Thursday, Dec. 3rd at 7 pm
Brody Theater
Presented by Maureen Quilligan's class (free!)
Current teaching resources and curriculum for 6-12 science classes. more info
Why scramble for a sitter when you can bring your kids to the DFC for a night of fun? Parent's Night Out is open to children 4-12 yrs old, and is offered on the second Friday night of every month. Games, homemade pizza, desert, and a movie ... it's a kid's dream come true!
Looking for a few hours of
uninterrupted holiday shopping, baking,
or just general down time? Then bring
your kids to the DFC for one (or both)
of our Holiday Drop'n'Shops this
December. Similar to a Mini-Camp day,
kids will enjoy games, sports, and other
fun activities. Snacks are provided
If you like to play cards, laugh, and hang out with friends then the DFC Texas Hold'Em Night is just for you. All levels of experience welcome. Beer, wine, snacks, and prizes provided.
for the Division of Laser Science of the American Physical Society. He is also a member of the Laserfest Technical Advisory Committee, which is coordinating the yearlong worldwide activities celebrating 2010 as the fiftieth anniversary of the invention of the laser.
for receiving the 2009 Distinguished Lecturer Award from the NC section of the American Chemical Society.
together with Coherent, Inc., is organizing a three-day meeting in French Family Science Center, December 14-16, 2009. The first half of the meeting (CMBI) is "New Directions in Microscopy: Sharper, Deeper, Smarter" with an international collection of speakers; the second half (Coherent) is the Southeast Regional Ultrafast laser conference. Preregistration for both meetings guarantees meals and the conference proceedings, and can be done at the CMBI website.
Dr. Alex Shestopolav, a postdoctoral fellow in the Toone lab, has accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Rochester.
Dr. Andres Cisneros, a former graduate student of Professor Yang, has started his Assistant Professorship of Chemistry at Wayne State University.
Dr. Mike Serpe, a postdoctoral fellow in the Craig lab, has started his Assistant Professorship of Chemistry at the University of Alberta.
Check out the calendar for the 22nd Latin American Film Festival: http://22ndfilmfestivalnc.googlepages.com/%C2%A02009calendar.
Contact dukeclacs@gmail.com with any questions.
Each year, the International Paleolimnological Association bestows its "Lifetime Achievement Award" to honor a senior colleague for their career contribution to palaeolimnology. This year, our own Prof. Daniel Livingstone will receive this prestigious award at the annual meeting in Guadalajara, Mexico, Dec. 15-18, 2009. Congratulations, Dan! Dan Livingstone is James B. Duke Professor Emeritus of Biology and came to Duke in 1956.
Apply electronically to nkeul@duke.edu by January 15, 2010.
Keywords: up to $10,000 Grants
Dr. Julie Reynolds, Lecturer, was recently elected to a two-year term as Chair of the Ecological Society of America’s education section. She was also chosen by the American Society for Microbiology to be one of 21 Biology Scholars in the Research Residency Program. "The Research Residency seeks biologists who have been trained in effective teaching strategies for biology education and are curious about student learning." [more, alt.]
The American Society of Human Genetics honored Prof. Huntington F. Willard with the 2009 Allan Award on Oct. 23, 2009. "Dr. Willard is an outstanding scientific leader, having made seminal findings in the understanding of chromosome structure and behavior. ... Dr. Willard leads a model organization in genetics – the Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy at Duke University – as well as demonstrating the importance of outreach by teaching undergraduate courses at Duke. Hunt Willard is an outstanding example of a model 'citizen-scientist' in the human genetics field." [more]
Statistical Science PhD student Hao Wang is the recipient of the 2009 BEST Award for his research on "Sparse Seemingly Unrelated Regression Modelling: Applications in Econometrics and Finance".
Statistical Science PhD student Jouchi Nakajima received an honorable mention for his research on "Bayesian Analysis of GARCH and Stochastic Volatility: Modeling Leverage, Jumps and Heavy-Tails for Financial Time Series".
For full details, pictures and papers, visit the BEST 2009 web page
Keith and Rosmarie Waldrop
8 pm in the East Duke Parlors (East Campus)
Sponsored by the English Department's Poetry Reading Group.
"Spectra of Singularity: Episodes of Improvisational Lyricism from Hip Hop to Pragmatism"
7 pm at the home of Priscilla Wald
For more information, email enf3@duke.edu
DCID's customized executive education program "SAFEA" (State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs) was featured in The Chronicle, Duke's student newspaper. To view the article, follow the provided link. [more]
is one of only eight new faculty members (out of 275) featured in this year's new faculty profile at Duke.
Daniel Alvarez accepted a position as a Senior Public Sector Specialist for the South Asia Region in the World Bank as of November 2, 2009. He will be involved in tax policy and administration reform projects and will be based in Washington DC.
Thomas J. Cook was selected as one of three U.S. advisors in evaluation research by the Australian Agency For International Development (AusAID) for its International Expert Panel on Development Evaluation. Panel members will advise on evaluation priorities and lead evaluation field teams. Dr. Cook has led several AusAID evaluations in recent years.
Jerry VanSant gave a keynote address on August 7 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina to the Summer Institute of Nourish International, a nationwide campus-based non-profit organization that raises funds and provides student volunteers for host country partner organizations engaged in local community development. Mr. VanSant’s remarks addressed the emerging new roles of non-governmental organizations and how these groups can fulfill sustainable roles in the development of a vibrant and free civil society.
feature length movies, documentaries, animation, short movies, and video art from the Americas. November 1-22.
From November 1 to 22, Durham, Chapel Hill, Raleigh and Greensboro will enjoy feature length movies, documentaries, animation, short movies, and video art from the Americas. This year the festival presents films from twelve countries (for the first time films from North America, Central and South America and Caribbean) and will enjoy the presence of eleven film makers who will introduce their films and talk about their experiences of working in the region.
The 23rd NC Latin American Film Festival (which started in 1986) is organized by the Consortium in Latin American and Caribbean Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University, a multidisciplinary and open institution that brings attention to the Cultures of these regions. Under the artistic direction of Miguel Rojas-Sotelo (for a second year), the Festival is gaining ground on community exchange and participation throughout the Americas.
All Festival activities are FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
Save the dates and be ready to experience a visual and cultural immersion in the stories of the Americas.
