June 16, 2011 Issue

T H E I N D E P E N D E N T D A I LY AT D U K E U N I V E R S I T Y

The Chronicle

THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2011

ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTH YEAR, SUMMER ISSUE 5

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A PRESIDENTIAL VISIT Obama addresses job creation, economic sustainability

Duke TIP expands in new decade

by Lauren Carroll THE CHRONICLE

in the area of judicial institutions.”

One of the main selling points of the center will be the faculty, Knight said. He added that the center is unique in its synthesis of scholarship and practical judicial knowledge.

“The center will bring together research and scholarship on judges and judicial research with judges who actually do the active work as well as people who are doing reform of judicial institutions,” Knight said.

“It will be a mix of scholarship, education and policy reform.”

The idea for the center came from Law School Dean David Levi, who worked as chief U.S. district judge for the Eastern

Although the economic recession sparked some sacrifice across the University, Duke’s revered Talent Identification Program has continued to grow during the past several years.

Targeted at academically gifted students in grades four through 12, Duke TIP, a nonprofit organization, is a series of educational camps and talent searches—programs which invite students to take the SAT before entering high school.

Since the beginning of the financial crisis in 2008, the TIP budget has increased by 37 percent, said TIP Director Martha Putallaz, noting that TIP is funded purely by external donations and receives no funding from the University.

“We actually worried in 2008, what the economic downturn would bring— would people be willing to pay the tuition,” Putallaz said. “We’re one of the few units on campus whose budget has grown.... For whatever reason, our market has proven to be incredibly resilient.”

The budget’s increases have also allowed for new programming and contributed to a rise in the number of TIP participants, she added. The educational camps hosted 5,068 in 2011, an increase from 3,011 participants in 2005.

Putallaz said TIP’s financial stability comes from high alumni interest and a well-planned scholarship endowment, established at the program’s creation in 1980. TIP stresses the importance of financial aid to alumni so that they might contribute to need-based scholarship funds. Last year, TIP awarded upwards of $3 million to more than 16,000 students for participation in educational and talent search programs.

TIP Marketing Manager Emily Swartzlander said TIP’s commitment to financial aid and parents’ commitment to their children’s education are two of the main causes for increased participation despite the economic downturn. As financial restraints have forced many schools to cut gifted programs, parents are turning to TIP for supplemental educational opportunities, she added.

“Parents are always interested in their kids’ education,” Swartzlander said. “It partially helps us that the service we’re providing is something parents are going to want, regardless of what the economy looks like.”

SEE LAW ON PAGE 12

SEE TIP ON PAGE 5

by Anna Koelsch and Nicole Kyle THE CHRONICLE

President Barack Obama brought a message of optimism to the Triangle earlier this week.

Obama visited Durham Monday to meet with the Jobs and Competitiveness Council and to deliver remarks on the issues of job creation and economic sustainability at Cree, Inc., a leading manufacturer of energy efficient LED lighting technology. Obama toured the facilities before hearing a presentation from the council. This was Obama’s second visit to Cree, following a 2008 campaign stop prior to the North Carolina primary election. His visit Monday precedes the Democratic National Convention to be held in Charlotte in September 2012, and addressed the need for growth in the American economy—an issue that will likely be prominent in the 2012 presidential election.

“We put [the council] together many months ago—not in response to one jobs report, but because we understood even though the economy was growing, it wasn’t growing as fast as we want, and it wasn’t producing as many jobs as we want,” Obama said in his speech. “I told them I wanted to hear every smart, SEE OBAMA ON PAGE 6

TED KNUDSEN/THE CHRONICLE

New center for Judicial Studies created

by Anna Koelsch THE CHRONICLE

TED KNUDSEN/THE CHRONICLE

The Duke School of Law aims to get judges off the bench and back to school.

The school announced last week the creation of a new Center for Judicial Studies and a master’s degree in judicial studies. The center and new program will build on the School of Law’s strong faculty expertise in judges and judicial studies. Jack Knight, professor of political science and law, and law professor Mitu Gulati, also a professor of law, will serve as co-directors of the center.

“I believe that the new center will draw attention and interest to the law school,” Knight said.

“We’ve all done a lot of work

The School of Law recently announced the creation of a new Center for Judicial Studies, as well as a newly offered master’s program.

ONTHERECORD

“Therefore the question is, what is it about summer experiences that leads to change?”

—Columnist Rui Dai in “Summer sucks.” See column page 11

Duke math named 10th in the world, Page 3

Bottorff wins national championship in 10k, Page 7

2 | THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2011

THE CHRONICLE

worldandnation onschedule...

Summer Make and Takes Nasher Museum, Thursday 5-6p.m.

Explore the exhibitions at the Nasher Museum through handson crafts.

on the

Duke Farmers Market Bryan Center, Friday 11a.m.-2p.m.

Buy fresh, local fruits, vegetables, flowers and baked goods. The theme of the month is peppers.

8166

FRIDAY:

9168

Duke Campus Farm Workday 5082 Friends School Rd, Sunday 6-9p.m.

Volunteers will be planting, harvesting, weeding and working on small construction projects.

web

“1st place, Mitt Romney: I have to give the crown to Romney, mainly because he did exactly what a front-runner is supposed to do in a debate—not mess up. Add that to the fact that none of his opponents laid a hand on him, and Romney looks formidable indeed, emerging from this debate with unmatched fundraising potential, a lead in the polls and an unstated consensus.”

— From The Chronicle’s News Blog news.chronicleblogs.com

JOSHUA PARTLOW/THE WASHINGTON POST

U.S. soldiers in Kabul are on a mission to apprehend an alleged Haqqani network fighter they suspected of participating in a bombing that killed five Afghan policemen in January.

“

TODAY:

Indecision and delays are the parents of failure.

— George Canning

”

TODAY IN HISTORY

1884: First roller coaster in America opens.

Obama announces near Jordan’s king warns deal on trade agreements peace prospects are dim WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Obama administration and congressional leaders are nearing consensus on three pending trade agreements and the renewal of support for workers who have been displaced by global trade, ending a standoff that some feared would put U.S. exports at risk, said business, administration and congressional officials close to the discussions.

Free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama have become a centerpiece of the Obama administration’s efforts to boost U.S. sales overseas, a foray into trade politics by a president who, as a candidate, expressed skepticism about the benefits of prior free trade pacts. The Korea deal is expected to generate more than $10 billion in additional annual sales for U.S. companies.

However, Republicans expressed opposition of the renewal of the billion-dollar-ayear Trade Adjustment Assistance program.

off the

wire...

