Highlights from
FY 2025: Annual Report
Powering Up University-Wide Efforts
The Nicholas Institute plays a pivotal role in advancing the Duke Climate Commitment through our overall portfolio as well as university-wide offerings targeted to advance climate research and external engagement. And we continue to serve up a robust slate of educational offerings available to students across Duke University degree programs.
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Climate Leaders in Residence Add Value to Duke Community
In FY 2025, the Climate Leaders in Residence program brought three thought leaders to Duke to help advance climate solutions. The Nicholas Institute oversees the program, which invites nominations from all Duke schools. This year, the program was funded by the Presidential Climate Action and Innovation Fund, an endowment established by the Nicholas Family in support of the Duke Climate Commitment.
Alison Taylor
Jessica Castner
Victoria Salinas
During a residency at Duke School of Nursing, Castner (center) is working closely with Valerie Sabol, Ph.D, RN (left) and Eleanor Stevenson, Ph.D., RN (right), interim vice dean for global and community health affairs.
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Climate Collaboration Symposia Series Catalyzes Action
Floods, droughts, storms, sea-level rise, changing rainfall, and rising temperatures intensify challenges communities are already facing, particularly in the developing world. Without resources to support adaptation and resilience, communities may flee or become trapped in untenable situations.
In September 2024, the Duke Program on Climate, Resilience, and Mobility at the Sanford School of Public Policy and the Duke Office of Global Affairs took on this challenge at Duke’s third Climate Collaboration Symposium. The Nicholas Institute provides event planning and promotional support for the symposia series, which is funded by a gift from The Duke Endowment in support of the Duke Climate Commitment.
The symposium’s high-impact public event and private collaboration workshop deepened partnerships between Duke researchers and participants from the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and Catholic Relief Services. This has led to development of a new course for Duke students, as well as research collaborations focused on climate-smart agriculture and food security.
Educational Offerings Inspire and Equip Future Leaders
The Nicholas Institute offers a robust slate of learning opportunities for Duke students across undergraduate and degree programs—and courses are only the beginning. The institute helps students connect with energy and environmental professionals and get hands-experience through events, field trips, interdisciplinary research projects, internships, and support of student-led efforts.
By the Numbers: Just a Few Student Opportunities Offered in FY 2025
students in 20 courses taught by Nicholas Institute experts
one-on-one career advising appointments
students on 16 Bass Connections in Energy & Environment teams
student assistants from 14 degree programs across Duke (and 1 other university)
student organizers of 8 events during Energy Week at Duke 2024
students at 4 Duke schools supported by Energy Internship Program
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Energy Internship Program Helps Students Explore Opportunities
The Energy Internship Program is supported by gifts from Duke alumni.
Bass Connections Engages Duke Students in Meaningful Research
Sixteen interdisciplinary teams, spanning five Duke schools and numerous units, tackled complex societal and research challenges through the Energy & Environment theme of the 2024–2025 Bass Connections program. Projects covered a variety of issues both locally and abroad, including heat data gaps in Sri Lanka, climate change’s impacts on North Carolina oysters, the energy transition in Cape Town, and nuclear power in the Carolinas.
Students Seize Opportunities to Learn About Climate Careers
The Nicholas Institute has partnered with the Duke Career Center to help students explore climate careers—including via advising from Carl Thompson (far right in photo), who manages the Energy, Environment & Sustainability Career Community. In addition to one-on-one advising sessions and workshops led by Thompson, students can connect with professionals at events ranging from panel discussions to Power Lunches to Power Trips and more.
Students Fuel Initiatives for Change
Duke students aren’t just tomorrow’s leaders—they’re coming up with inventive ways to research and advance solutions for energy and environmental challenges now. Here are only a few of the student-initiated efforts the Nicholas Institute supported in FY 2025, often in collaboration with other Duke units.
Energy Week at Duke
The 9th annual Energy Week attracted more than 600 Duke community members, professionals, and experts to discuss ways to accelerate the clean energy transition. The week’s programming was organized by dozens of students from five Duke schools. The cornerstone Duke Energy Conference—run by the Duke MBA Energy Club—featured discussions on how collaboration and creativity across sectors can help reshape energy systems.
Summit for Ocean Stewards
Students organized the inaugural summit to inspire the next generation of ocean leaders to pursue hope, share knowledge, and build a supportive community of scientists and environmental activists. The keynote speaker was alumna Sylvia Earle, a renowned marine biologist, oceanographer, and activist.
Climate Cafes
Climate Cafes, led by undergraduate student Felicia Wang, provided a supportive space for the Duke community to discuss the emotional and social dimensions of climate change. The success of the Climate Cafes led to the pilot of a Climate Cafe–themed Green Devil Internship for the 2025–2026 academic year.
EnergyTech University Prize
A Duke team won the Geothermal Technologies Office Bonus Prize at the DOE Office of Technology Commercialization’s 2025 EnergyTech University Prize Competition. The students from Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and the Pratt School of Engineering pitched a business plan for driving adoption of geothermal energy hubs to power co-located data centers.