Bass Connections

Contextualizing Duke’s Centennial: Propose a Project or Course

Sarah Dwyer

Duke Bass Connections logo. Text: Special call for project and course proposals: Contextualizing Duke's Centennial: Exploring the Past to Shape Our Vision for the Future. Submission deadline: April 3.

Deadline: April 3, 2023

Bass Connections is now accepting proposals for new year-long projects and courses that engage students in the exploration of an issue related to Duke’s past, present or future during Duke’s Centennial. Faculty interested in proposing a project or course should read the full submission guidelines and submit a proposal by Monday, April 3 at 5:00 p.m.

Please note: This RFP is only for 2023-2024 projects or courses related to the centennial. Our next general call for Bass Connections projects will be issued in August 2023.

Background

Bass Connections brings together faculty and students of all levels to tackle complex societal issues through interdisciplinary research projects and courses.

This is a special call for proposals for Bass Connections project teams or project-based courses related to Duke’s Centennial. The maximum budget for a year-long project team is $25,000; funding for a course development grant is $5,000 (or $10,000 for co-taught courses) with the option of an additional $1,750 to support 75 hours of a doctoral student’s time to support elements of the course design. Course development proposals may focus on the creation of an entirely new course or embedding a Centennial-related collaborative project in an existing course.

The Centennial

In 2024 and the first half of 2025, Duke will celebrate its centennial. This is a special call for Bass Connections projects or courses that seek to explore/examine elements of Duke’s past, present and future through collaborative research. This opportunity provides space for faculty and students to undertake an academic exploration of Duke during this milestone and represents an important avenue to engage the community in clarifying and advancing Duke’s aspirations for the next century.

Research questions may include, but are not limited to, documenting, analyzing and exploring the:

  • Evolving relationship between Duke and Durham (e.g., the community’s role in shaping the university; the university’s role in shaping Durham’s politics, culture and economy; relationships and power dynamics between the university and the community)
  • Changing social experience of Duke students, faculty, and staff, including the impact of twentieth- and twenty-first century social movements on the campus (e.g., civil rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, rights of indigenous peoples)
  • Internationalization of Duke as it has become a global university, attracting larger numbers of students from outside the United States, recruiting faculty whose research focuses on topics outside America, and developing partnerships with campuses in Singapore and China
  • Place of religion, sports and/or the arts in the life of the university
  • Influence of major events such as war, pandemics and financial crises on Duke’s campus
  • Impact of trends and transformations in American higher education on Duke (e.g., the dynamics of public funding, public perceptions of higher education, the embrace of interdisciplinary modes of scholarship and education, the links between academic research and innovation and policy)
  • Emergence of new areas of research and teaching, whether in response to curiosity-driven discoveries or engagement with societal problems

Such projects or courses could embrace a range of research methods including oral histories, engagement with Duke Archives, data analysis and text mining of digitized sources like the Duke Chronicle. Project teams or courses might result in an equally creative range of outputs such as exhibits, digital archives, websites, podcasts, data visualizations and white papers. Faculty are encouraged to propose projects or courses that engage with community partners where relevant and bring a range of voices to bear on these research questions.

Proposal Guidelines and Submission Instructions

The deadline for proposals is Monday, April 3, 2023 at 5:00 p.m.

Before applying, please review our proposal guidelines (linked in the table below). All proposals must be submitted through the online submission forms. You may work directly within the online form and save and return to the form as you work. You may also preview the proposal questions and draft your responses using the templates linked below.

Year-Long Projects Proposal Guidelines Submission Form Proposal Template
Project-Based Courses Proposal Guidelines Submission Form Proposal Template

Interested faculty are encouraged to contact Laura Howes, Director of Bass Connections, at laura.howes@duke.edu with questions or to discuss potential ideas.

Learn More

Find a Bass Connections Team That’s Right for You

Sarah Dwyer

Text: 2023-24 Bass Connections project teams: find a project team that's right for you. Eight photos of students working together in a range of settings, indoors and outdoors.

