Lori Bennear, Stanback Dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment, and Jerry Lynch, Vinik Dean of the Pratt School of Engineering, kicked off an event in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Feb. 26, to celebrate Duke’s distinctive cross-disciplinary collaboration on critical minerals.
During the event, co-sponsored by the environment and engineering schools at Duke, alumni, parents and guests explored the work of the Critical Minerals Hub, led by Avner Vengosh, Nicholas Chair of Environmental Quality and Chair of the Earth & Climate Sciences Division, and Leanne Gilbertson, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
“At Duke, we don’t believe you have to choose between innovation and integrity. We don’t believe you have to choose between economic growth and environmental responsibility,” Bennear said. “We believe we are made to do both. That’s what this Hub represents.”
The Hub is building the science, policy, and technology foundation for a secure and sustainable clean-energy future by bringing together experts across engineering, earth sciences, and environmental policy.
Central to this work is the development of a Critical Minerals Index—a real-time decision platform designed to guide industry leaders and policymakers across the full life cycle of critical minerals, from extraction to reuse.
The program also highlighted marine conservation research at the Duke University Marine Lab. Lee Ferguson, Chair of Ecotoxicology and Environmental Health, and Martin Brooke, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, demonstrated how engineering and environmental science intersect in real-world settings.
By combining sensing technologies with field-based environmental research, their work helps measure pollution, track changes in water quality, and better understand how human activity affects marine ecosystems, turning complex science into actionable insight.
Meg Lawrence MEM/MA’03, Nicholas School Board member, closed the event by thanking attendees for their interest and investment in Duke. She also stressed that this kind of research, which is both collaborative and grounded in responsibility to humanity, is what makes a Duke education stand out.
“One of the things that struck me most this evening is the power of partnership,” she said. “The interdisciplinary work across the university reflects a culture of listening across fields, learning from one another, and pushing ideas further together than any one discipline could alone.”
