The Smart Home Program was selected as the Green Nonprofit Educational Program of the Year by the Triangle Business Journal. The award was presented to Duke's Smart Home Program Director Jim Gaston during a luncheon at the North Ridge Country Club in Raleigh Thursday.

"We're very honored," Gaston said. "The Smart Home is a tremendous project, and it fits in with the University's sustainable initiative as a whole."

Gaston, who is in his first year as Smart Home director, succeeded former director Tom Rose, Pratt '05 who also attended the award ceremony.

Senior Scott Steinberg, president of the Smart Home program, said the award came as no surprise to him considering the progress the project has made. Smart Home opened last Fall and was awarded a LEED platinum rating over the summer.

"We started a good program, and the public is aware of it," he said.

Located behind the Freeman Center for Jewish Life, the 6,000 square-foot Home Depot Smart Home currently houses 10 students, including two graduate students. More than 150 students from all parts of the University are involved in the projects done at the Smart Home, Gaston said. He added that as director his main focus will be to provide resources and guidance students need to complete their projects.

"After all, Smart Home is an extracurricular activity, and all the projects are done for fun," Gaston said. "So the biggest challenge for me is to provide the resources to implement [the students'] ideas and support them."

Looking ahead, Steinberg said Smart Home will hold its first conference on smart and sustainable living this coming Spring at Duke. The organization will also be working with peer institutions that have similar smart houses to form a national smart living association.