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 »
Starting in Fall 2024, there’s a new sequence for Introductory Physics at Duke that will impact students in life sciences and prehealth programs who take physics as part of their degree paths. Physics 121 and 122 will be phased in to replace the current two-semester introductory sequence of Physics 141/142. Physics 121 and 122 differ from 141/142 by featuring a “math along the way” format where Math modules are built into the courses and calculus is not a prerequisite. The new sequence will also employ student-… read more about New Introductory Physics Sequence Starting in Fall 2024 »
Duke University has awarded distinguished professorships to 32 faculty and will recognize them in a ceremony at the Washington Duke Inn on May 23. “I am very pleased to honor these faculty members with distinguished professorships,” said President Vincent Price. “Their outstanding scholarship has advanced knowledge across a wide variety of fields and made a positive impact on society, and I am proud to have them as colleagues.” Distinguished professorships honor faculty who are well-established members of the Duke… read more about Five Trinity Faculty Members Among Those Awarded New Distinguished Professorships for 2024 »
Graduating in 2022 with a B.S. in Biology, a minor in Music and a certificate in Sustainability Engagement from the Nicholas School of the Environment, Pooja Lalwani credits her Duke Music courses for enhancing her STEM scholarship.“The arts at Duke definitely taught me a lot about health and medicine,” she says. “Academically, I was really interested in music therapy and utilizing music as a way to enhance memory.”As an undergrad, Lalwani took elective courses that integrated her three interests, biology, music and… read more about A Prescription for Harmony: How Music Enhances the Pre-Med Journey »
read more about New Duke Study Declares “The Future Is Fungal” – A New Era for Boreal Biodiversity »
DURHAM, N.C. -- It might look like a comet or a shooting star, but this time-lapse video is actually a tiny plant root, not much thicker than a human hair, magnified hundreds of times as it grows under the microscope. Researchers at Duke University have been making such movies by peering at stem cells near the root’s tip and taking snapshots as they divide and multiply over time, using a technique called light sheet microscopy. The work offers more than a front row seat to the… read more about From Growing Roots, Clues to How Stem Cells Decide Their Fate »
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, Ozonoff… read more about Piano and Pre-Med: Achieving a Balance »
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 »
For a guy who high-jumped 6-foot-8 in high school and is a candidate for the Rhodes, Marshall and Mitchell scholarships in his senior year at Duke, an all-expense-paid trip to Washington DC for three days may not seem like a big deal. But for Danny Collins, 22, this could be yet another launching pad. Next week, Collins will be among the finalists in the Collegiate Inventors Competition, hosted by the National Inventors Hall of Fame. The winners take away cash prizes and an accelerated patent application to the US Patent… read more about Duke Senior Launches Himself Toward Big Rewards »