Deadline: February 13, 2023

Duke students from all levels and schools are invited to check out the new Bass Connections project teams for 2023-2024.

Bass Connections project teams bring together faculty, postdocs, graduate students and undergraduates to tackle complex societal challenges in interdisciplinary research teams. Most project teams collaborate with partners outside Duke, including companies, nonprofits, universities, school systems, hospitals and government agencies.

Project teams last for two semesters, and some include a summer component. Academic credit and summer funding are available. Students can apply to up to three project teams.

Browse the 2023-2024 Project Teams by Theme

Each project team page contains a detailed project description, anticipated outputs, student opportunities, timelines and a list of team leaders.

Student can also browse the full list of project teams, which can be filtered by theme, area of focus and special opportunities.

Bring Your Questions to the Bass Connections Fair on January 25

Students of all levels are encouraged to stop by the Bass Connections Fair on Wednesday, January 25, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. in Penn Pavilion.

At the fair, students can talk with:

  • Project team leaders and Bass Connections staff to learn more about new project opportunities and the benefits of participation
  • Representatives from the Story+ Summer Program to learn more about opportunities to participate on a Summer 2023 Story+ team
  • Directors of Academic Engagement and representatives from the Undergraduate Research Support Office to consider how to incorporate collaborative research through Bass Connections into their academic pathways.

Before You Apply

Take some time to learn how project teams work, review FAQs, explore the benefits of participation and browse stories from students about their Bass Connections experiences.

The online application will ask you to provide basic background information, a resume, name and contact information for two references (one of which should be a faculty member unless you are a first-year student), and a short-answer question about your prior experiences working with teams. You will also be asked to complete a few short-answer questions specific to each of the projects to which you are applying. You can preview the application here.

The deadline for applications is February 13 at 5:00 p.m. EST.

Create Your Own Path

Need some help planning your Bass Connections pathway? Undergraduate students can seek guidance from Duke’s Directors of Academic Engagement, who will be at the Bass Connections Fair on January 25 and also offer individualized, hour-long advising appointments to guide students through the process of integrating Bass Connections into their academic plans.

Graduate students should speak to their departmental adviser and check out The Graduate School’s professional development resources to help guide their pathways. Professional school students should consider consulting with advising services and resources within their school or unit.

Learn More

Duke Experts Coauthor New Guide on Boosting Universities’ Impact ‘Beyond the Academy’

Sarah Dwyer

International group of scholars outlines best practices for creating a more ‘engaged university’

Group of adults standing together on steps.
Scholars from the Beyond the Academy network attended a two-day workshop at Duke University in September 2019.

Faculty and students are increasingly looking for ways to directly engage with the world’s most pressing environmental and social challenges, including climate change, the ongoing effects of a global pandemic and racial injustice. In a newly published book, an international group of scholars—including some from Duke University—offers a “vision and a roadmap to a more impactful future” for higher education.

Cover of book, Guidebook for the Engaged University.The Guidebook for the Engaged University highlights best practices to encourage scholarship that goes beyond the traditional university model to make a real-world impact. The guidebook organizes those practices around three main themes:

  • Reforming academic incentive structures;
  • Encouraging public engagement and co-production; and
  • Preparing students to be sustainability leaders.

“With their diverse knowledge, skills and networks, colleges and universities can and should be front and center in helping to address societal challenges,” said guidebook contributor Lydia Olander, director of the Ecosystem Services Program at Duke’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability. “In practice, they’re too often disengaged or a step removed from the on-the-ground partnerships needed to work with communities, policy makers and corporations to solve these problems. The guidebook reimagines what an ‘engaged university’ could look like, shifting academic priorities to maximize impact.”

The guidebook was written and published by Beyond the Academy, a network of hundreds of sustainability researchers from universities in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Formed in 2018 with funding from the National Academies Keck Futures Initiative, Beyond the Academy is focused on making universities more supportive of applied interdisciplinary research.

Over the last three years, the network has hosted workshops, conducted literature reviews and collected case studies to identify innovative ideas for how universities can reform their systems and structures to promote action-oriented research. The discussions placed an emphasis on producing graduates prepared to make an immediate difference.

