Summer 2021

Duke English Ph.D. Students Share Summer Internship Experiences

Sarah Dwyer

During the summer of 2021, several English Ph.D. students are gaining work experience through internships. Five of these students shared insight into their experiences:

Shirley Li.Shirley Li, ’23, is interning at RTI International (RTI). She began her internship working on the East Africa Energy Program Impact project in early June. Li is designing and conducting a “most significant change” (MSC) study of the influence the East Africa Energy Program had on the enabling environment around the grid-based energy sector in Kenya. She expects the study to blend government consulting, international development and social science research. Li learned about this internship opportunity through Duke’s Provost Experiential Fellowships program, which offers summer research internships to continuing Ph.D. students.

Duke University Press.Two students are interning for Duke University Press this summer. Carolin Benack, ’23, is interning as a journal platform creator. In her role, Benack assists the business systems and IT teams in creating the Scholarly Publishing Collective, a set of services ranging from journal subscription management to web hosting for university presses beyond Duke University Press. Benack builds and reviews journal sites and provides data analysis and management for them. She learned about this Provost Internship through Duke’s Office of Interdisciplinary Studies’ website.

“Working at the Press is reminding me of my professional identity outside of academia. I realize that the skills I gained during my Ph.D. training are much more useful in the nonprofit/business world than I thought. I’m learning the appropriate language to make these skills legible to nonacademic employers.” – Carolin Benack

Jessica Covil-Manset, ’23, is also interning with Duke University Press in the books marketing sector. She started working with Duke University Press during the fall of 2020 and has continued into the summer of 2021 with additional hours. When asked about her responsibilities, Covil-Manset noted that they are diverse. She orders books for reviewers, processes book reviews to share with authors, researches awards, writes nomination cover letters, writes descriptions of books for catalogs, schedules tweets to advertise books and events, formulates questions for Q&As with authors, and creates posts for the Duke University Press blog.

Covil-Manset shared that she is learning a lot about the behind-the-scenes elements of the publishing industry and how various staff positions collaborate to assure a book’s success. She now knows how acquisitions editors acquire and develop content that the publisher can utilize to market a book.

Covil-Manset added, “I’ve benefited greatly from the mentorship program that Duke University Press recently started. I was paired with Elizabeth Ault, an editor at DUP whom I’ve enjoyed video conferencing with and whose perspective/advice I truly value.”

Story+.Ellie Vilakazi, ’25, is interning locally as a graduate student project manager for Story+.

The Franklin Humanities Institute and Bass Connections offer Story+ as a 6-week paid summer research experience for Duke undergraduate and graduate students interested in exploring interdisciplinary humanities research topics and methodologies. Vilakazi began her internship in May overseeing international undergraduate students conducting research. Her team interviews international students who resided in Durham during the summer of 2020.

Vilakazi is responsible for guiding her team through the interview process and the development of a creative, visually compelling website. The website features stories organized around the themes, challenges, shows of resilience, and records of institutional solutions that emerge from the project’s interviews. She is leading an interview training session to prepare her students to write these stories, and she meets with them four times a week for an hour to discuss their progress.

“I am an English student. IRB (Institutional Review Board) and human research is not something I have to deal with in my studies, but it has been eye-opening to see the whole application process and how to deal with human beings as data. This internship has taught me more about the nuances of scholarly interviews as opposed to journalistic interviews. I have tremendous respect for the work that social scientists do now that I have had a small view into the process of researching human beings.” – Ellie Vilakazi

Catherine Lee.Catherine Lee, ’23, is completing an internship at Durham Technical Community College. Her internship is one of the Provost’s internships for Ph.D. students without summer funding. Lee is working with Durham Tech’s Creative and Liberal Arts faculty to diversify the curriculum for general education courses (British Literature I and II) so that they are more inclusive of groups historically left out of the Western canon. During her internship, she will be researching work from underrepresented communities in British literature and developing course content for future instructors.

“I can’t say I have learned much about the industry or professionalization yet, but the research that I have been doing has been fun and informative.” – Catherine Lee

The students featured in this article found their internships through Duke University resources that provide information about internship opportunities sponsored by the university or partners. Each student took advantage of the internship to gain insight into an industry they may pursue upon completing their studies. Opportunities like these provide real-life experience and allow our doctoral students to learn about alternative potential careers and professions.

By Quantá Holden, Digital Communication Specialist; originally posted on the Duke English Department website

From Dolphins to Dementia, Summer Internships Enhance Doctoral Education

Sarah Dwyer

Graduate Student Training Enhancement Grants.

Eight Duke University Ph.D. students have received Graduate Student Training Enhancement Grants (GSTEG) for Summer 2021 from the Office of Interdisciplinary Studies.

The goal of this grant competition is to expand the opportunities for Ph.D. students to augment their core research and training by acquiring skills, knowledge or experiences through an off-campus remote summer internship.

The internships will last for three months, and grant recipients will receive a stipend as well as coverage of summer tuition and the summer health fee. Students will also take part in an experiential learning workshop taught by Maria Wisdom, where they’ll reflect on their time with their hosts, troubleshoot issues and discuss implications for their intellectual trajectory and career aspirations.

Explore the Summer 2021 GSTEG Projects

Jordan Bryan, Ph.D. in Statistical Science

Jordan Bryan.

