Making a Difference - A Theme of Duke's Strategic Plan

The important problems of the contemporary world exceed the scope of any single discipline. Health challenges require the understanding of medical diagnosis, management economics, cultural differences and ethical values. Dealing with global climate issues requires a mix of expertise including physical and biological sciences, engineering, business, policy and law.

One of the primary goals of Duke's strategic plan is to deepen engagement in education by undergraduate and graduate students--in part through outreach and service learning. Duke's plan seeks to empower students at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels to integrate knowledge across their classes and into their own lives, and then make a difference in the lives of others. This Knowledge in the Service of Society movement encompasses investment in innovative approaches to how we teach students and how they learn in classrooms, laboratories and other settings, both on and off campus. Simultaneously, the plan recognizes Duke’s responsibility to apply the knowledge and creativity of its faculty and students to major public challenges such as improving health care, fighting poverty and protecting the environment. 

Outreach & Service Learning

Duke's Pratt School of Engineering sponsors a wide range of service learning opportunities for Duke students, and educational outreach programs for students from K-12 through the undergraduate level in collaboration with local/regional involvement and national programs.

At the college level, these programs offer challenging opportunities for intensive civic engagement experiences that combine engineering with service to society. Research oriented opportunities allow undergraduates from colleges and universities across the nation to spend the summer researching at Duke. And some outreach programs also offer an opportunity for Duke students interested in participating in K-12 outreach and in engineering and science education to gain hands-on mentoring and teaching experience with local K-12th grade students.

At the K-12th grade level, our programs are designed to create positive, hands-on learning environments for students and are designed to inspire kids to pursue careers in engineering and science.

Many of our outreach efforts include programs aimed at helping populations underrepresented in engineering and the sciences--women, students with disabilities, and minority students--build confidence that they can succeed and fulfill their career dreams by providing role models and enriching educational and research
experiences.

Educating Today's Engineers

Research opportunities for students from colleges and universities across the nation to research at Duke

Through National Science Foundation funding, leveraged with other funding sources, the Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program offers challenging research opportunities to students nationwide to spend a summer researching at Pratt on the Duke University campus. Such research makes these students highly competitive for jobs, internships, and graduate school scholarships. A hallmark of these programs is long-term follow-up, ensuring that a positive experience translates into career impetus.

This nine-week paid program offers research in all the departments of the Pratt School of Engineering—Biomedical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science. The REU Program is under the direction of Martha Absher, Assistant Dean for Education and Outreach Programs. It has an emphasis on including populations underrepresented in engineering--women, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities. All eligible students are encouraged to apply. The application and project descriptions for summer 2008 is available online.

Courses at Duke

EGR61/PPS109/ENV162: Natural Catastrophes: Rebuilding from Ruins was piloted in spring 2006 and included a Spring Break service-learning experience for the students. 171 students were enrolled in the course, and approximately 135 students went to New Orleans over Spring Break. In spring 2008, approximately 100 students went to New Orleans over Spring Break. This course is to be offered in the spring of even numbered years. Instructor: David Schaad


CE185: Engineering Sustainable Design and Construction. In 2007/2008, students are involved with design projects for community clients (i.e., the WISER girls school in Kenya, mechanical aerator for shrimp farmers in Indonesia, and sustainable deployable shelters for survivors of natural disasters). The aerator and deployable shelter competed in the annual P3 contest on the National Mall in DC; the aerator was awarded an honorable mention. This course is to be offered in the spring semester of odd numbered years. Instructor: David Schaad

BME 260: Devices for People with Disabilities (http://bme260.pratt.duke.edu/bme260).
Course Description: Design of custom devices to aid disabled individuals. Students will be paired with health care professionals at local hospitals who will supervise the development of projects for specific clients. Formal engineering design principles will be emphasized; overview of assistive technologies, patent issues, engineering ethics. Oral and written reports will be required. Selected projects may be continued as independent study. Prerequisite:
Biomedical Engineering 154L or equivalent, or consent of instructor.
Instructors: Larry Bohs, Kevin Caves, Rich Goldberg

Goal of the course, which fulfills the BME capstone credit, is to provide students the opportunity to apply their knowledge in developing an assistive device for someone in the community with a physical limitation or disability.

  1. Course is offered for curricular credit both semesters. Approximately 18 students per semester enroll in the course. It is so popular that there is actually a lottery to sign-up for the class.
  2. Students are divided into teams of 3 and are supervised by the faculty during the product design and development.
  3. NSF grant of $25,000 supports the course. Each team is provided a budget of $500 for their work.

