October, 2007 Working@Duke by Working Duke

WORKING@DUKE

STEAM PLANT GOES QUIET

Once a year over the summer, Duke’s steam plant shuts down for a maintenance makeover in preparation for the winter months.

NEWS YOU CAN USE

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Duke staff member advances with skills attained through Professional Development Institute training.

Vo l u m e 2 , I s s u e 8

Spooky Duke Tales

SUSTAINABLE DUKE

A Duke Fuqua School of Business professor collects waste oil, which is refined in Pittsboro as biodiesel, to fuel his car.

October 2007

he spirit of Halloween is alive at Duke. There’s the Memorial Chapel that serves as the permanent resting place for members of the Duke family. There’s the mysterious tombstone found on campus. And there are those spectacular and sometimes spooky stone gargoyles inspired by Gothic architecture, peering year-round from their perches atop buildings. What would Halloween at Duke be without a few historical tales?

Mollie Keel, coordinator of Chapel events, recalls a time several years ago when a visitor with a digital camera asked, “Did you know there are ghosts in the Chapel?” She chuckled. The visitor showed her the picture of the altar in the downstairs Chapel crypt, where former Duke presidents, including William Preston Few, Duke’s first president, and Nanaline Duke, wife of Duke’s founder and benefactor, James B. Duke, are buried. Off to the left of the photograph was a white blur, a reflection. “He said not to worry, that we had good ghosts down here,” Keel said. After James B. Duke died in 1925, his friend, James A. Thomas, organized a drive to fund projects in memory of Duke and his family. One project was to add a memorial chapel and crypt to the plans for the Chapel, which opened in 1932. Between the Memorial Chapel and the chancel, a flight of steps descends to the crypt, constructed in Romanesque style with rounded arches and space in the floor for 20 bodies. Above the crypt and behind iron gates in the Chapel is the Memorial Chapel, where the gleaming white marble coffins, known as sarcophagi, of James B. Duke; his father, Washington Duke; and brother Benjamin Duke, have rested since 1935 when their bodies were moved from the mausoleum at Maplewood Cemetery in Durham to the Chapel. A story appeared in the Boston Evening Transcript in 1935, describing the three sarcophagi carved from 33 tons of Italian marble by sculptor Charles Keck in Cambridge, Mass. At the time, the project cost $55,000, and the sarcophagi, weighing 20 tons, were brought to Durham on three trucks. “It’s really an honor to the Duke family, and Duke family philanthropy,” said Tom Harkins, associate university archivist. “There aren’t too many universities in the country today that have as close a connection with the founding family as we do.”

Cover: The photo of the “Ghost Chapel,” a description based on the reflection of the Chapel, is from the 1951 “Chanticleer,” Duke’s undergraduate yearbook. Bottom Right: Kim Sims, technical services archivist for University Archives, wants to help find the home for a 112-year-old headstone found on campus.

2007 Gold Medal, Internal Periodical Staff Writing 2007 Bronze Medal, Print Internal Audience Tabloids/Newsletters

Kim Sims, technical services archivist for University Archives, keeps a piece of history on her desk. It’s a 26-inch tall tombstone for Emily Johnson, who died in 1895. The headstone was found on campus in the late 1960s to early 1970s. Despite attempts to find its home, no one knows where the tombstone originated, and nothing about Johnson, who is described on it as “mother.” “What I do want to do is to contact the folks at the Duke Forest office to see if they have a record of a cemetery location from the same time >> See SPOOKY TALES, BACK PAGE

This paper consists of 30% recycled post-consumer fiber. Please recycle after reading.

LOOKING

AHEAD @ DUKE OCTOBER 11 : : Jeffrey Toobin, lawyer, author and CNN legal analyst, talks about his new book, “The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court,” 5:30 p.m., Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy, Fleishman Commons.

Newsbriefs Duke named among top schools for environmental efforts “Kiwi,” a publication whose audience is primarily parents and families, has named Duke University among 50 schools “that are making a significant commitment to the environment.” In the “Kiwki 2007 Green College Report,” the magazine cites Duke as being one of the largest university purchaser's of green power and notes its pledge for all new construction and renovation to be LEED-certified. Duke also was highlighted for student activities such as the Eco-Olympics and educational opportunities through the Nicholas School for the Environment. Read the September/October report at www.duke.edu/sustainability.

OCTOBER 19 : : Public Skygazing led by Physics department, 7:30 p.m., Duke Teaching Observatory, off Cornwallis Road, 1.5 miles west of Kerley Road. Event is subject to weather cancellation. Visit www.cgtp.duke.edu/~plesser/ observatory for last-minute updates.

