Last summer, a Bass Connections project team traveled to a small village in northeast Madagascar to investigate the effect of traditional cooking practices on human respiratory health, air quality, biodiversity and agriculture.

Their goal? To work with the local community to produce sustainable data-driven solutions to foster the health of the people of Mandena and their natural environment.

The Duke Global Health Institute’s new multimedia web story, “When Traditions Take a Toll,” showcases the team in action through video, photos, quotes, research results and more:

Click on the image to view the web story.

This Bass Connections project included undergraduate, graduate and medical students and faculty from a range of academic disciplines from evolutionary anthropology to environmental sciences to medicine.

We’re not just collecting data. We’re really formulating new questions and identifying ways to tackle them. We’re immersed in this village. We’re getting to know the people. Ultimately, our goal is really to improve the health of this village. —Charles Nunn, professor of evolutionary anthropology and global health

Through the Bass Connections program, students apply their knowledge and skills and engage with community partners to explore big questions about major societal challenges.

Learn More

• Read more about this project team.
• Explore Bass Connections in Global Health.
• Apply for 2017-2018 project teams by February 17.