When describing their travels to Durham, few members of the Duke community can include a nearly two-week journey throughout the Southeast or an encounter with the most severe storm in recent national history.
But Igor Rubtsov is an exception.
A chemistry professor from Tulane University, Rubtsov arrived with graduate students Dmitry Kurochkin and Sriram Gopal Naraharisetty in early September. The three evacuees are among about 70 students and faculty from Gulf Coast universities who have sought refuge at Duke.
Rubtsov said he and his students are at Duke to continue research related to chemistry and physics they began in April.
Although many other institutions offered him space to complete his research, Rubtsov said he chose to come to Duke after receiving an invitation from Professor of Chemistry David Beratan. The two met five years ago while working at the University of Pennsylvania. Beratan visited Rubtsov at Tulane several times over the past six months, and the two collaborated in their work.
"It's just a great place, and David Beratan is a great person," Rubtsov said of his decision to come to Duke.
Rubtsov was in Monroeville, Ala., during the storm and had access to telephone and Internet connections throughout the ordeal.
As a result, Beratan was able to contact Rubtsov immediately by e-mail to invite him to Duke.
"It's a shame the circumstances are the way they are," Beratan said. "[But] it is a delight to have them here."
Before finally arriving in Durham, Rubtsov spent several uncertain days traveling through the South. Rubtsov first drove from Alabama to Atlanta, Ga., then temporarily returned to New Orleans 10 days after the hurricane to retrieve research data.
After acquiring his data, Rubtsov traveled to Texas to meet Kurochkin, who had evacuated four days after the storm with his wife and a group of fellow Tulane students. Rubtsov drove Kurochkin and his wife to Durham where the group met Naraharisetty, who had flown to North Carolina to join them.
Since his arrival at Duke, Rubtsov has hurried to meet research deadlines that were interrupted by the storm. He is now working on a set of two papers that he hopes to complete in time to return to New Orleans by late November or early December.
Kurochkin and Naraharisetty have also been busy assuming their own heavy course loads and assisting Rubtsov with his research.
Rubtsov emphasized his "deepest appreciation to Duke and to David Beratan," describing his experience at the University as "really amazing."
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