Off the Top...

A Century of Breakthroughs: The Legacy of Innovation at Duke

Over the last century, Duke innovators have made significant contributions in the marketplace and for public benefit. This includes Robin Rasor, now Associate Vice President of Duke’s Office for Translation & Commercialization, who oversaw a record $102.5 million in licensing revenue for fiscal year 2023, supporting Duke's inventors and research. The office, which received 302 invention disclosures and issued 94 patents in 2024, has seen groundbreaking innovations, such as J. Deryl Hart’s UV light to reduce surgical infections in the 1930s and Smita Nair’s pioneering work on RNA vaccines. Read about more groundbreaking Duke research below.

A Century of Innovation

Federally Funded Research at Duke...

Building Air Quality Management Capacities Worldwide

A group of researchers with air quality projects across six continents recently gathered at Duke University to build capacity and collaboration. The group, funded by the U.S. Department of State, represents 10 initiatives across six continents and is supported by an annual budget of around one million dollars, with a focus on deploying low-cost air quality sensors in regions lacking data. Mike Bergin, a professor at Duke, led the largest project focused on Asia and played a key role in organizing the event.

This work is supported by the U.S. Department of State.

Air Quality Collab

U.S. Department of the Interior, Duke University Launch Digital Nature-Based Solutions Roadmap

The U.S. Department of the Interior, in collaboration with Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability, has launched a digital Nature-Based Solutions Roadmap. This free public resource offers an accessible guide for implementing nature-based solutions that address environmental challenges while benefiting both people and ecosystems. The roadmap includes over 400 case studies from projects across the U.S. and internationally, expanding on a print version released in 2023.

This project was supported by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Solutions Roadmap

Celebrating the Centennial...

Centennial Trailblazer:

This week's Duke Centennial Trailblazer is biology professor Sheila Patek. Her research focuses on ultra-fast movements and the organisms that produce them, a topic of interest for engineers, including those from the United States Army. Patek is an avid advocate for investment of federally-funded research, going so far as to travel to Capitol Hill and defend her work against the belief it could be wasteful government spending.

Centennial Trailblazer

More from Duke...

Duke Senior Jenna Smith Wins Rhodes Scholarship

Duke University senior Jenna Smith has been awarded the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, selected from 865 U.S. applicants for her academic achievement, leadership, and commitment to service. A Robertson Scholar, Smith is majoring in International Comparative Studies with a minor in journalism and has focused on advancing restorative justice, particularly in the Deep South. She co-leads the Duke Justice Project and has worked with the Innocence Project, the Delta Center, and the Wilson Center, while also reporting for the Chicago Tribune.

Rhodes Scholar

Manage your preferences | Opt out using TrueRemove®
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.

1201 Pennsylvania Ave.
District of Columbia, DC | 20004 United States

This email was sent to .
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.