For more info: http://latinfilmfestivalnc.com/
Festival trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De_h4_dt9gU
Customized program is the fourth designed for Chinese officials
DCID welcomed 25 officials from the Xi’an Reform and Development Commission to campus for a customized executive education program on Public Policy and Public Sector Management. The program ran from September 6 to September 18, 2009 and featured lectures by DCID and Duke faculty, and local site visits for professional development. The program aimed to introduce the participants to the latest technological developments in public administration and service delivery, to develop their leadership and problem-solving skills and to better their ability to communicate effectively and work in teams. The success of the program led to the signing of a letter of intent between DCID and the Shaanxi Provincial government to deliver future training programs to government officials from the province. This is the fourth customized training program that DCID has developed for Chinese government officials; DCID has hosted the SAFEA (State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs) 19-week training program for five years, and a 19-week program for officials from the government of Yangzhou last spring. Prior to these programs, DCID held on-campus trainings for the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) of Northern China for three years.
Research project unites current, former DCID faculty members
DCID Faculty member Natalia Mirovitskaya and former DCID Director and Founder William Ascher are working together on the multi-faceted project “Economic Development Strategies and Averting Collective Violence.” The project, funded by the Pacific Basic Research Center, is focused on determining which development strategies create conditions that reduce the likelihood of violence, especially in developing and transitional countries. Specifically, it aims to address the under-studied questions of how to preempt violent conflict and how to identify a strategy of development to reinforce the peaceful coexistence of different elements of a given population and to encourage their cooperation. The major concern is to understand how the choice of economic development strategy shapes the conditions conducive to peace or violence.
Several workshops will be organized within this project, with two already completed. The first was held on June 8th and 9th, 2009 at Soka University in Aliso Viejo, California. A second took place on October 16, 2009 at the DCID offices. Additionally, several other faculty members, MIDP alumni and students will participate at different stages of project design and implementation. Those who have contributed in the first stages include Charles Becker, Erika Weinthal, Stephen Smith, and Robert Healy, all affiliates of the Sanford School of Public Policy, UNC faculty member and Duke-UNC Rotary Center Co-Director James Peacock, and former DCID faculty member Gustavo Arcia. Duke-UNC Rotary Fellow alumni Katia Dantas (MIDP ’09) and Zumrat Salmorbekova (UNC ’09) were also involved in planning the workshops.
It is hoped that four types of scholarly outputs will be produced from their research: a co-authored book by Mirovitskaya and Ascher; a companion work which will provide a “toolkit” of analytic techniques that policymakers or activists could employ in choosing development strategies to meet today’s challenges; a series of papers consisting of a combination of case studies and thematic analyses by other researchers; and, if feasible, a database of cases, based on a template of information relevant for any case. The project will last for three years.
The Summer 2009 MIDP internship season brought together current and past MIDP Fellows to tackle current international development issues. Two MIDP fellows had the opportunity to intern with MIDP alumni: Gabriela Baez (’10) with Ichiro Toda (’98) at the Inter-American Development Bank and and Eunju Cha, (’10), with Gulnara Febres (’96) at the World Bank Institute. Both enjoyed successful internships and reported back on their experiences.
At her internship with IDB, Gabriela evaluated the impact that private sector projects have on the economic growth of Latin America to see if they were performing according to development objectives, which would determine if IDB would continue to lend to these projects. “The internship exceeded my expectations for many reasons,” says Gabriela. “My team made me feel welcome and Ichiro provided specific explanations about the overall functionality of the Department. He also organized events where I was able to diversify my professional network and invited me to many high profile meetings. Additionally, my supervisor’s team gave me detailed and practical instructions to approach tasks and were always willing to clarify my doubts, answer questions, and provide feedback. Their support supplied me with a valuable professional foundation, and I feel very fortunate to have had this opportunity to learn from them and put my previous knowledge into practice.” Ichiro also highly appreciated the opportunity to work with Gabriela, commenting “Gaby was a very motivated professional and provided tremendous contributions to our work. I’ve had the privilege of working with several interns from MIDP, and have always been able to count on their knowledge, profound work experience, and eagerness to learn new things. I also want interns to gain broader perspectives of the institution and expand their personal network. Gaby fully accomplished this and I believe these will be great assets for her career development in the future.”
Eunju Cha was responsible for researching emerging donors for the WBI. “The role of emerging donors in international development has become increasingly important and the WBI is developing partnership strategies with the donors,” Eunju reports. “I met Gulnara during a mock interview workshop organized by MIDP and was fortunate to secure an internship with her at WBI where I could further my interests in capacity development and technical assistance. I was able to learn a lot about the WBI’s systems and new strategies through the research I performed for them and at the meetings Gulnara invited me to attend. She was very thoughtful regarding my duties and helped me to learn as much as I could during my time with WBI. I am very thankful to her for this experience and hope that more MIDP Fellows are able to have internship opportunities with alumni in the future.” Gulnara Febres echoed these sentiments: “It was so wonderful to re-connect with Duke, and hire a summer intern from my former graduate program. I would like to thank Eunju for her wonderful contribution and team spirit, and for the fresh and innovative ideas she brought as a young scholar to our very practical world of World Bankers.”
Laurent Dubois presents a series exploring the power of the global game. All events are free and open to the public. http://soccerpolitics.com/
Meet HBS Admissions...Learn About 2+2. Thursday, December 3, 2009, 136 Social Sciences, 6:00pm.
Duke Today (issue of October 2, 2009) features the Vascular Plant Herbarium and its new facilities in the Phytotron. With the help of funding from the NSF, Duke has provided a secure, climate-controlled environment for an invaluable resource of some 400,000 specimens of flowering plants from all over the world. [more] -- http://news.duke.edu/2009/10/herbarium.html
The Department of Statistical Science invites applications for faculty appointment at the level of Assistant Professor of the Practice to begin in Fall 2010. This position is a regular rank faculty with a term renewable appointment. Preference will be given to candidates demonstrating outstanding teaching and strong interests in developing a new and growing undergraduate major. Complementary interests in Bayesian statistical science research and collaboration will also be considered.
The Department of Statistical Science is an internationally recognized center of excellence for research and education in the development and application of contemporary statistical methodology. Particular emphasis is directed toward Bayesian modeling in many scientific fields as well as emerging computationally intensive methods. The Department offers outstanding computational facilities and opportunities for interdisciplinary research. It currently has 14 regular rank faculty along with 14 visiting, adjunct, and post doctoral faculty and 35 Ph.D. students.
The educational program (graduate and undergraduate) as well as the Department's research agenda benefit from strong connections with the Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute (SAMSI) and the National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS), both located nearby in the Research Triangle. More information about the Department is available at the Statistics web site.
All applicants should provide a letter, curriculum vitae, personal statement, and three reference letters. All materials should be submitted online at Academic Jobs Online. For inquiries and e-mail correspondence please write to dalene@stat.duke.edu. The application pool will remain open until the position is filled but screening will begin on 1 December, 2009.
Duke University is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. The department is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty, and we strongly encourage applications from women and underrepresented minority candidates.
Two positions for postdoctoral research associates in statistical methods and computation for immunological applications are available at Duke University. These positions are available immediately and will be filled as soon as possible.
