Duke Conversations expands to Duke Marine Lab

Duke Conversations organizes free, catered dinners between faculty and undergraduate students at professors’ homes throughout the academic year. Duke Conversations expanded its dinner program to the Duke University Marine Lab (DUML) this past spring to foster even more community at DUML and increase meaningful student and faculty interaction. The first three DUML dinners were held with Professors Cindy Van Dover, Douglas Nowacek, and Andy Read, and more are planned for the upcoming semester.

“We’re so grateful for the faculty in Beaufort; everyone was immediately on board and so giving with their time,” notes Dhruv Rungta, rising Trinity junior who initiated the DUML Duke Conversations partnership, “I felt so inspired after every dinner. We heard amazing stories, everything from professor’s adventures in the deep sea to getting invited to President Biden’s Christmas party to tracking whales in Antarctica.” The expansion would not have been possible without the support of undergraduate program coordinator Amanda Cole and marine lab director Andy Read.

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Duke Conversation dinners partner with faculty from across the University, and the conversation topics cover a variety of disciplines with titles like “Affirmative Action in College Admissions,” “Bird Evolution,” “Turning Duke Research into a Startup,” and “The Future of Libraries.” Duke Conversations has also hosted “Ask Me Anything” style dinners with Duke senior administrators like Dean of Undergraduate Admission Christoph Guttentag and President of Duke University Vincent Price.

“I want students to come out of these dinners with their intellectual curiosity sparked,” said Montana Lee, the 2023-2024 Duke Conversations President, “It’s easy to get into a rut, and I find changing locations helpful. The hope is students walk out of the conversation intellectually refreshed.”

Duke Conversations hosts about 12 dinners each semester. In addition to providing dinner and great conversation, the organization provides students with free transportation to and from the faculty’s house. Space for students is limited, and each event can support between 5 and 12 students.

“Our dinner applications are designed to be inclusive, not exclusive. The Conversations’ executive team uses the applications to ensure that each dinner has a diverse student group. We prioritize students who are particularly interested in the dinner’s topic, and we reserve spots for graduating seniors and first-year students so that everyone has the opportunity to attend a dinner,” said Hadi Chaudhri, the 2024-2025 Duke Conversations’ President, “Of course, we are always looking for student conversation facilitators. If you are looking for an engaging leadership opportunity, contact me about serving as a conversation facilitator.”

Reach out to Hadi Chaudhri and learn more about this year's Duke Conversations' program of events at https://undergrad.duke.edu/intellectual-community/student-faculty-engagement-office/duke-conversations/.