AMMAN, Jordan — The failure of U.S. and international efforts to rekindle peace talks last month has all but doomed chances for a breakthrough in the near future, Jordan’s King Abdullah II said in an interview in which he warned that the failure may cause the outbreak of a new armed uprising in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

The monarch, a key U.S. ally and the leader of one of only two Arab countries to sign peace treaties with Israel, said the Jewish state’s increasingly conservative political climate has rendered its government incapable of making the kinds of meaningful concessions needed for peace. And he said he feared that the United States was distracted by its economic woes and leery of wasting political capital.

“2011 will be, I think, a very bad year for peace,” Abdullah told The Washington Post.

Sen. Lieberman may attend Beck rally in Israel

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Chronicle readers go out to eat 3.2 times/week and spend an average of $33.

Source: Newton Marketing & Research, 2005

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THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2011 | 3

Math department earns Duke co-founds new initiative top 10 world ranking that will revamp clinical trials

by Melissa Dalis THE CHRONICLE

Duke’s mathematics department is 10th in the world, according to Times Higher Education.

Times released its rankings June 2, placing Duke above institutions such as Columbia University, Cornell University and MIT. The publication considered the number of research papers published by the departments as well as the percentage of those that were highly-cited, between January 2001 and February 2011. The ranking system defines highly cited papers as those “that rank in the top 1 percent by citations for their field and year of publication.”

Following Stanford University, Duke scored second-highest in terms of the percentage of highly-cited papers with 6.3 percent, exceeding the average polled percentage by more than six times.

“Math is getting to be a stronger department, owing in large measure to strong hires over about the last 10 years,” said Harold Layton, chair of the mathematics department. “This must surely have an impact on our having a large number of publications and a percentage of them that is highly cited.”

Other top 10 mathematics departments included Johns Hopkins University—ranked first—followed by Stanford University, University of California at Berkeley, University of Minnesota, University of Washington, Harvard University, Princeton University, California

Institute of Technology and Brown University.

Prominent faculty members also give Duke’s department an advantage, said Paul Aspinwall, associate chair of the mathematics department, adding that hiring Ingrid Daubechies and Rick Durrett will presumably mean even higher rankings for the department’s graduate program in upcoming years.

Both Daubechies and Durrett have made significant contributions to their respective fields, and both are members of the United States National Academy of Sciences. Daubechies specializes in image compression and discovered the wavelets that led to the invention of the JPEG 2000—the format many people use to save photos and other data. Durrett specializes in probability and stochastic processes.

Although Duke was ranked 10th in the world by the Times rankings, U.S. News and World Report ranked the graduate program 24th in the country.

U.S. News bases its rankings on departmental chairs’ perceptions of other universities’ departments, a much more subjective measure than that of the Times, Aspinwall said.

“One of the ways that you measure your influence in academia is how many people cite your papers, how many people read your papers,” said Robert Calderbank, dean of natural sciences and professor of mathematics. “I think that SEE MATH ON PAGE 12

by Michael Shammas THE CHRONICLE

As a forerunner in medical research, Duke is leading a new initiative to reform and regulate clinical trials.

The Clinical Trial Transformation Initiative—a public-private partnership that includes more than 60 organizations— has put forward suggestions to combat inefficiency and costliness associated with clinical trials. Duke is a co-founder of the CTTI, alongside the Food and Drug Administration. Because the FDA cannot legally house public-private partnerships, Duke convenes the group’s meetings and handles finances, said Robert Califf, cochair of the CTTI executive committee and vice chancellor for clinical research.

“Clinical trials exist in a complex ecosystem, so a lot of aspects need to change at the same time in order to really make progress,” Califf said. “Because of the broad participation, we have a very good chance of making a difference.”

The initiative’s first set of recommendations address the manner in which clinical trials are conducted. The suggestions aim to ensure higher levels of quality through effective monitoring and to improve the safety of clinical trials.

Clinical trials are used to test new drugs, devices and biological products as quickly as possible, according to CTTI’s website. The organization says it believes that randomized clinical trials are the best way to gather unbiased information on improvements in medical care, and that the current system is “paper-based,

slow and costly.”

“The problem is that clinical trials have gotten to be so complex and expensive,” CTTI Executive Director Judith Kramer said. “The number of trials you can do is pretty small due to the price, and as they get longer and more burdensome to complete, people are starting to look at other sources of information.”

Making trials more efficient is important, Kramer added, because clinical trials remain the “most unbiased way to get evidence about the effectiveness of [medical] products.”

Junior Willie Zhang hopes to do medical research in his future, and said he has heard that clinical trials can be inefficient.

“I’ve heard doctors complain about clinical trials before because of their inefficiency,” he said. “I think change is long overdue.”

Although the University plays an important role, the coalition is broad and includes not only academic institutions but also government agencies, pharmaceutical companies, contract research organizations, patient advocacy groups and law firms, Califf added.

Kramer said the number of organizations taking part in the coalition is growing every day, simply by word of mouth.

“It’s really been interesting,” she said.

“We haven’t done a lot of marketing—in fact, I would say [we have done] almost none.... We’ve been very fortunate to be SEE CLINICAL TRIALS ON PAGE 5

4 | THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2011

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FDA cracks down on sunscreens this summer

by Rob Stein THE WASHINGTON POST

WASHINGTON, D.C. — For the first time, sunscreens will have to prove they provide good protection against both forms of the sun's dangerous ultraviolet rays to claim they reduce the risk for skin cancer, sunburns and wrinkles, according to long-awaited federal rules unveiled Tuesday.

Only sunscreens that pass a test that shows that they shield skin from both ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays will be allowed to be labeled “broad spectrum,” and only those that also have an sun protection factor (SPF) rating of at least 15 can claim that they protect against sunburn, wrinkles and skin cancer, according to the Food and Drug Administration's new requirements.

Sunscreens that do not meet those standards will have to carry prominent warnings that they do not protect against skin cancer or wrinkles, the FDA announced.

In addition, the agency is barring the use of the term “sunblock” as well as claims that sunscreens are “waterproof” or “sweat-proof,” saying those terms are inaccurate. Sunscreen makers will only be allowed to claim that products are “waterresistant” and will have to specify whether

they work for 40 or 80 minutes. Those that do not must carry warnings advising people to use a water-resistant product if they are going to be exposed to water or sweat.

“These changes will help people make better-informed decisions about how to use sunscreens and allow them to more effectively protect themselves and their families,” said Janet Woodcock of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Safety.

The FDA also plans to ban the use of any SPF ratings above 50, saying there is no evidence to show that any products provide such protection. Currently, some companies claim SPF protection of 100 or higher.

“We don't have sufficient evidence data to show that sunscreen with SPF values greater than 50 provide greater protection for consumers,” Woodcock said.

Sunscreen makers could, however, submit data to support including higher SPF values, the agency said.

