Category Archives: Student Opportunities

‘Science of Happiness’ Teaching Assistant Sophie Brooks Graduates With Distinction, Senior Project Features BABLab PI Dr. Patty Van Cappellen.

Awards, Lab Members, Student Opportunities

This past fall, Sophie Brooks served as a teaching assistant for BABLab PI Dr. Patty Van Cappellen’s course, The Science of Happiness, where she helped facilitate invigorating class discussions, community-building events among students, and offered overall support in executing the course. To learn more about The Science of Happiness course, check out this feature article by Duke Mag.

Throughout her time at Duke, Brooks pursued a self-designed Program II degree, Mind, Meaning, Movement: A Multidimensional Approach to Human Wellness, where she explored health and wellness through the disciplines of psychology, neuroscience, religion, philosophy, and movement practices.

For her senior project, Brooks designed a podcast, In Sync, to cultivate wellness through a curated collection of expert interviews. One of the episodes featured the BABLab’s very own Dr. Patty Van Cappellen, whom Brooks TA’d for last fall. Some highlights of the conversation include insights from Dr. Van Cappellen’s groundbreaking research in positive psychology, exploring how we can move beyond simply being “okay” to truly flourishing in life, among other topics. The episode is available in both Apple Podcasts and Spotify

Brooks graduated from Duke University with distinction in May following a successful project defense.

Congratulations to Sophie on all her success at Duke. The BABLab wishes you luck in all your future endeavors!

From Coursework to the Lab: BABLab Post-Doc Kunalan Manokara Brings Students into Research

Events, Lab Members, Student Opportunities

This past semester, students enrolled in Dr. Kunalan Manokara’s course, offered through Duke University’s Pluralism, Free Inquiry, and Belonging initiative, stepped outside the traditional classroom and into the BABLab.

Students engaged in ongoing research exploring the utility of positive emotions as a tool for promoting positive intergroup relations, making the BABLab a site of hands-on learning.

 

The experience ended with a final project presentation, where students shared their research findings directly with Dr. Manokara and BABLab PI Dr. Patty Van Cappellen.

Students also received an informational tour of the lab space, gaining an inside look at the infrastructure, research questions, and collaborative environment that define a successful social science research lab.

Congrats to Kunalan’s students for completing their certification in pluralism, free inquiry, and belonging at Duke!

Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) 2026 Recap!

Events, Lab Members, Student Opportunities

Earlier this year, BABLab staff attended the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) Annual Convention 2026! We were so grateful to attend and present our research at the conference.

Here are some highlights from our team: 

BABLab PI Dr. Patty Van Cappellen and Post-Doctoral Associate in the
Dr. Megan Edwards of BABLab both presented at the “New Directions in Existential Psychology for the Religious and Nonreligious” symposium.

Dr. Van Capellen’s talk was titled ” Beyond Rainbows: Religious and Existential Dimensions of Hope.”
And Dr. Edwards’ talk was titled “Hope in the Dark: Hope More Strongly Predicts Meaning in Life Among Those Who Need It”

 

BABLab Lab Manager Jenna Faith McClear, M.T.S. & BABLab Lab Manager Camryn Yeager, B.A., both presented posters at the SPSP Main conference!

Camryn’s poster was titled “Campus Economic Inequality May Shape Feelings of ‘Falling Behind’ and Reduced Student Well-Being.”

Jenna’s Poster was titled “Immediate Emotional Benefits of Religious Service Attendance: Evidence From a Natural Experiment at Easter.”

Additionally, BABLab research assistant Jennifer Hu also presented her poster “What Makes Us Human?: Sociality as a Key Dimension of Mind Perception” at the first poster session of the main conference.

Finally, we were glad to catch up with all of the past BABLab alumni at the BABLab reunion dinner!

We had such an amazing time at SPSP ’26!

Patty Van Cappellen’s “Science of Happiness” Course Featured in Duke Mag

Media, Student Opportunities

We’re excited to share that Dr. Patty Van Cappellen’s course, “The Science of Happiness,” was recently featured in Duke Mag. The article highlights how the class blends psychological research and practical exercises to help students explore what truly contributes to well-being. Through lectures, discussions, and evidence-based activities, students learn how scientific insights can be applied to cultivate meaning, gratitude, and joy in their daily lives. The feature also underscores Dr. Van Cappellen’s commitment to helping students connect rigorous academic research with personal growth. Read more about the class and its impact in the full article on Duke Mag’s website.

Patty Van Cappellen Teaches “Science of Happiness” Course This Fall Semester

Events, Student Opportunities

This fall, Patty taught again her new course titled The Science of Happiness, offering students an opportunity to examine the psychological foundations of well-being and positive emotion. The course explores research on happiness, meaning, and human flourishing, encouraging students to consider how these insights can inform both personal and community life. This course is part of the Transformative Ideas initiative at Duke.

Students in Patty’s “Science of Happiness” course take advantage of the nice weather for an outdoor class session.

In keeping with the theme of well-being, Patty recently held class outdoors, where students engaged in discussion surrounded by sunshine and fresh air. The outdoor session reflected the course’s emphasis on integrating academic learning with personal application in day-to-day life.

Through The Science of Happiness, Patty aims to help students connect empirical research with lived experience—fostering reflection, engagement, and a deeper understanding of what happiness means in their own lives.

Research Opportunity! Bass Connections Project: What is Hope?

Student Opportunities

We are excited to announce an interdisciplinary Bass Connections Project Team for the 2024-2025 academic year!  Dr. Patty Van Cappellen will be serving as Team Leader alongside Dr. Erin Johnston for this project entitled, “What is Hope? Bridging the Gap between Experience and Research.”

In year-long Bass Connections project teams, faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students engage in collaborative research that explores complex societal issues. Duke students of all levels can apply! See the 2024-2025 Project Teams. Deadline for applications is February 12, 5p.m EST.

What is Hope?

Hope is a central concept not only to promoting resilience and flourishing, but also as a religious competency. Its scientific study is, however, surprisingly limited — existing conceptions range from too narrow to too broad. We aim to renew our understanding of hope through a deeper engagement with its lived experiences and existential roots.

This team will engage with the lived experience of hope as reported by practitioners and community members, including people of faith. Team members will expand the understanding of what hope is through semi-structured interviews to gather 30-60 personal stories of hope. A data repository will be created, containing rich qualitative data on experiences of hope from a diverse set of people representing different religious, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Student Opportunities:

  • The team will include 3 graduate students and 12 undergraduate students with interest and background in the social sciences.
  • Students will develop skills in project design and learn social science research methods, analytical skills, and critical evaluation.

Academic credit is available for Fall-Spring semesters.

Please see the Hope Project Team page for full details! See the 2024-2025 Project Teams call page to learn more about Bass Connections teams, FAQ, and the online application. We encourage all interested students to apply!