Appointment will be to the Department of Statistical Science, working with Mike West and his research group in development and implementation of structured mixture models for high-dimensional variables and very large data sets. Applied contexts are those of structure identification and discrimination in studies immune monitoring and immunotherapy applications in vaccine research, infectious disease and cancer, using huge data sets generated by flow cytometry technologies. The RA will join an interdisciplinary team of researchers and students in statistical science, computational biology and clinical sciences, working together to develop statistical models and software for flow cytometry data analysis.
The RA will be involved in theory and methods developments related to hierarchical mixture modelling and Bayesian analysis, and implementation of MCMC and Bayesian EM methods including aspects of parallel and multi-core computation. Candidates should have a PhD in statistics or closely related discipline, knowledge and experience in Bayesian methods and computation, strong computational orientation and programming skills, and interests in biological applications.
This position is available immediately and will be filled as soon as possible. Appointment will be made on a renewable, one-year contract with the expectation of a two-year term.
Applications should be submitted by email only (as pdf attachment) to tameka@stat.duke.edu. Applicants should arrange for 3 letters of recommendation to be emailed to the same address.
Duke University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and Educator
Postdoctoral research associate in computational statistics for flow
cytometry.
(NIH - ARRA RC1 grant funding)
The department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics at Duke University Medical Center has a postdoctoral research associate (RA) position open in computational statistics for flow cytometry. Flow cytometry is an advanced technology assay for measuring individual cell phenotype and function, and is critical for immune monitoring and immunotherapy applications in vaccine research, infectious disease and cancer. The RA will join an interdisciplinary team of researchers and students in computational biology, statistics and clinical sciences working together to develop statistical models and software for flow cytometry data analysis.
The RA roles include the management and analysis of cancer and HIV data sets, as well as working with our collaborators in statistics to develop an open source software suite for Bayesian machine learning in flow cytometry. Candidates should have a PhD in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Computer Science or related technical field, and strong programming skills in Python and C/C++. Knowledge of databases and a biological background are desirable but not necessary. The successful candidate will be expected to interact with experimentalists and clinicians, and to have a strong interest in learning the relevant biology.
This position is available immediately and will be filled as soon as possible. Appointment will be made on a renewable, one-year contract with the expectation of a two-year term.
Please submit a cover letter (including a brief statement of interest), CV, and contact information for 3 references to Dr. Cliburn Chan, cliburn.chan@duke.edu.
Duke University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and Educator
The Department of Statistical Science at Duke University is inviting applications for a Postdoctoral Associate to work on Bayesian methods for massive dimensional predictors, with an emphasis on applications to studies of gene-environment interactions and complex phenotypes. Some areas of particular interest include random and nonlinear projections for dimensionality reduction, sparse latent factor models and Bayesian nonparametrics. The ideal candidate will hold a Ph.D in statistics or a related field and will have a very strong theoretical and computational background. This research will focus on advancing the theory and methods available for massive dimensional predictors, with an emphasis on practically useful methods that can be applied broadly by non-statisticians.
Applicants should email their CV, a brief statement of their background and interests and contact information for at least three references to:
David Dunson, Professor
Department of Statistical Science
Duke University
dunson@stat.duke.edu
Staff members volunteer in the local community
Ripped-up jeans. An old t-shirt. Muddy tennis shoes. Is this the new standard dress code for DCID? Only for the most recent community-service project completed by several DCID staff-members. As part of their effort to “walk-the-talk”, DCID has actively sought out and participated in group volunteer projects around the local Durham Community. Their most recent activity took place on September 24, 2009 with Habitat for Humanity. For three hours, DCID staffers bravely ascended to the roof of a new Habitat home in Durham to begin laying shingles on the house. Those who preferred to do their service a little closer to the ground spent the time shoveling dirt which had drained into the street after several rainy days. At the end of the day, the roof was almost completed and the streets were a little cleaner thanks to their efforts. “The work of our office is usually focused on projects outside of the US and the Habitat project was a good opportunity to think about development needs in our own communities,” reflected Kurt Meletzke, coordinator of the Managers in Transition program for DCID.
The DCID staff decided to pursue such opportunities to both better represent DCID’s organizational commitment to improved societies and also to foster a sense of community among the staff. The first community service project was done in conjunction with TROSA, a local non-profit which provides job-training and other services to recovering addicts.
Ray of Hope Children’s Foundation Social Integrated Development Program
Contributed by Stella Ndubuisi
After completing her MIDP program, Stella Ndubuisi’s (’08) efforts are once again directed at her life project: providing an education for the street children of Lagos. Her organization, “Ray of Hope Children’s Foundation” not only provides these children with educational opportunities, but also covers their medical expenses, school meals and even pays the rent on behalf of families facing eviction. These services have drawn attention from local benefactors, who together support about 50 “HOPE” children. One of their future goals is to replicate these programs in other parts of Nigeria. For the programs to grow, Stella has sought ways to make service delivery more impactful and sustainable.
One initiative was the Ray of Hope integrated social development program, launched on May 27, 2009, which coincided with Nigeria’s national Children’s Day. This program is aimed at improving entire families’ livelihoods, adding components like economic empowerment and healthcare coverage to the welfare support and education packages provided to the children. As part of the activities for Children's Day, a Lagos-based microfinance bank, King Solomon Microfinance Bank, gave micro loans ranging from N7,000 to N49,000 (about $45 to $315) to eleven mothers and caregivers of HOPE children. The women got a group guarantee so they are their own social capital and the repayment tenures are three to six months. The loan recipients are mainly petty traders, such as pepper or fruit sellers. These loans have made a significant difference to their businesses and families’ livelihoods. None of the recipients have defaulted on their repayment plans. Each now has a savings account and endeavors to save a set sum on a weekly basis, apart from the regular repayments on their loans. Some have already finished repaying their initial loans.
As a result, some of the women will be have their loans increased and four new mothers will join the program. Warees Semiu, a primary three HOPE child, explained that his mother’s clientele base has upgraded since she got the loan and now includes some of the rich in their neighborhood. During an interview, he quipped: “before she got the micro loan, my mother used to sell ‘akamu’ (a colloquial name for porridge), but now she sells Pap”, (the “upgraded” word for the same porridge). In practical terms this means that Mrs. Fatima Semiu no longer buys small measures of maize at a premium, but can now buy a big bag of maize at a discount rate and sell her ‘akamu/pap’ at a 100% profit. Aside from improved self esteem, this will ensure that Warees stays in school, better nutrition for him and his siblings and a better quality of life for the whole family.
ROHCF’s work is affecting more than each child’s literacy and numeracy; it is touching the community at large. Apart from the above efforts, workshops are held for the mothers on good parenting practices and managing small businesses, while providing a platform for these women to develop leadership skills and social responsibility. The children also participate in extra-curricular leadership development programs. This is particularly significant because good leadership has been the bane of Nigeria’s development.