OCTOBER 29 : : Provost’s Lecture Series, Simon Blackburn, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge, discusses alternative conceptions of human nature and whether they require alteration/abandonment in light of scientific advances, 5 p.m., Love Auditorium, Levine Science Research Center, (LSRC).

Enroll, make changes to health benefits Open enrollment, the time to select or make changes to health insurance plans, which include vision, dental and reimbursement benefits, runs through Oct. 17. Faculty and staff can learn about a new health care card, determine which health plan meets their needs or find out about reimbursement accounts during information sessions through Oct. 17. Visit www.hr.duke.edu.

Be the first to know about Duke Stores deals If you want to be in the know, sign up for the latest feature from Duke University Stores. Duke community members can get exclusive news about new arrivals, special collections, the latest in technology, sales events, textbook buyback and more by signing up for an e-mail alert. To enroll, click on the “BTFTK” icon on the left side of Duke Stores Web site at www.dukestores.duke.edu, and Duke Stores will be in touch.

Start feeling like a million – attend upcoming health fair Attend the LIVE FOR LIFE Health Fair on Oct. 25 or Nov. 8 and start making you health changes this year. The fair is open to all Duke faculty and staff regardless of benefit status. More than 35 health representatives will be available to answer questions and provide information on preventive health, nutrition, fitness and smoking

cessation, among other health topics. A number of free screenings will also be available, including for bone density, cholesterol and blood pressure. Free flu shots will be available for all Duke faculty and staff. The first fair is at Durham Regional Hospital in the lower level Lecture Hall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 25. The fair will be at the Searle Center near Duke North from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 8. For more information call (919) 684-3136 (option 1).

Duke Dining introduces new venues for meals In an effort to enhance the dining experience and create more social space on campus, Duke Dining has launched several new dining initiatives this fall. An a la carte brunch and dinner service prepared by Sage & Swift is being offered in Upstairs @ The Commons, located in the Faculty Commons in the West Union Building. Brunch is served 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, and dinner is 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays. There is a one-hour social at 4:30 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays before dinner. A beer and wine menu is available. Also, the Refectory Café in the Divinity School has added dinner from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Sundays. In addition, the Armadillo Grill in the Bryan Center now has an outdoor patio. The patio includes a 52-inch TV and granite countertop with seating for 75 to 100. Coming soon is a 9-by-12 foot projection screen TV and free-floating canopy for inclement weather. The patio has specialty beers on tap. To learn more about Duke’s 31 eateries, visit www.dining.duke.edu.

New diversity Web site launched A new Web site about diversity at Duke serves as a way for prospective students, parents, alumni, trustees, as well as current students, staff and faculty, to learn about and celebrate the many aspects of diversity at Duke. Through profiles of faculty, staff and students, the site underscores the university’s strategic goal of linking diversity to academic excellence. The Web site will also assist members of the Duke community who are searching for resources related to diversity issues. For more, visit www.diversity.duke.edu.

For more events, check the university’s online calendar at http://calendar.duke.edu

letters to the Editor This letter is in response to the article titled “Campus security chief, others reviewing Duke’s emergency response plans” in the June/July issue. I applaud our university officials for reviewing our emergency response and notification systems. However, I believe the Virginia Tech massacre has brought deeper questions and thoughts which will require deeper answers as well as actions. I believe that we will all agree, the main objectives are preparedness and communication in a consistent and timely manner for the safety of the Duke community. Upon reviewing the aftermath of massacres on primary, secondary and post secondary campuses, usually the person(s) displayed some type of warning signs. Are Duke’s faculty, staff, and students trained to recognize warning signs from individuals who depict behaviors of needing help? After the 9/11 attacks, I believe Duke’s police department and fire department were given special training. However, it is also my belief this type of training has not been given to Duke’s police and fire departments since the 9/11 attacks. As Duke employees and students, we are trained to evacuate a building in the event of a fire; however, this seems to be the extent of training on emergencies. Along with the 14,000 students who are enrolled at Duke, there are approximately 29,000 employees, some whom are not tied to a computer, cell phone, or fax. Providing that Duke’s police department has all hands on deck during an emergency, it is my belief there would not be enough officers within the initial response to perform direct contact of buildings. It is my expectation, once the university has set up an appropriate emergency response and notification system that all faculty, staff, and students will be notified and some form of training would be provided. Robin James Ramsey Staff Specialist Student Service Center •••••••••

