Students Can Now Apply for Summer 2023 Climate+ Research Projects

The Rhodes Information Initiative at Duke (Rhodes iiD), in partnership with the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, is now accepting student applications for this summer’s Climate+ projects. Launched last year, Climate+ is a vertical within Rhodes iiD’s Data+ program, a full-time, ten-week summer research experience for Duke students of all class years and majors.

“The first cohort of Climate+ students successfully applied data science techniques to interdisciplinary research projects targeting an array of climate-related issues,” said Robert Calderbank, PhD, director of Rhodes iiD. “We are pleased to partner with faculty across Duke again this summer to offer new opportunities for students to learn data science skills that can translate to real-world environmental impact”

During Summer 2023, eight Climate+ projects will be offered:

• Measuring urban heat islands and their causes in Durham
• Quantifying wetland carbon emissions in the Southeastern US
• Understanding the ocean biological carbon pump with big data
• Assessing climate change risk of rural coastal plain communities
• Resourcing of coal ash wastes for decarbonized infrastructure materials
• Tracking climate change causes & impacts with satellites and AI
• River dead zones: identifying and determining hypoxia in rivers across North America
• Quantifying the carbon footprint of Duke Dining

Like the broader Data+ program, each Climate+ project team will be made up of two to four undergraduates and one graduate student, who will work in a communal environment to learn how to marshal, analyze, and visualize data. Graduate students (including master’s and PhD students) typically serve as project managers, helping their teams stay on track with deliverables and timeline; their compensation may vary.

In addition to developing new skills through project work, Data+ participants gain broad exposure to data science through interactions with guest experts and opportunities to learn from other project teams. Beyond these educational benefits, students in the Climate+ cohort will also have regular opportunities to engage with climate, environment, and energy researchers and practitioners.

All Data+ participants will receive a $5,000 stipend to arrange housing and travel. Funding and infrastructure support are provided by a wide range of departments, schools, and initiatives from across Duke, as well as by outside industry and community partners.

Climate+ reflects the goals of the Duke Climate Commitment, which unites the university’s education, research, operations, and public service missions to address the climate crisis. The commitment builds on Duke’s longstanding leadership in climate, energy and sustainability to educate and deploy a generation of climate- and sustainability-fluent innovators and create just, equitable solutions for all.

“Data science is a critical toolkit to accelerate climate solutions,” noted Brian Murray, PhD, interim director of the Nicholas Institute. “We need more leaders who can wield data science concepts and methods as they identify and assess complex climate issues swiftly, initiate and inform innovative approaches to address the climate problem, and act nimbly to advance effective and viable solutions. Through Duke’s Climate+ program, students can prepare for climate leadership in diverse sectors by honing their data science skills and applying them to real climate challenges.”