By the Numbers
In 2025-2026, 1,067 members of the Duke community took part in 76 year-long project teams and more than 30 team-based summer research projects. Many additional students and faculty were involved through more than 65 courses that incorporated interdisciplinary, team-based learning into a semester-long structure.
These 1,067 participants included:
679 Undergraduate Students
“My Bass Connections experience has been one of the most meaningful parts of my time at Duke. ... As a student leader on [my] team, I helped design and lead the Health and Environment Scholars Program, where mentoring Durham Public School students deepened my passion for environmental science and community-centered education.”
–Lizzy Glazer, Neuroscience and Marine Science & Conservation ’26
190 Graduate and Professional Students
“One of the most meaningful lessons I learned on [my] team was the value of working with both scientists ... and undergraduates to tell the complete story of our project. My work is driven by the belief that for coastal and marine strategies to be successful, they must be technically rigorous, legally sound and socially equitable.”
–Diandre’ Richie, Master of Environmental Management ’26
185 Faculty and Staff
“Bass Connections has untold and untapped potential to expand the reach of humanities, arts and interpretive social sciences .... Many students don’t know what humanities research looks like; they understand science research with microscopes, but don’t know that literature professors do research. It also opens space for interdisciplinary humanities research and partnerships with people outside humanities on big projects, such as AI initiatives.”
–Philip Stern, Professor of History
In 2025-2026, more than two-thirds of Bass Connections project teams worked with over 100 partners outside Duke, including nonprofits, universities, school systems, hospitals, government agencies and private companies.
Mental Health and the Justice System in Durham County
“Our team has built sustainable partnerships by having something useful to offer, staying connected, and continuously listening and learning. It’s all about personal relationships with people in Durham who care about the same issues that we do. Listening and being present are crucial.”
–Nicole Schramm-Sapyta, Associate Professor of the Practice, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences
Since the program’s inception in 2013, teams have collaborated with more than 550 community partners to address societal challenges in over 55 countries, in addition to cities and towns across the United States.
Humanitarian Impacts of the War in Gaza on Basic Services
“I check in regularly with our project partner Clean Shelter, an NGO based in Germany that is working to provide emergency relief services to internally displaced persons in Gaza ... Meeting Clean Shelter’s founders in person has been incredibly meaningful, and it’s been rewarding to watch the organization grow in capacity, funding and impact.”
–Anna Clauer, Master of Environmental Management ’26