The safety and security of the Duke campus is a top university priority. In the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings in April, Duke began reviewing its emergency response and notification procedures. Executive Vice President Tallman Trask III asked Kemel Dawkins, vice president for campus services, and me to review Duke’s emergency preparedness. Several committees have been conducting a comprehensive assessment of Duke’s emergency processes and protocols, which includes a review of Duke’s communication procedures, technology and emergency management. As part of this process, we have traveled to other institutions to review best practices for emergency notification systems. By the end of the year, the assessment will be complete, and Duke will have formalized its crisis communications and emergency management plans. Planning is underway to communicate and educate the various Duke community audiences about emergency notification, so community members know their roles and what they should do. The education plan also includes annual exercises and drills to help us refine our emergency preparedness. Duke takes a proactive approach to maintaining a safe campus. For example, the division of Student Affairs recently launched DukeReach, a new Web site, to assist Duke community members who have concerns about a student’s physical or mental health with finding appropriate resources. Please familiarize yourself with the Web site at http://dukereach.studentaffairs.duke.edu. Training is critical, and the police officers in the Duke University Police Department are equipped to respond to emergencies. Since 9/11, our officers have participated in training for confrontation management and weapons of mass destruction, among other scenarios. Several of our sworn supervisors have attended training for the Incident Command System to prepare for and respond to critical incidents in coordination with other agencies. In the event of a disaster or critical emergency, Duke, like many institutions, has a mutual aid agreement with Durham’s law enforcement agencies for support. Even after we complete this assessment, Duke will continue to update and review its emergency plans to ensure we adequately respond to critical incidents. Aaron Graves Associate Vice President Campus Safety & Security

Letters to the Editor must include name and contact information. E-mail letters to working@duke.edu or mail them to Working@Duke Editor, Box 90496, Durham, NC 27708. Fax letters to (919) 681-7926. Please keep length to no more than 200 words.

Duke leads in collaborative and innovative technology uke University is among the best institutions in higher education for its commitment to collaborative and innovative uses of technology “throughout every aspect of our lives,” spanning research, academic, cocurricular and administrative pursuits, Duke’s Chief Information Officer Tracy Futhey told Duke faculty and staff in September. Futhey’s presentation for Primetime, a quarterly forum with Duke senior administrators, offered observations about emerging trends and the rise in national prominence of Duke as an information technology innovator and collaborator. “There’s really never a time when people don’t say, ‘how can we work on this together,’ ” Futhey told 200 employees who gathered in Griffith Theater on Sept. 13. What’s ahead at Duke? Mobility will be increasingly important as people expect to be online anywhere at any time, Futhey said. Everything will be digital, requiring increased data-storage capacity and data-sharing capabilities. Social networking will continue to evolve, enabling users to find one another wherever they are and help them gather in online, “virtual” worlds. Futhey said Duke will develop more options that give users the “ability to get at things yourself,” such as setting personal spam-filter levels, clicking on a Web browser button to increase e-mail capacity and initiating a Web conference or setting up a collaborative wiki. “The more we can make those available 24/7, the better,” she said. Futhey attributed Duke’s position at the forefront of higher education information technology to its spirit and willingness to experiment with new technology. She traced

Tech talk Satisfy your appetite for technology through Learn IT @ Lunch

We often hear that “technology is constantly changing.” Technology at Duke is no exception, as DukePass to iTunes U have shown. The Office of Information Technology (OIT) is introducing new technologies this fall, including DukeWiki (an online collaboration tool) and WebFiles (a way to store and retrieve personal files). To help Duke faculty and staff put these and other tools to good use, OIT is offering a new training series, Learn IT @ Lunch, which started in September and runs most Tuesdays through Nov. 27. Tech topics include an iTunes overview, maintaining your personal computer, creating an online survey and more. Each 30-minute session is offered twice on Tuesday

Duke’s emerging leadership in information technology to 1993, when a faculty group issued a “clarion call” for improving computing on Duke so that it could recruit and keep faculty. Those efforts blossomed into forward-thinking projects such as the Duke Digital Initiative. In 2004, Duke gave Apple iPods to undergraduate firstyear students. It was unclear how the consumer device could be used beyond entertainment, but Duke experimented. “If we can’t experiment with such things here where else can you do that?” Futhey asked. “We launched what at that time was a pretty bold experiment to find how those could be used for academic content and a way to use the iPod to deliver digital materials to students.” Duke found many classroom uses for the iPod right out of the box, leading to another thought: using the Apple music-delivery format iTunes to deliver course material through the iPod. Duke worked with Apple to develop a delivery system that has become the multi-university effort known as iTunes U. These efforts are buttressed by Duke’s strategic plan, “Making a Difference.” Information technology plays a vital role in the plan, which cites as a priority investing in emerging technologies to improve collaborative learning and create new opportunities to connect knowledge in the service of society. — By Gene Galin Writer, OIT

