Off The Top...

A Message from President Vincent Price

President Price said the university has more work to do on socioeconomic diversity. “But that work is well under way and has already yielded significant positive results.” Read the full message on DukeToday.

Full Message

Federally Funded Research at Duke...

Urban Parks Built on Former Waste Incineration Sites Could Be Lead Hotspots

Decades after many North American cities shut down their municipal waste incinerators due to pollution concerns, a Duke University study warns of potential lead contamination in urban soils. Led by Professor Daniel D. Richter, the research identified significantly elevated levels of lead in certain Durham, N.C. parks built on former incinerator sites, with some concentrations exceeding five times the EPA’s safety standards for children's play areas. Such exposure poses long-term health risks, especially for children. The team's findings, based on historical waste management surveys, indicate that around half of all cities in the U.S. and Canada used incineration between the 1930s and 1950s, showcasing the need for nationwide soil monitoring and hotspot identification.

This research was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Urban Waste

Mysterious Family of Microbial Proteins Hijack Crops’ Cellular Plumbing

Many of the bacteria that ravage crops and threaten our food supply use a common strategy to cause disease: they inject a cocktail of harmful proteins directly into the plant’s cells. For 25 years, biologist Sheng-Yang He and his senior research associate Kinya Nomura have been puzzling over this set of molecules that plant pathogens use to cause diseases in hundreds of crops worldwide ranging from rice to apple trees. Now, thanks to a team effort between three collaborating research groups, they may finally have an answer to how these molecules make plants sick -- and a way to disarm them.

This research was supported by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, both at the National Institutes of Health

Protein Hijacking

Updates From Duke...

Duke Announces Plans for Centennial Celebration

More than a year of events will explore Duke’s history and help propel the university into its second century. The kickoff is at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Cameron Indoor Stadium. (That date isn’t a coincidence – 1.9.24 is a nod to the year of Duke’s founding.)

“This is a moment of transformation for Duke, when we can see more clearly than ever before how we might lead in the century to come. It’s also a moment of extraordinary continuity, as the seeds of our current and future excellence that were planted and cultivated throughout our university’s first hundred years come into bloom.

-- Vincent E. Price, Duke University President

Duke @ 100

Duke Partners with NCCU, ECU to Assist Public Schools and the Communities They Serve;

Duke, in collaboration with North Carolina Central University (NCCU) and East Carolina University (ECU), spearheads a pivotal initiative in North Carolina, supported by the Netter Center for Community Partnerships. The aim is to utilize university resources for University-Assisted Community Schools (UACS), addressing diverse community challenges ranging from hunger to health. This partnership amplifies North Carolina's leadership in innovative education and sets a blueprint for the Southeast region. As advocates in this movement, Duke and its collaborators are reimagining the relationship between universities, public schools, and the broader community, positioning North Carolina at the forefront of progressive educational strategies. Faculty, staff and students from regional colleges and universities can join the coalition via virtual monthly network calls.

Public School Assist

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