Assessing the Value of Government Statistics

Host: American Statistical Association, Office of Science Policy
Faculty Advisor: Sayan Mukherjee

Jordan Bryan will work with the director of science policy and the science policy fellow who have produced white papers dealing with pressing issues at the intersection of statistics and government, such as the 2020 Census deadlines in the face of the pandemic. Bryan’s primary role will be to assist with literature review, data analysis and writing of white papers and academic articles. Working with the ASA will give him an opportunity to expand the body of his applied work outside the field of genomics.

Ann-Marie Jacoby, Ph.D. in Marine Science and Conservation

Ann-Marie Jacoby.Engaging the Public to Understand the Historical Occurrence of Bottlenose Dolphins in the Potomac River, U.S.

Host: Potomac Conservancy
Faculty Advisor: Andrew Read

Ann-Marie Jacoby will focus on developing and launching a strategic communications plan to raise awareness within river communities about her research on bottlenose dolphins in the Potomac. The goal of this communications plan will be to engage with and acquire data from river community members on their dolphin sightings throughout time, to better understand the historical occurrence of dolphins in the Potomac — the crux of her first dissertation chapter.

Ekta Patel, Ph.D. in Environmental Policy

Ekta Patel.International and Domestic Water Laws and Policies

Host: Environmental Law Institute
Faculty Advisor: Erika Weinthal

Through opportunities to collaborate with four leading environmental scholars and to produce public scholarship, this internship will support early progress on Ekta Patel’s dissertation and strengthen her professional skills on project development in international and domestic water laws and policies. Her dissertation, “Explaining Desalination Governance and the Roles of Public and Private Stakeholders Across Scales,” investigates who shapes decisions about adopting seawater desalination, in what ways and for what purposes.

Crystal Peoples, Ph.D. in Sociology

Crystal Peoples.Understanding a University’s Role in Increasing Racial Minority Student Retention

Host: Academic Affairs Division, Longwood University
Faculty Advisor: Eduardo Bonilla-Silva

Crystal Peoples will work on a project to understand and recommend improvements to the retention rates for students of color at Longwood University. Her supervisor will be David Shoenthal, Associate Provost and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, who is coordinating the institution’s reaffirmation of accreditation over the next few years. Together they have developed a plan of action that blends Peoples’ research interests in race in higher education with the institution’s commitment to advancing the quality of student learning for all students, but particularly for racial minorities.

Hannah Read, Ph.D. in Philosophy

Hannah Read.Social-Emotional Skill Training in Schools

Host: The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
Faculty Advisor: David Wong

Hannah Read will acquire hands-on experience assessing current social and emotional learning strategies, articulating their value to educators and policymakers, and facilitating implementation of these strategies in schools across multiple states. This internship will inform her dissertation on the value of empathy and the need for empathy training in schools and other public institutions. Read’s work concerns the moral importance of social-emotional skills — such as empathy — as well as effective strategies for developing such skills, particularly in educational contexts.

Hannah Salomons, Ph.D. in Evolutionary Anthropology

Hannah Salomons.Career Training as a Research Scientist Within a Zoological Facility

Host: Dolphin Research Center (DRC)
Faculty Advisor: Brian Hare

Working with the director of research, Hannah Salomons will receive training on protocols for behavioral observations and interactive cognitive research sessions. She will assist in data collection for current studies and participate in the planning and design of new studies, learning about everything that must be considered when planning research with dolphins in a facility setting. Salomons proposes to work with dolphins at DRC for her dissertation research, and she aims to study marine mammal cognition in her future career.

Ben Sarbey, Ph.D. in Philosophy

Ben Sarbey.The Ethics of Dementia Care

Host: The Hastings Center
Faculty Advisor: Wayne Norman

Ben Sarbey will work with Research Scholar Nancy Berlinger on The Hastings Center’s Dementia and the Ethics of Choosing When to Die grant project. He will assist with research and writing for the academic literature that will be published on the findings, and will collaborate with a team of bioethics scholars across the country who specialize in end-of-life ethics and health policy. Sarbey’s dissertation is on understanding how we can die well, and he plans to pursue an academic career in bioethics.

Joshua Strayhorn, Ph.D. in History

Joshua Strayhorn.Anti-Racism: Beyond the Classroom

Host: National Humanities Center
Faculty Advisor: Adriane Lentz-Smith

Joshua Strayhorn will develop two online courses and supplementary materials for high school educators that can be accessed through the National Humanities Center’s open education platform. He will create modules on race, teaching race and how to utilize the lessons from the past to speak to our current moment. The courses will teach critical moments in the history of race and offer teachers strategies and tools to integrate this content into their curricula. This internship will deepen Strayhorn’s pedagogical training and build skills for a career in education.

Delve into Archival Expeditions in Summer 2021

Sarah Dwyer

Archival Expeditions.

Deadline: April 30, 2021 (priority)

Archival Expeditions introduces Duke graduate students to teaching with digital primary sources. The student partners with a Duke faculty or librarian sponsor to design an undergraduate course assignment or module that incorporates primary source material in a specific class taught by their sponsor. Sponsors are not required; if a student does not have a sponsor one will be assigned based on subject area. Students have the option of drawing on the Rubenstein Library’s Digital Collections or primary source databases available at Duke.