The moves are designed to eliminate the confusing and misleading array of ratings and claims on sunscreens and fight the leading cause of cancer in the United States.

The government's plans to regulate sunscreens has been in the works for 33 years,

with work beginning in 1978. A 1999 proposal never took effect after sunscreen makers objected, and a 2007 proposal for a four-star system was shelved as being too confusing.

The new rules go into effect in 2012, but Woodcock said she hoped some companies would start complying sooner.

Currently, the FDA only requires testing for UVB, which is the basis of SPF ratings.

Both UVB and UVA radiation contribute to sunburn, skin cancer and “premature skin aging,” the agency said, but UVB radiation is the primary cause of skin cancer. More than 1 million Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer each year, making it the leading cause of cancer, and the number of people being diagnosed with the disease has been rising. While most skin cancers are curable, more than 68,000 Americans are diagnosed each year with melanoma—the most dangerous form—and an estimated 8,700 die.

An SPF rating is how much time is needed to get a sunburn on protected versus unprotected skin. An SPF rating of 15, for example, means it would take a person 15 times longer to burn wearing that sunscreen compared to someone using nothing. Under the new rules,

products that have SPF values between 2 and 14 may be labeled as “broad spectrum” if they pass the required test, but only products that are labeled both as broad spectrum and have SPF values of 15 or higher may state that they reduce the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging, the FDA said.

In addition, the agency will begin accepting data about the safety and effectiveness of sunscreen sprays and comments on possible warnings for sprays.

The new rules were praised by skin cancer experts, who also recommended that people minimize their sun exposure by staying indoors and taking other common-sense steps such as wearing hats, pants and long-sleeved shirts.

“There are a few easy things you can do to protect your skin from ultraviolet radiation.

And today, the FDA's new sunscreen labeling requirements make it even easier for us to all do that,” said Ronald L. Moy, president of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Despite concerns that some ingredients in sunscreens, particularly a new class of extremely small substances known as “nanoparticles,” might be dangerous, Woodcock said FDA testing has concluded that they do not penetrate the skin and are therefore safe.

Life expectancy in US varies widely by region

by David Brown THE WASHINGTON POST

Large swaths of the United States are showing decreasing or stagnating life expectancy even as the nation's overall longevity trend has continued upwards, according to a county-

by-county study of life expectancy over two decades.

In one-quarter of the country, girls born today may live shorter lives than their mothers and the country as a whole is falling behind other industrialized nations in the march to-

ward longer life, according to the study.

Those are among the conclusions of the study by a team of researchers that has spent years teasing apart the regional and demographic differences in longevity in the United States. It sketches a picture of widening inequality among regions and is likely to add urgency to the debate over health-care reform and spending.

Led by Christopher Murray and Sandeep Kulkarni of the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, the study covers the years 1987 to 2007 and updates an earlier analysis of U.S. life expectancy through the 1990s. That study identified areas of the country where life expectancy was stagnant or declining; this report found that not only was that still the case, but more places are experiencing a decline. It is published Wednesday in the journal Population Health Metrics.

As they had previously, Murray and his colleagues found huge variation in life expectancy in the United States, with some of biggest extremes found in a single state. Men in suburban Fairfax County, Va., near Washington, D.C., for example, had the longest life expectancy in the country, 81.1 years in 2007.

In the city of Petersburg, Va., 25 miles south of Richmond, life expectancy was 14 years less, and at 66.9 years among the lowest for men in the country.

Washington, D.C., is one of the places that has seen a big recent jump in life expectancy for a particular demographic group—black men, from 61.7 years in 1997 to 68.9 in 2007— a huge jump in demographic terms. The reason for the big increase isn't entirely clear.

The region where life expectancy is lowest, and in some places declining, begins in West Virginia, runs through the southern Appalachian Mountains and west through the Deep South into North Texas. Places of high life expectancy are more scattered. In addition to Northern Virginia they include counties in Colorado, Minnesota, Utah, California, Washington state and Florida.

Although the research didn't look for causes, there are several possible reasons for the slowing of longevity in parts of in the United States. The rising rate of obesity and plateauing of the smoking cessation rate among women are two. Poorly controlled blood pressure and a shortage of primary-

care physicians are two others.

What surprised Murray and his team was that despite increased consciousness about disparities and per capita spending on health care that is at least 50 percent higher than European countries, the United States is falling farther behind them with each passing year.

“My expectation was that in the last decade we would at least be keeping up in terms of the pace of progress. But that's not what's happening,” said Murray.

Among the places with the biggest increases in life expectancy in the last two decades is New York City. The arrival of triple-drug antiretroviral therapy for HIV infection, along with dramatic declines in homicide and infant mortality, caused great gains in the late 1990s.

“The critical insight this work underscores is something that we've known for years—that both health and health care are produced locally,” said Elliott Fisher, a physician at Dartmouth Medical School who studies regional variations.

Life expectancy is an abstract concept that summarizes the health and threats to longevity that exist at a particular moment in history.

It is not an actual measure of how long people are living.

To calculate life expectancy, researchers imagine a large group of people—say 100,000—born in a particular year, such as 2007. They then statistically move that “birth cohort” through life, subjecting it to the risk of dying that exists for every five-year period (0-5 years old, 6-10 years old, 11-15 years old, etc.) in that particular year. A few members of the group will die as infants, a few as children, a few as young adults, some in middle age, most in old age, and a few in extreme old age. The average age at death is this artificial population's life expectancy.

The actual risk of dying at each age is determined from death certificates, which also include information about where the deceased person lived most of his or her life. Because of that, life expectancy can be calculated for geographical areas as small as counties. However, in the new study Murray and his team collapsed the nation's 3,148 counties and large cities into about 2,400, merging some with each other if their populations were too small to produce statistically meaningful populations.

THE CHRONICLE

doing enough that people are aware of what’s happening and interested in participating.”

Califf said he believes the initiative has potential because of growing concerns about the high cost, low success rate and uncertainty surrounding clinical trials.

“The time is right to make a major improvement in the way clinical trials are done,” Califf said. “Drugs and devices can be developed more efficiently and the public can rest assured that we understand the balance of benefits and risks of marketed products.”

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TED KNUDSEN/THE CHRONICLE

Students at Duke TIP summer programs take part in intensive classes designed to challenge children from grades four through 12.

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Not a “vehicle for recruitment” Although spending time at Duke as a middle or high school student is an “obvious selling point,” Swartzlander said TIP makes a conscious effort not to actively promote Duke as a future college option to TIP participants.

