Bass Connections Annual Report 2023-2024

Message | Program Reach | Participation | Awards | Highlights | Evaluation | Virtual Showcase

Equipping Our Students for the Future

Leadership Message

Duke’s Centennial offers an opportunity to reflect on where we stand and where we are headed. Having completed our 11th year of programming, Bass Connections has been around for just a fraction of Duke’s distinguished hundred-year history. Yet there are already 4,500 Duke alumni with training in collaborative, applied problem-solving, thanks to their experiences in the Bass Connections program.

These alumni are uniquely equipped to take on thorny societal challenges that require diverse, interdisciplinary perspectives and the ability to work effectively in complex teams. They have the skillsets that employers, communities, and the wider public seek from America’s college graduates, and many of them are choosing careers with an orientation toward public service.

Student stands in front of her research poster.
“The collaborative nature of working within interdisciplinary teams, comprising both graduate and undergraduate students, was undeniably the highlight of my Duke experience. Bass Connections has deepened my proficiency in collaboration, communication, writing and research, all of which I believe will be instrumental in shaping my future career endeavors.” –McKenna Paulik, Psychology and Global Health; Optimizing a Community Health Program for Hypertension Control in Nepal

As we enter Duke’s second century, we have an obligation to refresh our curricular and co-curricular offerings so that our students have the tools to make significant contributions in whatever path they choose. One key trend, at Duke and across North America and the globe, is equitable community-engaged research, in which academics and students partner with communities to co-create research agendas, methods, analysis, and communication of findings. Our Bass Connections projects are leading the way in this regard.

Bass Connections team members pose in front of their research poster.
“Gaining insights into creating sensitive educational settings that support all learners, particularly those affected by trauma, was profoundly meaningful … The project underscored the necessity of informed approaches that facilitate environments where individuals affected by trauma can thrive, shaping my future work in public health and trauma-informed care.” –Makala Carrington, Master of Divinity (second from right); Developing Best Practices for Trauma-Informed Teaching and Learning

Most project teams work directly with one or more community partners, and all teams conduct some version of applied research. Through this process, students learn about the complexities of open-ended inquiry, develop rich, contextualized knowledge about their central questions, and gain experience with engaging diverse communities.

Three students flank their research poster.
“Bass Connections has been immense during my time at Duke. The biggest things I learned were patience and persistence — I experienced challenges that forced me to find solutions I might have given up on before.” –Alex Hong, Computer Science (at left); Bioremediation of Plastic Pollution to Conserve Biodiversity

A key goal for Bass Connections’ second decade is to scale our impact and embed this mode of collaborative, applied problem-solving more deeply in the university’s various degree programs.

In May 2024, we launched the third cohort of our Collaborative Project Courses Faculty Fellows Program. Nineteen faculty are redesigning graduate and undergraduate courses to include more collaborative, project-based learning.

Professors pose for a group photo on the stairs inside a building.
The 2024 Collaborative Project Courses Faculty Fellows (Photo: Blythe Tyrone)

And in July 2024, we announced nine new projects in which students and faculty will engage constructively with topics around the Israel-Hamas war and other current geopolitical conflicts.  

Thank you for partnering with us to extend Duke’s distinctive approach to team- and project-based inquiry, which has become such a powerful way to equip students for the demands of the 21st century.

–Edward J. Balleisen, Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Studies, and Laura Howes, Assistant Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Studies and Bass Connections

Bass Connections representatives accept the Duke University Presidential Award on stage.
“The Bass Connections team has created a stunning program for students and faculty that greatly enriches the entire Duke community. The impact of the program is that it has so greatly enriched the Duke student experience, offering hands-on projects often working with real world clients on compelling problems that matter.” Jerome Lynch, Vinik Dean of the Pratt School of Engineering (not pictured; above, Laura Howes holds the Duke University Presidential Award bestowed on Bass Connections)

Program Reach

Circles with text: 6500+ members of the Duke community; 946 research projects; 4,500+ alumni who participated in Bass Connections.
Since Bass Connections was established in 2013, more than 6,500 members of the Duke community have engaged in 946 research projects alongside community partners from around the world. The program now boasts over 4,500 alumni.
 Figures from Fall 2013 through Spring 2024 include summer programs; community partners are based in 46 countries and 20 U.S. states.

