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Duke as a Living Learning Lab for Geothermal Innovation
Bridging pioneering research and experiential learning for students, professors across disciplines, alongside Facilities Management engineering staff, are advancing a geothermal energy study at Duke. This research evaluates the viability of Aquifer Energy Thermal Storage (ATES), a geothermal technology that stores water for heating and cooling in a sub-ground aquifer. An interdisciplinary team of researchers collaborated on a new phase of this project in October 2025. The team includes Professors Peter Malin and Brian McAdoo of the Nicholas School of the Environment, Professors Laura Dalton and Manolis Veveakis of the Pratt School of Engineering, Facilities Management engineers, Duke students, and contractors Hector Ontiveros and Sergio Valenzuela from a geothermal energy start-up called Seisfocus.
The project involves drilling down nearly 2,000 feet at Chiller Plant 2 on West Campus and taking material samples throughout the drilling process for analysis. Dr. Malin, students in his course, and the Seisfocus team, in partnership with the North Carolina Geological Survey, are assessing whether Duke’s geology near the chiller plant is viable to support a geothermal system capable of supplementing existing campus heating and cooling infrastructure. Following the field tests conducted with student support, the research will provide further insights into the feasibility of ATES at Duke and the surrounding area. This work positions Duke’s campus as a living learning lab, where field-testing, material analysis, and cross-sector collaboration generate insights that can ripple into scalable climate solutions.
Hands‑On Learning as a Pathway to Climate Leadership
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Duke’s geothermal research is rooted in a long history of experimentation and partnership, strengthened by meaningful partnerships across campus. Each stage is propelled by collaboration between faculty, students, engineers, and community partners working together to define problems and test solutions, and by the momentum generated through Duke’s Climate Commitment. For Emeritus Professor Peter Malin, the current phase of the geothermal drilling research project represents more than a technical experiment. It is a way of grounding the Duke Climate Commitment in tangible, campus-based action while shaping how students learn how to apply problem-solving techniques to complex environmental questions.
By linking equations and theory to real-world applications in the classroom, Malin emphasizes the hands-on, technical side of climate research, ensuring students leave his courses with both conceptual understanding and the confidence to tackle complex energy and climate challenges when they graduate. He sees the greatest outcomes when students and faculty from different disciplines work together, bringing diverse perspectives to the continuity and expansion of energy technology. During his Geothermal Geosciences course in fall 2025, Malin's students met professionals in the drilling industry while visiting the active drilling site on campus. Students had the opportunity to ask the drill operators about geothermal drilling techniques and machinery while also gaining insights into the operators’ career pathways. Malin’s interdisciplinary, experiential approach to teaching equips students with a broad and dynamic toolkit for future careers while simultaneously advancing research to inform Duke’s energy systems and climate resiliency.
Scaling Solutions for a More Equitable Energy Future
At its core, says Assistant Professor Brian McAdoo, “this geothermal research embodies principles of environmental justice.” Because ATES is capable of providing a consistent, stable source of energy, communities facing frequent power loss and economic vulnerability could see a reduction in stress on fragile grids, paired with livable indoor temperatures and a promise of reliable power, especially during extreme weather events. To demonstrate these benefits, McAdoo embedded an Enfield, North Carolina ATES test site as a case study in his teaching, illustrating how geothermal advancements could uplift an entire community while delivering environmental benefits.
McAdoo notes that hands-on skill-building and experiential learning through geothermal research offers hope in the climate crisis and equips students with tangible skills to create change, demonstrating how applied research can directly improve lives while advancing Duke’s energy resiliency. Students collaborate in real time on a consequential proof-of-concept project in the Durham Basin, a geological rift basin located in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. The results of this campus-based project can inform future research, emerging technologies, and Duke’s long-term energy mix decisions and enable locally grounded insights to scale into globally relevant solutions.
Hands-on skill-building and experiential learning through geothermal research offers hope in the climate crisis and equips students with tangible skills to create change.
Student Pathways into Renewable Energy Careers
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Opportunities for students to gain exposure to cutting-edge research, new technologies, and professional environments live at the heart of this ongoing geothermal research at Duke. For Duke graduate Hector Ontiveros, T'24, classroom exposure to well logging and field geophysics, followed by Bass Connections work, transformed his general interest in renewable energy into a clear professional direction. Hired shortly after graduating from Duke, Hector now works at Seisfocus as a contracted Operations and Technology Consultant. Crucial to his academic and professional direction was his close mentorship from Malin.
Hector shares, "through exposure during in-class field trips, Malin offered me a real chance to work in renewable energy." Hector began his geothermal journey through a Duke undergraduate class taught by Malin, where he learned about geothermal technologies, well logging and field geophysics. These in-class experiences motivated Hector to pursue the subject further by participating in a Bass Connections project also led by Malin that opened the door for thorough experiential learning about geothermal technologies. Hands-on fieldwork on campus allowed Hector to strengthen his concrete problem-solving and technical skills that shaped his career aspirations toward clean tech and startup work. The project’s blend of experiential learning and real-world problem-solving not only enriched his academic experience during his undergraduate career at Duke but also modeled how campus research can influence regional conversations about low-carbon heating and cooling solutions.
Duke Climate Commitment in Action
As Malin and his team, including Laura and Sergio, advance geothermal research at Duke, the project stands as a powerful embodiment of the university’s Climate Commitment, linking technical innovation with experiential learning that prepares students to meet the challenges of a changing climate. Through collaboration across faculty, staff, industry and community partners, and by centering principles of environmental justice, the initiative demonstrates how campus-based research can deliver tangible solutions with both local and global impacts.
The work provides students with hope and practical skills to act in the climate crisis, transforming abstract concepts into applied problem-solving and career pathways. For the Duke community, this work offers a potential proof of concept that strengthens energy resiliency, reduces environmental impact, and exemplifies best practices for using our campus as a classroom, showing how higher education can lead in creating a more just and climate-ready future.
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This article is part of the SCALe Spotlight series hosted by the Office of Climate and Sustainability. The Sustainability and Climate Applied Learning (SCALe) Spotlight stories celebrate Duke students, staff, faculty and community partners who demonstrate a commitment to sustainability and climate education through applied teaching, learning and action.
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Article written by Clare Petkash, Sustainability and Climate Applied Learning Graduate Assistant