The Duke Digest - May 24, 2010

In Today's Issue:

  • Nobel Laureate Yunus Urges Duke Graduates to Serve Others
  • Ecological and Human Health Impacts of Mountaintop Mining
  • Trustees Approve 2010-2011 Budget
  • Duke Study on Women's Leadership Advantages
  • Nicholas School Dean Discusses Oil Spill Impact


NOBEL LAUREATE YUNUS URGES GRADUATES TO SERVE OTHERS
During his commencement address last Sunday, Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus called on Duke graduates of the class of 2010 to dedicate their lives to addressing social problems instead of focusing solely on personal profit. Yunus, a Bangladeshi banker and economist who won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his pioneering use of microfinance to assist the poor, urged Duke’s graduates to measure their lives not by how much money they earn but by how much they help others.

Read More:
Nobel Laureate Yunus Urges Graduates to Serve Others (DukeNews)


ECOLOGICAL AND HUMAN HEALTH IMPACTS OF MOUNTAINTOP MINING
Controversy surrounds the coal-mining method known as mountaintop removal. A landmark paper co-written by Emily Bernhardt, assistant professor of biogeochemistry at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment concludes that post-mining environmental reparations aren't entirely effective. The paper’s authors report that mine-related contaminants persist in streams well below valley fills, biological communities are being altered, and biodiversity reduced. Studies cited in the paper suggest that chronic exposure to pollution in mining contaminated air and water is associated with numerous human health concerns. The paper, published in the January issue of Science, represents the first attempt to collect and assess the best available science on the potential ecological and human health impacts of mountaintop removal.

Read More:
Mountains of Controversy (Nicholas School)


TRUSTEES APPROVE 2010-2011 BUDGET
Duke University has adopted a budget for the 2010-11 fiscal year that will boost spending on financial aid and advance key institutional priorities while carefully managing costs in response to economic realities.

Duke’s Board of Trustees approved the $1.93 billion budget along with several new graduate-level programs. The new operating budget, which covers the fiscal year beginning July 1, represents a 5.6 percent increase from the FY 2009-10 budget, and calls for drawing $72 million from reserves as part of a three-year strategy that the board adopted in February 2009 to enable the university to continue pursuing its strategic priorities as it recovers from the financial crisis.

Read More:
New Duke Budget Manages Costs While Pursuing Priorities (DukeNews)


DUKE STUDY ON WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP ADVANTAGES
A Duke researcher finds that a perception of sensitivity and competence causes women to be evaluated as better leaders than men in comparable positions.

Read More:
Women's Perceived Leadership Weaknesses Actually Strengths (DukeNews)


NICHOLAS SCHOOL DEAN DISCUSSES OIL SPILL IMPACT
Bill Chameides, head of the Nicholas School of the Environment, discusses the chemical makeup of the oil that is spilling into Gulf of Mexico and the potential impacts on human health.

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Oil Spill Reduction (Nicholas School)