Several years ago, Duke University created a task force to look at the study of the psychological sciences around its campus in Durham, NC. "A question came up on whether the departments should be merged," says James N. Siedow, vice provost for research at Duke. "There was really good psychological research going on all over campus, but there was nothing tying everyone together. So everyone was just kind of operating on their own." In December 2006, the Institute of Brain, Mind, Genes, and Behavior was created to bring more focus and organization to psychological research throughout Duke's campus. "These things don't arise out of some primordial ooze," says Siedow. "We studied this carefully for a couple of years. By creating the institute, we hoped to create some synergy across the research."
This example provides a metaphor for the strength of academic research in North Carolina. Increasingly, the state's universities share ...
