A new multidisciplinary center for environmental and energy studies is expected to open Monday.
The Energy Hub—located in a renovated space on the first floor of the Gross Chemistry Laboratory—will consist of classrooms, meeting areas, a teaching lab and a general gathering area, said Lincoln Pratson, professor at the Nicholas School of the Environment and the director of the new center.
A new multidisciplinary center for environmental and energy studies is expected to open Monday.
The Energy Hub—located in a renovated space on the first floor of the Gross Chemistry Laboratory—will consist of classrooms, meeting areas, a teaching lab and a general gathering area, said Lincoln Pratson, professor at the Nicholas School of the Environment and the director of the new center. Plans for the $1.5 million project were finalized at the end of June, though the concept had been considered more than a year ago, he added.
“[It’s] essentially a crossroads for the University where courses, speakers, workshops and outreach activities all related to the area of energy and the environment can be held at this location and thereby encourage students and faculty from schools across the University to interact with one another,” Pratson said.
Money for the project came from Duke’s transition funding—the $165 million in extra endowment spending that the Board of Trustees approved in May 2009, Provost Peter Lange said. The administration knew that during the economic downturn it would be difficult to add new space to the campus, and therefore Duke pursued renovation to make better use of existing space, he added.
The first floor of the Gross Chemistry Laboratory was chosen as The Energy Hub’s location not only because the space was available, but also because it is located near professional schools and the science and engineering buildings on Science Drive, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs John Simon wrote in an e-mail. Simon, who assisted Pratson on the initiative, said his role has been to reduce administrative barriers between the University’s schools and encourage collaboration between them.
Schools that will hold classes in the space include the Nicholas School, the Pratt School of Engineering, Trinity College, the School of Law and the Sanford School of Public Policy. The first floor will be furnished with tables and chairs, providing students with a gathering area to relax between classes and meet with faculty and visitors, Pratson added.
“We need more spaces like that,” Lange said. “This didn’t come from the head of someone in the Allen Building, it came from the faculty who have been working for students.”
Many of the details of how the space will be used are still largely to be determined, though Pratson said he is working on a number of ways to display student work. Ideally, there will be someone on site during the day to provide information about upcoming projects, he added.
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