Children who would otherwise have grown up on the streets facing a dismal future are getting education and learning to give back and serve their country thanks to the goodwill shown them and their families by mostly unknown benefactors.
For more information on Ray of Hope Children’s Foundation and its work in Nigeria, visit www.hopechildrenng.org.
The Master of International Development Policy (formerly the Program in International Development Policy) welcomed its newest class in August 2009. Twenty-nine fellows joined the program for the 2009-2010 academic year, with nine entering the International Taxation Program, their largest class to date. The group also featured the largest number of American students in MIDP’s history (five) and its first representatives from Iceland and Canada. Eighteen of the new fellows are in the two-year degree and eleven entered the one-year degree program. This class is also the first to officially begin studies in the new Sanford School of Public Policy. The MIDP expects additional fellows to begin study in the Spring 2010 semester.
The Department of Statistical Science invites applications for faculty appointment at the level of Assistant Professor to begin in Fall 2010. Preference will be given to candidates whose core statistical science research interests are complemented with collaborative research interest in systems biology, neurosciences, social sciences, or environmental science.
The Department of Statistical Science is an internationally recognized center of excellence for research and education in the development and application of contemporary statistical methodology. Particular emphasis is directed toward Bayesian modeling in many scientific fields as well as emerging computationally intensive methods. The Department offers outstanding computational facilities and opportunities for interdisciplinary research. It currently has 14 regular rank faculty along with 14 visiting, adjunct, and post doctoral faculty and 35 Ph.D. students.
The Ph.D. program as well as the Department's research agenda benefit from strong connections with the Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute (SAMSI) and the National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS), both located nearby in the Research Triangle. A Statistical Science major, started in Fall 2007, provides the primary focus of our undergraduate program. More information about the Department is available at the web site http://www.stat.duke.edu.
All applicants should provide a letter, curriculum vitae, personal statement, and the names of three references. All materials should be submitted online at Academic Jobs Online. For inquiries and e-mail correspondence please write to here. The application pool will remain open until the position is filled but screening will begin on 1 December, 2009.
Duke University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Applications from women and minorities are strongly encouraged.
The Duke University Department of Statistical Science invites applications for Visiting Faculty positions to begin in Fall 2010. Preference will be given to candidates whose core statistical science research interests are complemented with collaborative research interest in systems biology, neurosciences, social sciences, or environmental science.
The Department of Statistical Science is an internationally recognized center of excellence for research and education in the development and application of contemporary statistical methodology. Particular emphasis is directed toward Bayesian modeling in many scientific fields as well as emerging computationally intensive methods. The Department offers outstanding computational facilities and opportunities for interdisciplinary research. It currently has 14 regular rank faculty along with 14 visiting, adjunct, and post doctoral faculty and 35 Ph.D. students.
The Ph.D. program as well as the Department's research agenda benefit from strong connections with the Statistics and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute (SAMSI) and the National Institute of Statistical Science (NISS), both located nearby in the Research Triangle. A Statistical Science major, started in Fall 2007, provides the primary focus of our undergraduate program. More information about the Department is available at the web site http://www.stat.duke.edu.
All applicants should submit a letter, curriculum vitae, and the names of three references at Academic Jobs Online. For inquiries and e-mail correspondence, please write to Dalene Stangl, Associate Chair. The application pool will remain open until the position is filled but screening will begin on 15 January, 2010.
Duke University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Applications from women and minorities are strongly encouraged.
Congratulations to Guillermo who had the lead article in the current issue of APSR. To view the article click here. This is a very important achievement. Congratulations Guillermo!
Latino/a Studies will cover up to 2 more registration fees for Hispanic Achievement Conference at Meredith College. The conference is sponsored by the North Carolina Society of Hispanic Professionals on October 9th and will cover themes of Latino achievement in education. For more information about the conference themes, click here.
Contact Jenny Snead-Williams (jennysw@duke.edu) for information about registration fees.
DCID is pleased to bring you are newest publications: the DCID brochure, which outlines each unit of our center, and our annual report, which highlights DCID's activities from July 2008-June 2009. These publications may be downloaded at the link provided below, or you may request a hard copy via email at edixon@duke.edu. [more]
Friday, November 20, 2009, 4 - 6 pm
Anna Krylova (Duke University)
Bonded by Combat: Soviet Women and Men Sharing Violence, Authority, and Romance in Mechanized Warfare, 1942-1945
Spring 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010, 4 - 6 pm
Frank Biess (University of California, San Diego)
Moral Panic in Postwar Germany: The Abduction of Young Germans into the French Foreign Legion
Friday, February 26, 2010, 4 - 6 pm
Steven A. LeBlanc (Harvard University)
Pervasive, Deadly, and Rational: Prehistoric Warfare and its Relevance Today
Friday, March 19, 2010, 4 - 6 pm
Julia Osman (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)
The Arsenal of Revolution: Military Reform and the Emergence of the Citizen Warrior in France 1787-1790
Friday, April 16, 2010, 4 - 6 pm
Robert Brigham (Vassar College)
Rethinking Pacification in Vietnam
Monika Gosin earned a Ph.D. in Ethnic Studies from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) with a dissertation titled Reframing the Nation: The Afro-Cuban Challenge to Black and Latino struggles for American Identity. Her research has been supported by several awards, including a Dissertation Fellowship from the Center for Citizenship, Race and Ethnicity Studies (CREST) from the College of Saint Rose, Albany, NY; the UC-CUBA Academic Initiative; and the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity (UCSD). Her current research focuses on the intersections of immigration, blackness, and Latinidad in the lives and media representations of Afro Cubans in the United States, and African American/Latino relations. Monika has published previously in the area of race and health, and an adaption of one of her dissertation chapters has been accepted as part of an anthology titled Hemispheric Cuban Studies: Reflections on Politics, Race and Culture, under review by Ediciones Callejon, Puerto Rico. Gosin’s research and teaching interests include Latino and Africana studies, race and gender in popular culture and media, and intergroup relations. Gosin has B.A. degrees in Social Science and in Spanish Literature from the University of California, Irvine, and an M.A. in Sociology from Arizona State University.