Putallaz said a study conducted by TIP and the Office of Undergraduate Admissions found that 24.3 percent of Duke freshmen from 2008 to 2011 took the SAT through a TIP talent search, though only 5.25 percent had participated in a TIP educational camp. She noted that participating in a TIP program does not give students a specific advantage when applying to Duke more than any other academic achievement would.

CLINICAL TRIALS from page 3

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Expanding across the globe In addition to a college-like academic program in Durham every summer, many TIP students attend programs elsewhere. Currently, programs attracting both American and international students are based in California, Florida, China, Italy and several other locations.

TIP in India, which was established in 2007 and targeted specifically at Indian students, is the first Duke program to be established in India, Swartzlander said. She added that TIP program directors work closely with various Duke schools and departments, such as the Fuqua School of Business, so that their global ventures align with the University’s mission.

In a parallel to the Univeristy’s global ventures, such as Duke Kunshan University and the Duke School of Medicine’s partnership with the National University of Singapore, TIP is extending into new areas. TIP is creating a program in Singapore and expects to start enrolling students in 2012, said Nicki Charles, TIP assistant director of field studies and institutes. TIP administrators also hope to begin another China program in 2013 at Duke Kunshan University.

Charles added that TIP is working to improve its relations with international feeder schools, in order to attract more foreign students to American TIP programs.

“International education is not always dependent on having Americans go [abroad], but sometimes bringing the international students to America,” Charles said.

“Duke TIP is another demonstration of an academic honor, but it doesn’t push them to the top of the admissions loop at all,” Pautallaz said. “We do not ever want to be seen as a recruitment vehicle for Duke, and [Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Christoph Guttentag] is under no obligation to accept TIP students.”

Incoming freshman James Kennedy, who participated in a TIP educational camp in 2008, said he loved Duke before attending TIP, though added that the program helped him solidify the University as one of his top college choices. The classes he took that summer also aided him in his decision to study neuroscience.

“Everything about TIP was extraordinary,” Kennedy said. “It did a great job of translating people out of a normal school mindset and into a living [while] learning mindset.”

INVEN

TIP from page 1

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OBAMA from page 1 forward-thinking idea that they have to quicken the pace of job growth and make sure our economy and our workers can adapt to changing times.”

The Jobs and Competitiveness Council was commissioned by the White House in January to advise the president on strategies to boost the economy, the domestic job market and industry competitiveness. The council—led by Jeffrey Immelt, Chairman and CEO of General Electric—is a nonpartisan body focusing on growth and innovation, drawing from the expertise of 26 members from various economic sectors.

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The council met for the first time at the White House February 24, but chose the Triangle—noted for its research, innovation and manufacturing—as the location for its first off-site meeting. The president’s visit was supplemented by various “listening and action sessions” across the Raleigh-Durham area on topics such as entrepreneurship, biotechnology, workforce training and energy innovation.

The panels featured prominent figures within the president’s administration and the private sector, including Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg and Gary Kelly, chairman, president and CEO of Southwest Airlines.

The Jobs Council convened at Cree not only because of its recent growth but also be-

TED KNUDSEN/THE CHRONICLE

Speaking before an audience at Cree, Inc., President Barack Obama outlined ideas to stimulate economic growth.

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cause of its commitment to clean energy, a sector the Jobs Council Obama said is one of the more promising fields in terms of growth and sustainability. Cree, which was founded in 1987 by North Carolina State University engineering students, earns more than $1 billion in annual revenue, up from $500 million in 2008. LED sales are 70 percent of Cree’s overall revenue—a 10 percent increase since 2008.

The company has added 1,000 employees during the past three years.

Obama said he and the council view Cree as a model for future businesses in terms of both job opportunities and clean energy innovation in technical fields. The federal government invested in Cree with both a tax credit and a grant from the Department of Energy, which allowed for additional hires and less costly and more efficient breakthroughs in “smart grid” technology to transmit clean, renewable energy.

“At Cree, you’re putting people back to work in a field that has the potential to create an untold number of new jobs and new businesses right here in America—and that’s clean energy,” Obama said. “I want to see the LEDs and solar panels and wind turbines and electric cars of tomorrow made right here in the U.S. of A. I want them made right here.”

Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C.; Ty Mitchell, vice president and general manager of Cree LED Lighting; and Rep. David Price, D-N.C., also spoke at Cree. Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., and Rep. Brad Miller, D-N.C., attended as well.

A focus on the future During the remarks, Obama detailed some of the council’s recommendations, including education initiatives to promote STEM—science, technology, engineering and mathematics—to students, building the skilled worker force and promoting small businesses.

In a state with the 10th highest unemployment rate of 9.7 percent as of April, Obama emphasized the importance of state and community colleges, specifically education in engineering and the applied sciences. Obama also discussed the high demand for workers in these fields. He added that for every job opening in America, there are more than four jobseekers, noting that the opposite is true for science-related industries.

Obama said the Triangle area is particularly poised to train students for these “jobs of the future.”

“Because you’ve got these great schools, you can hold your own talent draft—not just in basketball, but when it comes to highly skilled workers,” he said.

Obama and the Jobs Council hope to enact various initiatives, such as the creation of a private consortium and university partnerships, to graduate more than 10,000 engineers every year. They also plan to partner with community colleges across the nation to develop advanced vocational training in manufacturing.

“What [Obama] said is exactly right,” Miller said in an interview. “Companies like Cree,

with innovative technologies coming from universities, given some help [can take products] from the lab to the marketplace. A company created from a handful of students at North Carolina State University now leads the world in LED lighting. With 5,000 people employed, it’s a great success story that the next big technology company was homegrown.”

Cree employees similarly acknowledged the demand for skilled workers and well-prepared engineering students. Don Hirsh, Cree product marketing manager, said in an interview that Cree relies almost exclusively on new engineering graduates and seeks students specifically with quantitative backgrounds.

“The number of companies doing what it takes for energy shows the value of clean production in the Triangle,” Hirsh said, calling Obama’s remarks—and the Jobs Council’s suggestions—“symbolically powerful.”

Room for growth Mark Twisdale, senior vice president of human resources at State Employees’ Credit Union and a guest of Miller, commended the council’s recommendations and Obama’s plan for job creation, both in North Carolina and across the nation. Twisdale noted in an interview that the State Employees’ Credit Union sponsors scholarships for engineering education and said, if these plans work, it will create positive traction for tech and manufacturing companies “STEM is where we need to be going in schools,” he said. “These are the concepts that are going to pay off.”

Greg Merritt, vice president of corporate marketing for Cree, stressed the dual importance of technical training in clean energy fields. Merritt called the objective of the Jobs Council “right on,” adding that energy efficient manufacturing—especially like that at Cree—will spark job creation in other industries as well.

