Charting Vertices: The History of Duke’s Science Magazine from the 1980s to the Present
Above: Title art for Spring 1985 issue of Vertices.
The 1980s was a decade of countless scientific advancements—from the first use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify DNA to the registration of the first dot-com website on the World Wide Web. Here at Duke, students were celebrating the rise of men’s basketball under Coach K’s leadership and spending time in the newly constructed Bryan Center. In the midst of this time of excitement and progress, undergraduate Steven White was inspired by a science magazine at the University of Virginia to bring scientific news to the student body. In founding Vertices in 1983, White united writers who spent their days on Science Drive and editors who kept to Perkins Library in a single publication that aimed to make science accessible for Duke students and beyond.
Last semester, I revisited the inaugural issues of Vertices from the 1984-1985 school year. I found that the magazines occasionally show their age in humorous ways. For example, one undergraduate wrote an article about how CDs were revolutionizing the audio industry. Another mentioned that contact lenses had only been invented forty years ago, which is the lifetime of the Vertices magazine itself. Aside from these few examples, I was struck by the similarities in what topics fascinated students at that time and what topics stand out to our current writers—as well as a few ways we have grown as an organization to reflect the modern world.
Left: Image of Vertices founder Steven White, courtesy of The Chronicle.
Duke students remain at the intersection of science and larger cultural and political issues
As an organization that highlights scientific news, Vertices cannot neglect the intersection of science, policy and economics, especially in the healthcare sphere. This focus was certainly at the forefront of writers’ minds in the 1980s, with two articles in Vertices’ inaugural issues addressing the business of healthcare. Author Ted Alyea addressed concerns over the rise in for-profit hospitals in the fall 1984 edition of Vertices. At the time, for-profit organizations owned roughly 1,100 hospitals. Today, the number has risen to nearly 1,700. Alyea highlighted rising public concern about the healthcare costs and quality of care offered at these private healthcare institutions. Corporations were acquiring hospitals in rural areas, and while they attracted healthcare professionals to more remote areas and boosted the local economy, the hospitals had little to no competition that would otherwise incentivize them to lower healthcare costs.
Dr. Wendell Rosse, a Florence McAlister Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the Duke University Medical School, penned an article about the importance of ethics courses for premedical students. Dr. Rosse wrote about the importance of ethics courses for premedical students. Dr. Rosse believed that a “liberal education,” one that ranges widely in subject matter, is critical for physicians to learn how to interact with patients and understand their personal history and decisions. Dr. Rosse also highlighted that physicians must be able to write and explain complex scientific matters to patients who may not have strong scientific backgrounds. He expressed that these everyday aspects of healthcare delivery require an education beyond organic chemistry or pharmacology and should be included as prerequisite courses for pre-medical students.
Recent Vertices articles expand upon the ideas put forth in these early issues and highlight the continuing ways that Duke students are devoted to making healthcare an equitable institution. Cathy Xiang highlighted a student initiative that provides social resources to patients receiving care in the Triangle Area. Julia Martinez recently published an article on race-based medicine, which highlights how the American healthcare system has alienated marginalized groups. These articles, among others, showcase that the interest in the intersection of science, culture and politics through healthcare has not diminished in the Duke student body.
Vertices showcases Duke’s scientific prowess and its deep roots in North Carolina
Duke University has long been a driving force in scientific innovation, deeply embedded in North Carolina’s rich research landscape. This was not lost on Bill Sandy, who published the first article in Vertices on the establishment of Research Triangle Park. The Park, established in 1956 with the support of Duke, UNC and NC State, was a strategic effort to retain top graduates in the state and foster economic growth. The Park successfully attracted private research firms and Duke’s connection to this research hub continues to draw innovators who contribute to cutting-edge advancements.
