Videos from vdH Fellows 2024-2025

Global Fellows Spotlight: Dana Grieco

In this interview, we sit down with Dana Grieco as she discusses her research on coral reef social-ecological systems, her favorite spot on campus, and her teaching experience in Kino Bay, Mexico.

Global Fellows Spotlight: Ankita Gupta

In this interview, we sit down with Ankita Gupta as she discusses her research on how seasonal changes in wetland extent influence waterbird communities in agricultural landscapes and who has inspired her research thus far.

"Wednesdays at the Center" Lecture with Dana Grieco

Dana Grieco spoke at the John Hope Franklin Center’s ‘Wednesdays at the Center’ series with her lecture ‘Using systems thinking to understand how climate change and conservation impact data-poor coral reef fisheries'. In this talk, Grieco shared findings from her dissertation regarding how anthropogenic climate change impacts coral reef social-ecological systems, and what we can do to potentially mitigate the impacts of climate change.

"Wednesdays at the Center" Lecture with Justin Rasmussen

Justin Rasmussen spoke at the John Hope Franklin Center’s ‘Wednesdays at the Center’ series with his lecture "We continue talking, when I need counseling she comes": The relational context of community mental health worker support in Eldoret, Kenya'. In this talk, Rasmussen shared findings from his dissertation research on how this "lay counselor" role fits into existing networks of family social support in one such community mental health intervention in Western Kenya.

"Wednesdays at the Center" Lecture with Wan Ning Seah

Wan Ning Seah spoke at the John Hope Franklin Center’s ‘Wednesdays at the Center’ series with her lecture ‘Tolerance Beyond Liberal Democracy: Montesquieu’s Religious Pluralism'. In this talk, Seah shows that Montesquieu offers theoretical resources for reflecting on the practice of pluralism beyond liberal societies. Drawing on The Spirit of the Laws and Persian Letters, Seah argues that Montesquieu's views on toleration should be read in the broader context of his pluralism and particularism. 

"Wednesdays at the Center" Lecture with Ankita Gupta

Ankita Gupta spoke at the John Hope Franklin Center’s ‘Wednesdays at the Center’ series with her lecture ‘New Hydrologies, Novel Habitats: How Waterbirds Thrive in Irrigated Wetlands'. In this talk, Gupta shares findings from her dissertation research on how seasonal changes in wetland extent influence waterbird communities in agricultural landscapes. Using field surveys and remote sensing, Ankita examined how waterbirds respond to these dynamic wetland patterns, revealing the ecological consequences of human-managed water systems on waterbird species. 

Global Fellows Spotlight: Renzo Severino

In this interview, we sit down with Renzo Severino as he discusses the effect of increased immigrant presence in Peruvian high schools on the performance of native students and what has inspired his research thus far.

'Wednesdays at the Center' Lecture with Renzo Severino

Renzo Severino spoke at the John Hope Franklin Center’s ‘Wednesdays at the Center’ series with his lecture ‘The New Kids at School: Immigrants and Academic Performance in Peru'. In this talk, he presented findings from his dissertation research about Venezuelan immigration into Peru and how it affects Peruvian high school students. 

2024-25 vdH Global Fellows Presentations and papers

Dana Grieco

  • "How does climate change impact coral reef social-ecological systems? Literature network insights of major leverage points for ecosystems and fisheries." 37th Annual Tidewater Chapter Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, Beaufort, North Carolina. D.I. Grieco, A.M. Burlile, A. Aplin, B. Mills, W. Trowbridge, D.A. Gill. (March 2025) 
  • "How can systems mapping help us to understand how climate change and conservation impact data poor coral reef social-ecological systems?" 77th Annual Conference of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI77), Guadeloupe, French West Indies. (November 2024)
  • "How might conservation interventions be able to mitigate the impacts of climate change on tropical coastal marine social-ecological systems? Blueprints for Resilience: A workshop on coral reef resilience, conservation, and charting a roadmap for scaling effective conservation interventions for climate resilient reefs." Stony Brook University, Long Island, New York. D. Grieco, D. Gill. (June 2024)
  • Impacts of Conservation Interventions on Social-Ecological Tropical Coastal Marine Systems. In Review - npj Ocean Sustainability. Grieco, D.I., Cheng, S.H., Campbell L.M., Rudd, M.E., Andradi‑Brown, D.A., Ahmadia, G.N., Plasynski, J.A., Cha, C.H., Silliman, B.R., Deeg, C.S., McIntosh, E.J., Citrola, J.L., Pagliery, A.N., Hardt, M.J., Burlile, A.M., Sutaria, S.S., Gill, D.A. (2025)
  • Sustainable-use marine protected areas to improve human nutrition. Nature Communications, 15(1), Viana, D. F., Gill, D., Zvoleff, A., Krueck, N. C., Zamborain-Mason, J., Free, C. M., Shepon, A., Grieco, D., Schmidhuber, J., Mascia, M. B., & Golden, C. D. (2024)

Ankita Gupta

  • "Size-mediated response of forest stand structure to disturbance." Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America (Long Beach, CA, USA). Aug. 2024.

