Expanding the Duke Experience for Master鈥檚 Students

Workshop gave master鈥檚 students an unusual opportunity to make connections and do interdisciplinary problem solving

Master's students at workshop collaborate on ideas for encouraging more sustainable efforts.
Master's students at workshop collaborate on ideas for encouraging more sustainable efforts.

It鈥檚 not unusual for Duke students from different disciplines to work together to solve problems. Interdisciplinary collaboration is a core element of a significant number of learning and research programs here.

But it was different at a recent workshop, when a nursing and business student started comparing their different perspectives on a problem. They were master鈥檚 students, part of the fastest growing student population on campus.

As Duke has added new master鈥檚 programs over the past decade, faculty, administrators and master鈥檚 students themselves have raised concerns about whether the university is providing them with the community-building and educational opportunities that other students have.

Those concerns spurred Pratt School Professor Adrienne Stiff-Roberts to organize the 鈥淢asters Impact Challenge,鈥 a weekend workshop held at the Hilton Durham, where 40 master鈥檚 students from across the university came together to solve a single challenge: How to change some aspect of student behavior to benefit the climate and promote sustainability at Duke.

The 40 master鈥檚 students used the workshop to connect to other students and work together on a challenge important to the university.
The 40 master鈥檚 students used the workshop to connect to other students and work together on a challenge important to the university.

For three days the students, who didn鈥檛 know the assigned problem in advance, had a chance to brainstorm on an important issue, work with students from different disciplinary backgrounds and propose solutions.  They also started creating a network of contacts at other schools.

As director for graduate studies in the University Program in Materials Sciences and Engineering, Stiff-Roberts works closely with master鈥檚 students.

鈥淥ur assumption is these students are very busy and are here for a very short period of time,鈥 said Stiff-Roberts, Jeffrey N. Vinik Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 have a lot of opportunities to engage in extra- or co-curricular activities that other students can. And that is an important part of the student experience.鈥

Students were divided into nine teams to develop and present a project.  All were creative, Stiff-Roberts said; three were selected as winning presentations.

They were:

  • The Green Devils: Christina Hilllman, Leah Li, Vaishnavi Nambiar and Norbert Foy won the Masters Impact Challenge Award for 鈥淒uke Carbon Food-Print,鈥 a way to measure Duke students鈥 food consumption-related emissions and to encourage responsible behaviors in making food choices.
  • The Green Barbies: Joan Kimani, Maria Silva, Wynona Curaming and Aulia Sarah received the Most Innovative Solution Award for a three-part plan that creates an interconnected fashion ecosystem for Duke students to mitigate negative impacts in their clothing choices. The plan includes a sustainable Duke clothing line, a quarterly Devil鈥檚 Thrifthouse where students can both donate and purchase used clothing, and fashion upcycling workshops.
  • Our Team Name Was Stolen: Rahul Banthia, Everett Craddock, Catherine Wang and Gunel Aghakishiyeva won The People鈥檚 Choice Award for a plan to power the Wilson Recreation Center by installing new power-generating gym equipment and using the energy created by users. The team also proposes other solutions, including installing outdoor workout machines to generate power near the Al Buehler Trail.

Growth in Master鈥檚 Enrollment


In 2014, the Duke Graduate School admitted 875 students to master鈥檚 degree programs. A decade later, in 2024, it enrolled 1,824 new master鈥檚 students.

While the Graduate School and other schools have developed programs to try to meet their needs, these students face a number of challenges that are specific to master鈥檚 degree programs.

The proposals were judged by a team of Duke faculty, students and staff from Duke鈥檚 Sustainability Office.

A planning team of faculty, administrators and master鈥檚 students prepared the program challenge and related activities, which included speakers from Duke and the wider community.

One of the student organizers said he saw a lot of student engagement during the weekend.

鈥淔irst and most important was that students wanted to break out of their shells and meet people outside their daily routine,鈥 said Nashil Madhani, a Pratt School master鈥檚 student who served as a project associate. 鈥淭hat was the foremost reason why we got a great turnaround for the event.

鈥淪econdly, since it was a master's or higher masters-level retreat, folks found it to be a great platform for networking. They loved knowing about each other's backgrounds and past experiences.鈥

Madhani also noted the moment where the business and nursing students exchanged thoughts on their different approaches. 鈥淚t was amazing how folks tried to grasp different techniques of brainstorming from each other,鈥 he said.

Stiff-Roberts said she enjoyed seeing how the networking popped up spontaneously.

鈥淭here were moments that just turned into impromptu sessions of getting to know each other,鈥 she said. 鈥淥nce I looked over and some were taking a break to play with thumbball toys  and share questions.鈥

The workshop arose out of Stiff-Roberts鈥 Presidential Fellowship during the 2022-23 academic year. As part of the fellowship, she regularly met with President Vincent Price and sat in with deans and other leaders in units across the university. She was charged with developing a project that advanced Duke鈥檚 priorities but was also of personal interest to her.

鈥淥ur assumption is (master鈥檚) students are very busy and are here for a very short period of time. They don鈥檛 have a lot of opportunities to engage in extra- or co-curricular activities that other students can. And that is an important part of the student experience.鈥

Adrienne Stiff-Roberts

鈥淚鈥檝e had a lot of exposure to master鈥檚 students through my role as director of graduate studies for materials science, and I鈥檝e learned a lot about their interest in becoming involved more with the campus,鈥 she said. 鈥淥ne thing I鈥檝e heard is it鈥檚 hard for master鈥檚 students to get involved in events such as the Duke Climate Commitment. So, we had this strategic nexus of wanting to get the students more involved in the campus, building interdisciplinary opportunities for them, and allowing them to do something that is transformative on a university priority.鈥

Adrienne Stiff-Roberts (second from left), with members of the Green Devils, winners of the weekend鈥檚 Masters Impact Challenge Award.
Adrienne Stiff-Roberts (second from left), with members of the Green Devils, winners of the weekend鈥檚 Masters Impact Challenge Award.
Vivek Rao, executive-in-residence at the Pratt School and an expert in engineering design, was one of the keynote speakers at the workshop.
Vivek Rao, executive-in-residence at the Pratt School and an expert in engineering design, was one of the keynote speakers at the workshop.