JohnnyQuest (one of my favorite cartoon characters, btw), Duke emailed me at the account I indicated when applying online. As for initiating contact, I didn't do that earlier on. In fact, I've always been skeptical of doing that because it can backfire spectacularly. I guess I'd rather be judged on the application itself rather than any previous contact. Unless of course, that contact was made organically (at a conference/through another Professor/etc)