Onboarding Resources
Onboarding Resources

ePack #2

Topics Featured: Diagnostic Exams Review Sessions, Events Coming Up, Health Insurance, Join Slack Group,
Listservs, Meet Miao Hu, Onboarding Schedule, and Parking & Transportation

Welcome to the second summer ePack!
We will continue using the ePacks to communicate with new students throughout the summer. Please be attentive to the Upcoming Dates section on the Onboarding Resources site. New dates, virtual sessions, and deadlines may be added throughout the summer.

Summer ePacks will be posted on the Onboarding Resources website after distribution.

We hope that you’re having a lovely summer!

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ONBOARDING SCHEDULE

We are excited to share the Summer Onboarding Schedule with you!

The Summer Onboarding Schedule includes a series of self-paced activities and synchronous sessions designed to prepare new students for the start of fall. Most synchronous sessions will be recorded and uploaded to the summer onboarding schedule.

After Friday, June 14, additions and changes to the summer onboarding schedule will be noted as New or Revised.

HEALTH INSURANCE

Duke University requires that all students have health insurance coverage.

Students are automatically enrolled annually in the Duke University Student Medical Insurance Plan (SMIP) and must waive to remove the charges from their account if they can show proof of active coverage in a health insurance plan.

J1/F1 students must enroll in the Duke Student Medical Insurance Plan and are not eligible to waive.

By now, all incoming students should have received an email about the Student Medical Insurance Plan. Please visit the dedicated insurance enrollment website to access further details, including plan options, enrollment forms, and additional resources. There, you will find comprehensive information to guide you through the enrollment process.

DIAGNOSTIC EXAMS: REVIEW & TESTING

All students must take and pass the diagnostic exams, regardless of their concentration. The diagnostic
exams will be conducted this summer through Canvas. The testing site will be shared at a later date.

  • Testing Window. Only students who have completed prerequisite courses in calculus and statistics may take the diagnostic exams this summer. If you are not prepared to take the diagnostic exams this summer, your next opportunity to test will be in late Fall 2024. If you do not take the tests this summer and are required to take a course(s) in the fall that requires calculus and statistics, you will need to delay enrolling in the course(s) until Fall 2025.
  • The testing period will start on Monday, July 15, at 12:00 AM (ET) and end on Friday, August 5, at 11:59 PM (ET). Students can take the exams at any time during this period. The exams will be online and primarily multiple-choice, and using calculators is not allowed. Each test will have a time limit of one hour and fifteen minutes.
  • We recommend that students review the key topics in calculus and statistics and attend the review sessions before taking the tests. In August, a shorter testing window will be available for students completing their prerequisites immediately before the start of Orientation.

MEET MIAO HU

Hello! My name is Miao Hu and I’m a second-year PhD student in the Environment program at Nicholas School. I’m originally from China, where I completed my undergraduate degree in Agricultural Ecology and my master’s in environmental policy. Before starting my PhD, I worked for two years at a research institute focused on freshwater dolphins and floodplain connectivity conservation.

My current research has taken an exciting turn towards the forest! I use LiDAR to analyze time-series changes in forest gaps and explore the fascinating relationship between tree growth and tree masting. I’m deeply passionate about statistics and machine learning, and I incorporate these skills into my daily research activities.

I live with my wonderful dog, Qiuqiu (which means “furry ball” in Chinese). He’s ten years old, and I brought him all the way from China. During the semester, you’ll likely see us around campus—he absolutely loves Duke Gardens and Duke Pond. In my free time, I enjoy hiking and exploring new places around the Triangle and North Carolina. I also have a love for playing instruments, including classical guitar and some traditional Chinese instruments.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions or just want to say hi! I’m excited to meet you all and I hope you have a wonderful time until we see each other in the fall.

LISTSERVS & DUKE ALIAS EMAIL

Your Duke email will be added to the relevant Concentration listservs in the next two weeks. Please note that these email lists are meant for academic purposes only. We will use your Duke Alias email to subscribe you to the listservs. Typically, the Duke Alias email is your firstname.lastname@duke.edu.

The Concentration listserv addresses for first-year students are as follows, and they end with the following – @nicholas.duke.edu, for example firstcams@nicholas.duke.edu:

  • Environment Concentrations: firstcams (Coastal and Marine Systems), firstee (Energy and Environment), firsteeh (Ecotoxicology and Environmental Health), and firsttfe (Terrestrial and Freshwater Environments)
  • Management Concentrations: firstbe (Business and Environment), firstceej (Community Engagement and Environmental Justice), firsteam (Environmental Analytics and Modeling), and firsteep (Environmental Economics and Policy)
  • Forestry: firstmf (Master of Forestry)
  • First Years: proffirst (All new students)

Have you changed or plan to change your Duke alias email address?

Please notify our office if you have changed or plan to change your Duke alias email address. If you do not notify our office, you will not receive messages sent to the listservs. 

It is okay to change your alias email address, we just need to know if you do.

PARKING & TRANSPORTATION

You must display a valid parking permit, if you wish to park a vehicle on Duke’s campus. Parking permits are generally available for purchase in June. Be sure to visit the Parking and Transportation website for more details. 

If you purchase a parking permit, it will be mailed to your local address over the summer. During Orientation, students are required to park in their designated parking lot.

Want to reduce your carbon footprint? Consider carpooling with your roommate or using one of the various alternative transportation options available at Duke and in Durham.

STAY CONNECTED

All incoming students will have the opportunity to join the new Slack Group, Nicholas School MEM/MF 2024-2025, with the current students. Once you join, feel free to use the #introductions channel to send in a quick introduction, current students will be asked to do the same.

Join Now!

This Slack Group will be managed by the Nicholas School’s Student Council (NSSC) and other student leaders. If you run into any issues joining the Slack Group, send an email to student leaders: Aishwarya Patankar and Anisah Zarif.

COMING UP!

Should you have trouble accessing any of the information on the Onboarding Resources site, please contact me directly.

Welcome to the Nicholas School and Duke University communities!

Erika Lovelace-Young | MSc | Registrar and Director of Professional Programs and Administration
Office of Student Services
Nicholas School of the Environment
e.love@duke.edu