Natalie Rozman, a Ph.D. student in electrical and computer engineering, was one of the Sloan Scholars who presented at the Duke UCEM Research Summit.

This spring also saw the first Duke UCEM Research Summit, where the initial cohort of Sloan Scholars discussed their research in six-minute presentations. The event was attended by other Sloan Scholars and faculty working with the UCEM. At the summit, we welcomed back Lorin Crawford (Ph.D.’17 Statistical Science), one of the graduate students who contributed to the successful grant proposal that launched the Duke UCEM. Crawford, now the RGSS Assistant Professor of Biostatistics at Brown University, delivered the keynote address at the Research Summit.

In fall 2019, the Duke University Center of Exemplary Mentoring (UCEM) held the second Duke-Sloan Boot Camp, where 52 accomplished STEM undergraduates from across the country participated in a two-day program that encouraged them to think critically about their research interests and skills, provided practical strategies for the graduate admissions process, and introduced them to the departments affiliated with the Duke UCEM. In its first two years, the Boot Camp has served 80 sophomores, juniors, and seniors, including many from racial, ethnic, and gender groups that are historically underrepresented in the physical sciences and engineering.

Ravi V. Bellamkonda, dean of the Pratt School of Engineering, speaks to attendees at the Duke-Sloan and Pratt School of Engineering Graduate Boot Camp.

In February, The Graduate School and the Forum for Scholars and Publics welcomed back Julius S. Scott (Ph.D.'86 History), whose dissertation, “The Common Wind: Afro-American Currents in the Age of Revolution,” revolutionized the field of Atlantic history. Scott, a member of the History Department faculty from 1988 to 1994, worked with a group of remarkable graduate students who have continued to transform the field. Members of that group of students returned to honor Scott and joined him in a discussion about the future of the field, their own works, and their influences on one another.

Julius S. Scott, Ph.D.'86 History

75

Department visits, each lasting 1.5 hours

14

Training sessions for directors of graduate studies and their assistants

10

Training sessions for faculty

16

Office-hour drop-in sessions across campus, each lasting 3 hours

In the bottom photo, Ida Stephens Owens (right) is honored at the first Duke Bouchet Society Black Tie Dinner, which was named after her, in 2013.

On February 24, Ida Stephens Owens, one of Duke’s first African American Ph.D. graduates and an internationally recognized researcher on the genetics of human diseases, died at the age of 80.

Owens was one of the first three African Americans to enroll in The Graduate School in 1962. In 1967 she became the first Black woman to receive her Ph.D. from Duke. After earning her Ph.D., Owens completed her postdoctoral training at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

She was the first to determine genetic defects in children with Crigler-Najjar diseases, a rare disorder affecting the metabolism of bilirubin and often causing brain damage in infants. She later served as the head of the NICHD’s Section on Genetic Disorders of Drug Metabolism in the Program on Developmental Endocrinology and Genetics. She received the NIH Director's Award in 1992. In 2013, Owens became the first recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from The Graduate School.

Panel discussion on graduate education at Duke, featuring (from left) Graduate School Dean Paula McClain, Trinity Dean Valerie Ashby, and Provost Sally Kornbluth.

Current and former GBOV members

In March, The Graduate School marked the 10th year since the creation of its Board of Visitors, a group of dedicated alumni from a broad geographic area who not only support graduate education at Duke through financial gifts, but also by giving their time to offer guidance and suggestions for The Graduate School. The board considers and provides information and makes recommendations on matters relating to the graduate experience at Duke and gives informal advice and assistance about programs and projects to enhance communication.

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Reception for Graduate Students and Faculty of Color

The Graduate School held its annual reception for graduate students and faculty of color on September 26. For the past 32 years, The Graduate School has held this event as a way to acknowledge and help connect graduate students of color to the broader Duke community.

LGBTQ and Allies Reception

The Graduate School hosted the 2019 LGBTQ and Allies Reception on October 23 which aimed to recognize, celebrate, and connect the LGBTQ community at Duke.

SROP participants present the research they conducted during summer 2019.

The Duke University Summer Research Opportunity Program is a 10-week training program designed to give motivated undergraduate students hands-on experience in graduate-level biomedical research. Students spend a majority of their time learning research techniques in the laboratory, attending lab meetings, interacting with members of other labs, and otherwise conducting themselves just as if they were in graduate school.

Senior Associate Dean Jacqueline Looney (center) was recognized with the Abele Award for her support and guidance in mentoring graduate students.

Senior Associate Dean Jacqueline Looney was awarded the 2020 Julian Abele Award as Graduate Mentor of the Year from the Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture. This award is given to those who have been recognized for their efforts in going above and beyond in providing mentoring to Black graduate or professional students individually or collectively via their organizations at Duke.

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$5.8M

Awarded via 390 incoming and competitive fellowships for 2019-2020 academic year

$4.76M

Awarded to 495 Summer Research Fellowships for summer 2020

Austin Allen, a Ph.D. student in marine science and conservation, conducts swim trial experiments at Dolphin Quest in Hawaii during summer 2019.

$124,815

Total dollar amount provided in childcare subsidies for Ph.D students with children

$90,900

Total dollar amount provided in medical or hardship assistance for Ph.D students

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Duke OPTIONS Featured at Graduate Career Consortium

At the Annual Meeting of the Graduate Career Consortium, Duke OPTIONS, a tool to help Ph.D. students create a personalized plan for their professional development while in graduate school, was featured in the session “How They Built That: Behind-the-Scenes Stories from Creators of Online Tools.”

