Image
Loading...
How can you tell for sure if you are a "good" person? What can be done to help communities better prepare for natural disasters? How can we safely study the human brain to find better therapies for pain?
These vastly different questions are ones that have driven three Duke graduate students' paths in academic and scientific discovery.
On May 20, North Carolina's "Graduate Education Day," these students met with legislators to share their research and experiences as graduate students, and discuss the broader benefits of academic research to the state of North Carolina. The event is organized by the North Carolina Council of Graduate Schools.
Now in its 14th year, North Carolina's Graduate Education Day offers an opportunity for state politicians to meet directly with graduate students from across the state at the N.C General Assembly. The program underscores the vital role graduate education plays in supporting North Carolina's cultural, societal, and economic interests.
Representatives of Research
This year's Duke graduate student representatives were Paris Brown, Ph.D. student and Sloan Scholar in biomedical engineering, Daniel Reich, Ph.D. student in sociology, and Yicheng “Catherine” Wang, a 2025 Master's graduate in statistical science.
They were joined by Melissa Bostrom, Ph.D., Senior Assistant Dean of Professional Development, who has convened for several years with students in Raleigh for this annual event. As a professional development opportunity, Graduate Education Day offers students a chance to practice their pitch in translating complex science to the public—and in this case, to public representatives who have a direct say in policymaking.
The students participated in a full day of meetings with representatives and senators, or their legislative assistants, with a tailored schedule based on the students' home districts and their specific research interests.
Several legislators from Durham, including Representative Vernetta Alston, Senator Natalie Murdock, and Representative Marcia Morey were included in the lineup.
Image
Real-World Applications
Image
Brown, Reich, and Wang have been advocates for research even before this year's Graduate Education Day, using different opportunities to share how their work can be used to address real-world challenges.
Wang, who completed her Master's program in statistical science this year, met with Representative Brian Turner of District 116 in Western North Carolina. Wang's research focused on methods of improving natural disaster planning, especially in regards to logistical concerns like energy restoration, and social concerns such as developing stronger community resilience.
Through his conversation with Wang, Representative Turner sought to learn more about climate change research, as Western North Carolina continues to struggle from the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in September 2024.
Reich has also had practice developing his "elevator pitch" about his research, having presented this year at The Graduate School's thirteenth annual Duke GRADx Talks. The program is sponsored by TGS and The Society of Duke Fellows, and offers graduate students a chance to present their research under the time pressure of a 5-minute cutoff.
In a divided political and cultural climate where those on both sides of the aisle believe they are on the right side of history, Reich's research poses a great sociological question: what makes a good person, and how do we know if we actually are one? Reich's initial findings are that outside factors have an impact on the dissonance between our own beliefs regarding our own morality and our actions themselves. Feeling like you are moral, Reich shares, is not the same as being moral, at least by statistical standards.
In their discussions with legislators, graduate students share an important message: academic research at Duke has a real, tangible impact not just for North Carolina citizens, but for those across the country and the world.
Sloan Scholar Paris Brown's research in biomedical engineering explores therapies for pain and inflammation. Brown is working on creating a physical brain model that can be used to conduct more humane therapeutics research. The approach will open the door to research that does not involve painful procedures for humans, and eliminates the need for animal subjects.
Communicating the importance of biomedical research to policymakers, as Brown did in her meetings, is an important step in educating the public on the direct impact this research has on healthcare and the quality of life of those who seek it.
From Academics to Advocates
During the course of their time at Duke, graduate students may become brilliant scientists, well-educated humanists, or professional experts, but those qualities alone do not define their success.
Dean Melissa Bostrom shares that in their journey to becoming experts, graduate students requires a balance of perspective.
"Each year, I'm impressed by our graduate students’ ability to communicate their research as they meet with legislators during our visit," Bostrom says. "The journey to becoming an expert in their discipline requires an intense, narrow focus over a period of years. Advocating for the value of graduate education in our state, however, requires taking a broader perspective, one that recognizes how each person’s individual discoveries are pieces to solve much larger, more complex puzzles in the social and economic challenges and opportunities for the state."
And on Graduate Education Day, Dean Bostrom adds, students are able to join—or even start—those important conversations amongst state legislators.
"This event allows graduate students to consider the broader impact of their research and tackle the challenge of sharing their disciplinary expertise in a way that honors the highly specialized new knowledge they are helping to generate, while effectively communicating its potential value to the people of North Carolina and their representatives in the General Assembly."
In their discussions with legislators, graduate students share an important message: academic research at Duke has a real, tangible impact not just for North Carolina citizens, but for those across the country and the world.