Graduate students will be expected to spend 10 hours per week over 8 weeks consulting with their sponsor, library staff and other experts and researching, developing and testing the module. The students will work with their sponsor to establish the expectations and parameters for the module after being accepted to the program. A module can take a variety of shapes and be adjusted to fit different courses, disciplines, and goals of the sponsor. Each module should be designed to allow for roughly 1 week of time within an existing course or 10 student hours. These hours can be a combination of in-class and out-of-class activities.

Successful applicants will join a cohort of other Archival Expeditions graduate student instructors. They will participate in Teaching with Digital Archives, May 17-28 through the Duke Graduate Academy (see related article) In addition, they will participate in a brief orientation at the beginning of the program and will meet a few times during the summer to share experiences and lessons learned.

Students will be compensated $1,500 for their work. The course module will also be made available on the Archival Expeditions website under a CC-BY NC Creative Commons license, allowing other faculty and students to learn from and reuse it.

Eligibility

Any Duke graduate student who has completed 1 academic year at Duke may apply. Applications will be reviewed by a panel of faculty members and librarians. Please review the Frequently Asked Questions for Faculty and Librarian Sponsors to be clear about expectations. Applicants are encouraged to review their project proposal with a librarian before submission.

Frequently Asked Questions for Faculty and Librarian Sponsor

What is the faculty or librarian sponsor’s role?

The sponsor will establish the expectations and parameters for the module with the graduate student and act as a consultant during the design and testing of the module.

What is the time commitment?

The sponsor and student should plan to meet at least once a month, more frequent meetings can be determined by the faculty sponsor and the graduate student.

What is a module?

A module can take a variety of shapes and be adjusted to fit different courses, disciplines, and goals of the faculty sponsor. Each module should be designed to allow for roughly 1 week of time within an existing course or 10 student hours.

If my student needs support finding material or building the module who should they contact?

The primary liaison for the student is the faculty or librarian sponsor, who can communicate their vision for the module.

Apply Now

Priority deadline is April 30, 2021; additional applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis.

Download Application

Please send your completed application and faculty or librarian sponsor recommendation (if applicable) to:

Katie Henningsen
Head of Research Services
David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library

Register for Short Courses in the 2021 Duke Graduate Academy Summer Session

Sarah Dwyer

Duke Graduate Academy logo.

Deadline: May 14, 2021

Together Duke is pleased to announce a new session of the Duke Graduate Academy, which offers online short courses that introduce Duke graduate and professional students and postdoctoral fellows to skills, tools and knowledge that augment their regular coursework and research. These short courses help emerging scholars prepare for high-level research, innovative teaching, leadership and/or public engagement.

Courses in the Duke Graduate Academy cover topics not typically included in a graduate curriculum, or provide an intensive introduction for graduate students and postdocs who might not have the time or inclination to pursue a full course in a subject. Instructors are Duke faculty as well as highly trained Duke staff and Ph.D. students.

The Graduate Academy welcomes all doctoral, master’s and professional students at any stage of their studies and all postdoctoral fellows. There are no prerequisites for any of the courses.

Program Details

Courses

2021 Graduate Academy Summer Session Course Descriptions

Students taking selected courses may qualify for Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) credit. See course descriptions.

Dates

The Duke Graduate Academy Summer Session courses will be offered May 17 – 28 and June 7 – 18, 2021. Each course meets regularly for 1 – 2 weeks.

Courses are not for credit, but will appear on Duke graduate student transcripts. All courses are graded pass/fail. None of the offerings require prerequisites or assume areas of knowledge. Classes are offered online with synchronous and asynchronous elements. Instructors will emphasize interactive discussion and group activities/projects to maintain a high level of student engagement.

Cost

There is no cost for Duke participants.

Location

All Graduate Academy classes meet online/virtually. Individual class schedules are noted in the course descriptions and in DukeHub. Meeting details will be confirmed by instructor email or through course Sakai sites.

Registration

Duke Student Registration

Duke Postdoc Registration

Participants may only register for one (1) course. Waitlists will be used for all courses. Add/Drop for the Graduate Academy Summer Session ends May 14, 2021.

For help or for more information, contact Amy Feistel at amy.feistel@duke.edu.

Participation, Eligibility and Enrollment

Participation in the Duke Graduate Academy is open to Duke graduate students, including Duke law and medical students, master’s and professional students. The Graduate Academy is also open to all Duke postdocs. Space is filled on a first-come, first-served basis during registration.

Most courses will enroll 30 students, although some courses may be smaller or larger. Courses with fewer than 8 enrolled students may be canceled. Course participation will appear on Duke graduate students’ transcripts.

Contact and Additional Information

For questions regarding the Duke Graduate Academy please contact Amy Feistel at amy.feistel@duke.edu.

Learn More

Check out reflections from past participants: What I Got Out of the Duke Graduate Academy

Summer 2021: External and Internal Opportunities for Duke Ph.D. Students

Sarah Dwyer

PhD student opportunities.

Deadline: Rolling through April 21, 2021

The Duke University Office of the Provost is offering a broad set of opportunities to support Ph.D. students during Summer 2021. In the tables below you will find a list of experiential fellowships with external partner organizations; and a list of internship opportunities with Duke units.

Keep in mind that enrolled Ph.D. students can also propose a summer internship that they arrange themselves through the Graduate Student Training Enhancement Grants (GSTEG) program. (Update: The GSTEG deadline was March 22.)

