Student Stories
Computer Science, Statistical Science
My thesis is related to computer vision, which was first introduced to me in the Bass Connections project.
Computer Science, Electrical & Computer Engineering
My advice to students is to develop good relationships with your peers and mentors—it makes the learning process more fulfilling and will help you in the future.
Computer Science, Economics
I hope that I can use my knowledge to contribute to the team and better help the patients to recover from illness or trauma.
Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering
Bass Connections gave me confidence in my technical skills and made me realize the extent to which they can be used to solve engineering problems encountered in industry.
Chemistry, Global Health
The close collaboration across disciplines have been formative experiences and helped me become more conscious in all of my studies.
Biology
Not only were my contributions valued, but they were held on equal grounds with all of my other team members regardless of major, year or level of education.
Computer Science
Working with this project I get exposure to a lot of development literature and some really great professors, and I get to do a lot of hands-on work in the area of development and work directly with grad students and professors.
Environmental Engineering
Bass Connections allowed me to practice my “problem solving” skills in a real life setting, rather than a problem set on paper. It gave me the liberty to design a protocol myself rather than having one given to me.
Economics, English
This project exposed me to actual policy research, a field that I hope to go into in the future.
Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science
Creating WearDuke truly was a collaborative process, and our team continuously adapted our focus group material, website set-up, reward structure and marketing strategies to ensure our pilot program is as successful as possible.
Computer Science, Public Policy
Working with a tight-knit team of motivated individuals and a professor who is at the forefront of the global value chain framework development allowed me to gain insights into North Carolina’s economic position that I would never have been able to grasp.
Mechanical Engineering
The most meaningful part of Bass Connections was the end-to-end development of a project.
English, Psychology
Armed with my amalgamation of resources, I’m excited to put everything into action next semester.
French Studies
Like most Bass Connections teams, our team is a collection of people with varied majors, skills, and experiences.
Computer Science, Political Science
The great thing about this project is that you can apply both soft and technical skills.
Business Administration, Global Health
My participation on the Bass Connections team has further developed my creative problem‐solving, leadership and cross‐cultural competencies that will set me up for success in my future endeavors.
Business Administration, Environmental Management
For the Bass Connections Campus Digester Team, the trip was an opportunity to see first-hand what a functional waste-to-energy anaerobic digestion system looks like.
Chemistry
I used to (naively) think that most problems could be solved through scientific pursuits, and that a reduction of uncertainty through science would lead to an obvious course of action. I quickly learned that using science to address societal concerns is much more complicated and difficult.
Biomedical Sciences
Bass Connections at its core is a mission by Duke University to overcome the issues that our society faces by encouraging different disciplines to collaborate. This collaboration allows teams to look at problems from several angles and pull from multiple skill sets.
Biomedical Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering
My participation in the Data+ program has shown me how to successfully work with a dynamic team.
Environmental Management
I am confident that my education and experiences at Duke are preparing me to make a true impact in the energy sector after I graduate.
Computer Science, Statistical Science
I joined the team and hope to find out if incorporating active-learning techniques can improve current college STEM education and thus help increase retention rates of women and minorities.
Mechanical Engineering
The most rewarding aspect of my Bass Connections experience was learning how to approach a real-world problem with my Engineering background and iterating on a solution through research and testing.
Electrical & Computer Engineering
My Bass Connections experience has been instructional in two key areas: it has shed insight upon the dynamics of a successful team, and it has allowed me to explore pathways to institutional change.
Cultural Anthropology, Global Health
One of my favorite experiences of our Bass Connections project so far was the debate. This debate was a great learning experience for me on how to argue for a different side than I originally thought and helped me improve my own debate skills.
Evolutionary Anthropology
Working on the STEM for ALL Bass Connections team allowed me to approach research through an interdisciplinary lens and watch how a project grows and develops over many years.
International Comparative Studies, Public Policy
I joined the Schooling and Parenting Bass Connections team eager to find greater understanding of the education research that may ultimately influence policy.
Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering
I’m really willing to learn new things every day, and I’m always trying to explore new areas of expertise.
Cultural Anthropology, Global Health
The opportunity to receive mentorship from many different professors and leaders in the field has been incredibly rewarding.
Biology, Global Health
I believe that participating in interdisciplinary research, a staple of Bass Connections, is essential for addressing significant problems associated with healthcare and disability worldwide.
Neuroscience
The most meaningful aspect of Bass Connections has been the ability to simultaneously delve into my passions and conduct interdisciplinary, real world applicable and implementable research.
Chemistry
This experience has been life changing for me, not only because it fulfilled my wish to get a closer look at the fields of neuroscience and neurosurgery, but because it has actually altered my path in unexpected and exciting ways.
Cultural Anthropology
This project has the potential to shape my career prospects by giving me the opportunity to organize community health models that incorporate sociocultural considerations.
Electrical & Computer Engineering
We worked with the World Bank and actually got to present at the World Bank, which was a really cool experience.
Nursing
For other nursing students considering Bass Connections, I’d say it’s something new and challenging because you need to work with undergrad students and with people outside the nursing field. It’s a really fascinating experience working with different people.
Global Health
Bass Connections was a really good way to participate in a larger research project that gave me more data to work with, and more flexibility and options.
Nursing
The interdisciplinary aspect of Bass Connections provides a unique opportunity to learn from and collaborate with students and faculty from different disciplines while working toward innovative solutions to current global health issues.
Global Health
Bass Connections is a great way to work toward the same goals with people in different disciplines from all over the world. It’s a wonderful opportunity and I’ve already learned so much from the collaborations and experiences made possible by this project.
International Comparative Studies, Political Science
Bass Connections has provided me with an academic passion that extends outside of the walls of the classroom.
Global Health, Sociology
Witnessing the teamwork required for a project’s implementation and continuation from an inside perspective was inspiring.