June 2025 Newsletter

Seaweed isn’t just for sushi. It helps clean the air, protect ocean life, and support the planet we all rely on. Duke MBA student Eliza Harrison studies how seaweed stores carbon and benefits marine life. Her work has taken her from California to the Carolinas, and from Mexico to the Faroe Islands in the north Atlantic. Learn about Eliza's ocean entrepreneurship.

Extreme heat has already hit the country hard this summer. This New York Times guest essay by Duke expert Ashley Ward underscores what you might not know about extreme heat – and how we can change our approach to prepare for it. Ward also recently spoke with Scientific American about the cumulative effects of warmer nights following warmer days--and how you can reduce health risks.

The season of hurricanes and wildfires is here, and preparation is vital to help with recovery. Duke experts are dedicated to helping communities dealing with these issues — exploring new insurance methods, building collaborations and working in community. Explore the latest story in this Duke Today series.

Former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan has joined Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy as Polis Distinguished Fellow. During his tenure at EPA, Regan led the nation’s most ambitious effort to center equity and invest in communities that have historically been overburdened by pollution, honored by Time Magazine for his contributions.

Microbes that thrive in soil are learning to survive at higher temperatures. Scientists at the "Fungi in a Warming World: Adaptations, Challenges and Resilience"  Symposium at Duke University School of Medicine warn that rising temperatures may be helping environmental fungi to survive inside the human body, putting more people at risk of serious infections. 

Ocean waters are getting greener at the poles and bluer toward the equator, according to a new study in the media, including ABC News. The change reflects shifting concentrations of a green pigment called chlorophyll made by photosynthetic algae at the base of the ocean food chain. Warming waters are causing the colors of the ocean to change -- a trend that could impact humans if it were to continue. 

Photo by Matt Hardy on Unsplash

Microplastics are rampant, so what can we do? Duke University serves as a vast repository of research and information about microplastics, with more than 60 faculty, students, staff and postdocs across schools and departments as part of its Plastic Pollution Working Group. Learn more about their research into the environmental and health concerns of plastic pollution.

Photo by Sören Funk on Unsplash

A grant from the Duke Endowment is providing funding to allow Duke students in the Duke Environmental Law and Policy Clinic to test for contamination in Badin, N.C. More than a decade ago, Duke University’s legal clinic was asked by the Yadkin Riverkeeper to help with chemical pollution cleanup - and now there is a path to help.

Critical minerals are essential for the technologies powering the global transition to clean energy. Global demand for sources like lithium and other critical minerals is increasing. The new Duke Critical Minerals Hub is bringing together experts from engineering and the natural and social sciences to establish an interdisciplinary platform for research and education of critical minerals. 

Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

Duke faculty member Jean-Philippe Gibert and his lab study how climate change affects living things and the way organisms depend on others to survive and reproduce. "Every living thing is a part of a food web. The fate of the biosphere under climate change is the fate of these food webs," Gibert shares. 

Photo by Alex Belogub on Unsplash

Led by Torry Bend—Professor of the Practice and Director of Undergraduate Studies in Theater Studies—the Resilience through Puppetry team includes Duke students Ally Doss, Jocelyn Morgenstein and Naflah Mohammed. Together, they’re collaborating with the Beaufort, N.C. community to create puppets that reflect local stories and support the Ready Set Resilience curriculum. The team is part of the Duke Arts program Arts+. Follow their journey!

Duke University was on the scene at London Climate Week, including an event on the changing climate finance landscape as part of the Global Climate Forum for Young Finance Professionals. Learn more about the panel. Photo courtesy of NY Climate Exchange. 

July 13-15: Duke hosts Collegiate Sports Sustainability Conference

Fall 2025 - U.N. Climate Change Negotiations Practicum

Nov. 3-7: Energy Week at Duke 

Nov. 5: Duke University Energy Conference 

New Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Collaboratives (IGECs) 

Made possible by a grant from The Duke Endowment, three new collaboratives will launch in Fall 2026 and offer graduate students unique opportunities to tackle complex societal challenges alongside peers and faculty from across campus, including a new collaborative on climate and health.

Learn more about the new graduate education collaboratives.