Retracing Our History
Five new videos, produced as part of Duke’s Centennial Celebration, explore the history of the Nicholas School of the Environment and its ongoing mission to forge a sustainable future for Earth and its inhabitants.
This is a Story of Hope
This is a story of heroes and visionaries, of challenges and solutions, and, ultimately, of hope for the future.
This is the Nicholas School story.
In the five videos below, you’ll learn about our school’s history and deep roots at Duke, our community of doers, dreamers and disrupters, and our ongoing mission to create global environmental leaders and help forge a sustainable future for our planet and its inhabitants.
You’ll also learn about some of the advances in knowledge and technology that have been pioneered here and are now being used to help protect environmental and human health, promote sustainable and fair use of Earth’s resources, and forge solutions to the climate crisis.
As for the future? As the videos make clear, we’re building on our history of innovation to expand our strengths, tackle new and emerging issues linked to our planet’s changing climate and environment, and extend the global reach and positive impact of our research and teaching
A daunting task? Sure. But if history is any guide, we think there’s reason for hope.
THE Nicholas School, Then and Now
Rising to the Challenge
Though the Nicholas School dates its founding to 1991, it represents a union of three academic units—the School of Forestry, the Duke Marine Lab, and the Department of Geology—that are almost as old as Duke University itself. In this video, Founding Dean Norm Christensen recounts how the three were brought together to form an interdisciplinary research powerhouse focused on the environment. Current Dean Lori Bennear reflects on the school’s evolution over the years, the expansion of its global reach and impact, and the vital role it now plays as the “beating heart” of the Duke Climate Commitment.
Nicholas School Prehistory
The People and Processes that Shaped Our Region
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “We are not the makers of history. We are made of history.” That’s abundantly true of the Nicholas School. In this video, we explore the central, but largely marginalized and whitewashed, role that Indigenous cultures, enslaved peoples and colonized peoples have played in the history and development of our region. We also explore the history of the land itself—how today’s landscape has been shaped by the forces of water, tectonic activity, and other Earth processes.
School of Forestry
Solutions for a Changing Landscape
From pioneering studies on forest management starting in the 1930s to seminal research on forest-carbon based climate solutions in recent decades, our forestry faculty have a history of zeroing in on the critical issues of the day and harnessing their talents to help solve them. This video traces how their teaching and research have evolved to address new challenges and capitalize on emerging opportunities over the years, starting in 1938 when the School of Forestry was founded, through 1991 when it merged with the Nicholas School, and right up to today.
Department of Geology
Grounded in Science and Exploration
Understanding Earth’s geology is essential for understanding and sustainably managing its environment. So, in 1997, Duke’s highly regarded Department of Geology, which dates back to 1936, became part of the Nicholas School. As this video shows, faculty expertise in fields such as climate science, physical oceanography, coastal geology, hydrology and geochemistry, and their passion for getting students into the field, have expanded the school’s scholarly focus and added new dimensions to its teaching.
Marine Lab
Where Innovation and Immersive Learning Meet the Sea
Located at the southern tip of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, the Marine Lab was founded in 1938 as a summer field station and became part of the Nicholas School in 1991. Today, as this video shows, it’s a year-round campus with cutting-edge labs and classrooms, an ongoing emphasis on immersive learning, and an interdisciplinary approach to research and teaching that incorporates social science, genetics and molecular biology, engineering, climate science, and advanced technologies into the study of marine science and conservation.
About “Nicholas Narratives”
Produced as part of Duke University’s Centennial Celebration, these videos document the history of the Nicholas School and the three academic units—the School of Forestry, the Duke Marine Lab, and the Department of Geology—that came together in the 1990s to create it. The videos also mark the launch of the Nicholas School’s newest online feature, “Nicholas Narratives,” which will highlight innovative academic programs, research breakthroughs, and student, faculty and alumni leaders, through videos and text.