Highlights:
The Nicholas School surpassed its Campaign for Duke goal of $60 million on Dec. 20, 2002.

The second Duke Environmental Leadership Forum, “Dealing with Disasters: Prediction, Prevention, and Response,” brought together more than 80 leaders in business, science and policy to Duke on Nov. 20-21, 2002, to look at disasters that are natural and those that are purposeful, such as terrorist acts.

Awards and recognition:
Judson D. Edeburn, Duke Forest resource manager, was approved for status as a Certified Forester, joining the ranks of 1,600 foresters nationwide.

Gary D. Hartshorn, professor of the practice of tropical ecology, was named president-elect of the American Institute of Biological Sciences for 2002.

Michael K. Orbach, director of the Duke University Marine Laboratory, gave the 2002 Roger Revelle Memorial lecture, “Beyond the Freedom of the Seas: Ocean Policy for the Third Millennium.”

William H. Schlesinger, dean of the Nicholas School and James B. Duke professor of biogeochemistry, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

Martin D. Smith, assistant professor of environmental economics, received the 2002 Outstanding Ph.D Dissertation Award from the American Agricultural Economics Association.

Faculty and staff appointments:
Stuart Pimm, one of the world’s foremost experts on endangered species and habitat destruction, was named the first Doris Duke Professor of Conservation Ecology.

School statistics:
The Nicholas School had 177 Master of Environment Management/Master of Forestry students and 112 doctoral students, and served more than 700 Duke undergraduates.

Major gifts:
The Nicholas School exceeded the $5 million mark in new commitments during the 2002-2003 fiscal year. Six gifts totaling $2.5 million will fund fellowships and internships to students, provide essential funding for faculty members, and assist in the construction of the Ocean Sciences Teaching Center at the Duke Marine Lab in Beaufort.

The NSF gave the Marine Lab $1 million to put graduate and undergraduate students into K-12 schools to share their research and conduct activities related to marine coastal environments for 15 hours a week. Pictured above, Daphne Pee, a Master of Environmental Management student and one of the first Duke Marine Lab National Science Foundation fellows, works with a student in Carteret County Schools.