“The work of the Jobs Council is very important because we’re trying to hire those people that are hard to find—that are qualified,” Merritt said in an interview. “The secondary impact is that with more employment, there is a better market for our product, and our technology can continue to grow and innovate.”

At the conclusion of his remarks, Obama lauded the American economy’s ability to grow and the future job market, though noted that Americans should continue to innovate.

“I am optimistic about our future. We can’t be complacent. We shouldn’t pretend that a lot of folks out there are not still struggling, but I am absolutely optimistic that we’ve got everything it takes for us to succeed in the 21st century,” Obama said. “Americans do not respond to trials by lowering our sights or downscaling our dreams or settling for something less. We are a people who dream big, even when times are tough—especially when times are tough. We’re a people who reach forward, who look out to the horizon and remember that, together, there’s nothing we can’t do.”

Sports

>> INSIDE

The Chronicle

FOOTBALL

THURSDAY June 16, 2011

College football season is just around the corner!

Get to know the stars of the 2011 Blue Devils heading into summer practice. PAGE 8

www.dukechroniclesports.com

TRACK AND FIELD

Duke plans Bottorff crowned in Iowa for upcoming Sophomore posts a 67.4-second final lap to win 10k title season

by Chris Cusack THE CHRONICLE

School was in session for more than just students on Wednesday.

About 15 members of the local media were offered an in-depth look at the upcoming 2011 Duke football season at the first annual ‘Football 101 with David Cutcliffe.’ Cutcliffe hosted the three-hour event alongisde defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, offensive line coach Matt Luke and associate head coach, special teams coordinator and tight ends coach Ron Middleton.

After an introduction by Cutcliffe, Knowles broke down the 4-2-5 defensive package that the team had spent all spring beginning to institute. The scheme, featuring five defensive backs, will help keep the Blue Devils versatile by keeping their fastest athletes on the field, especially important against a spread offense.

While the details of his package were altered from those his players were used to, Knowles planned to maintain the aggressive, blitzing playcalling that has recently become Duke’s hallmark.

“We are a very blitz-heavy team,” Knowles said. “But we weren’t very good at it last year.”

Knowles’ defense has a proven track record of success, beginning at Western Michigan over a decade ago and carrying over to his stint as head coach at Cornell. In 2003, the Big Red gave up over 30 points per game, along with an average of 4.6 yards per carry. The following season, Knowles’ first at the SEE CUTCLIFFE ON PAGE 8

SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

Juliet Bottorff overcame the intense Iowa heat to claim the first NCAA outdoor championship in Duke history with a time of 34:25.86.

by Sarah Elsakr THE CHRONICLE

LARSA AL-OMASHI/THE CHRONICLE

Johnny Williams, left, is the “best athlete” on the Blue Devil defense, according to defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.

When Juliet Bottorff first stepped on the track at the NCAA championships, winning was not on her mind. The sophomore had set her sights on finishing in the top eight, thus earning the title of All-American, in the 10k race.

But with one lap remaining, all that changed.

The first 9,600 meters had been a slow, tactical race, as runners tried to withstand the thick Des Moines, Iowa heat. Even with an 8:45 p.m. start, the conditions were nearly unbearable, and Iowa State’s Betsy Saina, the 2010 NCAA runner up, was forced to withdraw after collapsing on the track.

Bottorff simply survived, step after step, lap after lap, knowing that with each passing second she grew incrementally closer to achieving her goal of a top-eight finish. As she reached the final 400 meters, though, the sophomore realized she still had the energy to make a final sprint. She strode out to the front of the pack, daring her competitors to keep pace—and soon realized they couldn’t.

“I definitely did not think the win was going to happen,” Bottorff said. “With two laps to go, the idea started creeping into my head, but not until I started to make my move and realized that no one was coming

with me did I realize I had it.”

Even if Bottorff’s competitors had been able to make a push to the finish, it seems unlikely they could have matched the sophomore’s blazing 67.4-second final lap, leaving her with a total time of 34:25.86.

“I knew I felt really good,” Bottorff said. “But for all I knew other people were feeling great too…you just never really know until you cross the line.”

Bottorff is Duke’s first-ever NCAA women’s outdoor champion, though Shannon Rowbury ran the fastest mile at the 2006 NCAA indoor championships.

Bottorff’s win is made more impressive since the sophomore was seeded in fifth place heading into the race and took the win through a strategy that, according to her, was less than ideal.

“I actually don’t prefer [slow races that come down to a final sprint],” Bottorff said. “I’m more of a fan of honest races that are faster. You can’t say this was an honest race.

No one wanted to take the lead. Everyone wanted the others to do the work.”

Preference notwithstanding, this isn’t the first time Bottorff has shown an ability to run a smart race, patiently staying with the lead pack and then taking the SEE BOTTORFF ON PAGE 8

8 | THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2011

THE CHRONICLE

CUTCLIFFE from page 7

BLUE DEVILS TO WATCH

helm, opponents averaged just 18.1 points per game and a paltry 2.9 yards per carry. After giving up the most rushing yards per game in the ACC last season, Knowles has an uphill battle in front of him.

“Blitzing is about confidence,” Knowles said. “For the first half of the spring we were terrible... but if you saw the spring game you could see how far we’ve come.”

On the offensive side, Duke will continue to try to balance the rushing and passing games. Last season, the Blue Devils averaged 110 yards on the ground and

“We’re a lot closer than you might ever dream right now.”

— David Cutcliffe 271 yards in the air per game, last and second in the ACC, respectively.

Luke acknowledged that in the past, a lack of depth on the offensive line made it difficult for Duke to run the ball consistently. This year he believes there are about seven linemen he can shuffle through during the course of a game, a significant increase on previous seasons although that even might not be enough.

“Ideally, I’d like to have a full second line, like hockey,” Luke said.

After successfully recovering 4-of-6 onside kicks last fall, Middleton is excited to have first team All-American Will Snyderwine back as the Blue Devils’ kicker.

“He can make that ball do tricks,” Middleton said.

The 2011 Blue Devils will sport a very young roster, two-thirds of which is made up of freshmen and sophomores. Even so, they will return 17 starters from a team that won three games last season, and lost four more by a mere 21 combined points.

“We’re a lot closer than you might ever dream right now,” Cutcliffe said. “We’re as optimistic as we get.”

TED KNUDSEN/CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO

TED KNUDSEN/CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO

MATT DANIELS

SEAN RENFREE

Daniels, who defensive coordinator Jim Knowles calls the “anchor” of the defense after recording 93 tackles along with seven pass breakups last season, will be expected to pick up any slack left in the transition to the new 4-2-5 defensive scheme.

After a blistering start in his first season as a starter, Renfree was largely inconsistent in the latter half of his sophomore campaign—but his continued maturation and comraderie with returning receivers could be a boost for Duke’s high-octane passing attack.

