Duke, ORNL plan graduate student education program

Duke University’s Robert Calderbank, left, and Haiyun Gao discuss a graduate education agreement with Ian Anderson of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (Photo courtesy of Duke University)

Duke University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have signed an agreement to develop a graduate student education program.

The agreement was signed at Duke on Monday by Robert Calderbank, dean of natural sciences at Duke’s Trinity College of Arts and Sciences; Haiyun Gao, chair of Duke’s department of physics; and Ian Anderson, director of ORNL’s Graduate and University Partnerships.

“The program combines the resources of a leading research university and the research capabilities of a major national laboratory to provide expanded opportunities for graduate students in energy-related science and engineering,” Anderson said.

Duke graduate students will join interdisciplinary research teams at ORNL that will expose them to large-scale, problem-oriented research and development; foster their ability to work across disciplinary boundaries; encourage them to approach research problems from new directions; and strengthen their ability to work in teams, according to information provided by the lab.

“Students will be encouraged to develop their research in the context of potential solutions to important national problems, and will be given the tools and support to follow an entrepreneurial path consistent with their interests,” Anderson said.

The information from the lab said the agreement ensures that ORNL research programs will have access to the best graduate students in the disciplines where Duke excels to support ongoing research programs. It is expected that these high-caliber graduate students will contribute significantly to the creativity required to develop new solutions to major challenges.