Office of Undergraduate Education

Do you know how smart your neighbor is?  If you live in NC’s Triangle then odds are that they are pretty intelligent, says the online publication The Daily Beast.  This week the web magazine released a list of America’s most intelligent metropolitan areas; with a whopping Daily Beast IQ of 170, the populace of the Raleigh-Durham area topped the list. The Daily beast  explains that the  proximity of  “two of the nation’s elite schools (Duke and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)”  were major factors contributing to RDU’s first-place ranking, citing that the schools of the Triangles have “led to one of the nation’s great technology incubators.”

Of course, the intelligence of the denizens of Durham would not surprise any members of the Duke community—but we aren’t just smart; we’re cultured too, or at least well fed, says Bon Appetit Magazine, which selected the Durham-Chapel area as the “foodiest” small city in America.  With all these accolades, there’s no wondering why US News ranked Durham number five in their listing of the top places to live.

Forbes just ranked Durham as number three in its list of “Top College Towns for Jobs,” citing the massive impact of Duke on the local economy.  The article also explores the increased spending and tourism universities bring into college towns, while casually mentioning the constant stream of new and quality labor from recent grads—as a recent Duke grad who has plenty of classmates still in the area, I can attest to that.

Similarly, U.S. News recently placed Durham at number five on its “Top Ten Places to Live” list for 2009.  This list is heavy on college towns, but it’s worth noting that Durham and Duke were the only pair of top ten rankings.  Yet, Duke wasn’t the only reason U.S. News found Durham so hospitable.  “Durham’s mild climate allows residents to get out and explore the region’s abundant outdoor attractions,” reads the article, advising prospective residents to “consider hiking one of the many distinct trails and greenways or heading over to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park for an afternoon baseball game.”  This is good advice for even current residents, who’ve yet to explore Durham and Duke’s North Carolina environs.

One famous complaint from Duke students is that they don’t get into Durham enough.  Well, the world wide web has now made it possible to learn so much about our fantastic home city without ever leaving your room!  A blossoming blog scene has sprouted up showcasing the history, culture, and development of Durham, giving Duke students the chance to enrich their knowledge of the city.

Carpe Durham, a wonderful food blog written by Duke Law students, showcases restaurants of every kind from all corners of the city.  From taco trucks in North Durham (24 such postings) to bars in Brightleaf along with wine tastings, bakeries, gas station food reviews, and perspectives on Durham’s finest restaurants, the website has it all.  Short, enthusiastic entries, written with flair and expertise, along with high-quality pictures of food and drinks will make you want to leave your computer behind and go the city to get some delicious Durham fare.  Also available now in Durham: opentable.com, where you can make reservations online for some of Durham’s best restaurants, such as Watt’s Grocery, Revolution, and BIN54. (more…)

BY MATT GOAD : The Herald-Sun

Feb 22, 2009

DURHAM — The best way to show girls they can excel at science, says Duke junior Jennifer Chen, is to get them in labs and have them learn it.

That’s exactly what the FEMMES — which stands for Females Excelling More in Math, Engineering and Science — Program does, using Duke’s resources to reach out to Durham fourth- and fifth-grade girls. The program presents science and math subjects in a fun way.It includes a once-a-week after-school program, as well as Saturday’s event that drew 250 girls to campus to learn directly from Duke faculty members. (more…)