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BOTTORFF from page 7 victory at the end. Earlier this season she used the same strategy during the ECAC 3k race, patiently staying near the leaders before taking the victory at the end. According to Bottorff, that race, like the others during the season, was simply preparation for NCAA’s and a step towards becoming a smarter racer.

Despite finally reaching the culmination of all that training and hard work, the champion said that the realization of what it means has yet to sink in, and that what she feels now is mainly gratitude for what the Duke program has provided.

Bottorff pointed out that the Duke coaches have helped shape her success, stating that the support system she found at the University over the past two years played a key role in helping her develop into the champion she is today.

Regardless of all the success, however, Bottorff is anything but complacent. While most runners would view an NCAA title as the peak of achievement, Bottorf is already looking ahead.

“I don’t at all feel like now I’ve done everything,” Bottorff said. “There are plenty of goals ahead. On the one hand I’ve gained confidence, but on the other hand there’s still a lot that I want to prove to myself.”

THE CHRONICLE

THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2011 | 9

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10 | THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2011

Some tips for Duke TIP The economic downturn Duke TIP—a “nonprofit orhas forced public schools ganization dedicated to servacross the country to re- ing academically gifted and evaluate which programs to talented youth”—offers opcontinue funding, and un- portunities and challenges fortunately for some of the students who have displayed brightest young advanced acaminds, gifted demic and editorial and talented intellectual programs are being slashed. abilities from grades four Such programs—which work through 12. to acclimate young students The program’s decision with advanced academic to expand internationally— challenges and offer them an with potential new programs insight into university study in Singapore and Kunshan, at an early age—are an im- China—shows TIP’s wellportant component in gifted founded dedication to destudents’ learning process. livering opportunities to The Duke University Tal- children who may not speak ent Identification Program English or otherwise encounstrives to pick up the slack, ter an American learning exhowever, and plans to expand perience. According to the its programs internationally Duke TIP website, the proand maintain high levels of gram deems these challenges participation domestically. as significant factors that

“

Just a sad, sad day to lose friend who meant so much to so many.

—“schanzerdavid” commenting on the story “Dubay remembered as ‘diehard Dukie.”

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LETTERS POLICY The Chronicle welcomes submissions in the form of letters to the editor or guest columns. Submissions must include the author’s name, signature, department or class, and for purposes of identification, phone number and local address.

Letters should not exceed 325 words; contact the editorial department for information regarding guest columns.

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make it difficult to identify gifted international students.

The two new programs follow the recently established Duke TIP in India, currently in its fourth year of existence, along with programs spread across Italy, Costa Rica, the Netherlands and Beijing.

Already, a large percentage of each incoming undergraduate class has taken part in the TIP program— at Duke or elsewhere. Many students who visit campus to take part in the program eventually add Duke to their list of college choices, a fact that the administration acknowledges. Some of these students cite a familiarity with the campus, along with a bond to the University. For Duke TIP to keep its integrity, though, the program cannot

be seen as a way to funnel the best and brightest into Duke lecture halls as undergraduates.

And although it is admirable that Duke TIP is leading the global charge, it is important that the program remain attentive to the needs of gifted students within the United States. In conjunction with institutions like the Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University— another top talent identification program—Duke TIP’s independent mission must continue.

Amid expansion, it is also critical that Duke TIP consider making changes to its financial aid offerings in order to make the program feasible to all families, regardless of income level. Although

Duke TIP offers financial aid for domestic programs, aid for international programs is limited. Such TIP programs require families to pocket the costs directly—reducing the amount of TIP families who can reasonably afford the cost of not only tuition but an international plane fare—and therefore an international learning experience.

It is important that the program reconcile its goal of expansion with its pledge to reach gifted students from all backgrounds and socioeconomic classes. If Duke TIP is serious about opening itself entirely to underprivileged families, it is important that each and every program be made available to students, whatever the cost.

The mentor is worth it

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In a couple of weeks I will start taking a computer science course at Harvard, just a few minutes walk away from where I work at the National Bureau of Economic Research. It will be the first time my formal higher education has taken place outside of Duke. Not surprisingly, embarking on a new academic journey has brought old memories into focus.

It has also forced paul horak me to reconsider the road ahead what the most general goals of higher education are. The United States is home to the world’s most prestigious and dynamic institutions of higher learning, but even places like Harvard and Duke face their fair share of challenges. Every good college or university strives to stretch the minds of its students, to encourage them to engage their global community and to expand the boundaries of human knowledge.

These are undoubtedly idealistic goals. But there is a practical component to American higher education as well: the enhancement of marketable skills. The struggles of this year’s graduating class to find good jobs have been well documented. The job market has forced many—especially new graduates—to question if the college experience is delivering on its promises, and others to question if college is worth all the money, time and effort.

Most statistics say college is a pretty good investment: The unemployment rate for college graduates is half what it is for non-graduates, and college graduates still tend to earn significantly more than non-graduates over their lifetimes. But those statistics don’t negate the stories one hears about new graduates drowning in debt or working in low-skilled, soul-draining jobs. Some college graduates will step into a bleak reality upon leaving school.

But even the jobless graduates will probably admit that there were good stories to temper the bad. For most, college remains the most fondly remembered time in life—the middle-aged look back on their college years with light in their eyes, the newest graduates with tears. In my opinion, the question we should be asking is not “is it worth it” but rather “how do we make it more worthwhile?”

The recession has called into question the utility of a college education, but colleges and universities are not reeling from an existential crisis.

The crisis, if any, that higher education in America faces today is an epistemic one. The question is not “should we learn,” but what should we learn, and how? Administrators have devoted a lot of time and money to developing an answer to that question.

The result has been an explosive increase in the number of opportunities given to undergraduates. Studying abroad has become a right of passage. Being matched to an internship or some other rewarding summer experience is expected.

Having state-of-the-art facilities in which to do research is assumed. American higher education really is the land of opportunity, but that is not necessarily a good thing.

Sometimes the pressure to seize an opportunity crowds out the process of developing goals. If studying abroad or getting an internship or doing research helps you to achieve your goals then, the experience is a good and useful one. But, if it is done haphazardly, or worse, with no goal in mind, then it is a distraction—seizing superfluous opportunities often times makes us feel like we have achieved something when in fact we have not.

There are of course some opportunities that motivate us to create goals, DukeEngage, for example, might encourage a person to find a passion they never knew they had.

There are a lot of opportunities afforded to undergraduates, but the ones with the most merit are the ones that advance your goals—and the sooner the better. This is one area where a liberal arts education may lead people astray: Academic exploration is not just encouraged, it is required. That’s not a bad thing, In fact, the ability to explore is a necessary part of being an emerging adult. Findings in developmental psychology support this.