“Graduate students want curricula and research opportunities that provide an opportunity to have a practical effect on issues that touch all our lives,” said Edgar Virgüez, a 2022 Duke Ph.D. graduate who participated in the guidebook process and recently wrote about his perspective as an early-career scholar. “Working with Beyond the Academy showed the breadth of opportunities that forward-thinking universities, such as Duke, are already providing.”

The guidebook provides numerous examples from Duke and other institutions to show how universities can adapt their approaches.

A section on engagement leadership spotlights Duke’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, now known as the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability. Since 2005, the institute has acted as a bridge between Duke scholarship and the policy-making world. It delivers timely, nonpartisan analyses to decision makers and convenes key stakeholders to help address environmental challenges.

Bass Connections is another Duke program recognized in the guidebook for a structure and culture that supports engaged scholarship. Bass Connections brings together interdisciplinary teams of students and faculty to co-investigate complex societal problems.

The guidebook also cites DukeEngage as an example of a program that trains students interested in more engaged scholarship. During this immersive summer experience, students and faculty collaborate with communities—both locally and globally—to address critical social issues.

“Vibrant community partnerships require much more of researchers than just looking for a field site; you have to build relationships, which doesn’t easily map onto the incentive structure embedded in many universities,” said Edward Balleisen, Duke University vice provost for interdisciplinary studies. “The guidebook offers a set of practical tools that institutions can use to facilitate this highly collaborative work and credit scholars in their individual career trajectories. As the many examples in the guidebook illustrate, Duke has—and will continue to be—a leader in this crucial mode of equitable, applied, interdisciplinary research.”

The guidebook’s publication coincides with the announcement of the Duke Climate Commitment, which unites the university’s education, research, operations and public service missions to address the climate crisis. The commitment—to be formally introduced on Sept. 29—builds on Duke’s longstanding leadership in climate, energy and sustainability to educate a new generation of climate-fluent innovators and create equitable solutions for all.

Read the Guidebook for the Engaged University.

Originally posted on the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability website

Propose a Bass Connections Project Team for 2023-24

Sarah Dwyer

Now accepting proposals for 2023-2024 project teams.

Deadline: November 7, 2022

Bass Connections brings together faculty, postdocs, graduate students, undergraduates and community partners to tackle complex societal challenges in interdisciplinary research teams. This request for proposals is for year-long project teams that will take place in 2023-2024, with the option to pair a proposal with a summer Data+/Climate+ or Story+ team for Summer 2023. Funding for year-long project teams is between $5,000 and $25,000.

For some faculty, Bass Connections provides a mechanism to pilot a new research initiative and lay the groundwork for external grant proposals. For others, Bass Connections offers an innovative teaching model and the chance to mentor students in a small group atmosphere. Bass Connections also provides a model for initiating or deepening engagement with a community organization or collaborators outside of Duke who can provide input into the construction of research questions and translate research findings into action.

For more information about benefits for faculty, see faculty perspectives or the faculty evaluation report.

Proposals may be submitted by faculty, staff, graduate/professional students, postdocs and trainees/fellows, but all projects must have at least one faculty team leader. Please see the complete proposal guidelines.

Questions?

Interested faculty, particularly those who have never led a Bass Connections team, are also encouraged to contact a Bass Connections theme leader or Laura Howes, director of Bass Connections, at laura.howes@duke.edu with questions or to discuss potential ideas. Or drop in at any time to one of our informal Zoom office hours (https://duke.zoom.us/j/99393877201):

  • Friday, September 9, 10:00-11:00
  • Friday, September 30, 9:00-10:00
  • Friday, October 14, 1:00-2:00
  • Friday, October 21, 11:00-12:00

The deadline for proposals is Monday, November 7, 2022 at 5:00 p.m.