– at noon and 12:30 p.m. – in 101 Bryan Center, the collaborative lab in the OSAF office. No registration is required, but seating is limited to no more than 25 people. During the sessions, faculty and staff are invited to ask questions of IT staff, and register to win computer-related prizes sponsored by Duke’s Computer Store. All sessions will be recorded and archived on iTunes U at www.itunes.duke.edu. — By Christine L.Vucinich Technology Training Coordinator, OIT

“

There’s really never a time when people don’t say, ‘how can we work on this together.’ ” — Tracy Futhey Duke’s Chief Information Officer

LISTEN AT

www.itunes.duke.edu

OIT LEARN IT @ LUNCH

5 gigs at your fingertips

Until this fall, employees on the Duke network had 10 megabytes of file and media storage – enough for one or two high-resolution photographs. Now, with a new OIT service called WebFiles, employees have 5 gigabytes at their disposal. That’s enough digital capacity to stream 30 hours of iPod-quality video. WebFiles enables anyone with a Duke account to store and retrieve documents and images, including video streamed directly from servers. WebFiles also provides a shared space for group collaboration that includes readymade group space for courses and allows sharing media with the broader community. WebFiles includes a button to create a streaming video publishing directory. Files placed in this directory are available as video streams so that users can easily share video content and send URLs of content to friends. WebFiles also allows users to load content and pages to create personal Web sites. The service requires no special software. All anyone at Duke needs is a network connection and a Web browser. Information about how to use WebFiles is at www.oit.duke.edu/comp-print/storage/webfiles/ index.html. — By Gene Galin

Oct. 16: Maintaining Your Personal Computer

Oct. 30: iTunes U: An Overview

Nov. 27: Creating An Online Survey With ViewsFlash For more info and a complete calendar, visit OIT at

www.oit.duke.edu/ training

Writer, OIT News & Information

Duke community members listen during a recent Learn IT @ Lunch seminar as Kevin Witte, senior manager for Duke’s Office of Information Technology, discusses DukeWiki, a new service that lets faculty, staff and others share information and collaborate online.

Prepping The Steam Plant For Winter

Top Left: Plumber Jim Burton, left, and senior steamfitter L.A. Dillard work to repair and replace steam pipe components in one of the access areas on East Campus during the steam plant’s Aug. 3 shut down. Bottom Left: Dillard emerges from one of the access points.

t’s just after 7 p.m. on a recent Friday, and the Duke steam plant control room is quiet. On any of the other 364 days of the year, this would be trouble. But on this night, it’s a sign that everything is going according to plan. Duke’s Facilities Management Department spent the past year preparing for the next 12 hours when crews changed valves, repaired leaking pipes, replaced gaskets and much more. To accomplish this task, Duke’s steam plant was shut down from 7 p.m. Aug. 3 to 7 a.m. Aug. 4, so more than 100 FMD employees and contractors could repair the 20-plus miles of pipe that supply steam to heat Duke’s buildings and sterilize hospital surgical equipment. Crews worked in 33 “manholes” and in two underground tunnels on East and West campus. The scope included 83 items in 53 different locations across the university and medical center. During this one-time, annual shut down, no hot water is available, and surgeries are curtailed. “We’re replacing traps that take the water out of the steam and replacing old pipes and valves and things that don’t work anymore,” said Gary Teater, FMD’s supervisor of steam distribution and site utilities. “It requires a lot of preparation, but everybody helps out on it.” For 21 years, Teater has supervised the shut down of coal boilers and the underground maintenance. He drives around campus, a radio crackling with voices from the field. One crew member in the field was Jim Burton, a Duke plumber. He emerged from one of the “manholes” after replacing an existing trap for a smaller one that allowed for more water to collect. Traps gather water that go back to the steam plant for reuse. Burton’s hair and beard were drenched. Beads of sweat raced down his face. His saturated sleeveless gray T-shirt and navy blue overalls made him look as if he has just climbed out of a pool, not an underground tunnel.

