Next Up | 2011-2012 Schedule | Watch Past Sessions | Subscribe to the Podcast | Sign up for Emails
Thursdays at noon during the academic year, Duke University professors hold live online "Office Hours" to answer your questions. This weekly "Office Hours" webcast series aims to bring the insights of Duke faculty members to anyone with an Internet connection and an interest in the ideas emerging on campus. Topics have included brain-machine interfaces, the power of retail brands, the legacy of Michael Jackson and the ecology of Antarctica.
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- Watch live Thursdays at noon on Duke's Ustream channel
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Next Up
David R. Smith, Duke engineering professor
Science of Invisibility
February 23, 2012
Harry Potter and numerous sci-fi novels have glamorized the idea of a cloak of invisibility, but Duke engineering professor David R. Smith has come up with a blueprint for the real thing. Using engineered composite materials called metamaterials, Smith and his colleagues developed a prototype cloak that minimally interferes with the path of electromagnetic waves within a certain frequency range. The work has twice been selected as one of the top-ten scientific breakthroughs of the year by Science Magazine and Smith has been named one of Scientific American's top-50 researchers. In a live, "Office Hours" webcast interview, Smith answers viewers’ questions about his research. To submit a question, send an email to live@duke.edu, tweet with the tag #dukelive or post to the Duke University Facebook page.
Read more from The WallStreet Journal.
Read more about Professor Smith's work on metamaterials and "invisibility cloak" prototype on Duke Today.
2011-2012 Schedule (continually updated)
Tony Brown, Co-director of the Hart Leadership Program
Leadership Through Service
March 1, 2012
In teaching courses on leadership, public policy professor Tony Brown, co-director of the Hart Leadership Program, challenges his students to put their ideas into action. Numerous nonprofits and student groups have resulted, including The Center for Race Relations, Common Ground, The Durham Giving Project, Rival Magazine, Crayons2Calculators, The Girls Club and Student U. In a live, "Office Hours" webcast interview, Brown answers your questions about combining leadership and service. To submit a question, send an email to live@duke.edu, tweet with the tag #dukelive or post to the Duke University Facebook page.
Haiyan Gao, professor and chair, Duke's physics department
Looking Inside the Atom
March 15, 2012
Tiny particles can hold big secrets. Haiyan Gao, chair of Duke's physics department, studies the particles inside the neutron, trying to precisely measure their mass, spin and other characteristics. She is exploring the fundamentals of matter to see if there is evidence for new principles of physics. In a live, "Office Hours" webcast interview, Gao answers viewers questions about his research. Watch live at Duke's Ustream channel. To submit a question, send an email to live@duke.edu, tweet with the tag #dukelive or post to the Duke University Facebook page.
Office Hours is produced by Duke University, in particular its offices of Alumni Affairs, Information Technology, Media Services and News and Communications.