Bass Connections Offers Student Funding for Collaborative or Individual Projects

Sarah Dwyer
Student researchers.
Previous recipients working on their funded research projects in the lab, at a clinic in Honduras, and in a forest in Gabon

Deadline: March 5, 2022

Bass Connections creates opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to work alongside faculty to explore societal challenges through interdisciplinary research teams. The Bass Connections Student Research Award provides funds of up to $3,000 (for one to two students) or $5,000 (for groups of more than two students) to support student-directed research projects that meet one of the following parameters:

  1. Undergraduate and graduate students who have completed (or are completing) a Bass Connections year-long project team or summer program may propose to continue some aspect of the team’s work through a faculty-mentored research experience. Such research experiences may be either individual or collaborative although collaborative projects are preferred.
  1. Students who have participated in Bass Connections may also propose a research project that is not related to their Bass Connections experience so long as the proposed project is collaborative (i.e., involving at least two students) and interdisciplinary in nature.
  1. Undergraduate and graduate students who have not yet participated in Bass Connections may also apply so long as the proposed project is collaborative (i.e., involving at least two students) and interdisciplinary in nature.

Teams that include at least one Trinity undergraduate student might consider applying for the Student Team Grants opportunity, which is also accepting applications for 2022-2023 through March 5, 2022.

Other Eligibility Criteria

  • All projects must have a faculty mentor.
  • Projects must involve research.
  • Projects must occur within the next year (from May 2022 to May 2023).
  • Students must be active students during the time of the proposed research (i.e., graduating students are not eligible).
  • Students who have previously received a Bass Connections research award may not apply again.

A note about COVID-19 restrictions:

While we aspire to support applied, student-driven research projects, the health and safety of students and the community are our top priority. All projects, if selected, will be expected to follow all applicable university policies.

For Summer 2022, we anticipate that students will be able to conduct on-campus research and live in on- or off-campus housing. Students may propose projects involving domestic or international travel, but all travel plans will be subject to change in accordance with the Duke Global Travel Policy, as it applies at the time of travel.

When submitting a proposal, you should carefully consider whether the proposed research will be feasible under the current circumstances, and address in the proposal how you might adapt your research plan if aspects of the project are not feasible due to COVID-19 restrictions. If the proposed research involves in-person contact or fieldwork, the proposal should address how the team will adhere to COVID-19 protocols.

Proposal Criteria

Proposals should be no longer than five pages and should be submitted as a single document using this online form. The online form will also request some basic background information on the composition of your team. Proposals are due Saturday, March 5, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. ET and should include:

  • Project title (no more than 75 characters)
  • Abstract: Provide a brief summary of the project and the issue it will address (1-2 paragraphs, no more than 200 words).
  • Research plan: A brief narrative that articulates: 1) the goals of the research; and 2) a plan of how the research will be conducted, including a timeline for key activities.
  • Connection to Bass Connections: If this research follows directly from a Bass Connections team experience, please articulate this connection. For projects that are not connected to a Bass Connections team experience, please explain how the proposed project aligns with the Bass Connections model (team-based, interdisciplinary research around societal challenges), and the origins of the proposed work (e.g., inspired by an experience in a particular course, DukeEngage, Study Away, Duke Immerse, a humanities lab, an extra-curricular experience).
  • Team composition: List all students who will be involved in the research and any external partners.
  • Student development: For each student involved, explain how this project fits within their overall academic and professional plan.
  • COVID-19 contingencies: Please address any risks to your project plan based on evolving COVID-19 restrictions and how you might adapt the project as needed. If you are proposing research involving contact outside of the Duke community, please address how you will ensure that university COVID-19 protocols are followed.
  • Budget: Submit a budget plan (up to $3,000 total for projects involving one to two students or up to $5,000 total for projects involving more than two students) and timeline for the use of funds. Please list all other sources and amounts of support for the research project, both confirmed and anticipated/applied for (if applicable).

The following expenses are not allowable:

  • Students may not pay themselves for time spent conducting this research. This award is intended to cover material costs to enable you to accomplish your research goals.
  • Funds may not be used to purchase specific equipment costing more than $1,000 (e.g., computers, cameras).
  • Funds may not be used to cover personal living expenses at a permanent residence. Funds may only be used to cover temporary living expenses to conduct field research (which can include Durham during the summer only).

