The Duke Digest - June 1, 2012


In Today's Issue:
  • Duke and UNC Presidents Urge NC Senators to Oppose Cuts to NSF PoliSci Program
  • Duke Chemistry Nanowires Research May Have Business Applications
  • Duke Study: Forests More Valuable for Carbon Storage than as Source of Carbon-Neutral Fuel
  • Opinion: A Health Care Setup Both Sides Can Live With

 

DUKE AND UNC PRESIDENTS URGE NC SENATORS TO OPPOSE CUTS TO NSF POLISCI PROGRAM
Duke President Richard Brodhead and UNC System President Thomas Ross sent letters to Senators Richard Burr and Kay Hagan on May 25 urging them to oppose any efforts to cut funding to  the National Science Foundation's Political Science Program during the Senate’s consideration of the Fiscal Year 2013 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill.

Read More:
Brodhead-Ross Letter to Senator Burr (pdf)


DUKE STUDY: FORESTS MORE VALUABLE FOR CARBON STORAGE THAN AS SOURCE OF CARBON-NEUTRAL FUEL
The search for alternatives to fossil fuels has prompted growing interest in the use of wood, harvested directly from forests, as a carbon-neutral energy source.

But a new study by researchers at Duke and Oregon State universities finds that leaving forests intact so they can continue to store carbon dioxide and keep it from re-entering the atmosphere will do more to curb climate change over the next century than cutting and burning their wood as fuel. 

Read More:
Forests More Valuable for Carbon Storage than as Source of Carbon-Neutral Fuel, Study Shows (Nicholas.duke.edu)


DUKE CHEMISTRY NANOWIRES RESEARCH MAY HAVE BUSINESS APPLICATIONS
Duke University chemists created a new set of flexible, electrically conductive nanowires from thin strands of copper atoms mixed with nickel.

Because films made with copper-nickel nanowires are stable and are relatively inexpensive to create, they are an attractive option to use in printed electronics, products like electronic paper, smart packaging and interactive clothing, said Benjamin Wiley, an assistant professor of chemistry at Duke

These new copper-nickel nanowires are the latest nanomaterial developed in Wiley's lab and are a possible low-cost alternative to indium tin oxide, or ITO. ITO is coated on glass to form the transparent conductive layer in the display screens of cell phones, e-readers and iPads. Indium, at $600 - $800 per kilogram, is an expensive rare-earth element. Most of it is mined and exported from China, which is reducing exports, causing indium's price to increase.

Read More:
Copper-Nickel Nanowires Could be Perfect Fit for Printable Electronics (duke.edu)


OPINION: A HEALTH CARE SETUP BOTH SIDES CAN LIVE WITH
Donald Taylor, an associate professor of public policy and health policy expert at Duke, writes in an opinion piece in the Raleigh News and Observer:

"Before long the Supreme Court is expected to rule on the health care reform law, a decision that will have tremendous policy ramifications and could reshape the presidential election.

But even if the court overturns the Affordable Care Act, as some observers predict, that won’t change the reality that our country’s health care system is seriously broken.

As we look to what we’re actually going to do about the problem, what’s clear is that progressives and conservatives both need to move beyond their familiar positions to find a new kind of deal. This seems politically impossible before November, but politicians on both sides would do themselves – and the country – a big favor if they quietly started devising a solution that everyone can live with, even if neither side gets everything it wants."

Read More:
A Health Care Setup Both Sides Can Live With (newsobserver.com)
Donald Taylor's Webpage (sanford.duke.edu)