Charmaine Royal, the Robert O. Keohane Professor of African & African American Studies, Biology, Global Health and Family Medicine & Community Health was recently selected as one of The Hastings Center 2024 Fellows. The Hastings Center fellows are a distinguished group of around 300 experts whose work has shaped scholarship and public understanding of ethical challenges in health, healthcare, science and technology. These prestigious fellowships reflect influence in advancing ethical scholarship, policy and… read more about Charmaine Royal Named 2024 Hastings Center Fellow »
DURHAM, N.C. -- Since the first fiber optic cables rolled out in the 1970s, they’ve become a major part of everything from medical devices to high-speed internet and cable TV. But as it turns out, one group of marine mollusks was way ahead of us.A new study reveals that clams called heart cockles -– so-named because of their heart-shaped shells -- have unique structures in their shells that act like fiber optic cables to convey specific wavelengths of light into the bivalves’ tissues.Researchers from Duke University and… read more about To Build Better Fiber Optic Cables, Ask a Clam »
A flip, a flap, a slow twirl and a splash of colors. Few things are as iconic as butterfly wings. For most of us, they are one of nature’s jewels: colorful, iridescent, a sign of warmer days. For Anyi Mazo-Vargas, they are a portal into nature’s secrets.The newly hired assistant professor of Biology uses butterflies, in particular their wings, to understand how nature’s huge diversity in forms, colors and body shapes develops over one organism’s lifetime and evolves over millions of years. Butterflies are particularly… read more about Anyi Mazo-Vargas Unveils Secrets in Butterfly Wings »
DURHAM, N.C. -- When we talk about the microbiome, most of us think of the trillions of microorganisms that live in our bodies, supporting everything from digestion to mental health.But plants have a world of microbes living on and inside them too. And evidence is beginning to emerge that these hidden residents play a key role in promoting plant health, in part by helping their immune system identify which bacteria to attack and which ones to tolerate.In a new study, researchers find that disruptions to the community of… read more about Crop Diseases, Spoilage Can Hurt the Food Supply. Could Plant Prebiotics Help? »
Richard Alan White, a longtime botany professor who led Trinity College of Arts and Sciences at Duke for more than a decade and became a national leader in undergraduate education, died Aug. 10 of congestive heart failure at home with family. He was 88.A native of Philadelphia, White became interested in plant life visiting the historic Bartram’s Garden near John Bartram High School, which he attended. He received a B.S. and M.S. degree from Temple University and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1962.He… read more about Duke Flags Lowered: Richard White, Former Trinity College Dean, Dies at Age 88 »
Tony Cheng, Jean Philippe Gibert and Masayuki Onishi received NSF Early Career Awards this spring. (Photos courtesy of John West/Trinity Communications, Gibert and Onishi) Three Trinity faculty are among the recipients of the 2024 National Science Foundation (NSF) Early Career Awards. Tony Cheng, assistant professor of Sociology, Jean Philippe Gibert, assistant professor of Biology, and Masayuki Onishi, also an assistant professor of Biology, are this year’s awardees.… read more about Three Trinity Faculty Receive NSF Early Career Award »
Dorian McMillan, Senior Laboratory Administrator in the Department of Biology, is one of three staff members whose services have been recognized with this year’s Dean’s Pillar of Excellence Award. Her colleagues in Biology describe her as proactive and self-motivated — always seeking out new opportunities to improve processes and achieve better outcomes. They also say she approaches challenges with optimism and resilience, inspiring her colleagues to do the same. “She doesn’t wait for instructions but instead takes the… read more about Dorian McMillan Receives Dean’s Pillars of Excellence Award »
A warm and enthusiastic audience greeted Charmaine DM Royal, Robert O. Keohane Professor of African & African American Studies, Biology, Global Health and Family Medicine & Community Health as she delivered the 2024 Trinity Distinguished Lecture on May 1 at Duke. Her talk, “Shifting Paradigms on Genetics and Race,” reflected on her personal and professional journey as a scholar focusing on the ethical, social and clinical dimensions of human genetics and genomics, particularly as they relate to the intersection of… read more about Charmaine Royal Delivers Trinity Distinguished Lecture »
A Duke alumna and a graduating senior have been awarded the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship for graduate study at Stanford University. Linda Zhang, class of 2020, and Duke University senior Daniel Collins, class of 2024, have each received up to three years of financial support at Stanford University. Zhang and Collins are members of the seventh Knight-Hennessy cohort and are among the 12 Duke students who have received the scholarship since the program welcomed its first class in 2018. Linda Zhang, from Tianjin, China, is… read more about Duke Senior, Alumna Receive Knight-Hennessy Scholarship »