Allowable expenses might include: transcription services, local ground transportation, attendance at a conference to present your research (although note that this should not be the entirety of your proposal), travel expenses for field research (when COVID-19 travel restrictions are lifted), minor equipment such as recording devices for interviews, lab tests and materials, minor software not already offered by Duke, minor payments to research participants, subscriptions to surveying/data management tools, printing/publication expenses and books/training to support your research.

Please note that neither of these lists are all-inclusive, but rather are intended to help you consider common, allowable expenses.

  • Faculty letter of support: Please attach a letter of support in the online form or ask your faculty mentor to email a letter of support to laura.howes@duke.edu. This letter should articulate the faculty mentor’s willingness to supervise the project; why they feel the research is worthwhile; and any other relevant information about their connection to the proposer(s).

Resources

We strongly encourage prospective applicants to attend our Foundational Research Module series for additional grounding in common research practices. In particular, if your project involves human subjects, you should make every effort to attend one of the two Institutional Review Board modules on February 25 or April 8. This module will satisfy the Human Subjects Certification requirement, allowing you to proceed with setting up an IRB protocol.

Review and Selection

We anticipate awarding funds to at least seven projects, with a preference for collaborative projects. Proposals will be reviewed by the Bass Connections Faculty Advisory Council and Bass Connections leadership. Decisions will be announced by March 31, 2022, and funds will be awarded as appropriate to the timing of the project.

As a condition of funding, awardees will be required to provide a 400-600 word reflection on their research experience, with photos, by no later than April 30, 2023. The Bass Connections program team may also check in with awardees during the year to request a short update.

Contact

Laura Howes, Director, Bass Connections; (919) 684-9021

Student Team Grants Available for Research Projects Starting This Summer

Sarah Dwyer

Deadline: March 5, 2022

Are you and a group of fellow students excited about testing a new idea or exploring a compelling research question? Do you want to extend work that you started through a course, extra-curricular activity, or Bass Connections, DukeEngage, Data+ or Story+ project?

Bass Connections and the Undergraduate Research Support Office are pleased to introduce a new research grant available for students involved in collaborative team-based research projects. This research award will provide funds of up to $5,000 to support collaborative research projects involving two or more students. Calls for proposals will be issued in January of each year and funds will be awarded for a period of one year. Five to eight awards will be issued each year.

Projects can address a broad range of research topics and result in an array of research outputs, from traditional theses, research papers and conference presentations to prototypes, exhibits, websites and media campaigns, data sets and apps, performances, and more!

We are now accepting proposals for 2022-2023. All proposals must be submitted through the online proposal form by March 5, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. You may work directly within the online form and save and return to the form as you work. You may also preview the proposal questions and draft your responses using the following Word template.

Eligibility criteria
  • Research projects must be conceived of and directed by students.
  • Projects must have a faculty mentor.
  • Projects must occur within the next year (from May 2022 to May 2023).
  • Students must be active students during the time of the proposed research (i.e., graduating students are not eligible).
  • Project teams must include at least one Trinity undergraduate student; Pratt undergraduate students and/or graduate students from any Duke School are also eligible to apply as long as their team includes at least one Trinity undergrad.*
  • Projects may be focused on any topic within, or across disciplines, with a preference for interdisciplinary projects.

*If you are seeking funding for a project that does not include a Trinity undergraduate student, consider applying for the Bass Connections Student Research Award.

A note about COVID-19:

While we aspire to support applied, student-driven research projects, the health and safety of students and the community are our top priority. All projects, if selected, will be expected to follow all applicable university policies.

For Summer 2022, we anticipate that students will be able to conduct on-campus research and live in on- or off-campus housing. Students may propose projects involving domestic or international travel, but all travel plans will be subject to change in accordance with the Duke Global Travel Policy, as it applies at the time of travel.

