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For more events, check theuniversity’s online calendarat http://calendar.duke.edu
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Sierra names Duke among its 10 topeco-friendly colleges
Sierra Magazine has named DukeUniversity one of America’s Top 10 “Coolest”Schools for the efforts Duke is taking to stopglobal warming. Duke was ranked fifth in themagazine’s “10 That Get It” list, the firsttime the magazine has listed the greenestcampuses in America.“The Blue Devils are turning green,mandating certification by the U.S. Green BuildingCouncil for all new construction, improving on campus bike trails,collecting 17 types of recyclables, and pouring money into wind andsmall hydropower projects,” Sierra Magazine says in theNovember/December issue.Sierra Magazine has a circulation of 1.2 million readers, and is thenational magazine of the Sierra Club, the nation's oldest and largestgrassroots environmental group. Read more at
www.sierraclub.org/sierra
.
United Way Duke Partnership Campaign nearing end
The United Way Duke Partnership Campaign is acceptingdonations from Duke faculty and staff through Jan. 1, 2008. So far,nearly $700,000 has been donated. Each year, faculty and staff of theuniversity and health system generously support the United Way,which funds 84 agencies and 177 programs in the community thatfeed the hungry, shelter the homeless, care for the young, strengthenfamilies and serve seniors close to home. Last year, nearly 3,000 Dukefaculty and staff contributed nearly $1 million to the campaign. Formore information, and to donate online, visit
www.hr.duke.edu/unitedway
.
Banjos, flute on tap for library conversation series
For the second year, the Duke University Libraries and the DukeUniversity Musical Instrument Collections are co-sponsoring a seriesof free monthly musical conversations and demonstrations that areopen to everyone. All of the events are held at Perkins Library in theBiddle Rare Book Room.At 4 p.m. Dec. 7, William Michal Jr. will present “The Love of theBanjo.” Using audio and slides, Dr. Michal, a banjo collector, will talkabout the instrument’s history in America, particularly during the 19thand 20th centuries. The audience will hear recordings of banjo music,some made by Michal before he retired from public performance.The next program at 4 p.m. Jan. 18 will feature Tom Moore onthe flute accompanied by harpsichordist Tracy Richardson. Moore,who is Duke’s music librarian and director of Duke Collegium Musicum,will discuss and demonstrate the early flute; there are more than 200flutes in the Duke instrument collections.For more information about these and other programs in theseries, visit
http://dumic.org/news_events
.
Duke establishes new center for engineering, energyand environment
A new center to educate students to meet the world’s energyneeds while also improving its environment is being established byDuke’s Pratt School of Engineering in collaboration with theuniversity’s Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences.The Gendell Center for Engineering, Energy and the Environmentwill provide research, instruction and resources to investigate causesand solutions to complex environmental issues.“The Gendell Center is a wonderful example of Duke’s strategyto make a difference by building on its special strengths incollaboration to address real-world problems,” said Duke PresidentRichard H. Brodhead.The center is being named for Jeffrey and Martha Gendell ofGreenwich, Conn., who are giving $7.85 million for two new facultypositions, learning facilities and laboratory support there, as wellas another assistant professorship in the Nicholas School.It is expected that the center will developcourses leading to a new undergraduate certificateprogram in energy and theenvironment. It also will provide a newhome where faculty, students andindustry professionals can interact,whether they are pursuing basicscientific questions or real-worldapplications on issues ranging fromatmospheric chemistry to new energy-saving ideas for homes, vehicles orworkplaces. The center is likely to be locatedinitially in Duke’s Hudson Hall and feature newclassrooms, laboratories and meeting spaces.
DECEMBER 14
: :
PublicStargazing led by physics department,6 p.m., Duke Teaching Laboratory,off Cornwallis Road, 1.5 miles westof Kerley Road. Event is subject toweather. Visit
www.cgtp.duke.edu/~plesser/observatory/
.
JANUARY 16
: :
Game Night,PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360,PlayStation: PS2, PC, Atari gamingalong with board games hosted byISIS, 9 p.m. to midnight, InteractiveMultimedia Project Space (IMPS) inthe Franklin Center, 2204 Erwin Rd.
JANUARY 20
: :
Marian WrightEdelman, president of the Children’sDefense Fund, gives keynote addressat 2008 Duke University MartinLuther King Jr. celebration, 3 p.m.,Duke Chapel.
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n an emergency, Duke’s staff, faculty and students will get information quickly and in numerous ways. Join Kemel Dawkins, vice president for CampusServices, and Aaron Graves, associate vice president forSafety and Security, for Primetime on Dec. 11, as they discuss safety at Duke, and how the university community will be notified during an emergency. The forum is atnoon in Griffith Theater in the Bryan Center.“This issue has been taken very seriously,” saidDawkins, who led a review of Duke’s emergency plansin coordination with President Richard H. Brodhead,Executive Vice President Tallman Trask III and othersenior leaders. “The university has devoted considerableeffort into reviewing our current procedures andidentifying best practices at other institutions. Our new plans will significantly improve our preparedness.”Since the shootings at Virginia Tech in April,Duke has analyzed its emergency response policiesand procedures, researching best practices at otheruniversities and studying new technology andcommunications systems. Among enhancements, Duke will invest in new,dedicated computer servers to send an alert e-mailto all students, faculty and staff more quickly. The university is purchasing a siren and voice-announcement system to broadcast messages across campus. Also, a special Web site –
www.emergency.duke.edu
– has been developed for the Duke community to learnmore about notification and the crisis communication plan. On the site, Duke community members can sign up for RSSfeeds such as the alert.rss feed that would notify subscribers after an emergency is reported. The site also will have otherfeeds for updates as an emergency unfolds.
— By Office of Communication Services
Emergency planning is focusof Dec.11 employee forum
Letters to the Editor must include name and contact information. E-mail letters to working@duke.edu or mail them to Working@Duke Editor, Box90496, Durham, NC 27708. Fax letters to (919) 681-7926. Please keeplength to no more than 200 words.
LEARN MORE ATWWW.EMERGENCY.DUKE.EDU
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