“It’s not too bad,” said Burton, guzzling Gatorade. “What kind of person is going to go down in that hot hole if you didn’t like what you’re doing?” Dennis Top Right: Ray Cofer, right, master steamfitter, confers with Gary Teeter, Kennedy, steam supervisor of steam distribution and site utilities, in the basement of White Lecture Hall during the shut down. plant manager, said Bottom Right: Plumber Jim Burton, left, and senior steamfitter L.A. all FMD shops, Dillard work to replace a steam trap near an access point on East Campus. from HVAC to maintenance mechanical, worked the shut down. “We would not be able to accomplish what we had to get done if other shops and trades didn’t volunteer to work,” Kennedy said. Summer is not ideal for outdoor work, but it’s the most opportune time for the shut down because steam use is at its lowest. “The steam plant has six boilers, and in the winter time, you’ve got to have four or five of them going to keep up to provide steam for heat,” Teater said. “You’ve got to make sure they’re in tip-top shape for the winter heating season coming up.” Bringing the steam plant online after the maintenance takes four to five hours. The boilers need to warm before steam starts running back through the pipes. By daybreak Aug. 4, the shut down was complete, and the FMD crew was already beginning planning the next annual maintenance. Said Teater, “We start our prep list for next year’s shut down in a week.” — By Tim Candon Working@Duke Correspondent

e mployee spotlight MEET ZOILA AIRALL, A LOVER OF THE ARTS AND CAMPUS LIFE oila Airall’s role as Duke’s assistant vice president for campus life in the office of student affairs requires a delicate balancing act. She manages the directors of Duke’s cultural centers and community service and student clubs. She serves on several university committees. She advises 24 undergraduates. And every spring, she teaches an undergraduate course, Anthropology and Education. While her tasks may seem daunting, Airall relishes them. Her passion to do the job makes it hardly like work. “If I didn’t enjoy it, I wouldn’t want to come to work every day, and I wouldn’t have the energy,” Airall said. “I’m just really excited.” Airall came to Duke in 2002 after working as director of institutional diversity at Bryn Mawr College in Philadelphia. After a lunch meeting with a friend in Philadelphia, she learned about the job at Duke, and she decided she wanted to return to student affairs. “Zoila’s just one of those remarkable people,” said Larry Moneta, Duke’s vice president of student affairs. “She instantly connects with whomever she’s talking. She has an amazing ability to engage with anyone, any kind of person.” In her career, Airall has experienced a lot. She worked as a guidance counselor in the Bronx, where she rode the subway every day with a gang that welcomed her with open arms. She became the first African-American to hold any job at Bethany College, in Bethany, W. Va., where she coordinated counseling services. Airall recognizes the enriching value of unforeseen experiences and wouldn’t trade them for anything. “I never started out and said, ‘This is where I want to be,’ ” Airall said. “I’ve just been very, very fortunate.” A lover of the arts who grew up in a military family, Airall has lived all over the world – Panama, Thailand, Germany, to name a few. As an adult, the arts were never far away when she lived outside of New York City and Philadelphia. In Durham, she has discovered plenty of culture at her fingertips. She used to go to New York at Christmas to see the Alvin Ailey dance troupe. The first year she was at Duke, Alvin Ailey came to the Triangle three times. In addition to the fulfillment her work offers, Airall recharges her battery by indulging in her recreational passion – playing the organ. “I can be really tired, but if I go to the Biddle music lounge or to Goodson Chapel, and sit down and play the organ, even for a half hour, I am refreshed,” Airall said. “There are a lot of people who get their endorphins going by going to the gym. I get mine by completing a Bach prelude.”

— By Tim Candon Working@Duke Correspondent

Duke contributions help those in need

“ Zoila Airall

Zoila’s just one of those remarkable people. She instantly connects with whomever she’s talking.” — Larry Moneta Vice President Student Affairs

TRIANGLE UNITED WAY DUKE PARTNERSHIP CAMPAIGN UNDERWAY athy Winn has not led an easy life. Since age 17, she’s struggled with a chronic and disabling mental illness that causes depression, disorientation and hallucinations, forcing many hospitalizations. In 1992, she was robbed and assaulted in Charlotte, exacerbating her illness and prompting her move to Durham with her son. She sought help from her sister who lives here, and later, from social services agencies, Genesis Home and Threshold Clubhouse in Durham. The agencies helped Winn receive financial support through the Triangle United Way’s Community Care Fund – one of many funds that Duke faculty and staff contribute to during the United Way Duke Partnership Campaign, now underway through Nov. 2. The Triangle United Way is a non-profit organization that provides resources for basic community needs such as hospice, homelessness and hunger. “If it weren’t for the United Way and their contributions, Threshold Clubhouse would really be struggling,” said Winn, who is 50. “I credit Threshold so much for the life I have now.” During last year’s campaign, Brenda Kerr, a Duke insurance claims specialist, was among the Duke faculty and staff who contributed to the nearly $1 million raised for the campaign, making Duke the fourth largest contributor to the Community Care Fund. “Life can change on a dime,” said Kerr, who has donated to the fund for several years. “One day you may