BME 261: Design for The Developing World. Course description: Design of custom devices to help the specific and unique needs of developing world hospitals. Formal engineering design principles will be emphasized; overview of developing world conditions, patent issues, engineering ethics. Oral and written reports will be required. Students may elect to personally deliver their projects to a developing world hospital, if selected, in the summer following the course. Prerequisite: Biomedical Engineering 154L or equivalent, or consent of instructor. Instructor: Robert Malkin.

BME 262 Electronic Design for The Developing World – Course description: Design of custom devices to help the specific and unique needs of developing world hospitals. Formal engineering design principles will be emphasized; overview of developing world conditions, patent issues, engineering ethics. Designs must be based on microcontroller or equivalent electronic circuitry. Oral and written reports will be required. Students may elect to personally deliver their projects to a developing world hospital, if selected, in the summer following the course. Prerequisites: Biomedical Engineering 154L or equivalent, or consent of instructor. Instructor: Robert Malkin.

Engineering Service Organizations


Engineering World Health Summer Institute (http://www.ewh.org/) The Engineering World Health Summer Institute is an opportunity for engineering students to gain hands on repair and design experience while simultaneously helping disadvantaged hospitals and patients in a developing nation. Open to students of engineering, physics and chemistry, the Summer Institute begins with a one-month stay in Costa Rica or Tanzania in which students live with a host family. Mornings are spent learning Spanish or Swahili, while in the afternoons students receive three hours of technical training in the operation and repair of medical equipment. Day trips to the country's breathtaking natural features punctuate the experience and give volunteers a time to bond. After the one-month training, each student travels to his or her target hospital. Students work repairing and installing badly needed equipment. Whether they’re working on an infusion pump that helps treat a tiny infant, or an ECG that will aid in diagnosing someone's grandfather, each student-engineer makes a difference in patients’lives. Approximately 40-50 students from around the country are involved each summer, with approximately 10% of them from Duke. Faculty adviser: Robert Malkin.


CUREs (http://www.ewh.org/cures/index.php) is a not-for-profit business plan competition sponsored by Engineering World Health and Duke University that helps student teams from across Duke develop innovative, simple, inexpensive medical devices that meet the needs of people in developing countries. CUREs aims to educate and increase the pool of leaders who can start and grow technology-based social ventures. The competition gives students the opportunity to work together to turn innovative ideas into real-world business solutions. Student teams go through the need finding, business development, and prototype development processes in either a formal competition or in an informal club or both. CUREs provides:

  • provides a competitive and collaborative educational experience that inspires and prepares university students to have a positive impact on the world,
  • creates an interdisciplinary opportunity that illustrates and leverages diverse skills and talents,
  • supports the creation of health care technologies that provide innovative solutions to critical medical needs,
  • seeks to improve the quality of life of the people most in need in the developing world, those surviving in poorest third of the world's nations, and
  • builds sustainable social ventures that produce a significant positive impact by efficiently using resources.


Engineers Without Borders Duke Chapter (http://ewb.pratt.duke.edu/)
– Duke's EWB works in concert with the international EWB program to improve quality of life in underserved communities worldwide through implementation of environmentally and economically sustainable engineering-based projects. Duke's chapter has fielded teams to Banda Aceh, Indonesia to work with rebuilding after the tsunami (2005), water supply system in Kasaka, Uganda (2006 and 2007), rural electrification and low power computers in Nokukonjeru, Uganda (2007), water supply system in Ciudad de Dios, Peru (2007 and 2008), assessment for a bridge project in Condor Chinoka, Bolivia (2008), assessment for a clinic near Las Mercedes, Honduras (2008), etc. Faculty adviser: David Schaad


DukeEngage (http://dukeengage.duke.edu/) - The DukeEngage program provides funding for Duke undergraduates who wish to pursue an intensive civic engagement experience anywhere in the world. Several current programs are sponsored by Pratt faculty (see http://dukeengage.duke.edu/immersion/international):

  •  
    • Nitrate Concentration of Drinking Water by Farming Activities in Rural Ghana: Saving Lives Through Education and Awareness– Fred Boadu
    • Duke – Engineering World Health in Northern Tanzania – Robert Malkin
      EWB/
    • Engineering Change in Uganda – David Schaad
    • EWB/Peru – David Schaad
    • DukeEngage in NOLA (http://dukeengage.duke.edu/immersion/national) – David Schaad

Inspiring Tomorrow's Engineers.

