This course is designed for motivated, early-to mid-career professionals who are interested in building their knowledge in climate and sustainability. Through interaction with trusted faculty, researchers, and leaders in climate science and policy solutions, participants will develop a robust professional toolkit and build a deeper understanding of climate and sustainability issues across industries and issue areas. The program will also offer participants a valuable cohort experience through peer-to-peer learning and a long-term professional network with opportunities to collaborate and convene post-program completion.
Why Choose This Summer Institute?
Note: Participants will be asked to complete on-line activities, such as pre-readings, and other assignments during the duration of the course to supplement the on-site learning experience.
To understand and implement climate solutions, students must first understand the scope of the problem. This session will provide students with a synthesis of climate science from the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), with an emphasis on climate tipping points as critical warming thresholds to be avoided. Learners will then place the US’s commitments to the Paris Agreement in the context of these tipping points.
TOPICS TO INCLUDE:
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By the end of this session, the learner will be able to:
This session will explore some of the ways that climate change impacts people, communities, and society, with emphasis on climate justice and the disproportionate climate impacts borne by marginalized groups. After discussion of these topics, learners will be oriented on the various jurisdictional-level programs and policies to assist communities affected by climate, and the existing and anticipated future needs for these programs. Finally, learners will look closer at the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as a tool to build resilience into US facilities and systems.
TOPICS TO INCLUDE:
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By the end of this session, the learner will be able to:
This session transitions the short course from focusing on impacts of climate change to centering climate solutions. After an overview of climate finance, green tech investment, and energy demands and markets, learners will engage in a deep dive of the Inflation Reduction Act to learn about the role of credits, incentives, and regulations in promoting the green transition.
TOPICS TO INCLUDE:
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By the end of this session, the learner will be able to:
As the final meeting in this short course, this session will focus on sustainable solutions in two sectors: the high-tech sector and the agricultural sector. The meeting will be split into two one-hour “mini-sessions,” each led by a different instructor. During the first hour, learners will explore how the CHIPS and Science Act will support tech sector innovations, including bringing energy, decarbonization, and carbon sequestration technologies from prototype to market. During the second hour, learners will investigate how the Farm Bill, up for renewal in 2023, incorporates and incentivizes sustainable agricultural practices and the implications of its renewal on food security in a warming climate.
TOPICS TO INCLUDE:
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By the end of this session, the learner will be able to:
At the conclusion of the final session, all learners will be invited upstairs to a reception on the Duke in DC rooftop terrace, at which Duke faculty will present learners with their certificates of completion.
All registrants must meet the following requirements:
Individuals interested in attending the Climate and Sustainability Summer Institute must submit an application, during the application period in order to be considered for admission. Applications can only be submitted via the online application that is available on this website. Applications will be reviewed on an rolling basis and those accepted will be notified as to “next steps” to register.
Applicants are encouraged to apply early!
Prior to Applying:
Admission to the program is discretionary and space is limited. Participants must be at least 18 years of age and meet minimum suitability standards for admission. Admitted participants are not matriculated Duke University students, therefore university student privileges do not apply.
Saturday April 1, 2023 Application period opens
Monday, June 5, 2023 Application period closes
Monday, April 10, 2023 Registration opens: Admitted applicants can register and pay tuition.
Friday, June 9, 2023 Registration closes: Last day admitted applicants can register/pay tuition
Tuesday, July 11, 2023 Course start date
The Registration Period for approved applicants opens on April 10, 2023 and closes on June 9, 2023. Admitted participants wishing to register must simultaneously enroll in the course and pay tuition in full, by the close of the Registration Period.
Duke Continuing Studies reserves the exclusive right, at its sole and absolute discretion, to withhold registration or require withdrawal from the program of an applicant or enrolled participant. Admitted participants are registered on a first-come, first-served basis.
Tuesday July 11, 2023 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Thursday July 13, 2023 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Tuesday July 18, 2023 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Thursday, July 20, 2023 6:00-9:00 p.m.
At the conclusion of the final session, all learners will be invited upstairs to a reception on the Duke in DC rooftop terrace, at which Duke faculty will present learners with their certificates of completion.
Brian McAdoo
Brian G. McAdoo is Associate Professor of Earth and Climate Science at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment where he studies the effects of disasters triggered by natural hazards.
How are humans impacting the physical systems that keep us alive, and how are marginalized populations specifically affected? Current research projects in Nepal (earthquakes, landslides and road development) as well as Borneo and Brazil (deforestation, ecosystem services and community health) seek to apply a Planetary Health framework to understand how coupled human-environment systems and geohazards interact with the ultimate goal of informing community resilience and reducing environmental suffering.