Even forty years ago, entrepreneurs and researchers alike found North Carolina’s resources and Duke’s ecosystem ideal for developing new ideas. One example is Dodds Meddock, a former administrator of Duke’s Zoology Department, who was drawn to the state’s rich textile history and favorable weather to manufacture hot air balloons. Additionally, the Hemosponge was born out of a contract between Aquanautics, Duke researchers Drs. Joseph and Celia Bonaventura and the Duke Marine Biomedical Center. The hemosponge is a device inspired by fish physiology to extract oxygen from water. The Bonaventuras aimed to develop the technology into a form of artificial breathing. These innovators, connected to Duke and the Research Triangle, were highlighted in the first two issues of Vertices.
More recently, Vertices has spotlighted Duke’s Office of Translation and Commercialization. Duke’s OTC has been instrumental in transforming student research into market-ready technologies, ranging from epigenetic therapies to advanced satellite imaging metamaterials. With scientists like Dr. Dorothy Sipkins leading cancer research and Dr. Michael Boyarsky pushing the boundaries of imaging technology, Duke remains at the forefront of transformative discoveries that shape both North Carolina’s economy and the future of science.
Early Vertices issues are dominated by male writers
It is important to highlight the ways in which Vertices has grown since its beginnings. The early issues and editorial staff certainly feature a male majority. In recent years, Vertices has been led by a female president and a diverse leadership team and group of writers that hold unique perspectives and scientific interests. These changes reflect the rise of diversity seen in STEM fields over the last several decades.
Historical inequities in access to education and opportunity led to STEM careers being limited to a select few. However, implementation of the “STEM pipeline” in the 1970s and onward helped support and encourage students from all backgrounds to pursue a career in STEM. The number of doctoral degrees awarded in science and engineering fields has been steadily increasing at a rate of 3% since the 1950s. Women now make up one third of the STEM workforce, and there has been a steady increase in minority groups entering the industry.
Duke is now the home for many student initiatives that promote accessibility to STEM. For example, STEM Connect teaches science lessons to students in local Durham high schools to bolster their scientific education. Founded in 2006, Duke University’s Females Excelling More in Math, Engineering, and Science (FEMMES+) hosts after-school and extracurricular STEM programming for female-identifying and allied Triangle Area students. Vertices also contributes to the STEM pipeline through our annual High School Science Communication Challenge, which accepts writing samples from students globally for the chance to be published in Vertices.
Advances in the field of science
The earlier issues of Vertices put into perspective how far science has advanced since the 1980s. Aside from articles on CDs and contact lenses that make us chuckle at how far daily life has progressed since the age of disco and scrunchies, students in the early issues of Vertices highlighted research that has shown great development since they were originally covered. One article covered research into genetic “probes,” in which single-stranded or double-stranded DNA was used for sequence-specific recognition of a target. While at the time these probes were novel technology, they are now employed daily for tracking molecular interactions on cell membranes and paternity testing. Author Neil Kalin proposed that this technology would make it possible to detect disease-causing genes but noted that gene therapy was not yet successfully done on humans. Now, there are over forty cell and gene therapies approved by the FDA and even more in late-stage clinical trials.
In imaging technology, contact X-ray microscopy has evolved significantly since Justin Wu covered the topic in Spring 1985. Contact X-ray microscopy conferred advantages over other forms of microscopy because it reduced the alterations required to the specimen. Since X-rays are highly penetrable and operate over a wide wavelength range, the samples can be thick and do not require staining. This technology was recently developed into the MAXWELL technique for nanoimaging which allows for “nanoscale resolution in all three-dimensions.” Contact X-ray microscopy can also be paired with AI for high powered image reconstruction. These advancements in genetic engineering and imaging technology illustrate how far science has come, demonstrating the power of innovation to reshape medicine, diagnostics, and our fundamental understanding of life at the molecular level.
Left: Image of living cell taken with X-ray microscopy, from Vertices Spring 1985 issue
Right: 3D images taken with MAXWELL imaging of Drosophila, images courtesy of Nature.
Despite advances in scientific discoveries, membership diversity and publication format, undergraduate members of the organization today remain united by a passion for science, journalism, and making research accessible. Vertices continues to be an outlet for Duke students to explore topics of interest, share ideas about an ever-evolving scientific landscape and highlight the work of peers and distinguished researchers.
