Duke's 2023-24 Presidential Award Winners Honored for Embodying Duke’s Values

Three Nicholas Institute staff members—Bryan Koen, Luana Marangon Lima and Colleen Nieto—are part of a team that will receive a 2023–2024 Duke University Presidential Award, the university's highest staff and faculty honor.

The team is being recognized for its work on Bass Connections, a program that has given Duke students, faculty and staff the opportunity to collaborate across disciplines on research projects addressing complex societal problems since 2013.

The Nicholas Institute is the administrative home for the Energy & Environment theme of Bass Connections. Learn more about the theme (and, if you're a student, consider applying for one of the 2024–2025 projects by Feb. 12 at 5 p.m. EST): bassconnections.duke.edu/energy-and-environment

This is the second year in a row that Nicholas Institute staff have been acknowledged with a Duke University Presidential Award. In 2022–2023, Jeremy Ashton, Rachel Earnhardt, Lydia Olander, Stacy Peterson and Braden Welborn were recognized for their contributions to the Duke Climate Commitment Planning Team.

This year's honorees will be recognized during a ceremony March 7 at 4 p.m. in Page Auditorium. A reception will follow at 5 p.m. at Penn Pavilion. The Duke community is invited to attend.