Provost Experiential Fellowships

A limited number of experiential fellowships with external organizations are available by application. The partner organizations will offer three-month summer internship experiences for Ph.D. students. Interested students should search the opportunities to match both skills/background and research interests.

Host organizations will consider applications on a rolling basis through April 21. Ph.D. students may apply to only two (2) positions (this could be two experiential fellowships, or one fellowship and one of the Duke internships in the section below); please apply separately for each.

Questions for all external experiential fellowships should be directed to Maria Wisdom, Director of Graduate Student Advising and Engagement.

See the FAQ for the Summer 2021 Provost experiential fellowships for Duke Ph.D. students.

How to Apply

All applications must be submitted through a Duke portal: Apply for an experiential fellowship

You will be asked to submit the following:

  • a letter of application
  • a brief CV (2 page maximum)
  • a letter of support from the department DGS, indicating how the proposed virtual/remote internship will enhance your intellectual trajectory

Browse, search or sort alphabetically by any column. Click on the link in the Fellowship Focus column to access more information.

OrganizationFellowship FocusBrief Scope of Work
American Historical AssociationFILLED: Data Collection, Teaching Resources and Other ProjectsWork on projects such as collecting data on history PhDs and making teaching resources available for instructors. Update Where Historians Work website, assist in cleaning and creating data web-scraping sources, analyze survey results, vet and update Remote Teaching Resources
Durham Technical CC Creative & Liberal ArtsFILLED: Curriculum Diversification for British Lit I & IIDiversify curriculum for important gen ed courses (British Lit) to be inclusive of groups that are left out of the Western canon. Will connect with faculty and resources involved in similar projects, research work from underrepresented communities in British Lit, create course content to be accessed by future instructors.
Durham Technical CC Creative & Liberal ArtsEquity Gaps in Student Success RatesSupport selection and adaptation of an intervention to address equity gaps in student success rates. Will review the literature to find promising interventions, work with community college instructors to adapt the intervention so it can be piloted in a first-year composition class.
Durham Technical CC Creative & Liberal ArtsFILLED: Health HumanitiesInfuse health humanities content and pedagogical best practices into cluster of community college core courses; review literature and work with Durham Tech team
Modern Language AssociationFILLED: MLA ProgramsHelp organize, market and run a two-week professional development seminar, Why Humanities Now; help design, develop and market a toolkit of resources; help organize materials for Summer Teaching Institutes
Museum of Durham HistoryOral Histories from Durham Community MembersExpand online oral history program; conduct interviews with community members, archive story submissions, create materials for marketing oral history program
National Humanities AllianceFILLED: Campus Outreach and EngagementLead outreach efforts to minority-serving and access-oriented institutions for Humanities for All and Study the Humanities initiatives; conduct research and outreach concerning humanities recruitment efforts and publicly engaged teaching and scholarship at minority-serving and access-oriented institutions
National Humanities CenterPandemic Experiences of Healthcare and University SystemsAssist with development of curricular materials, student mentoring, metadata management, interview transcription, research into funding opportunities, creation of promotional and publicity materials, administrative outreach
NC Department of JusticeFILLED: Consumer Protection Division3 possible projects: Explore ways to improve disclosures consumers receive from companies and make consumer choices more informed; explore ways to use technological tools to obtain information that would help identify matters where consumers are being harmed and may need protection; determine optimal options for allocating money obtained in a multistate settlement
Society of Biblical LiteratureFILLED: Bible OdysseyConduct user research for BibleOdyssey.org; design and conduct focus groups and surveys to understand behavior and interests among discrete categories of users
RTI InternationalAlternative Energy OptionsShape new book series, including developing topics and content for three or more volumes, identifying state of the art research, and networking with related experts
RTI InternationalBehavioral and Physiological Markers of HealthCollect, extract and analyze data to support an ongoing systematic review; contribute to manuscripts synthesizing data extracted from the review efforts
RTI InternationalClimate Change Economic ImpactsQuantify economic impact of climate change; estimate increased incidence of inland flooding and its economic impact on infrastructure; develop data and modeling resources that can provide improved estimates of increased environmental damage to infrastructure in the US with climate change; develop spatially explicit economic characterizations of buildings and infrastructure
RTI InternationalClimate Solutions ImpactExamine role of natural climate solutions in 2020 and 2021 NDC submissions; identify magnitude of anticipated emission reductions from these activities; review and synthesize LULUCF components of country's NDC submissions, generate estimates of magnitude of emissions reductions from mitigation actions, collaborate with a project team to conduct economic analyses of mitigation commitments, assist with report writing and manuscript development
RTI InternationalFILLED: East Africa Energy Program ImpactDesign and conduct a most significant change study of the influence the program has had on the enabling environment around grid-based energy sector in Kenya
RTI InternationalEconomic Impact ModelingDevelop framework to estimate the economic impacts, at a sectoral level, from interventions in the on- and off-grid sectors; assist in development of a survey instrument, data curation and compilation, drafting literature review, visualization and summarization of modeling outputs, inputs to a draft manuscript
RTI InternationalEnergy ModelingDevelop computer programs to manage and visualize data and simulate electricity system behavior; contribute to original research article(s)
RTI InternationalFossil Fuel and Electricity CharacterizationCharacterize fossil fuel and electricity use in residential and commercial buildings and/or industrial processes; identify electrification technology options; develop data and modeling resources to characterize temporal and spatial distribution of economy-wide costs, environmental benefits and electricity system investments required to support large-scale electrification
RTI InternationalFILLED: Governance and Youth Economic OpportunitiesConduct social network analysis research on international development projects
RTI InternationalInnovation AdvisorsConduct tasks related to market research and commercialization of new technologies
RTI InternationalSubstance Use, Gender, and Applied Research ProgramAssist across national and international projects in South Africa that seek to reduce substance use, HIV, risk behaviors, gender violence and stigma; promote treatment effectiveness and compliance; and enhance family and community support in addressing substance use and related gender issues in underserved populations in community-based settings

