Background and Context

Oceans@Duke Student Club is taking form amidst a global movement concerned with racial and social injustices. As a community of scholars aiming to engage in a global conversation on ocean sustainability, Oceans@Duke Student Club recognizes the need to both reflect on our role and act in accordance with this moment in time. 

We acknowledge that the fields of ocean science, governance, business and technology are primarily framed by a western set of principles and therefore, are lacking in perspectives outside of this dominant narrative. While this is the current context of our field, Oceans@Duke Student Club welcomes and encourages a range of perspectives on ocean sustainability, as we see immense value in incorporating diverse perspectives into a conversation that is global and ever-changing.

Mission Statement 

Our mission is to drive efforts to responsibly manage and protect the world’s oceans by building a community of interdisciplinary scholars that generates knowledge and encourages responsible and sustainable solutions to challenges in ocean management. To achieve this, we must incorporate diverse perspectives on both problems and solutions in the ocean space. Oceans@Duke Student Club brings together research, visions and values from across Duke’s academic units to form one interdisciplinary oceans community. We seek to expand the breadth of our thinking by bringing partners from across non-academic sectors into the conversation and working together to mobilize ideas that will have positive impacts on the ocean’s ecosystems, economies and communities.

To further our mission, Oceans@Duke Student Club strives to facilitate a conversation on ocean sustainability that incorporates a variety of perspectives. We are committed to creating a space that is open and inclusive, as we recognize that the incorporation of insights from outside of the historically dominant narratives in ocean fields can add immense value to the quality of approaches and efficacy of solutions. We hope to bring these principles to life in our events and foster a space where innovative and equitable approaches to ocean sustainability challenges can continue to grow.

Guiding Principles 

• As we bring people across Duke’s disciplines and across non-academic sectors together to engage in this conversation on sustainable ocean issues and solutions, we are committed to being proactive and intentional in bringing a diverse set of perspectives to the table.
• As we continue to generate a body of knowledge that will be used to inform sustainable ocean solutions, we are committed to ensuring that these solutions are informed by concerns for not only environmental sustainability but also environmental justice.
• As our community of scholars grows, we are committed to keeping our fingers on the pulse of the ever-changing nature of the ocean science, policy, business and governance fields and remaining open to the new thoughts, ideas and solutions of the future.