Two Faculty Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Caron, Hayles
Two members of the Duke faculty are among the 197 leaders from academia, business, public affairs, the humanities and the arts who have been elected members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
The new inductees are Marc G. Caron, James B. Duke Professor of Cell Biology, and N. Katherine Hayles, professor of literature and English.
Members of the 2015 class include winners of the Nobel Prize and the Pulitzer Prize; MacArthur and Guggenheim Fellowships; and Grammy, Emmy, Oscar and Tony awards.
Caron studies dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine and other key neurotransmitters in the central nervous system that regulate behavior and mobility. By studying the mechanisms of action and regulation of the neurotransmitters, Caron seeks to find potential treatment avenues for a variety of behavior issues. In one recent project, Caron and colleagues found that serotonin-deficient brains are more vulnerable to social stress and depression.
Hayles explores how digital technologies affect research paradigms in the humanities. Her book, "How We Think: Digital Media and Contemporary Technogenesis," examines the implications of media upheavals within the humanities and social sciences, as traditionally print-based disciplines move into digital media.
One of the nation’s most prestigious honorary societies, the American Academy is also a leading center for independent policy research. Members contribute to academy publications and studies of science and technology policy, global security and international affairs, social policy and American institutions, and the humanities, arts and education.
In 2014, four Duke faculty were elected to the academy: Susan C. Alberts, a Bass Fellow and professor of biology;Michael Barry Kastan, executive director of the Duke Cancer Institute and the William W. Shingleton MD Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology in School of Medicine; Paula D. McClain, dean of the graduate school and a professor of political science and public policy; andWilliam M. Reddy, the William T. Laprade Professor of History and a professor of cultural anthropology.