Professor Gosin will be teaching an undergraduate course titled, "Latino/a Hip Hop: Representation and Resistance" during Spring, 2010. The course will be listed under LSGS 150S and will be cross-listed with AAAS, Spanish, and Cultural Antrhopology. A brief description follows: This course will examine Hip Hop as a tool for self-representation and resistance among Latino/as in the United States in the context of histories of colonization, im/migration, and activism. The course highlights the integral role of Puerto Rican youth in Hip Hop’s creation; examines the role of Hip Hop as an expression of Chicano politics; explores the influence of cultural expressions from the Spanish speaking Caribbean; and investigates what Hip Hop reveals about the linkages between US Latino/a and African American communities. Through an examination of the politics of Latino Hip Hop as a cultural production, the course emphasizes a critical analysis of the racial, gendered, and linguistic politics that shape Latino/a lives. Curriculum codes ALP; SS, CCI; and W will likely be attached to this course. Since this is a seminar, only 18 seats are available; undergraduates should plan to sign up early.
(Note that our Intro to Latino/a Studies, LSGS100S, will also be taught in the Spring by Prof Viego at a non-conflicting day/time.)
Office Location: 222 Friedl Building
Office Hours: For Fall, please e-mail to set up an appointment.
Office Phone: 919-668-1945 Email Address: monika.gosin@duke.edu.
Kristen Stephens has been appointed as Governance Secretary to the Board of Directors for the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC). NAGC invests all of its resources to train teachers, encourage parents and educate administrators and policymakers on how to develop and support gifted children and what's at stake if high-potential learners are not challenged and encouraged.
The Department of Chemistry, Duke University, cordially invites you, your students, and families to The 5th Annual Evening of Chemistry Demonstration Program, Tuesday, September 29, 2009 (Oct. 1 Rain Date), 7:15 – 8:30 PM, on the front lawn of the French Family Science Center, 124 Science Drive. Parking is available in the Chemistry Lot off of Circuit Drive. Contact Dr. Ken Lyle for more information (kenneth.lyle@duke.edu, 681-9952).
Maria M. Bednar is the recent recipient of the C.R. Hauser Fellowship for her research on the enzyme Chlamydial Protease/Proteosome-like Activity Factor (CPAF). CPAF has been identified has one of the main factors in Chlamydia infection and survival. CPAF is involved in both infection and immune evasion, making it an interesting subject for enzymology studies and a prime target for drug design.
Meghan Blackledge is the recent recipient of the Burroughs Wellcome fellowship for her research on the synthesis and mechanistic studies of WAP-8294A2. WAP-8294A2 is a novel cyclic depsipeptide antibiotic active against gram-positive pathogens such as S. aureus. We are interested in using synthetic and semisynthetic methods to elucidate its mechanism of action and relevant structural characteristics.
Mariam Lucila Sharaf is the recent recipient of the Kathleen Zeilik and the CR Houser Fellowships from the Duke Chemistry department at Duke University for her research in boranophosphate modified RNA as potential anticancer therapies. Borane (*--BH_3 *) chemistry offers unique chemical characteristics that make these compounds promising for enhancing the potential of anticancer strategies such as RNA interference (siRNA) and tumor specific aptamers.
Leigh Allen is the recent recipient of the Burroughs Wellcome fellowship for her research on a novel enzyme involved in the peptidoglycan recycling pathway. This pathway shows promise as a potential target for new antibiotics. Recently, the de novo crystal structure of the enzyme was solved and kinetic activity was demonstrated. Future and ongoing efforts include the synthesis of the natural substrate in addition to potential enzyme inhibitors.
Marcus Cheek is the recent recent recipient of the CR Hauser and Hobbs Endowment fellowships for his research in antiviral alpha-P-borano modified triphosphates. Alpha-/P/-Boranotriphosphates, where the alpha-phosphoryl oxygen is substituted by a borane (BH3) group, have been shown to exhibit diverse and unique properties including being a good substrate for DNA and RNA polymerases. Marcus and others in the Shaw lab are currently testing the effects of this modification on the antiviral potency of chain terminating sugar and base modified purine nucleosides against Hepatitis C Viral RNA dependent RNA polymerase (HCV RdRp).
Timothy Brown is the recent recipient of the Burroughs Wellcome and Kathleen Zielik fellowships for his research in gold(I) pi-activation catalysis. His reseach is aimed at better understanding the mechanisms of gold(I)-catalyzed hydrofunctionalization reactions for the development of improved synthetic methods. Most recently, he has isolated and studied novel cationic gold(I) pi-alkene complexes which are proposed intermediates in a number of gold(I)-catalyzed reactions of alkenes.
Alexander Shestopalov is the recent recipient of the CR Hauser and J.T. Adams fellowships for his research in Catalytic Microcontact Printing. With other members of Eric Toone's group, he has developed several inkless catalytic microcontact printing techniques that achieves accurate, fast, and complete pattern reproduction on SAMs of Fmoc-, Boc- and TBS-protected amines and alcohols immobilized on gold and Si-H using a polyurethane-acrylate stamps functionalized with covalently bound catalysts. Currently, he is working on an inkless µCP protocol that permits patterning and subsequent patter-specific functionalization of the passivated silicon substrates bearing SAMs that render complete Si-C-type termination of all surface-exposed Si atoms.
Marina Dickens is the recent recipient of the C. R. Hauser and Kathleen Zielik fellowships for her research in developing prochelators to minimize oxidative stress. She recently developed a new boronic ester masked prochelator called QBP which is activated under conditions that mimic early Alzheimer's pathology where copper, amyloid beta, and reductants exacerbate reactive oxygen species formation. Once activated to its unmasked form, the released chelator diminishes copper's pro-oxidant reactivity and inhibits amyloid beta aggregation.
Congratulations to Jeremy Lenhardt, who has been awarded the 2009-2010 Schering Plough Fellowship from the ACS Division of Organic Chemistry. These national awards are highly competitive and fellowship winners are selected based on their academic record, research productivity, and career potential.
Elizabeth Jenista is the recent recipient of the Krigbaum Memorial fellowship for her research in advanced applications in magnetic resonance imaging. Liz's research focuses on developing new methods for contrast enhancement by extracting endogenous contrast (generated by manipulating the inherent physics of the system) or through development of exogenous contrast agents using hyperpolarized carbon. Her recent work has developed methods for enhancing tissue contrast using unevenly spaced refocusing pulses resulting in an increase in signal in tissue by 70%, intermolecular multiple quantum temperature imaging for in vivo absolute temperature detection, and the development of long lived, hyperpolarized contrast agents for metabolic imaging.
Kai Zhang is the recent recipient of the P. M. Gross fellowship for his study of modulated phases. He uses Monte Carlo methods and thermodynamic integration to calculate the free energy and phase diagrams of modulated phases, which contain periodic patterns such as lamellae, cylinders or clusters.
Emily Tarsis is the recent recipient of the PM Gross fellowship for her research on the development of methods for the asymmetric alkylation of ketones. In her current project, she is applying this methodology to the total synthesis of Apratoxin D, which has potent cytotoxicity against H-460 lung cancer cells (IC_50 = 2.6 nM).