2023-2024 Participation

Circles with text: 391 Faculty & Staff Members; 243 Graduate & Professional Students; 641 Undergraduate Students; 23 Postdocs & Training Residents; 164 Community Partners.
Total 1,462: figures are drawn from 68 project teams (2023-2024) and 48 summer projects (2023) and include several individuals who participated in more than one Bass Connections experience (e.g., a year-long project team and a summer program); in addition, many more students and faculty were involved in 68 one-semester Bass Connections courses.

Stelfanie Williams speaks at the podium and gestures to the audience.
“Your innovative projects contribute to creating sustainable, thriving and healthy communities ... You are turning your academic knowledge into action for the betterment of society ... and you are utilizing your education, passion and ingenuity toward constructive change.” –Stelfanie Williams, Vice President for Durham & Community Affairs, at the 2024 Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase

2023-2024 Awards

Bass Connections Leadership Award

Nicole Schramm-Sapyta (Associate Professor of the Practice in the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences) and Maria Tackett (Assistant Professor of the Practice of Statistical Science)

Bass Connections team leaders and team members walk through downtown Durham.
Maria Tackett (at left) and Nicole Schramm-Sapyta (at right) walk with student team members William Lieber, Irene Biju and Foxx Hart in downtown Durham. (Photo: Chris Hildreth for Duke Mag)

Bass Connections Award for Outstanding Mentorship

Mia Buono (Master’s Student, Global Health) and Jade Terry (Ph.D. Student, Psychology & Neuroscience)

Headshots of Mia Buono and Jade Terry.
“Mia has elevated my Bass Connections experience both because of her expertise and also her ability to build community with students,” said an undergraduate team member about Mia Buono (left). “Jade’s influence on my Bass Connections experience has been invaluable,” said an undergraduate about Jade Terry (right). “Her immense dedication, knowledge and unwavering encouragement not only sharpened my skills as a researcher and coder but also cultivated a sense of comfort and confidence within our project sub-team.”

2023-2024 Highlights

Building a Better Understanding of Alcohol Use Disorder

Alcohol use disorder arises from an interplay of genetics, psychology and socioenvironmental factors. Despite its widespread prevalence, the disorder often goes undetected and untreated. Traditional assessments, which rely on self-reports of consumption and harm, struggle to attain accurate findings and are not always suitable across different cultures.

Students work together around a table.
Team members collaborate on qualitative standard operating procedures training for study sites.

To gain a better understanding of the determinants of alcohol use disorder, this Bass Connections project team refined a tool that uses gamified tasks to assess psychological traits linked to alcohol use.

For example, “delay discounting” tasks evaluate users’ impulsive decision-making by examining how much they discount the value of future rewards. A heightened preference for immediate gratification correlates closely with alcohol use disorder.

Five people sit in a green room at a TV station.
“I gained invaluable experience in computer programming, behavioral science and global health. The flexibility and diversity of ideas in my project allowed me to delve into these fields and find the topics that excite me the most while working toward an end product with real-world implications. Bass Connections has shown me that you truly do not have to narrow the breadth of your passions to conduct research and create meaningful change in the world.” –Brendan Kelleher, Neuroscience (at left, with team members in Maringa, Brazil, to talk about the AUBPT collaboration at the local news outlet at Unicesumar)

The tool is designed to work across various cultures and collect nuanced data. Partners in Brazil, Kenya, Tanzania and the U.S. helped set up the study sites, ensure cultural suitability and implement the project.

The team further developed and validated adaptations of the tool in Hindi and other relevant regional languages, which will be made available as an open-source free app on handheld devices in India.

