Congratulations to B.N. Duke Junior David Hong, who was recently named Projects Abroad Volunteer of the Month!  Having designed his own International Summer of Service project, David  taught computer programming and robotics classes to young children at Hyde Park Primary School in Cape Town, South Africa, last summer.

Congratulations to Sophomore B.N. Duke Scholar Jacob Tobia, who is portraying the character Benji in the Manbites Dog Theater production of Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them! This is Jacob's first professional performance in a play. The show runs from December 1-17, 2011 at the theater in downtown Durham. 

Watch this YouTube video where Jacob Tobia, a B.N. Sophomore and participant in the Hart Leadership Program at Duke's Sanford School of Public Policy, discusses endowment transparency and how some Duke students are calling for the university to conduct its business more ethically.

Watch the video produced by ABC News in celebration of the Duke Global Health Institute's 5 year anniversary. Through DGHI, Duke professors, researchers and students have worked to improve the lives of people all over the world. B.N. Duke Junior Ally Santini spent her International Summer of Service working with DGHI in Uganda,  for the Naama Community Health Collaborative, where she participated in multiples projects including a women's empowerment program, coaching a girl's soccer team and assisting with a water purification project.

B.N. Duke Scholarship Director Don Taylor has just published the e-book, Balancing the Budget is a Progressive Priority. He will be contracting with an academic press for a fuller version in the near future, however, he felt it necessary to make it available now, due to the timeliness of the topic.  The book focuses on what to do next after the Affordable Care Act and how that will impact balancing the budget.

Read the news from Marion County, South Carolina where our rising Sophomores just completed their Carolina Summer of Service.

Congratulations to rising Freshman Priyang Shah, graduate of Myers Park High School in Charlotte, NC, who recently won the Congressional Debate event at the National Forensic League's National Speech and Debate Tournament in Dallas. The NFL is the United States' speech and debate honor society.

Congratulations to rising Senior Davis Graham and the Duke Cycling Team, who recently placed 4th in the National Championships in Madison, Wisconsin! Davis served as club President during the 2010-2011 academic year. Read more about the club here.

A reporter for The Chronicle explores the recruitment and selection goals for undergraduate merit scholarships available at Duke and discovers that yield is not easily predicted. B.N. Duke Scholarship Director Don Taylor and Senior B.N. John Deans provide their insight into the process.

Read the university's official announcement of our new Freshman Class in Duke Today.

Congratulations to rising Senior David Womble, winner of an English Excellence Award, the Barbara Herrnstein Smith Award for Criticism and Theory! David served as 2010-2011 President and Webmaster for the English Major's Union. Fellow B.N. and rising Senior Ben DeMarco served as the group's Treasurer. The English Major's Union was founded by B.N. alumnus Cynthia Chen (Class of 2010) in 2009.

Freshman Catherine Kappauf, a member of defMo, the only multicultural dance troupe on campus, is featured in a new DUU video. The project was a collaboration between defMo and Freewater Productions and was recorded at Keohane 4E (K4) Residence Hall construction site. The video can be viewed on YouTube as well as on Duke Today. The piece is titled "WERQ9."

Freshman Jacob Tobia has created a new student organization, Duke Students for Gender Neutrality (DSGN pronounced design), with the goal of creating more gender-neutral spaces and advocating for more gender-neutral policies at Duke. He has set up a preliminary website and is currently recruiting other merit scholars and Duke students interested in serving as officers on the organization's executive board. Those interested can contact him at jacob.tobia@gmail.com.

Listen to North Carolina Public Radio's Rose Hoban as she discusses the role and efficacy of a possible medical malpractice cap in our state. Professor Don Taylor, a health policy expert, is her guest along with a family who sued for malpractice, two state legislators and a hospital administrator in the story, "Impact of Medical Malpractice Cap Unclear."

Congratulations to Director Don Taylor on being appointed by Health & Human Services Director Kathleen Sebelius, to serve as one of 24 professionals on a committee tasked with reviewing current criteria and developing new means of identifying medically underserved constituents, as well as areas where there are medical professional shortages.  The newly passed health care reform bill, the Affordable Care Act, allowed for the creation of this committee.  Don will be meeting monthly in Washington, D.C. with his colleagues.
Read the official announcement from HRSA here.

A group of BN Duke Scholars created a team and competed in the Duke-Carolina Student Basketball Marathon on Saturday, 2/19/2011 in Wilson Gym. Those participating included Junior John Deans, Sophomore Lauren Jamiolkowski,Sophomore Sasha McEwan, Sophomore Ally Santini, Senior Anthony Sanderson and Freshman Will Woodhouse. This annual event is a fundraiser for Bounceback Kids,an organization that provides children ages 3-21,with serious medical conditions, opportunities to enrich their lives and regain a sense of normalcy through free year-round social, athletic and recreational activities, along with support services. Read the article in Durham's Herald-Sun.

Read Don Taylor's editorial in the 12/3/2010 issue of the The News and Observer, where he urges lawmakers on all sides of these issues to address them now, rather than wait for the situation to worsen. He sees the Deficit Commission Report as a logical jumping-off point.  Read more about this and other issues on his blog, Freeforall -- A Health Policy Discussion, at www.donaldhtaylorjr.blogspot.com

Senior B. N. Duke Scholar Rui Jiang spent this past summer working with Bhutanese Refugees, who resettled in Durham via Nepal, through Church World Service and World Relief. The Kenan Institute for Ethics gave her the opportunity to assist them with tutoring, as well as participate in a multi-site (Nepal and Durham), community-based research project, on their food and health traditions, determining how they have evolved, as a result of their resettlement. This pilot project will allow the Kenan Institute for Ethics to assess the potential for a major longitudinal study of refugee resettlement.  During the next five years, thousands of Bhutanese will relocate from Nepal to Durham.

Congratulations to Freshman Rebekah Johnston, who was recently selected as one of 18 first year undergraduate women at Duke to participate in the Alice M. Baldwin Scholars Program! The Baldwin Scholars are mentored by upperclass scholars, as well as faculty and alumni, as they pursue positions of leadership and work toward positively influencing the culture for women at Duke University, through internships, community service projects and other activities.  Rebekah joins five other B.N. Duke Scholars in the Baldwin Scholars Program: Seniors Julia Chapman and Snayha Nath; Juniors Khadijah Bhatti and Maria Suarez; and Sophomore Casey Edwards. Read the announcement in Duke Today.

Read the story in the 9/9/2010 edition of the Wall Street Journal where Rachel Weeks, Class of 2007, is featured along with other young American entrepreneurs.

Check out our Spotlight on an Alum page and read more about Rachel!

The Class of 2013 and their Carolina Summer of Service were featured in Duke Today on 9/7/2010.  Read about their experiences serving community organizations in Marion County, South Carolina.  The Duke Endowment chose to run the same story on their website in September.  See the article here under New Generation of Leaders. www.dukeendowment.org/issues/advancing-student-achievement/scholarships-overview/

Cheers to Lindsey Wallace, B.N. Duke Class of 2011, recently named a Truman Scholar!