Prof. Steffen Bass awarded a Cyber-enabled Discovery and Innovation grant for Advanced Modeling and Data Analysis. This project will bring together scientists from Michigan State, Duke and UNC in Nuclear Physics, Cosmology, Astophysics, Athmospheric Sciences, Statistical Sciences and Computer Science to develop novel statistical analysis and advanced visualization techniques.
A slightly late congratulations to our friends Joe Grieco, Chris Gelpi, and Camber Warren for their paper in the April 2009 International Organization. The link to the abstract.... This paper is many of the things that makes our program a success. A long-term collaborative effort between two very productive faculty members, in one of the top journals in the discipline. And it also involves work with one of our best graduate students. Further, it is a really interesting and well-executed paper with important policy implications.
This article in Duke Research focuses on how Profs. Bass and Mueller's research on the hottest & densest matter created by mankind relates to Prof. John Thomas' work on ultra-cold atoms.
Check out the Mini Camp schedule for the 2009 - 2010 school year HERE.
John Thomas' work with the physics of ultracold temperatures is featured in Duke Research
The first issue of the Duke Statistics Alumni Letter is available on the Duke Statistics Alumni Network homepage. The Alumni Network home page is available via a link at the bottom of the Duke Statistics homepage.
The faculty members of DCID participated in several activities during the Spring 2009 semester. We are pleased to welcome our newest faculty member, Dr. Richard Hemming, who joins us from the IMF, and to welcome Dr. Roy Kelly’s return to Durham. Below is a recap of recent faculty activities.
Catherine Admay was recognized by George McLendon, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science and Trinity College and Richard Palmer, Faculty Director of the Focus program for her contributions to the Focus program during Fall 2008 semester. She also received a $5,000 grant from the Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation, Inc. for an "International Studies" proposal entitled "Re-Presenting Justice." She and her RA, Lindsay Bayham (PubPol undergraduate major), will conduct field research in South Africa on the question of building a constitutional culture through (legally) unconventional and innovative jurist-led initiatives like the architecture and art of the Constitutional Court. Admay was the faculty anchor for two Provost Common Fund enabled visits to Duke by South African Constututional Court Justices Yvonne Mokgoro and Albie Sachs. Justice Mokgoro was a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at the Franklin Humanities Institute April 11-22.
Graham Glenday was invited to lecture on “The New “Old” Approach to the Economic Opportunity Cost of Capital,” at a conference on “Discount Rates for the Evaluation of Public Private Partnerships” at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada on October 2-3, 2008. The paper will be published as a chapter in a conference volume edited by David F. Burgess and Glenn P. Jenkins, Queen’s University, Canada (forthcoming).
Richard Hemming joins DCID after a 24-year career with the International Monetary Fund. He retired from the IMF in August 2008 as the Deputy Director of the Fiscal Affairs Department. Previously, he worked for their Asia and Pacific Department and spent two years as a senior representative in India. Dr. Hemming is an economist and fiscal policy expert with wide-ranging industrial and developing country expertise.
In recent years, he has worked on a variety of topics, including the fiscal consequences of financial globalization, fiscal sustainability, fiscal vulnerability and financial crises, fiscal responsibility frameworks (including transparency and rules), accounting and reporting standards, public investment, and public-private partnerships. He has published widely on tax, social security, public expenditure, and other fiscal issues. Dr. Hemming taught a mini-seminar for the PIDP during the Spring 2009 semester entitled “Macroeconomic Aspects of Fiscal Management” and will teach a full seminar on “Fiscal Policy, Globalization, and Development" this fall. At DCID he will continue to teach these courses on a regular basis and will also continue research in his fields of expertise. Dr. Hemming’s academic credentials include a Ph.D from Stirling University.
Dr. Roy Kelly will return to DCID in July 2009 and remain in residence at Duke, after completion of the in-country portion of the Tanzania Local Government Reform project. More on that project may be found in the overseas advising report in the Summer 2009 e-newsletter.
Dr. Cory Krupp was one of 52 professors nominated for the 2009 Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching award, which recognizes outstanding undergraduate teaching at Duke University.
Dr. Anne Martin-Staple recently completed three consulting projects with the Ministries of Health in the West Bank (Health Sector Reform), Ethiopia (Global Funds and Health Systems Strengthening) and Ukraine (TB Laboratory System Strengthening). She also presented at the 2009 Carolina and Duke Consortium Conference “The Idea of the Americas: Representation and Reality” on “Fact and Fiction about Health Care Outreach-Experiences in Latin America and the Caribbean: Lessons from Jamaica”, in February.
Dr. Natalia Mirovitskaya took a research leave during the Spring 2009 semester. She served along with William Ascher, (co-founder and former director of DCID) as Principal Investigator of a multi-faceted project “Economic Development Strategies and Averting Collective Violence.” The project is funded by the Pacific Basin Research Center. The objective is to determine which development strategies create conditions that reduce the likelihood of violence, especially in developing and transitional countries. It is hoped that four scholarly outputs will result from this research: 1) a co-authored book by the two principal investigators, 2) a companion work that will provide a “toolkit” of analytic techniques that policymakers or activists could employ in choosing development strategies to meet today’s challenges; 3) a series of occasional papers consisting of a combination of case studies and thematic analyses by other researchers; and 4) a data base of cases, based on a template of information relevant for any case. Dr. Mirovitskaya presented at a workshop organized for this project at Soka University in Aliso Viejo California on June 8 and 9.
Dr. Phyllis Pomerantz participated in a round-table discussion on the prospect of foreign aid reform in April, as an invited guest of North Carolina congressman David Price. The goal of this discussion was to assist in the shaping of recommendations for new foreign aid legislation that Rep. Price may offer to US Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman. A collection of suggestions from the participants in Dr. Pomerantz’s class on “The Politics of International Aid” were circulated to discussion participants as a follow-up to their meeting.
DCID expanded its customized programs this spring, completing three successful trainings for participants from Azerbaijan, China and Thailand.
Azerbaijan: DCID delivered a ten-week course from Feb 19 to May 2, 2009 on Applied Project Appraisal and Risk Management for Economic Development to undergraduate and graduate students of Azerbaijan State Economic University (ASEU) and Khazar University, as part of the USAID-funded project, Public Expenditure Reform Support Program. This course focused on financial, risk, economic, and stakeholder analysis of capital projects and development programs as well as risk management through applied case studies, lectures, and computer exercises. A total of 38 students participated in the course. This course is scheduled to be offered in Fall 2009 and Spring 2010.
China: The Yangzhou Provincial Government Program, which began in January 2009, came to completion on May 15, 2009. This program welcomed 23 local government officials from the Chinese city of Yangzhou to Duke for a 19-week training course on Public Policy, Administration and Management, led by DCID and Sanford Institute faculty. Participants in this program went on several site visits to local government offices in North Carolina and also traveled to New York City, Boston, Washington DC and San Francisco.
