The Sustainability and Climate Applied Learning (SCALe) program connects staff and faculty to passionate student leaders with the goal of fostering progress on tangible, applied research projects that support Duke departments in meeting their climate and sustainability goals.

Campus Needs List Overview

Develop assessment tools to advance reimagined space utilization at Duke

AVAILABLE

PROJECT SPONSOR & DEPARTMENTAL LIAISON: Facilities Management Department (FMD), Planning & Design | Bobbi Weinberg, Planner / Designer 

Description of Need

Because physical office space at Duke is a limited resource, FMD staff are partnering with various departments across campus to implement more sustainable strategies for adaptive space utilization. These strategies not only maximize the potential capacity of a given office space to serve the needs of more than one department but also work to reduce overall campus energy consumption by collocating more than one department in a common office space, thereby reducing the need for new construction and eliminating associated greenhouse gas emissions.  

FMD is interested in developing a case study to capture lessons learned from space consolidation efforts where two or more Duke departments collocate in a shared office space. Student support is invited to conduct hands-on research about space utilization efforts underway and compile findings and recommendations to identify best practices for reimagined space utilization at Duke.  

Research questions include:  

  • To measure the success of past and future space consolidation efforts on campus, what are the right questions to ask departmental staff to inquire what is working well and what could be improved? (Through use of survey and focus group tools, etc.) 

  • Informed by survey responses, focus group discussions and interviews, what are 1) best practices for adaptive space utilization and 2) areas for improvement to adequately meet people’s everyday working needs (including but not limited to reserving meeting space, communicating clearly across teams, and coordinating schedules for everyone who uses the common office spaces)?  

This project is best suited for an instructor interested in incorporating the project into a course during Spring 2025 or Fall 2025. Preference is given for Spring 2025 engagements.

ANTICIPATED RESEARCH ACTIVITIES AND PROJECT DELIVERABLES 

The project requires collaboration and guidance from Bobbi Weinberg, Planner / Designer. 

The student(s) will first become familiar with Duke space consolidation efforts under the guidance of Bobbi Weinberg. Once familiar, the student(s) will collaborate with Bobbi to develop a survey tool and interview questions to collect data from building occupants regarding how well the space consolidation efforts are working; the student(s) shall plan on working with an expert instructor to analyze and code the qualitative survey and interview responses; the student(s) will contribute to writing a white paper including an overview of findings and recommendations regarding best practices and lessons learned; finally, the student(s) shall present the data and recommendations to FMD upon completion of the project. 

REQUIRED SKILLS OR QUALIFICATIONS 

The matched student(s) must be knowledgeable of survey design and qualitative interview principles. 

The student(s) should have the ability to use Qualtrics software (or similar) to develop a survey tool and collect and analyze data with the campus partner.  

ANTICIPATED PROJECT DURATION 

The project research shall take place during the spring or fall 2025 semester. 

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE MATCHED TO THIS PROJECT... 

  • Faculty who are interested in supporting this project through a course should contact Emily Bilcik with a formal statement of interest. 

Improve Duke's greenhouse gas data system to increase usability and accessibility of data

IN PROGRESS

PROJECT SPONSOR & DEPARTMENTAL LIAISON: Office of Climate and Sustainability | Matt Arsenault, Assistant Director - Carbon and Sustainable Operations

Description of Need

Office of Climate and Sustainability staff are responsible for collecting, calculating, and reporting the university’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. GHG accounting work at Duke involves collecting data from across campus operations, converting the data to GHG emissions and reporting the results in various ways. The current data collection and management system has served the university well for years, but the university is in the process of setting a next-generation climate goal that requires improvements to this data system.

The need is for a data savvy Duke student(s) to help staff understand what options are available to make the GHG data more accessible and usable. This could take the form of a data dashboard, however other options would be considered. Once a pathway is identified, the student(s) would execute the creation of the dashboard or other data tools identified. 

These GHG data system improvements are important for several reasons. First, if more sustainability staff can access this information quickly, it will increase efficiency and productivity. Second, making this data more available and transparent to students and faculty can lead to future cross-campus collaboration. Finally, Duke may be required to report this data to external programs with rigorous requirements, which will be easier to do with a more efficient and organized data system.  

Research questions include: How we can make the GHG data more accessible to staff, faculty and students? What are the best ways to present and visualize the data online, in reports and in other places?