Opportunities at the K-12 grade level, and opportunities for Pratt undergraduates to participate in K-12 outreach

Duke and the Pratt School of Engineering offer a range of educational outreach programs focused on science and engineering. In many cases Duke students become teachers for younger students. Many of our programs are summarized on the Engineering K-PhD program website. The goal of Engineering K-PhD is to increase significantly the number of children, particularly female and under-represented groups, who choose to pursue science related careers. Specific outreach projects include:

  • TechXcite
    - TechXcite, a national engineering after-school program sponsored by the National Science Foundation, is a partnership between the Duke Pratt School of Engineering, National and North Carolina 4-H, and the National Science & Technology Education Partnership
  • Techtronics- Techtronics is an after-school science enrichment program where students are introduced to four branches of engineering: Electrical and Computer, Biomedical, Civil and Mechanical.
  • MUSIC
    (Math Understanding through Science Integrated with Curriculum)    -
    MUSIC is a curriculum enhancement program funded by the National Science Foundation that focuses on the integration of engineering problem solving with the standard course of study. MUSIC places graduate and undergraduate Teaching Fellows from the Pratt School of Engineering and the Duke University Marine Lab in elementary and middle schools across NC. The Teaching Fellows spend 10 hours per week at their partnership school assisting teachers with the creation and delivery of hands-on activities that provide meaningful contexts in which children apply math and science concepts.
  • Project Lead the Way Forging New Generations of Engineers
    - Project Lead the Way, a national pre-engineering program for middle and high school students, seeks to create dynamic partnerships with our nation's schools to prepare an increasing and more diverse group of students to be successful in engineering and engineering technology programs.

And, through the Duke Action Camp, Pratt women graduate students give 6th- to 8th-grade girls from across the nation a chance to take part in laboratory engineering experiments and work with successful engineering female role models. The summer of 2003 represented Pratt’s 12th year of our involvement with this program. At the high school level, Pratt faculty and students work with 8th-to 10th-grade students from the Raleigh/Durham area through the Summer Science Institute.

Pratt engineering faculty and students contribute to Youth Programs through the Duke Continuing Education (http://www.learnmore.duke.edu/youth/) program.

Teaching the Teachers

Impacting science and engineering teaching and curriculum at the K-12th grade level

TASC (Teachers and Scientists Collaborating)
- TASC's purpose is to provide North Carolina K-8 students with opportunities to learn to think as scientists: critically, creatively, and independently. TASC supports teachers shift toward inquiry-based science teaching, an effective tool for helping all students learn.

Helpful Contacts

Want to get started? If you are interested in participating in a service learning or
outreach program, access the web site for that particular program. You
can also contact our faculty members:

Martha Absher, Assist Dean, Educ & Outreach Prgms
Pratt School of Engineering
REU Programs
martha.absher@duke.edu

Fred Boadu, Associate Professor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Duke Engage, Engineers Without Borders
boadu@akoto.egr.duke.edu

Laurence Bohs, Lecturer
Department of Biomedical Engineering
BME courses
lnb@duke.edu

Kevin Caves, Clinical Associate
Duke Surgery-Speech & Hearing
BME courses
kevin.caves@duke.edu

Linda Franzoni, Professor of Practice, Associate Dean
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
franzoni@duke.edu

Richard Goldberg, Adjunct Assistant Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering
BME courses
rich.goldberg@duke.edu

Eric Mlyn, Director
Duke Engage Program
eric.mlyn@duke.edu

Bob Malkin, Professor of Practice
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Engineering World Health, BME Courses
robert.malkin@duke.edu

David Malone, Associate Prof of the Practice
Duke Education Program
Service Learning Tutoring, Outreach
dmalone@duke.edu

Jan Riggsbee, Associate Prof of the Practice
Duke Education Program
Service Learning Tutoring, Outreach
rigg@duke.edu

David Schaad, Ph.D.
Departmental of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Engineers Without Borders, Duke Engage
david.schaad@duke.edu

Gary Ybarra, Professor of Practice
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
K-PhD Programs
gary@ee.duke.edu

Questions about this page? Contact:

Deborah Hill, Director of Communications, 415 Teer Engineering Building, 919-660-8403, dahill@duke.edu