Elizabeth Losos
Elizabeth Losos is an executive in residence at the Nicholas Institute and adjunct professor at the Nicholas School of the Environment. She explores how to plan for and optimize the environmental impact of infrastructure expansion in Asia, Africa, and Europe that is stimulated by China’s new silk road initiative.
Losos formerly was president and CEO of the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS), a global consortium of universities and research institutes with the mission of promoting education, research, and the responsible use of natural resources in the tropics. Losos directed the organization’s four research stations in Costa Rica and South Africa as well as undergraduate, graduate, and professional field-based educational programs in tropical biology, conservation, global health, and environmental policy. Prior to her tenure with OTS, Losos was the director of the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for Tropical Forest Science, a global network of large-scale forest demography plots.
Losos holds a Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology from Princeton University, a master’s degree in public administration and international affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton, and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University
Brian Murray
Dr. Brian C. Murray is Interim Director of the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Research Professor at the Nicholas School of the Environment (primary) and Sanford School of Public Policy (secondary), and Faculty Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society.
In 2015 he was Fulbright Visiting Research Chair in Environment and Economy at University of Ottawa’s Institute of the Environment. He is widely recognized for his work on the economics of energy and climate change policy, including the design of market-based mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gases and deploy low-carbon energy. Members of the United States Congress, state legislators and regulators have sought the counsel of Dr. Murray and colleagues in developing energy and climate legislative proposals and regulatory options. Their development of the cost containment reserve mechanism is now in use in several greenhouse cap-and-trade programs in North America. Dr. Murray has been invited as a co-author of several national and international assessments of natural resources, especially related to energy and climate change. Of particular note, he serves on a National Academy of Sciences panel on greenhouse gases and the tax code, where he led the panel’s efforts on biofuel subsidies. He was a convening lead author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Special Report on Land Use, Land Use Change, and Forestry. He has convened several forums of economic modeling experts to examine and communicate the results of their climate, energy and land use policy efforts to the public and private sectors.
His research has examined the economic effects of traditional command-based regulatory strategies for pollution control and more market-oriented approaches such as cap-and-trade programs and emission taxes. He has been a consultant to a wide range of clientele in the public and private sector, including numerous federal government agencies, members of Congress and their staff, state regulatory agencies, CEOs and senior staff from Fortune 500 companies, trade groups, nongovernmental organizations, and other academic institutions.
His work has been published in books, edited volumes, and professional journals, including Science, Nature Climate Change, The American Economic Review, The Review of Economics and Statistics, American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Land Economics, Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, Environmental and Resource Economics, Ecological Economics, PLOS One, Ecological Applications, Climatic Change, Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Energy Journal, Energy Policy, and Forest Science. He is also a regular contributor to Forbes. Prior to coming to the Nicholas Institute in 2006, Dr. Murray was Director of the Center for Regulatory Economics and Policy Research at RTI International, a university-affiliated not-for-profit research institution.
First Hour:
Nico Hotz
Nico is the Associate Professor of the Practice in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Nico specializes in interfacial transport phenomena and thermodynamics in energy technology. His research focuses on heat, mass, and charge transfer on nano-scale surfaces for solar thermal applications, catalytic fuel reforming, hydrogen generation, fuel cells, and electrolysis.
An essential topic of Nico’s research interests is the energetic and exergetic analysis of complex energy conversion and storage systems, especially including renewable and sustainable energy solutions.
Nico holds a Ph.D. from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Switzerland), 2008.
Second Hour:
Norbert Wilson
Norbert Wilson is the Director of the World Food Policy Center. He is a Professor of Food, Economics, and Community at Duke Divinity School, with a joint appointment in the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke.
Professor Wilson’s research touches on several food issues, such as access, choice, food waste and domestic food systems. Before joining Duke Divinity School, Wilson was a professor of food policy at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy (2017-2020). He was also a professor of agricultural economics at Auburn University (1999-2016). While at Auburn, Wilson served as a deacon at St. Dunstan’s, the Episcopal Student Center of Auburn University (2011-2016). He was an economist/policy analyst in the Trade Directorate (2004-2006) and the Agriculture Directorate (2001-2002) of the Organization of Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD) in Paris, France.
Due in full at time of registration.
Available Discounts:
Please choose one of four discounts to apply to your course registration on checkout. Be sure to check the box for "Apply a Discount," and select one discount to receive $150 off the price. Discounts are offered to the following individuals:
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Include your name, address, phone number, and course to be dropped. You may inform us by:
Email (preferred): learnmore@duke.edu
Mail: Registration – Climate and Sustainability Summer Institute
Duke Continuing Studies
Box 90700 Durham, NC 27708-0700
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