This project is best suited for 1) a Duke student interested in this opportunity as a paid internship opportunity or as the basis for a credit-bearing independent study OR 2) a group of Duke students interested in this opportunity as the focus of their academic project (a master's or capstone project, for example).

ANTICIPATED RESEARCH ACTIVITIES AND PROJECT DELIVERABLES

The project requires collaboration and guidance from Matt Arsenault, Assistant Director, Office of Climate and Sustainability.

The student(s) will first become familiar with the existing data system under the guidance of Matt Arsenault. Once familiar, the student(s) will propose updates or improvements to the data system. This could include but would not be limited to creating a data dashboard for various audiences, implementing a new database system, or creating a large language model-based query capability.

REQUIRED SKILLS OR QUALIFICATIONS

The matched student(s) must have experience and proficiency with Microsoft Excel to the point that they’re comfortable using pivot tables and advanced formulas such as VLOOKUP, nested IF statements, etc. Previous experience building a data dashboard would also be beneficial to this project.

ANTICIPATED PROJECT DURATION

The project research shall take place during the fall and/or spring 2024 semester. The project may only require one semester of investigation; however, it is possible that the project could extend longer.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE MATCHED TO THIS PROJECT...

  • Students and faculty who are interested in supporting this project should contact Emily Bilcik with a formal statement of interest.
  • A faculty member can incorporate this project into a course they teach.
  • A student can either approach this project as the basis for a credit-bearing thesis, practicum, dissertation, capstone, master’s project, applied research course or other type of independent study OR submit a resume and cover letter demonstrating interest in the project as a paid internship opportunity.
    • Each Duke school has their own procedures for credit-bearing independent studies, capstone projects, master's projects, etc. If interested in any type of independent study, please speak to your advisor first to discuss the steps required of you and identify a faculty member who is willing to supervise your independent study. Please note, this project is eligible for academic credit but not financial compensation.

Investigate whether rainwater capture from a copper roof is safe for plant health at Sarah P. Duke Gardens 

ON HOLD

PROJECT SPONSOR & DEPARTMENTAL LIAISON: Sarah P. Duke Gardens | Bobby Mottern, Director of Horticulture

Description of Need

Staff at Sarah P. Duke Gardens are considering options to incorporate more sustainable garden features for visitors to interact with and learn from. One of these potential projects could be the addition of a rooftop rainwater collection cistern at the Doris Duke Center. Of important note, the Doris Duke Center has a 25-year-old copper roof, and it is essential to determine whether this impacts the water runoff and health of plants to be irrigated with this water source. Student support is needed to conduct hands-on research and compile findings and recommendations.

Research questions include: Does copper from the roof leach into rainwater runoff? What PPM of copper is present in the water runoff? Is the water runoff safe for plant health? What threshold of copper can most plants tolerate? If any, which plants are sensitive to copper?

This project is best suited for 1) a Duke student interested in this opportunity as the basis for an independent study or an open-ended class assignment OR 2) an instructor interested in incorporating the project into a course.

ANTICIPATED RESEARCH ACTIVITIES AND PROJECT DELIVERABLES

The project requires collaboration and guidance from Robert Mottern, Director of Horticulture.

The student(s) will collect on-site water samples under the supervision of the Director of Horticulture; work with an expert instructor to analyze the water quality of the water samples; search for relevant literature; write a summary report with an overview of findings and recommendations; and present the data and recommendations to the Director of Horticulture upon completion of the project.

REQUIRED SKILLS OR QUALIFICATIONS

The matched student(s) must be knowledgeable of basic scientific data collection methods and analysis techniques. 

The student(s) should have the ability to communicate scientific methods and results (in writing and verbally) to deliver clear recommendations for the campus partner. 

Anticipated Project Duration

Due to scheduled construction taking place at the research site, the research project is on hold and will resume in fall 2026.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE MATCHED TO THIS PROJECT...

  • Students and faculty who are interested in supporting this project should contact Emily Bilcik with a formal statement of interest.
  • A student can either approach their professor to request permission to use this project for an open-ended course requirement (e.g., specific class assignment, practical task, etc.) OR use the project as the basis for a credit-bearing independent study. 
    • Each Duke school has their own procedures for credit-bearing independent studies, capstone projects, master's projects, etc. If interested in any type of independent study, please speak to your advisor first to discuss the steps required of you and identify a faculty member who is willing to supervise your independent study. Please note, this project is eligible for academic credit but not financial compensation. Funds are available to cover costs for a testing kit or other necessary research expenses.