Provost Internships at Duke

This is a list of Duke internship and research assistant opportunities offered by units across campus. Ph.D. students should search for opportunities that match both their skills/background and research interests. You may apply to only two (2) positions (this could be two internships, or one internship and one of the experiential fellowships in the section above); please apply separately for each. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis through April 21.

See the FAQ for the Summer 2021 Provost internships for Duke Ph.D. students.

How to Apply

All applications must be submitted through a Duke portal: Apply for an internship

You will be asked to provide the following:

  • a letter of application
  • a brief CV (2 page maximum)
  • a letter of support from the department DGS, indicating how the proposed virtual/remote internship will enhance your intellectual trajectory

Browse, search or sort alphabetically by any column. Click on the link in the Internship Focus column to access with more information.

Duke UnitInternship FocusBrief Scope of Work
Center for Cognitive NeuroscienceImpact Neuroscience Program PilotParticipate in pilot program focused on supporting career development of grad students in neuroscience and improving the broader culture of science. Will submit poster/recorded talk at the end of the summer based on the methods training engaged in over the summer, produce commentary on and recommendations for the the initiative.
Duke Clinical and Translational Science InstituteCommunity Engagement Research InitiativeDevelop and implement plan to assess quality of community engagement with partners
Duke Clinical and Translational Science InstituteFILLED: Democratizing Health and Social/Environmental DataContribute to 2 projects focusing on democratizing health and social/environmental data: assist with phenotyping health conditions and curating social and environmental health data; explore health literacy and information accessibility; learn about social and environmental influences on health
Duke ForestFILLED: Field Evaluation of Road Underpasses for Wildlife Habitat ConnectivityDevelop rapid assessment protocol for wildlife passage in consultation with local experts and with consideration of existing protocols; implement rapid assessment protocol at priority locations; evaluate viability of passage within the network and recommendations for improving passage at each location
Duke ForestFILLED: Socioeconomic Analysis of Landscape Habitat ConnectivityConduct spatial and quantitative analysis of socioeconomic data as it relates to Eno-New Hope landscape; conduct spatial and qualitative analysis of most pressing local-government political drivers across region; investigate where landscape habitat connectivity may have related benefits for ecosystem services, public health, and climate resilience
Duke Global Health InstituteTextbook PreparationAssist Eric Green to prepare materials for his open access textbook on global health research methods
Duke University LibrariesFILLED: Exhibition on Latinx History at DukeSynthesize research conducted by students in Spring 2021 Latinx Social Movements course; conduct original archival research to supplement exhibition; work on exhibition services (copyright and bibliographic research, editing exhibit copy, assisting with graphic and exhibit design, utilizing digital humanities tools to expand online presence)
Duke University PressData Security Toolkit CreationCreate branded, easy-to-engage template for clients; collect existing security documentation and information from internal and external sources; synthesize data security documentation to be provided to prospective organizations as part of their services contracting process
Duke University PressFILLED: Journal Platform CreationCreate scholarly journal content sites, including site review and QA, and digital content loading (XML) to the sites. Will learn business data flows and tools involved in creating full journal content sites
Franklin Humanities InstituteFILLED: Digital PublicsActivate humanities content from the FHI’s extensive video and essay collections for growing online audiences of cultural, social and historical analysis
Global Health and Cultural AnthropologyFILLED: Health Humanities Workshop and CurriculumBuild health humanities content and pedagogical "best practices" seminars. Lead and execute all aspects of research and course development; create six modules on a different aspect of health humanities
Graduate Liberal Studies ProgramFILLED: Benchmarking Research ProjectAssist in completing a benchmarking research project to facilitate transformative educational experiences in graduate-level liberal arts study. Main duties include data cleaning, follow-up, contextual research, analysis
Graduate Program in LiteratureFILLED: Summer Graduate InternEnhance and develop resources to help grad students understand programmatic requirements and procedures, and discover opportunities for research and professional development; update Student Handbook, Sakai website with guides; develop guide to research
Marine LabFILLED: C-CoAST Community EngagementWork with C-CoAST network on engagement activities designed to integrate researcher, practitioner and stakeholder expertise across the spectrum of coastal interests, culminating in coproduction of a research agenda that supports coastal communities
Marine LabFILLED: Community Science Initiative (CSI)Support CSI’s civic engagement work and engage with the local coastal communities of NC; projects include STEM Pathways; Training for Resiliency and Race-Equity; K-12 curriculum program evaluation, modification and teacher support; citizen science data collection and analyses
Marine LabFILLED: Fisheries Consortium of Eastern NCHelp create Fisheries Consortium of Eastern NC to facilitate intersciplinary collaboration; produce consortium website; form interest/focus groups, host meetings and surveys; develop framework for consortium meetings
Nasher Museum of ArtVirtual Exhibition DevelopmentAssist with creating virtual exhibitions. Experience with HTML/CSS/JavaScript is essential. May participate in videography, graphicdesign, marketing, exhibition design and visual resource management
NC Leadership Forum, Provost’s Office and Sanford School of Public PolicyAcademic Research Agenda DevelopmentReview and synthesize academic literature related to underlying theories that ground NCLF program; develop scoping paper that discusses potential lines of research for future projects; participate in planning and execution of ongoing NCLF programs; possibly assist with next steps for NCLF core program
Office of Undergraduate EducationAcademic Resource CenterAssist and lead the design, implementation and evaluation of ARC research and assessment activities to determine efficacy of services and programs
Office of Undergraduate EducationFILLED: Duke LIFEResearch best/peer practices for summer bridge programs for incoming 1GLIs
Office of Undergraduate EducationOUE ResearchSupport data management, documentation and analysis; literature search and review; report and manuscript preparation; and future research planning
Office of Undergraduate EducationOUE and Student Affairs Campus Climate CommitteeSupport literature-review subcommittee and interview (focus group, survey, and in-person interview) subcommittee of the CCC
Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript LibraryFILLED: Digital Archival ExpeditionsWork on development of active learning sessions and assignments for Duke undergrad courses with group of fellows. Will hold office hours to support development of each project, serve as a peer mentor for fellows, organize trial teaching for fellows to test their modules, coordinate project development workshops for fellows, review and provide regular feedback to fellows on work
SociologyFILLED: Refugee Integration Curriculum DevelopmentDevelop 5 projects for Health and Immigration class (Fall 2021), involving analyzing, grounding and application of World Relief Durham data/methods
Social Science Research InstituteFILLED: Informing Social Change and Anti-Racism Initiatives through Applied Research and EvaluationProvide critical engagement in SSRI's university- and community-partnered efforts; contribute to a community-engaged evaluation research study in partnership with a social-change youth orchestral program that works with Triangle-area Title 1 schools, interview-based data collection and analysis; develop evaluation design for emerging Duke anti-racism initiatives
Social Science Research InstituteTheory, Concept, and Development of Programming to Dismantle Racial HierarchiesFacilitate design, development, piloting and refinement of intervention/program activities and materials; identify optimal delivery modes for highest impact, from perspective of historical and scientific accuracy as well as effectiveness of delivery
Triangle Center for Evolutionary MedicineFILLED: Evolution-based K-12 Lesson Plan DevelopmentDevelop evolution-based K-12 lesson plans for Darwin Day Roadshow. Responsibilities include conceptualizing lessons, aligning lesson plans with NC Standards, developing comprehensive teacher resources for lesson plans (presentations, worksheets, suggestions for further student exploration). Will develop at least one lesson plan and modify/update existing lesson plans

