Interdisciplinary Leadership Update
New Positions for Laura Howes and Meghan O’Neil
Laura Howes, formerly director of Duke’s Bass Connections program, is taking on a new role as assistant vice provost for interdisciplinary programs and strategic initiatives.
She will focus on interdisciplinary research and education programs including the Multiyear Interdisciplinary Hubs and Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Collaboratives, play an advisory role on Bass Connections, and support strategic initiatives within the Office of the Provost including implementation of the 2030 Teaching Excellence & Innovation Initiative and oversight of the academic project management core.
Howes joined Duke as the director of the Rubenstein Fellows Academy. She has directed Bass Connections since 2017 and has been engaged in the program since 2014.
Bass Connections engages students in the exploration of big, unanswered questions about major societal challenges. Through interdisciplinary research teams rooted in six themes, intensive summer programs, semester-long courses and student research grants, graduate and undergraduate students collaborate with faculty on cutting-edge research that spans subjects and borders.
The program builds on Duke’s culture of collaboration and fosters knowledge in service to society. This year, there are 78 year-long project teams with more than 650 undergraduate students, 200 graduate students, 250 faculty leaders and 100 external partners.
Meghan O’Neil, formerly associate director of Bass Connections, is now the program’s interim director. She has been providing broad administrative, communications and strategic support since graduating from Duke with her Ph.D. in English in 2018.
O’Neil will continue to work collaboratively across the university to manage program design, implementation and financing. She has been deeply involved with Bass Connections since its inception in 2013 and has experience as a program administrator, instructor, researcher and project manager.
Main image: Bass Connections representatives accept a 2023-24 Duke Presidential Award from President Vincent Price. Howes holds the framed award; O’Neil is fourth from the left.
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