While pursuing her degree in electrical and computer engineering at Duke, Cassidee Kido participated on three Bass Connections teams that helped fuel her passion for energy and the environment. Now a project manager at Energy Solutions, she reflects on the ways her project teams honed her skills and inspired her current work.

"Research and collaboration through an interdisciplinary lens are really valuable in the work I do today. I learned to think critically in a research capacity, which helped me become a better problem solver."

As a junior undergraduate, Kaylin Tsukayama - like many college students - wasn’t sure what direction she wanted to take in her career. She was a neuroscience major and had already spent nearly three years studying the subject and working in labs; yet, she was starting to question whether she wanted to continue in a natural science field.

In 2013, the first Bass Connections research teams embarked on ambitious projects to tackle real-world challenges ranging from gender inequality in STEM education to children’s mental health to climate policy in the U.S. to rural poverty. Since then, the program has supported nearly 500 interdisciplinary teams and brought together more than 4,000 faculty, students and staff to conduct cutting-edge research spanning dozens of disciplinary fields and world regions.

While stepping into a new era with the Duke Climate Commitment, Duke also looks back on a long state history of environmental justice advocacy and the injustices that necessitate it.