A new series explores how Duke faculty are crossing disciplinary boundaries to address global challenges — from sustainable energy to space debris
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A four-part series aims to highlight the power of collaboration among scholars — showing what becomes possible when different perspectives come together. Called “Intersections at Duke” and hosted by Anne Korfas of Duke Alumni Engagement & Development, the short, recorded conversations bring faculty from different disciplines together who tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges:
When Science Meets Strategy: When energy systems expert Dalia Patino-Echeverri uncovered a way to make power grids more sustainable, she turned to Jesko Von Windheim, an entrepreneurship professor, to help bring the innovation beyond the lab. Together, they cofounded Gridseer, a company changing how we monitor and manage the electric grid.
Game Theory and Global Health: David McAdams (economics) and Gavin Yamey (global health) joined forces to address a critical challenge in pandemic preparedness: ensuring low- and middle-income countries gain timely access to vaccines. Using game theory, they designed incentives for vaccine makers to share doses in exchange for early pathogen data.
When Law, Astrophysics and Economics Collide: Physicist Dan Scolnic, law professor Jonathan Wiener and social scientist Giovanni Zanalda explore challenges like satellite congestion, space debris and the fading night sky. These experts from different fields shows why tackling global problems requires more than one perspective. (Learn about the Duke SPACE Initiative.)
Faith and Forests: Jerusha Matsen Neal (homiletics, or sermon-writing) and Elizabeth Albright (environmental ethics) have helped bring together Duke researchers and North Carolina clergy to explore how science and spirituality can unite in response to the climate crisis. Their actions have fostered trust and revealed how faith and environmental science together can empower local leaders to work for a more just future. (Read about their ideation seed funding from Duke.)