Collaborating on an Action Plan for Conservation in Madagascar

Four out of five people in Madagascar live in the remote countryside, relying on the land to meet their basic needs. The current rates of forest loss, along with more intense hunting, threaten 94% of lemurs and 63% of endemic plants with extinction. There must be a balance between biodiversity conservation and the livelihoods of local people.

Numerous researchers pose together for a group photo in Madagascar.

Team members in Madagascar

This Bass Connections project team worked closely with partners in Madagascar to understand the impact of deforestation on lemurs and their geographic distribution, and to assess the effectiveness of a conservation action plan co-created with stakeholders.

Blending ecological studies of lemurs in the rainforest with social science research on community livelihoods, the team collaborated with over 30 local partners. Duke students worked alongside Malagasy peers from the Centre Universitaire Régional de la SAVA.

A student holds an enormous moth-like insect in her palm.
“This experience was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I appreciated the chance to work with a team, not just locally [at Duke] but from Madagascar. It was great to be contributing to work that was driving change on the ground. Finally, the flexibility to pursue a project in a skill set I wanted to hone (remote sensing) has proved beneficial for my future.” –Nanditha Ram Satagopan, Master of Environmental Management, conducting field research in Madagascar

Team members produced preliminary predictions of lemur densities for nine species, conducted interviews and focus groups with community members, and designed an evaluation instrument for the action plan’s intervention programs. Among the programs, teachers, parents and students participated in the Duke Lemur Center’s education program. Farmers are also key stakeholders and beneficiaries who receive training and start-up incentives for sustainable agriculture.

These efforts yielded insights into which aspects of the action plan have been successful and ways to improve the plan.

Building on team experiences
A woman and a man pose together in front of a banner reading Duke Lemur Center SAVA Conservation Madagascar.
In April 2024, 12 student research projects received competitive grant funding from Bass Connections. Ecology Ph.D. student Camille DeSisto (left, with her collaborator Edgar Rabevao) is building on the work of her project team by exploring the role of lemurs as seed dispersers and rainforest regenerators, in collaboration with students and partners in Madagascar. (Photo: Martin Braun)

Using Data Science to Support Clinical Decision-Making

Clinical decision support (CDS) tools are rubrics drawn from data science that promise to improve healthcare outcomes, such as by predicting which patients are at risk of rapid deterioration, and so alerting providers to monitor those individuals especially closely.

The Food and Drug Administration provides guidance on the technical development of these tools, but we need additional research to ensure that specific CDSs are well-suited for actual clinical settings.

A man gestures to the people seated around the table during a discussion.

Team members at an interactive modeling session with the case managers from the General Internal Medicine Department at Duke Health

This Bass Connections project team set out to gain a deeper understanding of how to connect CDS development and implementation so that the tools achieve their objectives in practice. Team members conducted a literature review on CDS implementation, met with experts from the Duke Algorithm-Based CDS governance committee and created a taxonomy of CDS tools that seek characterize the risk of readmission for discharged hospital patients.

Five people gather at a poster session to discuss their project.
“Serving as the project manager was undoubtedly one of the most transformative experiences during my time at Duke. I had the privilege of collaborating closely with case managers, clinicians, the directors at Duke AI Health, and Duke Health. This immersive involvement not only deepened my understanding of healthcare organizations but also empowered me to develop leadership skills in managing interdisciplinary teams effectively. Working alongside experts from diverse backgrounds challenged me to think critically, communicate clearly and navigate unique perspectives.” –Shatanshu Choudhary, Master of Engineering Management (second from right)

The team also conducted a workshop with clinical staff at Duke Health to understand the barriers to CDS adoption. The workshop revealed that awareness by medical professionals is a key factor affecting adoption and helped the team learn about pathways that have affected staff awareness over time.

Team members presented the taxonomy, workshop insights and other findings in a report to their Duke Health partners.

Increasing Children’s Sense of Belonging in STEM Fields

Children are influenced by societal messages that proclaim whether or not they belong in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) spaces. Partnering with the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, this Bass Connections project team focused on increasing young children’s STEM identity by broadening their idea of what science can look like and where science can happen.

