Duke in DC

We’re highlighting this week’s #Duke100 Trailblazer: @Joseph Blocher, the co-director of the Duke Center for Firearms Law. Blocher and his colleagues have been some of the nation's leading scholars on modern gun laws and the history of gun rights and regulation. Blocher’s research received wide attention after a 2022 Supreme Court decision required all modern gun laws to be consistent with historical tradition. Blocher has testified multiple times on gun violence in the U.S. His current scholarship addresses issues of gun rights and regulation, free speech, the law of the territories, and the relationship between law and violence. See more from one of Blocher’s testimonies here: https://t.co/bFMTOPCF7q Duke University School of Law Duke University

Duke Quantum Center (DQC)'s Dr. Emily Edwards participated in a National Science Foundation (NSF) showcase last week on quantum research sponsored by the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Edwards and her partners presented their work on the NSF Discovery Research PreK-12 (DRK-12) program, which supports research and development to enhance STEM learning and teaching for preK-12 students. The featured award supported by the program is the National Q-12 Education Partnership, which includes tech companies, professional societies, academics and government labs.

North Carolina Congresswoman Valerie Foushee presented President Vince Price with a resolution Tuesday that celebrates, "the 100th anniversary of Duke University, recognizes the University’s accomplishments over the past century." Foushee represents North Carolina’s 4th District, which includes Durham. The Office of Government Relations extends its gratitude to the congresswoman for recognizing and celebrating with us the momentous occasion of Duke’s 100th birthday. Many thanks to the other members of the NC congressional delegation who signed on, including Representatives Adams, Jackson, Ross, Murphy, Hudson, Davis, Manning, Nickel, Rouzer and Bishop! Read more: https://lnkd.in/eiA8FQVf #Duke100 #NorthCarolina

Check out the latest from our colleagues at Duke State Relations:

Yesterday, two representatives from Duke, Paris Brown and Mollie Sweeney went to the Hill for advocacy visits with staff from our North Carolina delegation. They were in DC as part of the AAAS CASE Workshop for current students interested in science policy. The conversations with Representative Valerie Foushee’s, Representative Deborah Ross’ and Senator Ted Budd’s respective offices were engaging, and we look forward to continuing the conversations about the importance of adequately funding science and research. Duke University Pratt School of Engineering AAAS Duke University School of Medicine

Join our virtual briefing April 16 @ 12pm ET: “Beyond Talking Points: Climate Financing and the Role of Federal Incentives.” Our panel of Duke experts, including Jackson Ewing, PhD, Judy Ledlee, Ph.D., P.E. and Lee Reiners, CFA moderated by Dean Lori Snyder Bennear, will discuss what we mean when we say climate finance, the work already being done in the public and private sectors and how crucial incentivizing investment at the policy-making level will be to the future of planet earth. If you work in the world of climate, finance, or policy, this one-hour lunchtime briefing is for you—but the Zoom event is open to all! ➡️Register here➡️ https://duke.is/p/rq6m Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment Duke University Pratt School of Engineering Duke University School of Law #climate #climatefinance #dukeuniversity

It was an honor to engage in enlightening discourse with our Fort liberty colleagues on how we can best collaborate between our campus and military leaders to build “resiliency and holistic health among an important group they have in common: the 18- to 24-year olds they’ve been charged with training and educating.” The meeting marks the renewal of an Education Partnership agreement signed in 2021 by Duke University President Vince Price and military leaders with the U.S. Army’s XVIII Airborne Corps. Said Duke Assistant Vice President for Government Relations Melissa Vetterkind, “The breadth and depth of discussion during this roundtable was incredible, and a testament to the power of simply bringing people together to talk. Not only did we learn from each other, but we all learned a little more about our own organizations along the way.” The two entities will meet again at Fort Liberty next month https://lnkd.in/eRRe94z9

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞? It's a deceptively simple question Infrastructure has no universal definition, no universal classification nor taxonomy. In the absence of a clear understanding of infrastructure, trying to understand "sustainable infrastructure" is no easy feat Yet, the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability's Sustainable Infrastructure Event in DC yesterday was a masterclass in not only defining but also unpacking sustainable infrastructure Some key takeaways: 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 • Infrastructure that supports positive social, environmental (incl. climate), governance & financial outcomes over its entire lifecycle • Sustainable infrastructure principles have been codified in a series of infrastructure standards; beginning with the "Equator Principles" in 2003 and including the IFC - International Finance Corporation's "Performance Standards", Quality Infrastructure Investment (QII) Partnership Standards, FAST-Infra Label and the Blue Dot Network 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞? • It starts with planning. The Australian state of Victoria's 30-year master plan for infrastructure is one such example • Stakeholder engagement is also key, infrastructure is more than just the project financier, government and developer. Community engagement matters • Sustainable infra principles must not only be applied at the project and financing level but critically, must include the enabling environment and capacity-building initiatives • Infrastructure is a long-term investment (a bridge, a road, an airport, etc. have long life spans). We must collect data over the course of its life cycle and use it to understand and improve sustainability outcomes. What we measure, we can improve 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐬𝐞? • Any of the aforementioned standards are a good baseline. The key is applying the same set of standards throughout the project life cycle • Standards like QII, FAST and Blue Dot capture the core principles of the standards preceding them. FAST, Blue Dot and others are working to make their standards interoperable 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐠𝐚𝐩? • Projects that have been certified as compliant with a set of standards (e.g. FAST and Blue Dot) can reduce the burden for investors, government and communities to determine if they are truly sustainable. In the future, projects that are certified could be bundled together to incentivize private investment Congratulations to Elizabeth Losos, Philip Hollingsworth & team for one of the best infra events I've attended Thank you to William Phillips, Cristina Contreras Casado, Anthony Kane, ENV SP, Russell Singer and Pratima Singh for your insights, wisdom and time #sustainableinfrastructure #infrastructure #standards #privatecapitalmobilization

Historic government investments are targeting critical technologies. In this live discussion and Q&A, Professor Aaron "Ronnie" Chatterji, former White House CHIPS coordinator, explains America's new industrial policy and the implications for innovation. Join him on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m.: https://lnkd.in/gAU_nC2g #CHIPS #IndustrialPolicy #Innovation

What better way to recognize the ACC tournament in DC this week than by highlighting Nina King for our #Duke100 trailblazer this week. Nina King made Duke history in 2021 when she was promoted to vice president and athletic director. She became the first woman at Duke to serve in that position, and the third Black woman to ever hold the job at a Power Five school. King made the rounds on the Hill this week as lawmakers continue their discussions regarding Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) policy. This week, King met with Senators Budd's and Tillis' offices. It’s always a pleasure to catch up with our North Carolina delegation! #DukeinDC #ACCTournament #dukeuniversity