But they also acknowledge that exploration should have some direction, otherwise identity formation and the subsequent assumption of enduring responsibilities (saying to yourself that I am a person who wants to get married or wants to work hard) is delayed. The American system of higher education still struggles to give students the direction they need to succeed. All the inputs are there, but assembling a good student who is a freethinking global citizen is not straightforward.

When making changes to a college or university’s curriculum, administrators should acknowledge the limits of their control over a student’s development: some self-assembly is required. But it is also important that such assembly is directed— and administrators can do much more to provide direction. One thing that we could do better at Duke is mentorship. Mentorship goes beyond advising people what to do and how to fulfill requirements: It involves getting to know students, talking about their interests and finding ways to advance their goals.

It is just what young, multi-talented people need.

Paul Horak is a Trinity junior.

THE CHRONICLE

THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2011 | 11

commentaries

A breath for beer I like beer. But I don’t want to die.

If you’re with me on this, I’ve got a proposal for you: Teenagers should install ignition interlock devices—which measure a driver’s blood alcohol level—in their vehicles in exchange for the right to drink.

Under this system, state governments would issue a new class of opt-in driver’s licenses for 18 to 21-year-olds.

With such a license, a teenage driver would be legally obligated to install an ignition interlock device in his or her car and drive only vehicles with such systems installed. jeremy ruch And in exchange, the drivrun and tell that er would be entitled to possess and drink alcohol under the age of 21.

Let’s start with some background. Many of those who support a lower drinking age focus on the argument that teenage alcohol abuse would be no worse or even less prolific if the age of consumption was lowered to 18.

This is mostly a waste of time. The leading opponents of lowering the drinking age are not primarily concerned with potential health effects on teenagers, but rather the harm drunk teenagers cause to others (otherwise, they’d be equally focused on raising the age of purchase for tobacco to 21).

Indeed, the main advocates of the higher drinking age are a group called Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). This group rightfully points out that teenagers, once drunk, are astonishingly likely to get behind the wheel and kill someone. MADD was a leading proponent of the 1984 congressional bill that mandates 21 as the minimum age for purchasing and publicly possessing alcohol.

Unfortunately, this law has proven ineffective. Enforcement is pitiful: According to the 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 42 percent of high school students reported drinking alcohol in the past 30 days. Ten percent drove after drinking alcohol, and 28 percent rode with a driver who had been drinking. And various localized studies, including one by Arizona State University, have shown that raising the legal drinking age has had no effect on teenager consumption.

Not to mention that the small group of teenagers who choose to obey the law are also the ones least likely to drive drunk in the first place.

Clearly, teenagers drive drunk regardless of the drinking age. Fortunately, a new technology has emerged called ignition interlock. Mandatory in some states for drivers with prior DWI (driving while intoxicated) convictions, these devices require drivers to breath into a cell phonelike device to demonstrate sobriety. If the driver is drunk, the car doesn’t start.

Ignition interlocks aren’t just tools—they are miracle workers.

Studies have shown that while installed, re-arrest rates for drunk driving decreased by 67 percent—and that’s for

people who already have a propensity to drive drunk. One can only imagine what they would do in the cars of every teenager.

So you can’t blame me for having assumed MADD would be unbridled proponents of these devices, if not so much the idea of lowering the drinking age.

Yet astonishingly, when I gave them a call, they objected almost as much to the idea of mandatory interlocks for non-DWI convicts as they did to lowering the drinking age.

Frank Harris, MADD state legislative affairs manager, told me the devices are “intrusive” for anyone who has not already been convicted of driving drunk, including teenagers. So MADD only advocates their installation in the vehicles of DWI convicts.

That’s a little like only requiring background checks on people who have already shot someone when issuing gun permits.

The government already tells me that I have to wear a helmet on a bicycle, wear a seat belt and drive a vehicle with airbags in order to save my own life. An extra breath before starting my car to save someone else’s—along with my own—hardly seems like a giant step.

MADD’s argument—that asking people to prove sobriety is intrusive—is fatuous, especially given their insistence that banning teenage drinking altogether is not. Even if opponents adopt the tenuous constitutional argument that mandatory installation of such devices are an “unreasonable search,” that wouldn’t apply to an opt-in agreement to install them.

And this kind of pilot program is the perfect way to popularize this fledgling technology.

Widespread adoption now among a key population would encourage further research into cheaper and more foolproof devices, which could one day lead to universal use.

Indeed, newer devices that are under development measure sobriety through eyeball sensors or sensors in the gearshift, which make them more accurate and even less intrusive (they also prevent drunks from having sober friends blow into their interlocks for them).

Of course, this is a two-way street. Regardless of what the drinking age is, the blase attitude toward drinking and driving many teenagers have is idiotic. But trust breeds responsibility, and the worst way to get young adults to behave like adults is to treat us like children.

And it may sound ridiculous now, but young people should be MADD’s largest constituency: We’re disproportionately likely to die in drunk driving accidents. Supporting this pilot program will win MADD a host of new followers in pursuit of what should be a universal goal: stopping drunk driving. More importantly, it will save lives.

So let’s make a deal.

Jeremy Ruch is a Trinity junior.

Summer sucks

A

t times, summer is harder than the school year.

Yes, there is no homework. No grades to worry about at the end of the semester. Summer is supposed to be stress-free.

Yet in my experience, it’s anything but.

Even before summer begins, the race to find a job or an internship for the fast-approaching summer is a grueling application process that involves hours searching on the internet, days writing essays and perhaps even weeks anticipating the interview. It’s like applying to college, except rui dai it happens again every a picture’s worth year.

There is a certain pressure applied to us because of our identity as Duke students. We are expected to do something spectacular over the summer. Whether it is teaching girls in Uganda or building houses in Guatemala, Duke students are expected to go places over the summer—the more exotic, the better.

I remember once watching a really bad romantic comedy where the description of the ideal man was a doctor who went to Indonesia to help starving children.

He sounded uncannily like a Duke graduate.

Of course, that is not a bad thing.

Exotic summer experiences place students in unfamiliar situations that build character and strength.

We are supposed to come out of the summer with a fresh perspective that we otherwise would not have achieved.

Yet it is entirely possible for someone to return from Africa unchanged, just as it is for another student to finish a summer in Durham completely transformed.

There is a reason why DukeEngage offers both abroad and domestic programs.

Therefore the question is, what is it about summer experiences that leads to change? Could it be the old adage that misery builds character? Or could it be the simple exposure to a new world perspective?

There were moments this summer in Europe when I couldn’t wait for the flight back home. All I could think about is how easy it would be to buy a plane ticket and return to Cleveland. I missed my room. I missed my bed. I missed sitting in front of the television with nothing to do but zone out.