be walking in the sunshine, and the next, you’re in the pits of despair. It’s important to give back when you can.” Winn and her son lived at Genesis Home for about a month in 1992 until she found a job and home. Genesis Home helped her adjust to the area, and she got out on her own. But two years later, Winn was nearly overcome by her illness. “I was really sick. I couldn’t handle taking care of myself,” she said. “I couldn’t handle my finances or keep a job.” She went to a shelter, but after she was robbed a second time, she said, she lived in her car until she was hospitalized. She recuperated with help from her sister and later joined Threshold Clubhouse, which provides pre-vocational skill development, employment, education, socialization and recreational activities for adults with mental illness. “Eventually I started doing some office work and began to build my confidence,” Winn said. Winn is now an advocate for the mentally ill and homeless, speaking publicly on behalf of Threshold and the United Way. She serves on the Threshold Board of Directors. She has stayed on her medication and visits her therapist regularly, reducing hospitalizations. “Without Threshold,” Winn said, “there’s no telling what would have happened to me.” — By Elizabeth Michalka Writer, Human Resources Communications

Submit A Pledge at www.hr.duke.edu/unitedway

Kathy Winn, a board member for Threshold Clubhouse in Durham, has benefited from services through Threshold Clubhouse, which receives financial support through the Triangle United Way’s Community Care Fund.

The IRS no longer allows rollover payroll deductions for United Way contributions. Duke faculty and staff must submit a new pledge for 2008. Visit www.hr.duke. edu/unitedway

Frontline for ergonomic improvements

Start An Ergonomics Committee

eth McCurdy took a deep breath as he began pushing a cart filled with books across the multi-colored carpet in Bostock Library. “The texture of this new carpet makes it more challenging to move the carts,” said McCurdy, evening services supervisor in Perkins Library. “That’s why we’ve been trying different things, such as bigger wheels on the carts, to make it easier to push them.” Finding an easier way to push book carts is one of the latest projects for McCurdy and other members of a Library Ergonomics Committee formed a year ago with the assistance of the Occupational & Environmental Safety Office’s Ergonomics Division. The library committee provides computer station evaluations and other assistance for about 300 employees in Duke Libraries. “We do everything from teaching co-workers how to adjust their chairs to changing the location of a computer to make it easier on the employees and to prevent work-related injuries,” said McCurdy, who serves on the committee. About a dozen similar ergonomics committees have formed in other departments across Duke. The committees are overseen by the Occupational & Environmental Safety Office’s Ergonomics Division. “The goal is to train the peers on the committee so they can serve as our frontline and do the initial assessment,” said

Contact Ergonomics at (919) 286-1722, ext. 271, or send an e-mail to ergonomics@mc.duke.edu. Visit Ergonomics online at www.safety.duke.edu/ ergonomics.

Seth McCurdy, evening services supervisor in Perkins Library, pushes a book cart.

Tamara James, ergonomics director. “The committees will help raise awareness and help reduce work-related injuries by improving the physical work environment.” Ergonomics can make life easier – and safer – for Duke faculty and staff. “People can wind up with musculoskeletal discomfort in the wrist or back and other health problems from repetitive movements or improper body positioning,” James said. “Those are the types of problems we strive to prevent.” The library ergonomics committee and members from the Ergonomics Division conducted tests recently to measure the amount of force required to push a book cart on the new carpet in Bostock Library. They determined it takes about 50 percent more force to push the carts. “We think we can make it better, though, by getting wheels that are bigger, but not too wide,” McCurdy said. The library has modified two book carts and is shopping for suitable replacement wheels to test before rolling them out to the whole fleet. Some improvements require a simple adjustment, while other ergonomic issues are resolved with a little engineering and construction. For ultra-sonographers in the health system, for instance, an ergonomics committee worked with Duke ergonomists to develop an arm support device, which bears the weight of a forearm during extended scanning procedures. “It helps to have the committees as our partners,” James said. “They give us valuable input and provide a resource for their co-workers.” — By Missy Baxter Senior Writer, Office of Communication Services

Professional development program opens doors for Duke staff

“

indy Shelton Wicker has come a long way from the Duke mail room where she started working 10 years ago. While delivering mail, she built a rapport with customers. One day while at the Office of Licensing and Ventures, she was encouraged to apply for a position there. She was reluctant at first because she didn’t have any computer skills, but after some urging, Wicker applied and landed a Level 6 position in

Cindy Shelton Wicker, standing left, staff specialist for the Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy, graduated from the Office Staff Development Program in July.

