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Graduate and professional programs across the university also scored impressive rankings in the U.S. News & World Report annual ranking of graduate programs released today.  Duke University School of Medicine rose to third among 122 medical schools in the nation for research.  In addition to the medical research rating, seven specialty programs in the School of Medicine placed in the top 10: Surgery (second); Anesthesiology (fourth); Internal Medicine (fifth); Radiology (sixth); Pediatrics (seventh, tied);… read more about Duke Graduate Programs Score High In Latest US News Rankings »

In Boston, the median white household owns $247,500 in wealth – assets minus debts. In the same city, the median Black household owns a mere $8 in wealth. That’s right, eight dollars.   The same pattern repeats itself across the United States, where a yawning wealth gap separates Black and white Americans. Just how did that vast chasm come about? And how might we respond to it? Those questions are at the heart of the new six-part series, “The Arc of Justice,” a special production of the Sanford School of Public… read more about ‘Arc of Justice’ Launches New Series on Inequality »

Professor Vincent Conitzer has accepted a leadership role in a new artificial intelligence (AI) venture with the University at Oxford, the institution announced in a press release on Feb. 16. The Institute for Ethics in AI at Oxford aims to tackle major ethical challenges posed by AI, from facial recognition to voter profiling, brain machine interfaces to weaponized drones, and the ongoing discourse about how AI will impact employment on a global scale. Conitzer is joining the organization as the institute’s Head of… read more about Duke Faculty Member to Partner With New AI Institute at Oxford »

Last fall, Duke alumni Alex Sanchez Bressler ’18 and Daniela Saucedo ‘18, along with Saucedo’s mother, Ana Brewton, started a fused glass business. The trio now melts glass at a sweltering 1480 degrees Fahrenheit in the Sonoran Desert. Their kiln—a one-ton oven consuming a quarter of the garage—completes one firing over the course of fifteen hours. This was not something they planned to do together. La Colombe Contemporary Glasswork was launched during the COVID-19 pandemic within the confines of Brewton’s house in… read more about All in the Family: La Colombe Contemporary Glasswork »

This month, we present a collection of 10 Duke-authored books detailing the history of Black life in America. While this is not a comprehensive list of all Duke scholarship on Black history, it is intended to be an introduction to the multifaceted work of Duke scholars in public policy, history, documentary studies, religious studies, African and African-American studies, cultural anthropology, sociology, art, art history, and visual studies.  These books, along with many others, are available at Duke… read more about 10 Duke-Authored Books on Black History »

DURHAM, N.C. -- Policies that helped financially struggling Americans stay in their homes and keep access to water and electricity during the COVID-19 pandemic also helped reduce the spread of the virus, according to a new analysis by Duke University researchers. Eviction moratoria and relief from utility disconnections reduced COVID-19 cases by 8.2 percent from the onset of the pandemic through the end of November 2020, the authors found. The findings were published Monday as a National Bureau of Economic Research working… read more about Eviction, Utility Moratoria Helped Slow Spread of COVID »

As educational institutions seek ways to enhance opportunities for students during the pandemic, the College Board has tapped five Duke University professors to provide recorded lectures to millions of advanced high school students around the world. The new lecture series, called “AP Daily,” offers free, online videos across a variety of college-level topics to students who are learning in person, remotely or in blended learning environments. Students can view the videos independently or Advanced Placement (AP)… read more about In Pandemic, Advanced Placement Turns to Duke Faculty for Help in High School Lecture Series »

It's everyone's favorite time of year, the annual ASSA meeting. Like many other events in this tumultuous year, the conference has been adapted to fit an online format. This format allowed a large number of Duke faculty and graduate students to participate in the meeting, whether that be as a presenter, facilitator, or moderator. And, of course, our job market candidates will be interviewing for positions for after graduation. See below for a complete list of Duke-affiliated sessions.    Origins of… read more about Duke Faculty and Students Attend and Present at Annual ASSA Conference--Online »

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 »

For some M.S. Economics & Computation (MSEC) students, their first semester in the program looked much different than they expected. Because of travel and visa restrictions, several students completed their first semester of the program from China. Zixuan Zheng was one of these students. However, last week he was finally able to meet several of his fellow classmates--Zhichao Wang, Xiaoxi Lyu, and Kaichao Chang--in person, and share the struggles and triumphs of the unusual semester. “To be honest, we struggled this… read more about Despite 2020 Challenges, MSEC Students Persevere »

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 »

When COVID hit last spring, many graduate students had to give up their summer plans for teaching, field research and internships. The Provost’s Office quickly pledged support, and Vice Provost Ed Balleisen spearheaded the effort to identify virtual opportunities. Experiential fellowships with eight host organizations and research assistantships with more than 20 Duke units provided summer funding and career development for all 59 Ph.D. students in need. Every student who responded to Duke’s end-of-summer evaluation would… read more about Duke Ph.D. Students Find Unexpected Benefits in an Unusual Summer »

Professors Peter Arcidacono and V. Joseph Hotz have been elected as Fellows of the International Association for Applied Econometrics (IAAE). The IAAE is the leading academic association for enhancing and supporting research in applied econometrics, comprised of top scholars in the field. It’s mission is “…to advance the education of the public in the subject of econometrics and its applications to a variety of fields in economics, in particular, but not exclusively, by advancing and supporting research in that field, and… read more about Professors Peter Arcidiacono and V. Joseph Hotz Named International Association for Applied Econometrics Fellows »

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has devastated many sectors of the US economy. Businesses have failed and many Americans are struggling to feed their families and pay the rent. But there are glimmers of hope, perhaps including a much-discussed, though still uncertain second federal stimulus package under consideration in Washington, D.C. On Thursday, three Duke experts discussed the myriad ways American families and businesses are being impacted by the pandemic, as well as ways they can be helped. Watch the briefing on… read more about Stimulus One of Few Options to Help Households, Businesses Survive, Experts Say »