Students and faculty gather for a team photo.
Team members at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham

To examine how children at the museum perceive and identify with science, team members led workshops using a set of interactive storybooks. One storybook depicted stereotypical science exhibits, such as those with chemistry sets and lab equipment, while the other depicted alternative museum spaces and objects, such as the butterfly room and musical instruments.

Children were randomly assigned one storybook or the other. Team members led the children through a discussion of each picture in their book and asked them a series of questions to assess their perception of what constitutes “science” and a “scientist.” Preliminary data indicated that children who heard the storybook of alternative spaces reported feeling greater interest in and identification with science, compared to those who heard the storybook describing only stereotypical spaces.

The team presented its research methods to the museum’s staff and gave a talk at the Carolinas Psychology Conference. Several undergraduates and team leaders will present more details from the project at the Society for Research in Child Development meeting in 2025.

Four women sit on a bench, as one holds up a sign reading Carolinas Psychology Conference 2024.

“I was really excited to do research with a community partner. Oftentimes, research can feel really technical and exclusive, so this experience has been great because we’ve focused our ideas around our museum partnership.” –Dena Silver, Biology (second from left, with team members at the Carolinas Psychology Conference)

Measuring Urban Heat Islands and Their Causes in Durham

The urban heat island effect occurs when a city’s infrastructure absorbs and re-emits heat to a greater extent than natural elements do, leading to higher temperatures.

This Climate+ team — part of the Data+ summer program — modeled the effects of land use on the urban heat island effect, using satellite imagery and ground-level temperature measurements. Focusing on Durham meant that the team measured the heat island effect at smaller scales than previous research.

Three students pose in front of their poster at the Duke Plus Programs poster session.
“The thing I loved the most about Data+ is that we are able to apply what we’ve learned in class to a real-world challenge so that we can actually make a societal impact. I was able to get all the resources, guidance and funding that I needed to carry out the research, and the collaborative environment led our team to publish a paper in Scientific Reports. It is no doubt my best academic experience at Duke.” –Chenhao Ge, Math and Computer Science (at right)

Using machine learning, team members segmented satellite images of Durham according to land use. Next, they paired land use classifications with ground-level temperature measurements to understand the relationship between land use and temperature. The models from this work can be applied to other locations in the U.S.

Team members also analyzed potential interventions for reducing heat stress in Durham, as a starting point for policy change. One intervention strategy, for example, would be to increase vegetation in especially hot areas, expanding the number of buffer zones.

Promoting Multilingualism Through a Spanish Reading Program

One out of five people in the U.S. speaks a language other than English at home. Spanish is the most commonly spoken non-English language.

Many social science studies have identified benefits from bilingualism and the incorporation of knowledge from culturally diverse families into K-12 curricula.  This research suggests that American school systems should encourage linguistic diversity.

Duke student team members hold books in Spanish.

Team members display books in Spanish for reading sessions with local families.

This Bass Connections project team implemented and evaluated the ¡Celebra mi herencia! program, which pairs Latino/a families and their children (ages 8-11) with Duke undergraduates to read children’s books in Spanish.

To recruit families, the team created and distributed a video in local spaces — such as Iglesia Emmanuel — that have programs addressing educational gaps, and staffed a table outside La Superior, a Mexican grocery store in Durham.

Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: “treatment” families who received a selection of seven books and participated in seven weekly reading sessions with a Duke student; and “control” families who only received the books. Control families were also given the option to have a few reading sessions, seven weeks after receiving the books.

Duke students gather in a classroom to discuss and work on their project.
“I feel especially grateful for the opportunities to work directly with members of the Durham community on a cause I feel passionate about. As an undergraduate researcher, I helped construct the reading curriculum and later conducted its sessions with families. I also saw the research process through by helping analyze the study’s findings. This experience inspired me to pursue other research through personal and collaborative projects. Additionally, it has sustained my interest in working toward improving social sectors such as education and healthcare in my career.” –Rory Smith, Public Policy Studies (not pictured in photo of team members working on their project)

Using pre- and post-study surveys of the families and children, team members found that the interactive reading sessions positively influenced reading motivation among children in the treatment group.