I knew that it was a good program, and it would enhance my resume and skills.” — Cindy Shelton Wicker Staff Specialist

the late 1990s. She worked in the Office of Licensing and Ventures for the next eight years, taking computer classes at Duke to enhance her skills. Wicker later learned about the Office Staff Development Program, the 11-month Professional Development Institute for training in clerical office management skills. Wicker applied to the program, and after a competitive selection process, she was picked to participate in the training, which began last September. She and 16 other Duke staff members graduated July 13. “At the time, I didn’t know what I was looking for or where I wanted to go with my career, but I knew that it was a good program and it would enhance my resume and skills,” Wicker said. The Office Staff Development Program helps staff members qualify for a variety of Duke career opportunities. Participants are paired with mentors at

Duke, and the program includes a four-month internship at Duke. Participants are encouraged to intern outside of their department to learn new skills and develop professional relationships. “The program is structured to help participants develop their strengths and discover their career possibilities,” said Sally Allison, Professional Development Institute manager. When Wicker was in the Office of Licensing and Ventures, she worked on patents for various scientific and medical technologies developed at Duke, which fascinated her. During the Office Staff Development Program, one of Wicker’s mentors, Courtney Orning, suggested that Wicker consider an internship in grant work. Orning, a public relations specialist at the Social Science Research Institute, connected Wicker with Ellen Brearley, senior specialist of sponsored programs at the Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy. Brearley offered Wicker an internship, and she learned how to manage grants. “I was shocked and very excited to be given the opportunity to go into the field because I had no previous experience with grants,” Wicker said. “I was really interested in it because I knew there was a lot to learn and it would be challenging.” Wicker completed the internship and was offered a Level 9 staff specialist position working for Brearley at the Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy, a promotion. Wicker said she has many to credit for her professional leap and success in the office staff program. She is one of eight promoted so far from the July graduating class. — By Elizabeth Michalka Writer, Human Resources Communications

Learn More About Professional Development — Visit www.hr.duke.edu/pdi or call (919) 684-5406.

Sustainable uke YO U R

S O U R C E

FO R

G R E E N

N E W S

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D U K E

I now have a different relationship with my fuel. I make it.”

Running On Vegetable Oil Bob Clemen, Duke Fuqua School of Business professor, stands by his biodiesel-fueled Jetta.

o look at Bob Clemen’s silver Volkswagen Jetta, nothing suggests it is any different from the dozens of other vehicles in the parking lot adjacent to Duke’s Fuqua School of Business. To ride in the car, there’s nothing to indicate that it isn’t just like the millions of other vehicles running on petroleum. But there is something different about Clemen’s automotive means of transportation, and he keeps an example of it in a Mason jar on his desk in the Fuqua School of Business. Biodiesel. It’s more eco-friendly, and it’s the fuel that gives the Jetta life. “The main thing is it’s not petroleum-based,” said Clemen, a professor of decision sciences at Fuqua. “So, I don’t have to fight a war in Iraq to have fuel for my car. And I don’t have to burn fossil fuel and put the fossil carbon into the atmosphere in order to drive my car.” Biodiesel is a clean-burning alternative fuel, produced from domestic, renewable resources. It contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend. It is produced from any animal fat or vegetable oil through a refining process called transesterification. Clemen, who says he’s a “product of the ’60s environmental movement,” started using biodiesel about two years ago. He and his wife, Margaret, bought a diesel engine RV after doing their homework and deciding to trade in their model that ran on unleaded gasoline. They started using biodiesel in the new rig because, “We thought this was a good thing to do.” That led to buying the diesel-engine Jetta and joining Piedmont Biofuels Cooperative in Pittsboro. Nearly every week, Clemen collects waste oil and drives it to Pittsboro, where Piedmont Biofuels refines the oil into fuel for his car.

“I turn the key, and it never ceases to amaze me,” Clemen said. “This complicated machine is running on fuel made from waste vegetable oil.” The Jetta on biodiesel has similar fuel economy to unleaded gas – mid 30 miles per gallon. The biodiesel burns cleaner, reducing carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides and sulfates emissions. “I now have a different relationship with my fuel,” Clemen said. “I make it. That takes effort and time. It’s a lot of fun. I like doing it. Now I think a little bit harder about putting trips together and being more efficient about what I do.” His passion carries over to the classroom. With Lincoln Pratson of the Nicholas School, Clemen ran an independent study last spring with more than a dozen Duke students who assessed the viability of collecting waste vegetable oil from restaurants near Duke. What would it take to have a collection route? What’s the cost? And would area restaurants be interested in contributing to the cause? Clemen said some students involved are interested in pursuing the study further as a part of a master’s project. Clemen hopes that one day, Duke will be able to have its own collection system, a reactor perhaps run by Duke students. He recognized, though, that most people don’t have the ability to trade in their current vehicles for one with a diesel engine. But that doesn’t mean people can’t do their part to raise their eco-consciousness. The best thing people can do, he said, is use compact-fluorescent light bulbs. “You get bulbs that will reduce your energy consumption to just about one-tenth,” he said. “That’s the simplest, easiest, inexpensive way to make a difference.”