Duke Units, Send Us Your Ideas for Hosting PhD Summer Interns

Sarah Dwyer

RFP.

Deadline: February 19, 2021

Overview

During Summer 2021, the Provost’s Office will support professional development opportunities for current Duke PhD students who do not have summer funding. Units that would like to host such an opportunity may submit a proposal by February 19, 2021. Proposals will be accepted in Formstack (https://dukeinterdisc.formstack.com/forms/phd_internships_duke).

We are seeking PhD student internships opportunities that align with Together Duke and will provide PhD students with research experience connected to their intellectual trajectory. Examples from last year:

  • A Duke Forest student intern assessed emerging risks to the Forest.
  • Duke University Press hosted two student interns, who worked on an innovation team that explored digital strategies for authors to engage with readers during the pandemic.
  • The Triangle Center for Evolutionary Medicine had a student intern assist with development of curricular materials for K-12 schools (learn more and see other examples).
RFP released 2/9/2021
RFP deadline for submission 2/19/2021 at 5:00 p.m.
Anticipated unit/program notification 2/28/2021
Anticipated application/selection period 3/4 – 4/21/2021
Internship start/end 5/24 – 8/20/2021

Restrictions and Parameters

  • These opportunities will only be open to current PhD students without summer funding.
  • Interested students will apply for posted opportunities through a central Duke portal, though the selection process and decision will rest with internship hosts.
  • Internships should have an expectation of 19.9 work hours/week between May 24 – August 20, leaving time for students to engage with their own research.
  • The earliest date an internship may start is May 24, 2021; the latest an internship may end is August 20, 2021.
  • The Provost’s Office will provide the same funding as TGS Summer Research Fellowships – $6,500 plus summer health fee and fringe, paid across June – August payroll. The school of any selected student will be responsible for the provision of summer tuition scholarships.

Eligibility

  • Proposals may be submitted by the head of a unit (dean, director, chair, etc.).
  • Preference will be given to units that can provide a 50% cost share on the stipend and fringes.

Selection Criteria and Review Process

Host units and supervisors are asked to plan and design a program of work in advance, with clear goals and deliverables, preferably detailed in the proposed job description. We encourage host units to plan on having regular interaction with interns and to include them in team meetings. The interns may wish to participate in an experiential learning reflection course (meeting once per month) offered through Duke Summer Session Terms I and II.

