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Bass Connections supports faculty-led, vertically integrated research teams that draw on perspectives and methods from multiple disciplines, as well as robust engagement with communities, stakeholders and decision-makers.
Faculty across Duke’s schools engage in Bass Connections at every level, including developing and leading project teams, engaging as instructors of project-based courses, mentoring students as they take their research further, and providing vital program guidance.
Each year, more than 350 faculty engage in team-based research through the program, alongside over 1,000 undergraduates and 200 graduate students.
Opportunities for Faculty Participation
Year-Long Project Teams
Project teams are generally groups of five to 20 individuals, including at least two team leaders, graduate and undergraduate students, who work together to address a societal challenge through interdisciplinary research and outreach. Projects generally last nine to 12 months. Besides leading a team, faculty may opt to participate on a project team as a contributor, providing occasional guidance. Staff, graduate students, postdocs and trainees/fellows may also co-lead projects, but all projects must have at least one faculty team leader.
Faculty may propose a project through our annual call for proposals which runs from mid-August to early November of each year. Faculty are invited to reach out at any time to discuss potential project team ideas. We will occasionally consider off-cycle proposals for projects addressing emerging or time-sensitive issues of strategic importance.
Courses
Around 50 semester-long courses are affiliated with Bass Connections, each infused with interdisciplinary, team-based learning. Faculty who currently teach a course that aligns with this model are invited to reach out to us to discuss how we might spotlight or support the course.
Faculty who are interested in integrating collaborative projects into a course can find resources and example syllabi in our Collaborative Project Courses: Course Design Resource Center and can participate in our Collaborative Project Courses Faculty Fellows Program.
Intensive Summer Research Experiences
Three summer programs offer additional opportunities for faculty to get involved as project sponsors, clients or leaders.
Student Research
Faculty also participate by serving as mentors for student-led research projects funded by Bass Connections Student Research Awards.
Impact
According to our annual evaluations, 96 percent of faculty team leaders say that they would recommend participating in Bass Connections to a colleague. Faculty report participating for a variety of reasons, including to:
- Start a new research project
- Mentor students while furthering their own research
- Be part of something innovative
- Be part of a multidisciplinary team and learn from other faculty members
- Expand their professional network.
Teams result in a wide range of outputs, including peer-reviewed publications; external grant applications and awards; data collection for future use; conference presentations; public policy reports and recommendations; various prototypes and products; educational materials and trainings for community groups; and scientific models, formulas and algorithms. To learn more, read our evaluation report on the long-term impact of Bass Connections participation on faculty research, pedagogy and relationships.
Most people can’t know as many fields as are needed to approach these complex problems. Our team includes philosophers, a mathematician, a data scientist, a political scientist, an education theorist, and others. Part of the point of the team is that we each help everybody else.
Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, Philosophy