— Bob Clemen Professor Duke’s Fuqua School of Business

Got A Sustainability Story? Influence others — Write us at

working@duke.edu

Want More? Visit www.duke.edu/ sustainability

— By Tim Candon Working@Duke Correspondent

Learn About Biodiesel — Visit www.biofuels.coop

WORKING@ DUKE

HOW TO REACH US Editor: Leanora Minai (919) 681-4533 leanora.minai@duke.edu Assistant Vice President: Paul S. Grantham (919) 681-4534 paul.grantham@duke.edu Graphic Design & Layout: Paul Figuerado Photography: Jon Gardiner, Les Todd and Megan Morr of Duke University Photography Support Staff: Mary Carey and William Blackburn

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dialogue@Duke “In the spirit of Halloween, what do you think is the spookiest spot at Duke?” This building, the Community Service Center, is part of the old Trinity College campus. If we work late, sometimes we joke around that we hear things. It isn’t always a joke. There are some strange noises.”

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Lindsay Mamula Student Outreach Specialist, Community Service Center 4 months at Duke

A lot of people probably think that the Chapel is the spookiest place at Duke. I’d have to agree with that. It’s a beautiful place, but there is something about it.”

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William Hall Recruiter, Human Resources 3 years at Duke

The forest paths behind Nicholas are sort of spooky and so are the underground tunnels that connect all the buildings at Levine Science Research Center (LSRC). Plus, the parking garage near the Searle Center can make you feel claustrophobic.”

Carolyn Leith Staff Assistant, Film/Video/Digital Program 15 years at Duke

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— By Missy Baxter Senior Writer, Office of Communication Services

Spooky Tales

continued from page 1 period with the same surname,” Sims said. “I also would like to look through the 1890 census records for Durham County.” Paperwork in the University Archives file about the tombstone said that according to oral tradition, the headstone was discovered at the construction site of an addition to the Divinity School building begun in 1970. “This would mean, one assumes, that it marked a family grave in the woods near the center of campus and was untouched by construction and … traffic from 1927 to when the divinity addition was begun,” according to the file. The tombstone found its way to the Divinity School Library, where former head librarian Donn Michael Farris kept it until his retirement in 1992. In 1993, the tombstone was transferred to University Archives. “I’m glad it’s in our custody and not discarded by whoever was initially responsible for removing it in the first place,” Sims said. “It boils down to respect for the dead and reverence for burial grounds. I know that as long as it is with University Archives, it will be safe until its proper place can be determined, if ever.”

Perched atop a clock tower in Crowell Quad overlooking West Campus is a stone mythical animal. From another vantage point, a beast with a demonic-looking face peers down with wide eyes and extended tongue. More than a dozen eerie gargoyles were crafted by stonecutters in the late 1920s and early 1930s to add architectural elements. “Since gargoyles are usually associated with scary movies, some people might consider them spooky or scary, but I prefer to think that they are there to ward off evil,” said Theresa Aiken, staff assistant with Residence Life. The gargoyles, along with other decorative carvings on West Campus, were crafted by stonecutters for John Donnelly Inc. of New York, a design firm that constructed public buildings across the country, including the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.

D U K E T O D AY

Ray Walker, staff architect for the Facilities Management Department, said that in architecture, a gargoyle is defined as a carving of a grotesque figure that operates as a waterspout to convey rain water away from the sides of buildings. “The stone cutters were given quite a bit of free rein to explore their creativity, so many of the images are products of the artists’ imaginations,” Walker said. “Since these statues don’t act as waterspouts, they aren’t gargoyles by definition. Most people agree, though, that they possess all the other gargoyle qualities such as the scary appearance.” The ghoulish statues and carvings have been the subject of books, research papers and fodder for visitors’ questions. “There are surprises to be found among the stone carvings on campus,” said Tom Harkins, associate university archivist. “I think it all adds an artistic flair, and for some, a bit of mystery.” — By Leanora Minai and Missy Baxter Working@Duke

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