Scope and Duration

The proposed internship will take place between May 24 and August 20, 2021, and interns will receive a stipend of $6,500 as well as coverage of summer tuition and the summer health fee across June – August payroll cycles.

Proposal Requirements

The Provost’s Office uses Formstack to submit applications. To apply: https://dukeinterdisc.formstack.com/forms/phd_internships_duke

You will be asked to provide the following information:

  • The number of PhD students you anticipate hosting as interns;
  • The start and end dates for the internship;
  • The name and contact information for your department/program business manager;
  • The name and contact information for the internship supervisor;
  • A brief plan (maximum one page) articulating the work plan – this will be used for the website listing;
  • A confirmation of cost share, if applicable.

Contact

For questions related to the online application and/or other logistical questions, please contact Amy Feistel, amy.feistel@duke.edu.

For questions related to internship work plans or cost sharing, please contact Edward J. Balleisen, eballeis@duke.edu.

Summer 2021: PhD Students Can Create Internships and Apply for GSTEG Funds

Sarah Dwyer

Graduate student training enhancement grants.

Deadline: March 22, 2021

Overview

The Office of the Provost seeks applications from PhD students who, with endorsement from their programs, wish to pursue a remote summer internship with an off-campus host that is related to their intellectual trajectory. This Graduate Student Training Enhancement Grants (GSTEG) opportunity is limited to PhD students without any funding for Summer 2021. Applications will be accepted via Formstack (https://dukeinterdisc.formstack.com/forms/gsteg_2021).

RFP released 2/5/2021
RFP deadline for submission 3/22/2021 at 5:00 p.m.
Anticipated recipient notification 4/21/2021
Funds made available 6/1/2021
Funds to be expended by 9/30/2021

Rationale

The goal of this grant competition is to expand opportunities for PhD students to augment their core research and training by acquiring additional skills, knowledge, or experiences through an off-campus remote summer internship. We believe such experiences will lead to better preparation/training, whether for academic positions or other career trajectories.

PhD students who do not have any summer funding may submit proposals for virtual/remote internships with a community organization, government agency, NGO, or cultural institution, related to the student’s area of study. Successful applications will demonstrate how the activities associated with the proposed research experience aligns with the student’s fields of study and research interests.

The GSTEG resource page includes information and advice about how to explore research experiences eligible for GSTEG support.

Restrictions and Parameters

  • Grant funds may not be used for travel.
  • All internships must be performed virtually/remotely outside of Duke (i.e., may not involve research, training, or other engagement with a Duke unit).
  • Internships should involve three months of engagement (June – August).
  • Any proposal for a virtual/remote internship must comply with Duke University coronavirus response policies and the residency requirement detailed below.
  • International students who reside in North Carolina or an approved US jurisdiction detailed below and who wish to apply for a summer internship should consult as soon as possible with Duke Visa Services for assistance with filing applications for Curricular Practical Training and any other visa-related requirements.
  • Recipients of GSTEG funding cannot receive other Duke summer funding.
  • Internship hosts must either be based in North Carolina or one of the other US jurisdictions available for Duke employment: the District of Columbia, California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
  • All recipients of GSTEG funding will be required to take the experiential workshop, GS 950, during the Duke Summer Sessions.

Eligibility

  • All current PhD students who do not have summer funding may propose internships.
  • PhD student applicants must be resident this summer in North Carolina, the District of Columbia, or one of nine other states available for Duke employment: California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
  • Previous GSTEG awardees may not apply.

Selection Criteria and Review Process

Proposals should specify the type of internship being sought, describe the nature of activities, and explain how the experience will contribute to the student’s intellectual trajectory and dissertation research. Successful past applications have made a compelling case for how the proposed experience would amplify the student’s intellectual agenda beyond the standard offerings within their program and opportunities otherwise available at Duke. The review process will be overseen by the Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Studies and the Executive Vice Provost.

Scope and Duration

The proposed internship experience will last for three months in the summer and awardees will receive a stipend of $6,500 as well as coverage of summer tuition and the summer health fee.

Proposal Requirements

The Provost’s Office uses Formstack to submit applications. You will be asked to provide the following information:

  • An updated CV (maximum two pages);
  • A brief narrative (maximum three pages) that articulates the proposed activities for the internship, how the experience will contribute to amplifying research training, and how it fits with overall academic, research, and professional plans, and that also explains why the internship lends itself to a remote/virtual arrangement;
  • A letter from the prospective host that offers details about the anticipated project or projects, identifies the person within the organization to whom the PhD student would report, describes the nature of engagement with organizational staff members, and specifies how the organization envisages a remote/virtual work experience;
  • A brief plan (maximum one page) for any complementary training/research activities that a PhD student will undertake during engagement with the host (such as other specific research activities or dissertation writing);
  • A proposed budget (maximum one page) for up to $6500 (fringe and required summer health fee will be funded as well), and timeline for use of the funds;
  • A letter or e-mail of support from your primary faculty advisor, sent separately to Amy Feistel, amy.feistel@duke.edu, indicating how the proposed activities will enhance your intellectual trajectory;
  • For international students applying for a summer internship, a description (maximum one page) of how the proposed activities align with visa requirements;
  • A listing of all already awarded summer funding, along with concurrent proposals for summer funding. If applicants receive news about other funding proposals after the submission deadline, they should provide updated information to Amy Feistel, amy.feistel@duke.edu.