Webinar on Optimizing Mentoring Relationships

The Graduate School participated in the Council of Graduate Schools webinar on Culturally Aware Mentoring (CAM), where participants learned how CAM programs can be used to develop productive and culturally responsive research mentoring relationships.

Workshop on Innovative Careers for Ph.D. Graduates

The workshop centered around exploring careers in startups, private industry, and beyond while also learning to find opportunities and best market yourself. Keynote speaker was Jacqueline Olich, Ph.D., and the session featured a fireside chat with Nancy Go '00.

Participants in the workshop listen to Assistant Dean Melissa Bostrom during a session on identifying transferable skills.

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By the Numbers...

548

Students who took EIS classes in 2019-2020

47

1-on-1 consultations with Graduate School students

EIS Work with
Programs Outside
The Graduate School

7

Workshops

68

Individual sessions

32

Small-group sessions

7

Informal classes

Consortium on Graduate Communication’s Summer Institute

Conferences/Meetings Participated in by EIS Members in 2019-2020:

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$1.2M

In pledges for graduate fellowships

$570,565

Raised for Grad School Annual Fund in 2019-2020,
a 40.5% increase from the previous year

1,890

Donors contributed to the
Graduate School Annual Fund

Forever Duke Volunteers and Alumni Reception

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Lea Greenberg

"Curious Daughters: Language, Literacy, and Jewish Female Desire in German and Yiddish Literature from 1793 to 1916"

Bill Sharman

“Moral Politics: Global Humanitarianism, the Third World, and West Germany, 1960-1990”

Anna Tybinko

“Urban Borderlands: African Writers in Precarious Spain, 1985-2008”

Gwenaëlle Thomas, a neurobiology Ph.D. candidate, launched her own YouTube channel to talk about science and marginalized voices.

Katya Gorecki, an English Ph.D. candidate, organized Global Game Jam, a 48-hour game creation event.

Emily Phillips Longley, a Physics Ph.D. student, is helping to build the world's largest digital camera.

Ashton Merck, a 2020 Ph.D. graduate in the History Department, wrote a how-to guide for fellow Ph.D. students who had to quickly adapt to giving their dissertations when they couldn't be in the same room as their audiences due to COVID-19. Merck gave advice to both students and committee members or observers to help make ensure a productive environment for all involved. (See the Inside Higher Ed story about her guide)

• Listen to an interview with Merck on the Hello PhD podcast

Cole Rizki, who recently earned his Ph.D. in literature, was selected for the William J. Griffith University Service Award for his leadership and advocacy on LGBTQ issues. The award is presented to graduating students whose contributions have significantly influenced University life.

During his time at Duke, Rizki developed and taught a service-learning course titled Introduction to Transgender Studies, led professional development programming for graduate students, including a workshop on creating a classroom environment that is inclusive for transgender students, and chaired the trans subcommittee on the university’s LGBTQ task force.

Rizki will be an assistant professor of Latin American Studies at the University of Virginia in the fall

Hala Galal El-Nahal, a second-year Ph.D. student in biomedical engineering, was selected for a 2020 Samuel DuBois Cook Society Award, which recognizes individuals who routinely enrich the lives of people in the Duke community and contribute to the betterment of all people, above and beyond their given roles.

2019 Homecoming

The Graduate School held its annual Homecoming reception for graduate students, alumni, faculty, and staff on October 11. More than 200 members of the Graduate School community attended.

GradParents Events

During the 2019-2020 school year, The Graduate School continued its support for students with children through the GradParents group. The group is designed to provide additional support, family-friendly events, and networking opportunities for students within the school. Activities from this past year included bowling, a trip to see Disney on Ice, a visit to a local pumpkin patch, and our winter holiday celebration.

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COVID-19 prevented Duke from holding its usual in-person celebrations of graduates, so the university created Marking the Moment, an online portal that featured hundreds of messages from the Duke community and various live events to celebrate the graduating students. In addition to participating in Marking the Moment, The Graduate School also created a website to recognize our graduates.

A Pivotal Moment: Congratulations to Our Graduates

By the Numbers...

399

Ph.D graduates in 2019-2020

675

Master’s graduates in 2019-2020

1,004

New Ph.D and Master’s students in Fall 2019

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WILLIAM DARITY

Samuel Dubois Cook Distinguised Professor of Public Policy

JENNIFER ROIZEN

Assistant Professor of Chemistry

DAVID WONG

Susan Fox Beischer and George D. Beischer Professor of Philosophy

CHRISTINA BEJJANI

Psychology & Neuroscience

Adviser: Tobias Egner

CHERIE CONLEY

Nursing

Adviser: Isaac Lipkus Reiner

GWENAËLLE THOMAS

Neurobiology

Advisers: Kafui Dzirasa and Marc Caron

CHELSEA GARBER

Economics

Adviser: Christopher Timmins

HANNAH ROGERS

English

Adviser: Nancy Armstrong

BRENDA YANG

Psychology & Neuroscience

Adviser: Elizabeth Marsh

Vamsee Pamula

Ph.D. '00, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Cofounder and president of Baebies, a company that focuses on developing inexpensive and accessible newborn screening and pediatric diagnostic products

Kafui Dzirasa

Ph.D.’07 Neurobiology, M.D.’09

The K. Ranga Rama Krishnan Endowed Associate Professor in the Duke Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers

Maria Bezaitis

Ph.D.’94 French Literature

A senior principal engineer at the Intel Corporation, where she investigates human-machine interactions to shape Intel’s next-generation technology roadmaps and partnerships