Department of Psychology & Neuroscience
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 »
Name Gabriel "Gabe" Grullon Hometown Manhasset, NY Major … read more about SNP Student Spotlight: Gabe Grullon »
When Lipstein came to tour Duke during her junior year of high school, the distance from Durham to her hometown of Armonk, New York did not matter at all. She was excited to become a Blue Devil and had a feeling that going the distance would surely be worth it. A recent graduate of Duke, ’22 Psychology, Lipstein is the recipient of the department of psychology’s prestigious Zener Award, an annual recognition given to an undergraduate student who demonstrates outstanding performance in scholarship within the department.… read more about Malorie Lipstein Wins Zener Award »
Duke University alumna Julie Uchitel, Class of 2019, has been awarded the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship. The award provides full funding for the graduate program of the student’s choosing at Stanford University. Uchitel is the seventh Duke student to win the award. She will use the scholarship to pursue an medical degree at Stanford School of Medicine. The scholarship was created through a gift from Nike founder Phil Knight, who seeks to educate scholars “who can out-think, out-work and out-care others.” Uchitel,… read more about Duke Alumna Awarded Knight-Hennessy Scholarship »
Five decades ago, Duke psychologists Terrie Moffitt and Avshalom Caspi began working with a long-term study of 1,000 people in New Zealand to get a better perspective on how childhood factors may have led to adolescent behaviors, such as risk-taking. But after following all the children born in Dunedin, New Zealand, in 1972 and ‘73 for several decades, the married researchers’ questions began to shift: How were the childhood differences reflected in middle age health, and how is it… read more about Duke Psychologists Develop a Measure for Your Rate of Aging »
“There are a lot faculty who wish they had course evaluations that look half this good.” Reviews that positive are not something you expect to hear from a professor about teaching by undergraduate students, but it’s just what Bridgette Martin Hard said about the Costanzo Teaching Fellows. Spearheaded by Hard, an associate professor of the practice of Psychology & Neuroscience who teaches Psych 101 to more than 600 Duke students each academic year, the Costanzo Fellows are a team of Duke seniors who assist… read more about What Happens When Duke Seniors Lead First-Years Through Psych 101? »
It’s common to witness campus visitors stroll the quad and stare at the Chapel in awe ––- especially those whose children are interested in attending Duke. Graduating senior Camila Saavedra was once one of those young-aged tourists to gleam at the beautiful campus sites. While her parents brought her to campus as a rite of passage as a North Carolinian, they also set her on the first steps on her path to an exceptional journey at Duke University. Camila at… read more about Circling Back: The Journey of This Year's Student Commencement Speaker »
Gerald Grant, Trinity’ 89, will become the chair of the department of neurosurgery at the School of Medicine on April 1. Grant, endowed professor and chief of pediatric neurosurgery at Stanford University, previously served as an associate professor in the department of surgery at Duke before leaving to serve on active duty in the United States Air Force. The Chronicle spoke with Grant about how he discovered a passion for neuroscience, his experience serving in the U.S. Air Force and… read more about Alumni Spotlight: Meet Gerry Grant, Duke’s Incoming Chair of Neurosurgery »
Our trips to Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts or Beyu Blue now have an additional charge: Pay it forward. Psychology major Anna Greenleaf, '23 was inspired by the small act of generosity that often takes place during the routine act of grabbing a daily pick-me-up. Greenleaf presented "Paying It Forward: How Unequal Access to Resources Reduces Generosity," a social experiment that examines circumstantial generosity. She and a few other Blue Devils traveled to the 2022 ACC Meeting of the Minds conference to… read more about Psychology Major Presents at National Conference »
On Saturday, April 2, Raia Lockerman, Kerry Rork and Anna Greenleaf all had the same two fears: presenting their undergraduate research at a big conference and being away for the Duke vs. UNC game. They were the three Trinity students selected to participate in the 2022 ACC Meeting of the Minds conference, hosted by the University of Virginia between April 1 and 3. The nomination and selection process are extremely competitive, and only five students represented Duke: Lockerman, Rork and Greenleaf from Trinity, as well as… read more about Trinity Students Go on the Road to the ACC Meeting of the Minds Conference »
The sun is out more now that it is Spring; so it's only fitting to feature a Blue Devil from the city known as the "Valley of the Sun": Phoenix, AZ. Senior Krishna Sinha, secretary and treasurer of the Neuroscience Majors Union (NMU), has some shiny days ahead with graduation right around the corner! Krishna's dedication to and leadership within the major has made him a well-known, shining light in the (Psychology &) Neuroscience Department. His favorite course within the Department has been NEURO 223 (… read more about Student Spotlight: Krishna Sinha, Neuroscience '22 »
In early 2022, the Duke Career Center proposed the idea to form a network of faculty and staff from across campus who are having meaningful conversations with students about career development. Through the network, additional tools and training can be provided to further expertise and the resource will help students identify Duke's campus leaders who are open and willing to talk about students' career goals. After an initial call for nominations, an anonymous recommendation placed Natalia Silva Harwood… read more about Natalia Silva Harwood Named Career Influencer by the Duke Career Center »