Isaiah Hamilton is a graduating senior with a major in Biology, and minors in Chemistry and Global Health. He has served as a Trinity Ambassador for the Department of Biology. Trinity Ambassadors are student volunteers, nominated by their departments, to serve in this unique and important role. We asked a few of the ambassadors from the Class of 2024 to share their favorite memories from Duke. The below interview has been slightly edited for clarity. What was one of the most impactful classes you took during your… read more about Class of 2024: Isaiah Hamilton »
Five Duke faculty have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. The NAS elected a total of 120 new members and 24 new international members. The new NAS members from Duke are: John Aldrich, PhD, Pfizer Inc./Edmund T. Pratt Jr. University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Political Science. His scholarship focuses on American politics and elections. David Beratan… read more about Four Trinity Faculty Elected to National Academy of Sciences »
Emi Hegarty’s distinction project, Biology, Movement and Theater, is a true synthesis of the senior’s four years at Duke. It encompasses not just what she’s learned in her undergraduate career, but also the connections she’s made between her two majors, Theater Studies and Biology. The idea for the project was born when Hegarty was introduced to the concept of Umwelt in Professor Stephen Nowicki’s Mechanisms of Animal Behavior class. Umwelt, she explained, is a notion that Baltic-German… read more about Using Biology to Build a Character’s World »
As a pre-health student majoring in Religious Studies with minors in Biology and Chemistry, Christina Lewis (T, ‘24) wanted her honors project to tie together her academic interests and explore ways in which she, a future clinician, might best serve her patients. Lewis’ thesis focuses on alternative healing practices and how they are applied in Western medical settings. She’s investigating why certain practices with religious or spiritual elements are embraced by integrative medical clinics affiliated with reputable… read more about Combining the Holistic and Academic: A Student’s Look at Alternative Medicine in Traditional Settings »
Five Trinity students made their way to South Bend, Indiana for the 18th annual ACC Meeting of the Minds conference in April. Thang Lian, Sasha Bacot, Julia Davis, Abby Cortez and Trisha Santanam were selected to represent Duke and Trinity College of Arts & Sciences in the annual research conference celebrating undergraduate research and creative inquiry. Hosted this year by the University of Notre Dame, the Meeting of the Minds invites students from the 15 Atlantic Coast Conference member schools to participate by… read more about Trinity Students Head to the ACC Meeting of the Minds Conference »
The Duke Centennial gives us the opportunity to reflect on people whose scholarship, behavior and reputation have not only shaped Duke as an institution, but have made a profound impact on their field of research. The late Philip Benfey, a world-renowned plant biologist, is certainly deserving of recognition. His pioneering research, leadership in scientific innovation and dedication to fostering the growth of his mentees have had an immeasurable lasting impact on multiple generations of scientists. Before I ever met… read more about From Cells to Crops, Philip Benfey Found Keys to Success in the Hidden Half of Plants »
Knut Schmidt-Nielsen wasn’t just the preeminent physiologist of the second half of the 20th century. He changed the way physiology was taught. When he published “Animal Physiology: Adaptation and Environment” in 1975, physiology courses focused entirely on human physiology. But Schmidt-Nielsen’s textbook tackled the subject from a comparative perspective, taking biology by storm. It went to five editions, was translated into eight languages and became the leading physiology textbook of its time. Every physiology text… read more about By Studying Extreme Environments, Knut Schmidt-Nielsen Reoriented Biology »
Rohil Watwe cannot remember a time when he didn’t have a deep-rooted passion for healthcare. Drawn to understanding how diseases affect us and the incredible resilience the human body has in overcoming health challenges, his passion intensified in high school as an active member of the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) club.“Those invaluable experiences in HOSA introduced me to various facets of healthcare, from hands-on activities to competitions and seminars, and they pushed me to pursue a career dedicated to… read more about Music Brings Innovative Thinking to Healthcare »
As North Carolina’s top economic driver, agriculture is practiced in every corner of the state. But most of the research and technological innovation that could be available to the $103 billion industry comes from companies and universities in the comparatively small, urban areas of the Triad and Triangle. That imbalance can leave farmers without exposure to research-based techniques and new technologies, particularly those that can help lower the barriers to market entry for limited-resource farmers, said Gregory Goins,… read more about Lucia Strader Part of “Ag Tech Corridor” Project with $1M from National Science Foundation »