When submitting a proposal, you should carefully consider whether the proposed research will be feasible under the current circumstances, and address in the proposal how you might adapt your research plan if aspects of the project are not feasible due to COVID-19 restrictions. If the proposed research involves in-person contact or fieldwork, the proposal should address how the team will adhere to COVID-19 protocols.

Proposal requirements

All proposals must be submitted through the online proposal form by March 5, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. You may work directly within the online form and save and return to the form as you work. You may also preview the proposal questions and draft your responses using the following Word template. For planning purposes, key proposal elements include:

  • Details about the team composition
  • A description of the project including an abstract, a research plan, information about how the team will operate and how the project will contribute to the development of student team members, a timeline, and information about how the team will adapt as needed to emerging COVID-19 circumstances
  • Project details including whether the project includes research with animals or human subjects, and a risk management plan for any projects involving fieldwork
  • Budget (see additional guidance below)
  • Letter of recommendation from a faculty mentor: Your faculty mentor should submit their letter of recommendation directly by email to laura.howes@duke.edu by March 5, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. Your mentor’s letter should address the scholarly value of your research project, their assessment of your preparedness for completing the project, and how they intend to support you (including how often the mentor and students will meet, how the mentor will provide guidance, oversight, and assistance).
Budget limitations

When submitting a proposal, you will be asked to submit a detailed budget plan for the entire proposed project, noting other sources of funding that you have secured or applied for. Maximum funding for this award is $5,000.

For planning purposes, please note the following limitations, which may be subject to change.

Reasonable expenses include:

  • Fees associated with use of archives, lab equipment, etc.
  • Software licenses
  • Research participant incentives
  • Research supplies and materials
  • Transcription services
  • Books/training to support your research
  • Travel for field research that cannot be conducted remotely (dependent upon COVID-19 travel restrictions)
  • Summer housing expenses to allow students to conduct research in instances when students need to be on-site

Funds may not be used:

  • As stipend or salary
  • To purchase personal equipment or durable items costing more than $1,000 (cameras, computers, clothing, etc.)
  • To cover personal living expenses at a permanent residence (funds may only be used to cover temporary living expenses to conduct field research, which can include Durham during the summer only)
  • To cover personal taxes

Please note that neither of these lists are all-inclusive, but rather are intended to help you consider common, allowable expenses.

Funds will generally be administered via a Duke “fund code.” To process expenditures, students will need to work with their faculty advisor to use a departmental purchase card, or file for reimbursement. Some expenses (such as housing) will be issued as a non-compensatory payment to students and will be considered taxable income.

Resources

We strongly encourage prospective applicants to attend the Bass Connections Foundational Research Module series for additional grounding in common research practices. In particular, if your project involves human subjects, you should make every effort to attend one of the two Institutional Review Board modules on February 25 or April 8. This module will satisfy the Human Subjects Certification requirement, allowing you to proceed with setting up an IRB protocol.

Contact

For questions or more information about the Student Team Grants program, please contact laura.howes@duke.edu.

These research awards are supported by the Eberts Family Fund, and are administered by the Undergraduate Research Support Office in partnership with Bass Connections.

Also see the Bass Connections Student Research Awards for another opportunity.

Duke Students Design Solutions to Help Communities Flourish

Sarah Dwyer

Graphic: Drawing of people collaborating, using open design principles.

By Katherine Zheng ’23

When we tackle complex challenges — such as making education more equitable despite limited resources, or making healthcare more accessible to differently abled people — how can we effectively include human stakeholders in the research and development processes?

A Bass Connections team has been exploring equity-centered approaches to specific challenges in education, health, entrepreneurship and innovation. Student team members presented their work to date at a recent event held by Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I&E), Duke Pediatrics, Bass Connections and the Divinity School.

Open Design Process

The team utilized open design, which involves four phases: understand, create, evaluate and share. Team leader Aria Chernik explained it as an “equity-centered innovation methodology that is derived from design thinking, putting equity at the center in how we create it and who is with us creating it.” Chernik is associate professor of the practice in the Social Science Research Institute.

