The Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase 2021
Bass Connections 2020-2021 student team members shared their research highlights with the community during three live online sessions. They presented lightning talks and hosted breakout tables to discuss findings and answer questions from 600 attendees.
Ebony Boulware gave opening remarks. “As a physician, research scientist and educator, I know firsthand about the value of interdisciplinary collaboration to tackle complex problems,” she said. “We need expertise and perspectives from different areas of knowledge. That’s what I love about Bass Connections. It embodies the best of Duke, integrating faculty research with student education and bringing all corners of the campus together to dig into tough challenges in deep partnership with our local and global communities.”
Lightning Talks
Watch the videos of these student talks:
- Community-based Testing and Primary Care to Mitigate COVID-19 Transmission, Keren Hendel (MPP ’22) and Zachary Rene ’21
- Harnessing Data from North Carolina’s Jails to Inform Effective Policies, Brianna Joyce ’22 and Albert Sun ’23
- Mapping History: Seeing Premodern Cartography through GIS and Game Engines, Brittany Forniotis (Ph.D. in Art History ’26) and Emma Rand ’22
- Migration and Deportation among Guatemalans in the U.S. and Guatemala, Mateo Villamizar Chaparro (Ph.D. in Political Science ’23) and Arya Patel ’22
- Policy Implications of Cross-sector Strategies for Childhood Food Insecurity in North Carolina, Sophie Hurewitz ’22 and Elizabeth Jones (MPP ’22)
- ReadyView: Increasing Access to Laparoscopic Surgery, Jamila Otieno ’23 and Siddhesh Zadey (MS in Global Health ’21)
- Regenerative Grazing to Mitigate Climate Change, Juhi Dattani ’23 (NCSU) and Annie Roberts ’21
- Strategies for Energy, Water and Agriculture in Rural Ethiopia, Marie McNamara (MEM ’21) and Sagar Shah ’22
- Treating Alzheimer’s with Gene Therapy, Ishika Gupta ’23 and Sahil Malhotra ’23
Alumni Panel
An alumni panel moderated by Erik Wibbels, Chair of the Bass Connections Faculty Advisory Council, featured three former members of Bass Connections project teams:
- Megan McGufficke (International Comparative Studies ’16)
- Samuel Corwin (Environmental Sciences & Policy ’17)
- Lizzie Hunsaker (Ph.D. in Chemistry ’19)
Bass Connections Award for Best Research Poster
The Sex and Contraception Among College and Graduate Students During COVID-19 project team was this year’s winner. Three teams received runners-up honors:
Virtual Showcase
Many teams also shared highlights through profiles, presentations and posters, which are gathered in the 2020-2021 Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Virtual Showcase digital exhibit.
In recognition of generous gifts from the Mary Alice Fortin Foundation, the program’s annual culminating event is named The Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase.