The treatment group exhibited improvements in all three key factors affecting reading motivation: self-perception of reading skills; social reading experiences; and the individual value attributed to reading. There were no significant changes in the control group.

The team’s findings also suggest that participating children in both groups demonstrated improvements in their understanding, affect and belonging toward their ethnic identity.

Duke’s Centennial

Through a Bass Connections “pop-up” theme, four project teams explored the nuances of Duke’s 100-year history. As they collected oral histories and dug into the archives, their research shed light on defining features of the university’s first century, such as the evolution of Duke’s hospitals and clinics, transformations in the university’s approach to research and education, the integration of its athletics teams, and relations between Duke and Durham.

Archival black and white photo of five women walking on Duke's campus in 1976.
“Bass Connections allowed me to explore my unique interests that both converged and diverged with my academic major. I really enjoyed conducting oral history interviews with professors to better understand the evolution of teaching at Duke and learning about the importance of stakeholder analysis in regulatory approval of novel therapies. Working on diverse teams revealed the importance of understanding different perspectives on a specific topic and sharpened my teamwork and organization skills. The collaborative and interdisciplinary research experiences from Bass Connections provide a strong foundation for my future work.” –Amy Guan, Biomedical Engineering; Duke and the Evolution of Higher Education. In this photo from the Duke University Archives, five women walk on Duke’s campus in 1976.

2023-2024 Program Evaluation

Our annual program evaluation seeks to better understand the impact of the program on students and team leaders, and to identify common obstacles and best practices for team success.

In 2023-2024, 90% of team leader, graduate and undergraduate student respondents said they would recommend the program to a friend or colleague and 75% of respondents reported being either “extremely satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their team experience. Many students also report that the program provides a unique learning experience.

To what extent did Bass Connections provide something unique to your learning experience at Duke?

Bar chart showing that among grad students, 53% answered "a great deal" and 32% answered "quite a bit." For undergrads, those answers were 42% and 40%, respectively.

Student Benefits

Students report that the program helped them gain insight into societal challenges, build relationships and develop academically.

To what extent did Bass Connections help you...
Bar chart showing that 77% of grad students and 76% of undergrads said Bass Connections helped them "quite a bit" or "a great deal" to gain insight into a societal challenge.
Percentage of students agreeing that the program helped them “quite a bit” or “a great deal”

Team Leader Benefits

Team leaders were asked to rank the top three ways in which they benefited from participating in Bass Connections. Their responses spotlighted the opportunity to build new relationships, develop new knowledge and expertise, mentor undergraduate students and generate new research findings.

Top three benefits as ranked by team leaders

"Developed new relationships across Duke" was the highest ranked benefit, followed by "I developed new expertise related to our research topic" and "Improved my ability to mentor undergraduate students".

Duke students and faculty gather around an interactive display to discuss Bass Connections research.

“The most meaningful part of my experience was seeing the undergraduates grow as researchers. They entered the project being only minimally aware of how different a sustained research project is from a course paper, and they’re leaving the year with a sense of the power of deep knowledge built through sustained effort.” –Team leader (anonymous comment, program evaluation). In this photo, people engage with the interactive display of the Race and Sports: C.B. Claiborne and Duke Men’s Black Basketball History team at the Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase.

Virtual Showcase

In addition to the in-person Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase, team members shared their research through a virtual showcase on the Bass Connections website.

We invite you to explore the virtual showcase and learn more about the work of our 2023-2024 project teams!

A student works in a lab on a computer-based project.
Alex Pieroni, a member of the Neurocities and Ruinscapes: Reconstructing Ancient Cities and Ruins Using Virtual Reality team, works in the lab.