Wan Ning Seah

  • "Montesquieu's Religious Particularism: A Regime-Specific Account of Pluralism" (Philadelphia, September, American Political Science Association)
  • "Montesquieu's Religious Particularism: A Regime-Specific Account of Pluralism" (Durham, October, Triangle Intellectual History Seminar)
  • "Montesquieu's Religious Particularism: A Regime-Specific Account of Pluralism" (New Orleans, November, PPE Society Conference)
  • “Tolerance Beyond Liberal Democracy: Montesquieu’s Religious Pluralism” (Puerto Rico, January, Southern Political Science Association)
  • “Tolerance Beyond Liberal Democracy: Montesquieu’s Religious Pluralism” (Durham, January, Duke University Political Science Department)
  • “Tolerance Beyond Liberal Democracy: Montesquieu’s Religious Pluralism” (Durham, January, Institute for Humane Studies Virtual Graduate Student Conference)
  • “Montesquieu’s Religious Pluralism” (Raleigh, January, NC State University);
  • “Montesquieu’s Religious Pluralism: Thinking about Tolerance Beyond Liberal Democracy: ” (Middlebury VT, March, Middlebury College)

Videos from vdH Fellows 2023-2024

Global Fellows Spotlight: Adrienne Jones

In this interview, we sit down with Adrienne Jones to explore the intriguing path that brought her to Duke University, delve into the inspirations shaping her work, and uncover the passions she enjoys beyond her professional commitments. 

Global Fellows Spotlight: Miguel Martinez

In this interview, we sit down with Miguel Martinez to explore what brought him to Duke University, delve into the inspirations shaping his work, and discuss the furry friends that bring him joy beyond his academic career. 

Global Fellows Spotlight: Robin Fail

In this interview, we talk with Robin Fail to explore what brought her to Duke University, unpack the inspirations shaping her work, and discuss the people who inspire her. 

'Wednesdays at the Center' Lecture with Elizabeth Brown

Elizabeth Brown spoke at the John Hope Franklin Center’s ‘Wednesdays at the Center’ series with her lecture ‘Theaster Gates and The Glass Lantern Slide Collection: Sixty Thousand Ways to Unsettle an Art Historical Canon’. In this talk, she discussed the motivations behind Chicago-based multimedia artist, potter, and urban planner Theaster Gates's bold decision to acquire the University of Chicago Art History Department's deaccessioned collection of sixty thousand glass lantern slides in 2006. The event was co-sponsored by JHFC Global Equity and Justice Fellowship.

'Wednesdays at the Center' Lecture with Reshma Nargund

Reshma Nargund spoke at the John Hope Franklin Center’s ‘Wednesdays at the Center’ series with her lecture ‘From Genes to You: Understanding Epigenetics’. In this talk, she delved into the captivating world of genetic regulation beyond the traditional understanding of DNA. The event was co-sponsored by von der Heyden Global Fellows and Nicholas School of the Environment.

'Wednesdays at the Center' Lecture with Robin Fail

Robin Fail spoke at the John Hope Franklin Center’s ‘Wednesdays at the Center’ series with her lecture ‘Diverse values, social conflict, and policy preferences in Maine aquaculture’. In this talk, she shared her findings from her dissertation research about value conflict and policy making related to aquaculture growth.

'Wednesdays at the Center' Lecture with Miguel Martinez

Miguel Martinez spoke at the John Hope Franklin Center’s ‘Wednesdays at the Center’ series with his lecture ‘Theorizing Mexican Immigrant Racial Attitudes through an Ideological Lens’. In this talk, he sought to provide insight into how dominant racial ideologies in Mexico and the U.S. respectively show up in Mexican immigrant racial attitudes and politics through the results of a qualitative study.

'Wednesdays at the Center' Lecture with Adrienne Jones

Adrienne Jones spoke at the John Hope Franklin Center’s ‘Wednesdays at the Center’ series with her lecture ‘Fee to Drive: How Poverty, Punishment, and Policy Shape the Lives of Suspended Motorists’. In this talk, she shared her research about individuals’ experiences with employment- both job loss and job changes- and the reproduction of social and economic inequalities.

2023-24 vdH Global Fellows Presentations and Papers

Adrienne Jones

  • Barriers to Driver’s License Restoration: Evidence from North Carolina’s DEAR Program Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) Atlanta, GA, November 2023

Elizabeth Brown

  • “A Gathering of People: Urban Planning Across Time and Space.” 2023 South-eastern College Art Conference (SECAC). Oct. 11-14, 2023. Panel Organized
  • “Unraveling the Myths Around Dave thePotter through the Art of Theaster Gates” 2023 Southeastern College Art Conference (SECAC). Oct 11-14, 2023.

Robin Fail

  •  "Values, problem definitions, and policy preferences in Maine aquaculture." National Shellfisheries Association Annual Meeting. Charlotte, NC. (presentation) March 19, 2024.
  • "Diverse values, social conflict, and policy preferences in Maine aquaculture." John Hope Franklin Center Seminar Series: Wednesdays at the Center. Durham, NC. (presentation) March 6, 2024.
  • "Environmental Justice" Marine Policy Graduate Seminar. Beaufort, NC (guest lecture) November 6, 2023.
  • "Ontologies of Nature" Political Ecology Graduate Seminar. Beaufort, NC (guest lecture) October 31, 2023.
  • "Discursive Struggles and Intractable Conflicts in Aquaculture Development". MARE People and the Sea Conference. Amsterdam, NLD. (presentation) June 28, 2023.
  • "Discursive Struggles for Recognition in Maine Aquaculture." International Association for Society and Natural Resources Conference. Portland, ME. (presentation) June 15, 2023.
  • Cleaver, Caitlin, Robin Fail, Molly Miller, Emily Farr, Jessica Batchelder, Marissa McMahan Ph.D., and Maeve Staab. "Who’s Who in Maine Aquaculture? Understanding the Landscape of Aquaculture Actors and Priorities." Maine Policy Review 32.2 (2023) : 58 -69

SaeHim Park