Department of Psychology & Neuroscience
Duke postdoc Lauren Green wasn’t expecting to make a revolutionary brain cell discovery as a second-year graduate student. But that’s exactly what happened. “I was really considering leaving science,” Green said. It wasn’t that Green wanted to quit, but she was plagued by self-doubt, experiencing a common stage for many budding scientists working toward their Ph.D. She felt overwhelmed: greatly invested in her research, TAing, completing qualifying exams, and constantly questioning if she was good enough. “In… read more about How One Tweet of Encouragement Can Impact a Career »
Gary G. Bennett, a behavioral scientist and leader in undergraduate education at Duke, has been appointed dean of Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, Provost Sally Kornbluth announced Tuesday. Bennett, who serves as Duke’s vice provost for undergraduate education, will begin his term Feb. 1, 2023. He succeeds Valerie Sheares Ashby, who stepped down this summer to become president of University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and Mohamed Noor, who will continue to serve as interim dean until Bennett’s term begins. “Gary… read more about Bennett Appointed Dean of Trinity College of Arts & Sciences »
This week's student spotlight star is Julia Leeman, a neuroscience and music major who hails from Charlotte, North Carolina. Leeman enjoys the connections between music and neuroscience and has held such interest since high school. “I chose Duke University because of its devotion to interdisciplinary studies” grinned Leeman. “I knew that I wanted to study neuroscience and music, and the University has so many resources that allow me to do so. This made me view the University as the perfect place to explore both passions… read more about SNP Student Spotlight: Leeman's Leading Edge »
This past weekend junior Mackenzie Warren, a busy community leader, took the opportunity to be celebrated by others during her birthday. A devoted student here at Duke University, Warren knew that the University would be the ideal oyster to nurture her passion for people as a psychology major. The Houston native attended an accelerated, academically-intense high school that did not offer many sports or extracurricular enrichment. During her campus tour, however, Warren was impressed with the University’s ability to provide… read more about Undergraduate Student Spotlight: Mackenzie Warren, Born to Lead »
Sofia Silvosa hadn’t completely decided to major in psychology upon her arrival on campus but knew it had been a consideration of hers during high school. She notes that one of her reasons for attending Duke University is because of the freedom that the University’s classes offer and its top-ranking psychology department. Silvosa, who is starting her junior year studying abroad in Scotland at the University of Edinburgh, eventually decided to use the freedom that comes from a major in psychology to take her around the world… read more about Psychology: A World-class Major »
On a sweltering morning in late May, eight undergraduate students from across the country gathered in a third-floor classroom in the Reuben-Cooke Building — a space recently renamed in honor of one the “First Five” Black undergraduate students at Duke. The classroom is rife with first-day jitters. Just days before, the newly arrived interns — many of whom are first-generation students from HBCUs and small liberal arts institutions — moved into dorm rooms on Duke’s West Campus. The diverse cohort was selected from a pool of… read more about Summer Research Program Tackles Longstanding Issues in Diversifying Undergraduate Training Opportunities »
Amber Fu is a senior majoring in neuroscience with minors in philosophy and chemistry. This past summer, she participated in the Summer Neuroscience Program (SNP), an eight-week Duke summer program that enables undergraduates to jumpstart their senior theses by working one-on-one with faculty mentors. “I was excited to participate in SNP and become closer to the neuroscience community,” Fu shared. “I wanted to learn more about what kind of research other undergrads are working on. Even though we’re all studying… read more about SNP Student Spotlight: Amber Fu »
DURHAM, N.C. -- Fake it ‘til you make is true for children too, it turns out: Young girls embracing the role of a successful female scientist, like Marie Curie, persist longer at a challenging science game. A new study, appearing Sept. 28 in the journal Psychological Science, suggests that science role-playing may help tighten the gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education and careers for women simply by improving their identity as scientists. Frustrated by the gender gap in STEM, in which… read more about First-Grade Girls Stick With Science After Pretending to be Marie Curie »
DURHAM, N.C. -- Data from the largest mental health survey of the Flint, Michigan community indicate that one in five adults, or roughly 13,600 people, were estimated to have clinical depression, and one in four, or 15,000 people, were estimated to have PTSD five years after the water crisis began. “The mental health burden of America’s largest public-works environmental disaster clearly continues for many adults in Flint,” said Aaron Reuben, a postdoctoral scholar at Duke University who led the research, which appears… read more about High Rates of Depression and PTSD Found in Flint 5 Years After Water Crisis »
Sara Rose Shannon is a senior with a major in neuroscience and minors in global health and chemistry. Shannon credits her curiosity as the main factor that brought her to Summer Neuroscience Program (SNP) – an eight-week Duke summer program that enables undergraduates to jumpstart their senior theses by working one-on-one with faculty mentors. “Since I developed such a love for Neuroscience, I chose Duke because it has so many talented researchers, and this program was the one that stuck out in comparison to the others,”… read more about SNP Student Spotlight: Sara Rose Shannon »
The Arts & Sciences Council’s Committee on Undergraduate Teaching has announced this year’s recipients of awards for excellence in undergraduate teaching. Each recipient was recognized at the council’s Sept. 8 meeting, where Committee Chair Connel Fullenkamp expressed appreciation for the many nominations across all three Trinity divisions that included “creative and inspiring” portfolios. “It made our decision very difficult because there are so many varieties of excellence that we see in our community at Duke,” he… read more about Four Trinity Faculty Honored with 2022 Undergraduate Teaching Awards »
DURHAM, NC – Naval oceanographer Carina Block had a hunch that the jet exhaust fumes she and her fellow female sailors were regularly exposed to, combined with unavoidable job stress, was leading to adverse health outcomes for their children. A new study in mice backs up Block’s suspicion, finding that air pollution along with housing insecurity while pregnant leads to autism-like social behavior and differently wired brains in male, but not female, pups. The immune system seems to be at fault. “I was pregnant, stressed,… read more about Air Pollution And Stress Alter Brains and Social Behavior of Male Mice »
Rising senior Aditya Kotla was excited to sign up for Summer Neuroscience Program (SNP), an eight-week Duke summer program that enables undergraduates to jumpstart their senior theses by working one-on-one with faculty mentors. He knew he wanted to get started on an independent project, and figured the summer would be the opportune time to do so. I’ve gained both technical and lab skills during my time in the Rawls Lab, at Duke Microbiome Center, and wanted to apply them to my own project. SNP was a great way to initiate… read more about Student Spotlight: Aditya Kotla »