Thailand: The Government of Thailand sent 31 judges who practice in the Thailand tax courts to DCID to be trained in issues related to globalization and taxation, specifically regarding general tax rules and US policies and how US tax laws interact with those of other countries. The judges arrived on May 17 and stayed for two weeks, learning about the overall US judicial system structure and international procedures. They also attended sessions in Washington DC and met with officials from the US Tax Court and the IRS. Classes were led by faculty from the Duke Law School, as well as the Georgetown Law Center, and guest speakers from the IMF and the US Treasury Department.
DCID faculty members recently participated in several consulting projects with foreign governments. These assignments have taken faculty members to Guyana, Indonesia and Tanzania. Below is a re-cap of these projects and the faculty members assigned to them.
Guyana: The Guyana Revenue Authority extended the consulting contract with Dr. Graham Glenday and Mr. Rubi Sugana until September 2009. In this capacity, they will work with officials of the Tax Analysis Unit to develop tax databases for use in monitoring, analyzing and forecasting revenues. Mr. Sugana will also provide on-the-ground training to officials of the Tax Analysis Unit in the analysis of the tax data and revenue forecasting.
Indonesia: Mr. Rubi Sugana was selected by the World Vision Canada to serve as the lead consultant for the design of a local revenue mobilization assessment in the East Sumba District of Eastern Indonesia. This project ran from December 2008 to January 2009. The scope of the project was to design a local government revenue mobilization program to allow the District Government to expand the community-based water supply and sanitation development program in the among the poorest rural areas of Indonesia. Dr. Fernando Fernholz was also involved in this project as the back-stopper for Mr. Sugana.
Tanzania (3 activities):
Dr. Roy Kelly recently completed the in-country portion of the Tanzania Local Government Reform Project. Under a two-year contract with the Government of Tanzania (2007-2009), Kelly and other PFG faculty members assisted the Prime Minister's Office-Regional Administration and Local Government (PMO-RALG) and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs to improve the intergovernmental fiscal transfer system, enhance local revenue mobilization and strengthen local financial management. This support project is funded through a basket fund modality by the Government of Tanzania.
Mr. Rubi Sugana was recruited by the German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ) to provide technical assistance in the design of a property tax reform program for the Dar es Salaam Local Authorities (DLA) and the development of a comprehensive property tax administration manual, which will be used in other local authorities across Tanzania. This assignment involved intensive coordination with the broader Local Government Reform Program and various World Bank-funded projects, i.e., property valuation and mapping of all properties in Dar es Salaam and information technology development.
Dr. Tom Cook also advised with the Tanzanian Government on the development of a Monitoring and Evaluation system for the Local Government Reform Program, Decentralization by Devolution.
The Duke Center for International Development is pleased to announce the first winners of its alumni awards. DCID alumni awards recognize alumni who have made significant contributions to the broad field of international development based on the criteria for each individual award. Winners receive a $500 award to further their professional activities. The following recipients have been selected:
NGO Excellence Award: This award honors an NGO that is committed to a similar mission as PIDP: “To make recognized contributions to global knowledge and practice of international social, political and economic development.” The selected NGO receives US $500 to further their activities.
Winner: Acción Emprendedora (Entrepreneurial Action), a non-profit organization founded by Anibal Pinto (PIDP’06) dedicated to the promotion and development of microenterprises in the poorest areas of Chile. AE’s objective is to break the chains of poverty by training and enabling micro entrepreneurs using a three-step development model.
Outstanding Achievement Award: This award offers US $500 to an alumnus who has made outstanding contributions to their field, sector, country, or region.
Winners: 3 PIDP alumni were selected to receive this award. Bautista Logioco (’04), Laura Zambrano (’04) and Cynthia Viveros-Cano (’04) are co-winners for their significant contributions to the demobilization process of Colombian paramilitary groups between 2003 and 2008.
Distinguished Service Award: This award provides US $500 to an alumnus who has demonstrated outstanding service to the DCID through promotion/advertising of the program, assistance with internship/job placement of current fellows, assistance with alumni relations or participation in other extracurricular activities.
Winner: Ichiro Toda (PIDP ’98) is the recipient of this award. He is an invaluable alumni who has worked with and assisted PIDP in numerous ways. In 2007 he was the PIDP inaugural “alumni-in-residence” and spent two days on campus hosting student groups and providing one-on-one career mentoring. He consistently supports PIDP’s annual Professional Development trip to Washington, DC and has hired numerous PIDP students and alumni for internships and short-term contracts. Ichiro is an is Development Effectiveness Officer with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), where he implements frameworks to enhance development effectiveness of the IDB's Non-Sovereign Guaranteed Operations.
More information on these alumni award recipients and their activities will be available on the alumni section of the DCID website, which is currently under development.
The Duke Center for International Development (DCID) and Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) introduced a new, pilot model that aims to link policy research expertise in the university with the policy priorities and needs of an NGO for the Summer 2009. This summer, four MIDP graduate students will intern with HFHI under this model, designed to produce benefits for the students, faculty and programs at DCID and HFHI policy and planning, as well as a research-action model that might have general applicability.
In 2008, DCID and HFHI officials agreed to explore a model that would enable faculty and students to work closely with HFHI on policy issues related to their mission “to eliminate poverty housing around the world and to make adequate housing a matter of conscience and action”. Research focuses on medium term policy themes and priorities identified at a policy meeting in Atlanta last December, where Area Vice Presidents also indicated potential short term internship opportunities in their regions. The policy research and summer internship project is part of an institutional relationship formed between DCID and HFHI. This relationship provides an umbrella program under which specific forms of faculty advising, course development and faculty papers may be prepared and innovations may be tested. Summer internships focus on analysis of specific issues or cases that contribute to learning under the policy themes. An optional, one-credit independent study may be performed by the student during the fall semester to finalize a policy paper on the issue of their internship. The support system for summer internships is expanded to include additional requirements under this program.
Three of the Fellows will work the HFHI regional office for Latin America and the Caribbean, in conjunction with regional research teams. Louisa Dow, Gema Stratico and Francisco Duque will research the effectiveness of civil society strategies to reform public policies that improve the access of vulnerable people to adequate housing and secure land tenure in urban areas in the region. Each will focus on a sub theme - Gema Stratico on institutional and targeting issues in relation to equal access opportunities for women and vulnerable groups; Louisa Dow on multi-level in-country and country-regional alliances and networking to increase access to land and secure tenure; and Francisco Duque on the policy and legal framework in housing and land issues. Their studies will use cases from Mexico, Honduras, and Brazil. The research process and findings will be shared in country presentations in Mexico and Honduras, scheduled for the end of July 2009.