The projects all had different areas of focus, but all led with the goal of determining “how communities flourish and how people have an equitable opportunity to flourish,” said team leader Kevin Hoch, I&E managing director for education.

Each group asked a “what if” question, designed three creative possible solutions, and presented stakeholders with concept posters and a prototype.

Projects and Ideas

Pediatric Health

This group focused on healthcare accessibility for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) such as autism and Down syndrome. “Physicians and pediatricians need more of a shared understanding with those with IDD,” said junior Hannah Zelinger, adding that other guiding principles included a more positive environment and empowerment of youth with IDD to gain as much independence as possible.

Graphic: What are the needs, desires and hopes of the community?

Public policy master’s student Cameron Love joined Zelinger to give a presentation on the group’s main idea: a community open house where youth with IDD can be directed to community services or medical help as needed. This would ensure a more direct way for youth to receive help beyond the complex healthcare system, which can deter patients from receiving proper help today.

Necessity-Driven Entrepreneurship

Sophomores Jun Woo Kang and Wendy Shi presented their group’s work with a nonprofit called Helius to research necessity-driven entrepreneurship. Helius provides training and coaching for small businesses and necessity-driven entrepreneurs. The group focused on strengthening the overall Helius community and increasing connections to funders.

Graphic: Portal to Success, Helius Passport, Scale-Up Event.

The group’s idea, Portal to Success, is a website that would be a connection portal to allow current cohort members to get in touch with past members. In addition, consolidated lessons from Helius would be available on the site.

Community-Based Innovation

Presented by junior Kara Wall, this group researched the question, “How might we create a program that fosters relationships and reflects community needs while promoting equitable and holistic education?” They worked with the Oak Grove AME Zion Church, Campbell University and Harnett County Schools to investigate equitable education opportunities.

Graphic: Means for greater community transformation.

Solution ideas included an immersive two-week summer literacy program that fostered personal development, a month-long equitable after-school pilot, and a summer-long program fostering students’ well-being through a holistic and equitable literacy and STEM curriculum. The group decided to focus on the summer-long option, which prioritizes life skills and personal development.

Education

This group explored how to use computer science (CS) education to improve human flourishing. Teachers need an easy-to-implement CS curriculum, educators need to ensure equity in the curriculum, and students need a way to connect with the subject material, explained presenters Ritvik Janamsetty, a sophomore, and Krista Pipho, a Ph.D. student in genetics and genomics.

Screenshot of TeachTech website prototype.

Their solution was standards mapping, which is a way for educators to fulfill CS standards at the same time as standards for English language arts. A prototype website called TeachTechNC maps the standards and allows school administrators to check off which standards the CS curriculum meets.

Time for Implementation

Each interdisciplinary team educated the audience on how we can effectively use the open design method to take on tricky issues with community partners. “It’s clear that the Human Flourishing Project’s participants are motivated and energized by the challenge of working on real-world problems,” said Pipho, who is also a member of the Bass Connections Student Advisory Council. “I’m excited to see the proposed solutions enter the implementation phase this semester.”

Throughout the spring, the team members will be building out prototypes, testing them and iterating with community co-designers.

How to Get Involved

Through February 11, Duke students of all levels can apply for the 2022-2023 Bass Connections team, Open Design Studio: Participatory Solutions for Human Flourishing. Virtual info sessions will be held on January 21 and 25.

Katherine Zheng is a junior at Duke University studying economics and public policy. She works as a student assistant in the Office of Interdisciplinary Studies.

Democracy and Governance in a Polarized World: Call for Proposals

Sarah Dwyer

Text: Democracy and Governance in a Polarized World.

Deadline: March 31, 2022

Bass Connections is now accepting proposals for new year-long projects addressing issues related to democracy and the challenges of sustaining strong democratic institutions in a polarized world. Faculty interested in proposing a project should read the full submission guidelines and submit a proposal by Thursday, March 31 at 5:00 p.m.

Proposed projects may begin in Summer or Fall 2022. Funding for project teams is between $5,000 and $25,000.

