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Q&A With Sunshine Hillygus on Young Voters and the 2020 Election
With a presidential election approaching, voting is top of mind and during COVID-19, voter turnout is more complicated and uncertain than ever before. Professor of Political Science at Duke University Sunshine Hillygus has been studying voter behavior for many years. In her newest book with co-author John Holbein, Making Young Voters, she brings insight to voter turnout dynamics and helps explain why young voter turnout is consistently so low. Using her expertise, Hillygus answered a few questions for us about the upcoming presidential election, key drivers for youth voter turnout and more.
Hillygus and Holbein's research was funded by the National Science Foundation.
"Our research shows that political motivation and interest is already high among young people–so this isn’t the key to improving youth turnout. The problem for young people is not that they are disinterested in politics; rather, barriers and obstacles to registration and voting often prevent them from following through on their intentions." - Sunshine Hillygus
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President Price Discusses Duke's Commitment to Anti-Racism
Duke University's President Vincent Price sent a message to students, faculty and staff this week to communicate the university's continued commitment to address systemic racism and advance racial equality throughout the entire institution. He expressed the need to "ensure that anti-racism and equity remain long-term priorities for Duke, woven carefully into every aspect of our institutional strategy and culture." Price outlined several initiatives that are already underway or soon to be launched at Duke that will serve as first steps in navigating an anti-racist future for the university.
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| Duke to Lead $5 Million Center to Develop U.S. Air Force Wireless Communication Protocols
Professor of Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering and Mathematics Robert Calderbank and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Vahid Tarokh will lead a new five-year $5 million program called the Air Force Research Laboratory/Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFRL/AFOSR) University Center of Excellence. The center will develop the fundamental research necessary to design and operate protocols that can meet the Air Force's needs working with existing solutions. Tarokh explains that "Duke has a depth of knowledge and experience that comes from a long history of working with machine learning methods...will be the foundation of the new networks and protocols that will allow the Air Force to secure its wireless communication needs."
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| Duke Sophomore Spearheads Athlete Voting Campaign
Charlotte Johnson is not only embarking on her first presidential election, she is leading an entire voting campaign initiative to get as many Duke student-athletes registered and ready to vote in the upcoming presidential election. In order to put her ideas in action, Johnson went to Bob Weiseman, a senior associate director of athletics and the sport administrator for her team, women's field hockey. Of those eligible, Duke had 10 teams 100-percent registered to vote including: field hockey, baseball, men's soccer, volleyball, softball, women and men's lacrosse, swimming & diving, and women and men's basketball.
For more information about voting on and off Duke's campus, you can visit vote.duke.edu.
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| Bayh-Dole's Critical Role in University Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Executive Director of Duke's Office of Licensing & Ventures Robin Rasor has "seen countless, life-changing discoveries come out of university research labs," and she explains that "the majority of them (are) resulting from federal funding." However, these impressive discoveries might never have come to fruition if it weren't for the Bayh-Dole Act, which enables universities, nonprofits and other publicly-funded institutions to patent their discoveries and license those patents to private companies.
"At a time when our country needs economic dynamism more than ever, we should do everything in our power to encourage risk-taking and innovation. Thankfully, the Bayh-Dole Act exists to help us do just that." - Robin Rasor
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| Duke Experts Discuss How To Enjoy the Holidays Safely This Year
Trick or treating will be trickier than usual this year, according to three Duke doctors. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and more upcoming holidays bring new challenges during COVID-19, so the three panelists provided some recommendations for people planning their next holiday season.
"It is a different and difficult year. We have to plan properly. If you or anyone in your household has symptoms of COVID-19 or the flu... do not participate in any in-person gatherings." - Dr. Viviana Martinez-Bianchi
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| Wednesdays Have New Significance For This Duke Student
In the midst of a school year like no other, this Duke student takes solace in her Wednesdays, which are her "on-campus" days. Cydney Livingston describes her regular day, which begins with her early morning, condensed microbiology lab. She explains, "at the beginning of the semester it felt strange and uncomfortable to wear a mask for the whole lab period," but also notes that she has acclimated to this change, like many others caused by the global pandemic. Livingston gives insight into the bittersweet feeling of being a college student, navigating a much less crowded campus and remembering what it used to be like.
"On Wednesdays, I am reminded of the reasons I fell in love with Duke and of all the things I miss about it in these strange and uncertain times."
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