The summer of 2024 saw the initiation of eight new student research projects in the Climate+ program. An environment- and sustainability-aligned vertical within the Data+ program, supported by the Rhodes Information Initiative and the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Climate+ provides students with a full-time, ten-week research experience to explore interdisciplinary challenges through data-driven approaches.
During the summer of 2024, 27 undergraduate students and seven graduate students participated in Climate+. The teams tackled projects on the following topics:
- Environmental and climate exposures and social drivers of health
- Atomic dynamics of novel energy materials
- Saltwater intrusion in coastal river systems due to sea level rise
- Implementation of AI techniques to monitor seagrass environments
- Improvements in rainfall predictions across the Southeastern U.S.
- Reptile and amphibian biodiversity in the Duke Forest
- Energy transition in Cape Town, South Africa
- Climate hazard data integration in North Carolina
In addition to working on their data-driven projects, students attended several workshops on climate-related topics throughout the summer.