how that strategy evolved around right-wing ideas put forth by the Nobel Prize-winning political economist James McGill Buchanan, a figure The… read more » about Duke Professor’s 2017 Book Predicted Trump’s Extreme Policies. Now She Has Hope.
Duke Professor Emeritus of Political Science Sheridan Johns passed away on May 1, at the age of 90. Johns was widely recognized as an Africanist specializing in South African political history and liberation movements. He joined Duke as an associate professor in the political science department in 1970, five years after earning his Ph.D. from Harvard University. Throughout his career at Duke, Johns held several notable visiting appointments around the world, including at the Institute of Social Studies… read more » about Political Science Professor Sheridan Johns Passes Away
Deborah Reisinger, Dean of Undergraduate Education for Trinity College, thanked faculty, librarians and graduate assistants for answering the call to participate in this new endeavor. (John West/Trinity Communications) For the Class of 2029, the start of an exciting Duke journey is just around the corner.The key to a successful journey, as everyone knows, begins with thoughtful preparation. That’s why faculty participating in Trinity College of Arts & Sciences’ Constellations program… read more » about Countdown to Launch: Faculty Prepare to Introduce Constellations
At Duke, Marrujo found more than a college — he found a dance family built on collaboration and creativity. (Photo courtesy of Antonio Marrujo) “I started dancing in high school and quickly realized that it was something I wanted to stick with for the rest of my life,” shares rising senior Antonio Marrujo. “When applying to colleges, Duke stood out to me because I found the Dance Program to be so tight-knit and highly collaborative.”Student dance groups on campus stood out, too, so… read more » about Mind and Motion
Every football season, you’ll see them on the sidelines, in the stands, and now, going viral on social media: Black mothers cheering, coaching, and carrying their sons through one of America’s most brutal sports. But behind the highlight reels and heartwarming Mother’s Day tributes, their everyday labor — physical, emotional, financial — remains largely invisible.Take Terricca Williams, the Florida mom who captured national attention last year for running football drills with her young son, Czar, in their front yard. Sure,… read more » about Tracie Canada: The Mothers Who Built The Game; Honoring Black Women’s Labor In Football
Duke's commencement ceremony was held on Sunday, May 11, ushering in the Class of 2025 to the Duke alumni family. Over the course of three days, Trinity celebrated the graduates at over 35 ceremonies across the arts, humanities, social sciences and natural sciences as part of Duke's commencement weekend. Duke awarded degrees to approximately 1,788 undergraduates and 5,111 graduate and professional students who finished their course work in September or December 2024 or this spring, with 1,449 of those going to… read more » about A Look Back at Commencement 2025
Undergraduate research is one of the cornerstones of a Duke education. More than half of the undergraduates leave Duke after doing an honors project, independent study or other faculty-mentored research.“At Duke, undergraduate research is more than an opportunity — it’s part of our culture,” said Deb Reisinger, dean of undergraduate education. “From their very first year on campus, students are encouraged to explore big questions, test ideas, and engage directly with faculty mentors across every discipline. Whether in an… read more » about Class of 2025 Honors: Exploring the Big Questions
The following is a partial list of national, university, school and departmental awards presented to the members of the Class of 2025. In some awards where there are multiple winners, only members of the Class of 2025 are included. read more » about Department Honors and Laurels for the Class of 2025
On a picture-perfect spring afternoon, Germain Choffart’s French 101 students took a field trip to Duke Campus Farm, where they were greeted and guided — en français — by Saskia Cornes, Duke Campus Farm director and assistant professor at the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute. Cornes, who now teaches in the environmental humanities at Duke, studied French as an undergraduate. Cornes shared the farm’s academic mission and environmental initiatives. For example, did you know that some of the… read more » about French Takes Root at Duke Farm
The arts play an important part of the Duke student educational experience, providing exceptional performing opportunities. The benefits extend to the wider community outside of Duke, from the many community members who are entertained by the students’ concerts, plays, dances, films and exhibits.Some of these young artists are heading into career in the arts; most will head into other fields. But all student artists will carry the memories of the art they did at Duke for the rest of their lives.Below are snapshots of a few… read more » about The Class of 2025’s Got Talent
In March, the Dance Program made a strong impression at the Mid-Atlantic regional conference for the American College Dance Association (ACDA), held this year at the University of Maryland. MFA in Dance candidates Sadé Jones and Tristian Griffin, along with Associate Professor of the Practice Iyun Ashani Harrison, represented the Program.“ACDA offers an invaluable platform for artists to share their research and engage with the work of their peers,” Harrison explainsJones and Griffin co-created and performed “UBUNTU,”… read more » about Students Showcase Work at ACDA Conference