To apply, visit https://dukeinterdisc.formstack.com/forms/gsteg_2021.

Resources

The GSTEG resource page provides:

  • Advice for PhD students who wish to explore an individualized/custom summer internship;
  • A link to further advice from the Duke Career Center about arranging a remote internship;
  • Information about tax implications of internships occurring outside of North Carolina;
  • Information about visa implications of internships undertaken by international PhD students; and
  • Links to information about past GSTEG awardees.

Contact

For questions related to the online application and/or other logistical questions, please contact Amy Feistel, amy.feistel@duke.edu.

For questions about whether to pursue a GSTEG application, or to talk through specific ideas for a proposal, such as identifying a potential summer internship host and developing a proposed plan of summer internship activities, the following individuals can provide guidance:

  • Melissa Bostrom, Assistant Dean, Graduate Student Professional Development, Duke Graduate School, bostrom@duke.edu (any discipline)
  • Rachel Coleman, Associate Director, Duke Career Center, coleman@duke.edu (all areas of knowledge)
  • Maria Wisdom, Director of Graduate Student Advising and Engagement for the Humanities, wisdom@duke.edu (humanities and interpretive social sciences)

FAQ

What are the key elements of a strong GSTEG application?

The key is to articulate how the proposed experience will enhance your training in a substantial way and why the timing makes sense for where you are in your program.

Who is available to discuss whether a GSTEG proposal makes sense for me this year, given the range of options for seeking summer funding?

As with so many questions that confront graduate students, it’s a good idea to get input from multiple sources, though the mentors and sounding boards who make sense for individuals will vary. Your professors, your program’s DGS, key staff members with expertise about professional development, and peers can all be helpful; and you will need to discuss any proposal with your faculty advisor, since that individual will need to write a letter of endorsement on your behalf.

I’m a master’s student and would like to apply for a grant to fund a research internship.

We’re sorry – grants to support internships are only available for PhD students.

I’m a PhD student who is intrigued by the possibility of developing a proposal for a summer internship, but don’t have a good sense of how to get started. Who might be able to help me think about possible internships linked to my course of study and research interests, and guide me in reaching out to potential hosts and conceptualizing a proposal?

Several Duke PhD students have had internships. The GSTEG resource page includes links to reflections from these students, as well as some more general tips. In addition, there are several individuals who can help you think through this process, including:

  • Melissa Bostrom, Assistant Dean, Graduate Student Professional Development, Duke Graduate School, bostrom@duke.edu (PhD and research master’s students in any area of knowledge)
  • Rachel Coleman, Associate Director, Duke Career Center, coleman@duke.edu (all areas of knowledge)
  • Maria Wisdom, Director of Graduate Student Advising and Engagement for the Humanities, wisdom@duke.edu (humanities and interpretive social sciences)
I’ve heard that there are now some preconfigured internship opportunities with organizations that have previously partnered with Duke. Where can I find out about those opportunities?

We will soon be posting a set of summer experiential learning opportunities – preconfigured fellowships, RAships and internships, mostly with units around Duke, but also with some external organizations. That webpage will provide details about application processes. These opportunities do not fall under GSTEG, and will have a different application mechanism.

How long should internships be?

The appropriate amount of time for an internship can vary, depending on the nature of the research project(s) that you would be undertaking with your host organization and constraints related to your course of study and obligations within your program. This year, we are focusing on internships that will have a duration of three months, allowing interns to get to know collaborators, gain exposure to organizational culture, and complete a more substantial piece of work.

How should I think about the organization where I might pursue an internship?

As you consider different hosts for a potential internship, the most important consideration in putting together a GSTEG application is how that experience will enhance your intellectual development. Ideally, you want to find a host that will offer you the opportunity to engage with research projects that both provide value to the organization and will be relevant for your course of study. It’s also crucial that the host provides you with a clear supervisor and a plan for engagement with staff, so that you have a window on organizational culture and decision-making.

Any proposed internship must be virtual/remote and in compliance with Duke University’s coronavirus response policies.

What are the tax implications of doing a remote internship?

Applicants for a GSTEG-supported remote internship should give careful thought to tax implications and other logistical challenges. Employment taxation follows the location of the individual taxed. Thus if you receive GSTEG funding for a remote internship and remain in North Carolina this summer, you will be subject to North Carolina taxation regardless of the location of your employer. By contrast, if you are currently residing outside North Carolina but still in the United States, you will be subject to taxation in that jurisdiction.

One issue to keep in mind: we can only fund remote internships for PhD students who during the term of the internship reside in North Carolina or in a US jurisdiction available for Duke employment outside of North Carolina. These jurisdictions are: the District of Columbia, California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

Applicants who currently reside outside of North Carolina but within the US should note that even within these jurisdictions, there may be tax implications for income earned out-of-state, including separate withholding forms. Applicants should also consult their tax advisor with any questions.

Why do international students who want to pursue an internship need to reach out to Duke Visa Services?

International students need to remain in compliance with the terms of their student visas. Duke Visa Services can assist those students with fulfilling any additional requirements related to Curricular Practical Training provisions or other aspects of adhering to visa-related obligations and limitations.