Jason Rodriguez has joined Habitat’s Africa and Middle East office in Pretoria, South Africa. His task is to participate in project and proposal development related to various housing-related issues such as access of vulnerable groups to land security and housing, delivery of complementary services such as water and sanitation, and housing finance. He is expected to travel to different areas in the region to gather research data.
34 PIDP Fellows participated in Duke’s 2009 graduation ceremonies. Twenty-three completed their degree requirements in May and eleven will continue with course work during the summer, finishing in September 2009. Graduation weekend began with the PIDP/MPP hooding ceremony on Saturday, May 9, where each graduate was recognized individually. PIDP Director of Graduate Studies Cory Krupp served as the PIDP faculty speaker, and the PIDP graduates selected Katia Dantas as the PIDP student speaker. PIDP Assistant Director Stephanie Alt Lamm was honored with the staff excellence award, an award initiated last year by students in the Master of Public Policy Program, which recognizes a staff member for outstanding dedication and service. The Duke-wide commencement ceremony was held on Sunday, May 10 and featured guest speaker Oprah Winfrey. Graduates who participated in the ceremonies were:
May 2009 Graduates
Ertan Apaydin, Turkey
Nancy Banegas, Honduras
Myungsoo Choi, South Korea
Katia Dantas, Brazil
Ahmet Dincer, Turkey
Francisco Gonzalez Shinagawa, Mexico
Ruben Gonzalez, Panama
Xiomara Hernandez, El Salvador
Sanghee Jeong, South Korea
Deepak Kumar, India
Mattias Lindstrom, Sweden
Rafael Mazer, United States
Javier Ochoa, Venezuela
Claudia Paccieri, Bolivia
Anshu Shukla Pandey, India
Gabriel Pardo, Mexico
Nang Raw, Myanmar
Yuber Romero, Colombia
Jaejune Ryu, South Korea
Shawn Selleck, United States
Anita Sharma, India
Pia Simonsen, Australia
Saori Tokuoka, Japan
September 2009 Graduates
Rajesh Bansal, India
Serap Cansizoglu Oz, Turkey
Junko Hioki, Japan
Shinichi Itagaki, Japan
Alimamy Kamara, Sierra Leone/United States
Omar Kebbeh, The Gambia/United States
Chanchal Kumar, India
Amar Nath, India
Anju Sharma, India
Kilho Song, South Korea
Analia Viola, Argentina
Congratulations to all of our graduates!
Partnership with Ugandan credit union creates “living laboratory” for learning
The Duke Microfinance Leadership Initiative (DMLI) has identified the first recipient of their Investment Fund, which was launched in the spring of 2008, with support from DCID, the Duke Economics Department and the Office of Undergraduate Affairs. The Nkokoneru Savings and Credit Cooperative (SACCO), which is a small but fast growing credit union in Uganda, was chosen as the Investment Fund’s first partner . Student members in the DMLI spent last spring and summer fundraising for this initiative and reviewed applications from potential partner organizations during the Fall 2008, chosing SACCO through a membership vote in December, 2008.
“Our initial goal was to create a way for students to gain first-hand understanding of how microfinance is implemented, and to provide capital and support to a promising but underfunded microfinance organization. Although we could not offer large amounts of capital, we felt we could offer the kind of in-depth support that a smaller bank would benefit from as they sought to scale up their operations,” reports Rafael Mazer, a PIDP May 2009 graduate and a Managing Director of DMLI.
To make the search for the first recipient manageable, DMLI limited it to organizations which grossed less than $100,000 annually in their loan portfolios and had a connection to a member of the Duke Community. Duke’s Engineers Without Borders recommended SACCO based on its experience working in the Nkokonjeru community for the past two summers. SACCO appealed to DMLI’s membership due to its strong leadership, a transparent, democratic structure, its rapid growth from 30 to more than 300 members in less than three years, and its small, grassroots nature.
Two Duke students, Gloria Ahn, a Trinity rising sophomore majoring in economics, and Daniel Kobayashi, a first-year MPP, will intern this summer with SACCO to help implement the new loan programs and monitor the loans’ impact on the borrowers and the Nkokonjeru community in general. This is hoped to be the first of many such opportunies, as expressed by Kobayashi: “We are hopeful that our engagement in this project will not only benefit the people of Nkokonjeru, but will provide a template for DMLI to work with other such grassroots microfinance initiatives, and assist other universities in similar relationships."
This letter was sent to PIDP alumni in May 2009
This letter is to inform you of an exciting transition that the Program in International Development Policy will make due to becoming part of the new Duke Sanford School of Public Policy. As some of you may know, it has been a goal of the Sanford leadership for the Institute to become Duke University’s tenth professional school. Thanks to university support, strategic planning and successful fundraising, the Sanford Institute will become the Sanford School of Public Policy on July 1, 2009. Professor Bruce Kuniholm will serve as its first Dean.
The Sanford School will now have academic oversight of the PIDP, and as a result, DCID is required to offer a Master of International Development Policy (MIDP) degree in lieu of a Masters of Arts in International Development Policy. We support this transition, as it brings the program, as well as Sanford as a whole, in line with our competitors such as the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton and the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. We also feel that this title is better suited to the practitioner-oriented nature of our program. We wish to assure our alumni, however, that this change does not diminish the value of their MA nor their affiliation with DCID.
In light of these changes, PIDP will officially be referred to as the MIDP, to emphasize our new degree name and placement within the Sanford School of Public Policy. We will introduce this new acronym in our marketing materials, both in print and online, over the course of the next year. Additionally, Fellows graduating in December 2009 and thereafter will receive diplomas with the new title “Master of International Development Policy”.
We have also made some changes and additions to our curriculum that we would like to share with you. Feedback from current and past students has indicated a need for better grounding in statistics and data analysis. Beginning in the 2009-2010 academic year, we will require that all two-year fellows complete “Empirical Analysis of Development” as part of the core program. We also hope that this course will facilitate the work which will be performed concurrently in the required “Economic Analysis of Development” class. We have also introduced a dual degree program with the Duke Law School, which will allow participants to receive a JD degree in law and a Master of International Development after three years of study. To complement this program, we introduced a new area of specialization in Law and Development, open to both students in the dual degree program and those in the regular MIDP degree. We hope to welcome our first participants in the dual degree program in the Fall 2010 semester.
We invite you to check our website for updates regarding this transition over the coming year. The title of Master of International Development Policy is a change that we hope will enhance our visibility among professional degrees in this field. We will continue to strive for a standard of excellence within each of our program areas. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have about this transition.
Sincerely,
Francis Lethem
Director
Duke Center for International Development
Corinne Krupp
Director of Graduate Studies
Master of International Development Policy Program