Nature & Nurture | Giving News

Students Gain Added Skills, Edge in the Working World p.2

If it’s Friday, it’s Skills Day
Modules are held primarily on Friday afternoons, and can be as short as an hour or two, or can span several sessions. By their very nature, most modules are not intended to be in-depth courses on each topic: rather, they’re quick snapshots that cut to the chase on how to set up a sampling plot or put together a PowerPoint presentation.

  Attendance is voluntary, and although credit is not the motivating force for participating, the Nicholas School’s professional master’s students do earn modest credit if they complete 40 hours of study. More than three-quarters of Duke’s MEM/MF students attend at least one module, and when space is available, doctoral and undergraduate students from the Nicholas School and graduate students from other schools at Duke often participate.

What type of modules are offered?
The diverse calendar of modules falls into two main categories: Professional Skills: oral and written communication skills, including proposal writing and public speaking, environmental advocacy, and working with the media; project management; environmental negotiation; environmental safety; advanced computer skills; statistical and database analysis; web-based tracking of environmental legislation; ISO 14000 and other environmental standards.

  Field and Laboratory Skills: principles of sampling design; field sampling of trees and streams; interviewing techniques; herbaceous plants; aquatic benthos sampling; winter tree identification; and other field and laboratory experiences that are not necessarily covered in depth in regular coursework.

   In addition, the program offers regular professional development opportunities for students on topics such as Women in Conservation and Sustainable Development and Corporate Responsibility.

Alumni, guests share expertise
Occasionally, Duke faculty teach a skills module. More often, however, Maguire and Kirchof rely on alumni and students with particular areas of expertise, as well as local environmental professionals from consulting firms, government agencies, industry, and nonprofits. For instance, a module on environmental photography was team-taught by the director of Duke Photography and several students who are experienced photographers. An instructor from a local nonprofit taught another module on OSHA requirements related to environmental health and safety.

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