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A Summer of Discovery Through Collaboration

This summer, 260 undergraduate and graduate students joined research teams through Duke’s +Programs, exploring questions ranging from AI ethics to climate change, documentary storytelling and public history. Along the way, they discovered new interests, built confidence and learned what collaborative research is really like.

Pie chart showing the numbers of students who participated in each of the nine Plus Programs. — 260 undergraduate and graduate students took part in 9 +Programs during Summer 2026.

“It’s very different from what they do in their classrooms,” said Robert Calderbank, Charles S. Sydnor Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, who worked with a team to launch Duke’s +Programs over a decade ago. “Like real life, it’s a lot messier.”

“We started out with nothing!” said Jack Yi, whose team of fellow undergraduates built an AI model advisory tool for the Duke community after exploring safety and quality considerations in current models. The open-ended nature of the project turned out to be a rewarding part of the experience. “It was very eye-opening to see the whole process from start to finish,” said Raphael Karamagi. Nithi Vechalapu noted that the team discovered how AI models can be trained to act maliciously, and Grace Zhan thought the best part was “brainstorming with the team and coming up with solutions.”

Students worked in a communal environment, gathering frequently with other teams for workshops, guest lectures, meals, problem-solving and social outings. Their reflections offer a glimpse into what made the experience memorable.

2026 +Programs at a Glance

Applied Ethics+

Led by Duke Science & Society

Undergraduate and master’s students work with host organizations in Durham and Washington, DC, to tackle challenges in policy, technology, research and ethics, and gain valuable leadership skills.

Three Applied Ethics+ students present their poster. — “I’m a philosophy major, so I wanted to learn how to apply my philosophy knowledge to something practical … We developed a framework for [project sponsor Vega Health] to adopt an ethical implementation toolkit for AI. We prepared a 50-page paper and gave an hour-long presentation to the company.” –Jasmine Yao (left, with Marquitta Moore and Ava Francis), **A Framework on the Ethical Implementation of Predictive AI**

Arts+

Led by Duke Arts

Undergraduates focus on arts administration and the creative processes behind artistic products and produce outcomes such as season launches and series curation.

A student gets his motion-capture suit adjusted at the Michael W. Krzyzewski Human Performance Laboratory (K-Lab). — “It’s really cool to see where the arts at Duke are going, that the programs here are thriving and the new generation of arts students is rising up to meet the challenge.” –Aidan Klein (left, with Timothy Lyndsay at the K-Lab), **Game Narrative and Acting, Story and Cinematics for Duke Game Studios**

Check out these videos and stories:

Climate+

Led by the Rhodes Information Initiative at Duke in partnership with the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability

Undergraduate and master’s students enhance their understanding of climate change and identify sustainable solutions using data science tools.

A student presents her Climate+/Data+ project poster. — “I think [the +Programs] are amazing! We got a lot of benefits, like alumni and guest lecturers, which were so informative for students, and throughout the summer I found people to help me.” –Vinodhini Rajasekhar, **The Role of Mine Waste in Supplying Critical Minerals Needed for the Clean Energy Transition**

See the related Bass Connections project and learn more about this summer’s Climate+ projects.

Code+

Led by the Office of Information Technology

Undergraduates develop software products or solutions guided by IT professionals.

Four Code+ students present their poster and tool. — “Before, I used to be intimidated by coding. This project made me feel more confident, and I loved working in a team.” –Jack Yi (second from right, with Grace Zhan, Nithi Vechalapu and Raphael Karamagi), **Security and Quality Assurance Tools for Duke’s AI Models**

Learn more about this summer’s Code+ projects.

CS+

Led by the Department of Computer Science

Undergraduates focus on projects in computer science research and applications.

Zakk Heile in front of his CS+ poster. — “This project is a continuation of past work. I love what we do! [Faculty mentor] Cynthia Rudin’s research has such important real-world consequences. [In CS+] we all had weekly lab meetings, and we also had a journal club; it was really fun to see what each person brought … I want to do a Ph.D. in interpretable machine learning.” –Zakk Heile, **Beyond Binarization: Finding All Good Trees**

Read about other CS+ projects.

Data+

Led by the Rhodes Information Initiative at Duke

Undergraduates and master’s students learn how to analyze, visualize and interpret data to solve real-world challenges, while gaining broad exposure to the field of data science.

Three Data+ students present their mental health and the justice system poster. — “I chose this project because I took a class called History of the Prison, and [faculty mentor] Nicole Schramm-Sapyta came to my Neuroscience 102 class as a guest speaker; I became interested in the policy aspect of mental health care. … We really were collaborative. Even though we focused on different aspects of the project, we all came together in the process of building a cohesive story.” –Katie Maddock (left, with Christine Wu and Vineesh Adala), **Mental Health and the Justice System in Durham County**

See the related Bass Connections project and read other Data+ stories:

Doc+

Led by the Duke Center for Documentary Studies

Undergraduate students explore diverse documentary mediums like photography, film, audio and oral history while working under the mentorship of a creative project partner.

A student works a video camera while another person offers guidance. — “Doc+ has inspired me to be unafraid to try new things. I’ve not only learned how to operate a camera, I’ve also learned how much being a part of hearing and telling people’s unique stories matters to me as a person and to the impact I want my career to make. I’m now hoping to pursue a Certificate in Documentary Studies, and I’m traveling with Professor Tom Rankin to work on another documentary project in Thailand.” –Daphne Zhu (left), **Artificial Horizon** (Photo: DaManuel Richardson)

Read more about her Doc+ project in 5 Days in Alabama: A Documentary Shoot Taught Doc+ Students to Look Closer.

History+

Led by the Department of History

Undergraduates engage in a variety of historical research projects with community partners and produce outputs such as museum exhibits or oral histories.