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A Distinctive New Model for Education

Bass Connections bridges the classroom and the real world, giving students a chance to tackle complex societal problems alongside faculty from across Duke. Through interdisciplinary research teams, intensive summer programs, semester-long courses and student research grants, graduate and undergraduate students collaborate with faculty on cutting-edge research that spans subjects and borders. Bass Connections builds on Duke’s culture of collaboration and fosters knowledge in service to society.

Learn more about our vision, mission and goals

Opportunities for Students

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Join a Year-Long Project Team

Bass Connections project teams bring together faculty, postdocs, graduate students, undergraduates and external partners to tackle complex societal challenges in interdisciplinary research teams.

Find the project team that's right for you
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Explore Summer Programs

Bass Connections summer programs give students the opportunity to conduct intensive summer research in teams. Programs include Data+, Story+, Global Health Student Research Training and the Summer Neuroscience Program.

Spend your summer doing intensive research
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Take a Course

Bass Connections courses include elements such as interdisciplinary inquiry, collaborative projects and/or applied research around societal challenges.

Explore Bass Connections courses
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Propose an Independent Project

Bass Connections Student Research Awards and Student Team Grants provide support for individual or collaborative, student-driven research projects that explore new approaches to interdisciplinary research questions.

Get funding for your research ideas

Opportunities and Resources for Faculty

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Propose a Year-Long Project Team

Faculty from all Duke schools can propose a year-long project team to explore an interdisciplinary research question in collaboration with students and community partners.

Read the project proposal guidelines
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Propose a Summer Project

Faculty from all Duke schools can propose summer research projects that engage students in an array of interdisciplinary challenges from data science to health to the humanities.

Explore summer programs
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Design a Collaborative Project Course

Collaborative Project Courses include collaborative projects that extend across an entire semester. Faculty can explore course design resources and apply for our Faculty Fellows Program.

Explore course design resources
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Explore Resources For Leading Teams

Our Team Resource Center includes resources, tools and templates to support effective team-based research across the lifecycle of a project team.

Browse tools for team success

Interdisciplinary Themes

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Brain & Society

Using brain science to help solve society's most pressing problems

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Health Policy & Innovation

Creating solutions to improve health and well-being in the U.S.

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Bass Connections Open

For areas of research that fall outside the scope of our six interdisciplinary themes

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Energy & Environment

Creatively addressing critical energy and environmental challenges

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Information, Society & Culture

Exploring the evolution of society through data

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Pop-Up Themes

For emerging issues of societal importance

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Global Health

Working creatively and collectively to address health disparities worldwide

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Race & Society

Investigating how race shapes society and lived experience

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Browse All Themes

Projects, courses and summer programs are aligned with these key thematic areas

News and Updates

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Upcoming Events

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