Please note: This RFP is only for 2022-2023 projects related to democracy. Our next general call for Bass Connections project proposals will be in August 2022.

Background

Bass Connections brings together faculty, postdocs, graduate students, undergraduates and community partners to tackle complex societal challenges in interdisciplinary research teams. The five interdisciplinary themes of Bass Connections support research related to persistent societal challenges such as health inequities, race and social justice, environmental sustainability, the intersection of technology and society and the brain’s role in making us human.

As broad as these themes are, they are not all-encompassing, and we recognize the need to respond nimbly to new challenges confronting society. As a result, since 2018, Bass Connections has launched three “pop-up themes,” the first focused on hurricane recovery and resilience; the second on research related to immigration; and the third on issues related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This call is for project proposals related to a new pop-up theme around research related to democracy and governance in a polarized world.

Recent Threats to Democracy

By many measures – including freedom of the press, free and fair elections, and government transparency – democracy is declining in much of the world. Indeed, the nonprofit Freedom House’s 2021 report concludes that nearly 75 percent of the world’s population lived in a country that faced deteriorating conditions for democracy last year. Here in the U.S., 2021 began with an insurrection on the Capitol, to be followed by many states passing new laws restricting voting access and reconfiguring election oversight. A CNN poll from September 2021 found that 93% of Americans say that democracy is either under attack (56%) or being tested (37%). A November 2021 NPR poll found that just 62% of Americans say they will trust the 2024 election, regardless of who wins.

Bass Connections issues this special call for proposals for teams interested in tackling solutions aimed at strengthening democracy, at home or abroad, through a Bass Connections project in 2022-2023. Research questions may include, but are not limited to:

  • Why is democracy worth defending? Where has democracy proven effective, and in what contexts has it failed? What reforms might help democratic institutions live up to their ideals?
  • What has contributed to the increase in authoritarianism worldwide? What are the historical roots of these contemporary challenges, and how might the past offer critical perspective and lessons for the future of democratic ideals, institutions and practices?
  • How important are the concepts of the rule of law and the existence of an independent judiciary to democracy? How have societies effectively negotiated the trade-offs between democratic decision-making and the protection of individual and minority rights?
  • How have other emerging issues, including climate change, rising inequality and inflation, and the COVID-19 pandemic, impacted democracy in the U.S. and internationally? What interventions might seek to strengthen democratic resiliency in the face of social crises and economic inequality?
  • Access to strong local media has been linked to political engagement and increased transparency. What new models might shore up and/or invigorate local media and journalism?
  • How are the arts and humanities inspiring new conversations about democracy and polarization? How do the arts push us to think differently about democracy or inspire new and innovative forms of political organization?
  • How should technology platforms be governed to ensure accountability and promote democracy?
  • How might we restore trust in the media and voting systems, reinvigorate popular engagement in civic life, and/or fashion new institutions for popular participation in democratic processes?
  • What solutions might bridge growing levels of political polarization, or what policy changes might allow government to operate more effectively in a continuing polarized environment?

In partnership with the Digital Humanities Initiative at the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute, we also strongly encourage projects with a substantial digital or computational humanities dimension.

Submission Instructions

The deadline for proposals is Thursday, March 31, 2022 at 5:00 p.m.

Please read the full submission guidelines and use the online proposal form to submit your proposal. You may work directly within the online form and save and return to the form as you work. You may also preview the proposal questions and draft your responses using the following Word template.

Interested faculty, particularly those who have never led a Bass Connections team, are also encouraged to contact a Bass Connections theme leader or Laura Howes, Director of Bass Connections, at laura.howes@duke.edu with questions or to discuss potential ideas. Faculty may also drop in at any time to one of our informal Zoom office hours (https://duke.zoom.us/j/6666010362):

  • Friday, February 11, 10:00-11:00
  • Thursday, March 17, 12:00-1:00

Faculty are also welcome to reach out to members of the Bass Connections Faculty Advisory Council to discuss project ideas or possible collaborators within their school.

Learn More