And that’s just me in Germany. Imagine what must be going through the minds of those in rural Africa or underdeveloped countries.

There are fewer opportunities for abroad students to escape the hardships of adjusting to a new environment. Discomfort is a given when you don’t speak the native language or you don’t look like anyone else in the streets.

That’s the difference between domestic and abroad programs. It is a lot harder to feel displaced in the United States than in a foreign exotic location. It is a lot more difficult to go home when the Atlantic Ocean stands between you and your destination.

However, that does not imply a similar discomfort cannot be experienced in the United States. It just means you have to look for it.

Living on campus during the summer can be a humbling experience. You realize just how many people you take for granted during the school year. The bustling plaza isn’t really the same without the various student groups tabling around noon. The library seems strangely empty without the late-nighters sleeping in the armchairs. The loneliness you feel without a constant group of peers and friends is often an unrecognized hardship.

The same can be said of getting a job back home.

There is always a sense that you are getting left behind by not doing more over the summer. You realize that you are more ambitious than you thought you could be.

You begin to learn more about yourself.

So regardless of where you are, there is a very good chance that this summer is not the highlight of your year.

Don’t despair. It only means that you are being transformed.

Summers suck. But two years from now, you will hopefully be grateful for the person that summers have helped you become.

Rui Dai is a Trinity junior.

12 | THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2011

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LAW from page 1 District of California before his appointment as dean in 2007.

“As a former judge who is now part of a great academic law school, I see tremendous benefits in bringing together thoughtful judges and scholars to study judicial institutions in the light of academic research considered through the lens of day-to-day experience,” Levi said in a news release. “Whether it is judicial independence, efficiency, bias, the selection process for judges, the use of judges or juries to decide certain cases, the use of specialized courts or the attainment of justice—these are topics of great national and international interest.”

The Center for Judicial Studies has already begun to take shape. In 2009, the School of Law has held two conferences at Duke about judicial behavior and decision-making that were well attended, Knight said. The first conference offered by the center is scheduled for

g n i m n o C oo S

Spring 2012.

He added that the master’s program in judicial studies is unique in that no other major law schools or universities offer an educational experience for judges.

Knight noted that the University of Virginia School of Law offered a similar master’s degree in judicial studies but ceased the program a few years ago.

The master’s degree in judicial studies—which will enroll its inaugural class of 10 to 15 judges in Summer 2012—will be offered during two four-week sessions over the course of two summers.

The program was designed to be flexible so judges can hopefully make time to attend the programs, Knight said. Judges will be encouraged to return to Duke throughout the year between the two summers for other events and programming.

According to the center’s website, tuition for the master’s program is currently set at $16,750, but some financial assistance based on merit and need will be available for judges. The curriculum will include classes specializing in judicial writing and a historical study

of the judiciary. Students must also complete a thesis based on original research.

Although the program is in its developmental phases, Tia Barnes, assistant dean for academic affairs, said the program’s marketing strategy will include targeting members of the American Bar Association, state bar associations and other organizations with divisions specifically for judges.

The master’s program’s application for American Bar Association approval is pending, according to a news release.

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THURSDAY, JULY 1, 2010

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by Nate Freeman THE CHRONICLE

The Chronicle’s Send Home Issue

For most Duke students, their stay in Durham has a four-year time limit. Senior year ends and the boys and girls in gowns blow Durham a big fat goodbye kiss before they hit the road. The Lucky Strike smokestack tower recedes in the rearview mirror, and they don’t look back. The migration begins in the weeks after the words of the commencement speaker stop echoing in the heads of the cap-wearers: the graduated class packs its futons into rented U-Hauls and leaves behind its Durham digs, moving on to jobs in trendy hubs of culture and commerce. The farther these fresh alums get from the Bull City, the more expansive the Duke Diaspora becomes.

But what about those who stay? The RaleighDurham area is the third most likely place for alumni to end up, behind only New York and Washington, D.C., according to an exit survey of the Class of 2009.

Chris O’Neill, Trinity ’95, who is the assistant director of regional programs for the Duke Alumni Association and the coordinator of the Duke Club of the Triangle, noted that in the past 10 years he’s seen an

ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTH YEAR, SEND HOME ISSUE

uptick in the number of Duke graduates who stick around post-graduation.

“As Durham grows and develops it’s been a more attractive place to live,” he said. “The economy has played into that—it’s a reasonable place to live.”

With the economy still freezing students out of the job market, more people are enrolling in graduate school to help their chances in landing the perfect gig, O’Neill said. And if you’re going to pay for graduate school instead of actually making money, he added, you’ll need to live in a city that won’t bleed you of your money.

Other students have found positions as research assistants for Duke professors, jobs in the admissions office or placement elsewhere within the Duke sphere, according to the Class of 2010 exit survey that was compiled by the Duke Alumni Association. Others who responded to the exit poll—which consists of information from 433 members of the class of 2010—are sticking around to study for the MCAT or other entrance exams, with the intent of leaving Durham after they take the test. In the survey, nearly 50 people said they intended to stay in Durham, Raleigh or Chapel Hill.

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in some ways, we get special credit being a math department, which is a harmonious mixture of what I’ll call pure and what I’ll call applications because actually I think that different subjects have different behavior, different phenomena [and] citations.”

One reason why Duke may have fared better in the Times ranking is that the department places such a large focus on research, as almost every professor does research, Aspinwall noted.

“If you compare us to most of the other people in the top 20, we’re a department that’s smaller,” Aspinwall said. “The number of papers and citations are lower because the number of faculty’s actually lower.... There’s a more personal experience [at Duke]—we’re a more tightly-knit group.”

The two principal requirements for being hired as faculty in the department are excellent teaching skills and very strong research credentials, Layton said. Such faculty frequently receive federal grants that help support research conducted by graduate students and postdoctoral students.

“A large part of our mission is to be stewards of what we have learned and to pass on that learning to the next generation,” Layton said. “The math department puts heavy emphasis on teacher-training for our graduate students and post-docs and on providing for them the experience of teaching.”

Layton also noted that he believes the department’s high ranking will likely attract additional undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students and perhaps faculty.

Both Calderbank and Daubechies, who are married, came to Duke from Princeton at the beginning of Fall 2010. The two were attracted to the increased opportunities that Duke would offer in order for the couple to make changes and take risks in their fields, Calderbank said.

“There’s a conservatism that attaches to the Ivy League in particular,” he said. “If you were to tell Harvard and Princeton that tomorrow the world is never going to change then, from their point of view, that would be fine because they’re really happy about how the world is right now and their position…. So in a sense, I think there’s more [of a] spirit of adventure here.”