Onboarding Resources
Onboarding Resources

ePack #2

Topics Featured: Diagnostic Exams Review Sessions, Events Coming Up, Financial Aid Next Steps, Health Insurance, 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 and Onboarding Schedule sections on this 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 are 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 the fall semester. Most synchronous sessions will be recorded and uploaded to the onboarding schedule.

After Friday, June 20, 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). They must waive it to remove the charges from their account if they can show proof of adequate coverage in a health insurance plan.

F1/J1 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.

FINANCIAL AID: NEXT STEPS

Join Assistant Dean Cindy Peters on Monday, June 23, for a presentation on the next steps regarding financial aid. Students are encouraged to attend this session to ensure they have addressed all their financial aid matters in preparation for the upcoming fall semester. Cindy will cover various forms, important deadlines, and your responsibilities. There should be time for questions at the end. Please, no requests for re-evaluation of financial aid awards. The session will be recorded.

Later in the summer, Cindy Peters will hold office hours for non-confidential matters, such as questions regarding bills, payments, and general financial aid. The office hours will not be recorded.

DIAGNOSTIC EXAMS: REVIEW & TESTING

All students must take and pass the diagnostic exams in calculus and statistics, regardless of their concentration. The diagnostic exams will be conducted this summer through Canvas.

  • Asynchronous Review. The Practice Tests and Modules are available on the NSOE Diagnostic Exams site in Canvas. Duke NetID login is required. Additional review materials are available on the Onboarding site. We recommend that students review the key topics in calculus and statistics before taking the exams.
  • Live Review Sessions. We will hold live review sessions online in July. Each session will be recorded. Our PhD Teaching Assistant, Miao Hu, will lead the summer review sessions. Learn more about Ms. Hu below.
    • July 10: Calculus Review #1, 10:00 AM ET (join)
    • July 10: Statistics Review #1, 7:00 PM ET (join)
    • July 24: Calculus Review #2, 10:00 AM ET (join)
    • July 24: Statistics Review #2, 7:00 PM ET (join)
  • Testing Window. The testing period will start on Friday, July 18, at 12:00 AM (ET) and end on Friday, August 8, at 11:59 PM (ET). Students can take the exams at any time during this period. The exams will be online, primarily multiple-choice, and using calculators is not allowed. Each test will have a time limit of one hour and fifteen minutes. In August, a shorter testing window will be available for students completing their prerequisites at the end of the summer. Dates are posted on the onboarding schedule.
  • Eligible to Test. 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 2025. 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 2026.

MEET MIAO HU

Hello! My name is Miao Hu, and I’m a third-year PhD candidate in the Environment program at the Nicholas School. I’m originally from China, where I completed my undergraduate degree in Agricultural Ecology. Before starting my PhD, I spent two years at a research institute working on freshwater dolphin conservation and floodplain management—an experience that deepened my commitment to environmental research.

My current research centers on tree fecundity, and I’m genuinely fascinated by every aspect of it—from the seeds and fruits themselves to the complex patterns that govern their production. I use LiDAR technology to analyze time-series changes in forest gaps and explore how these dynamics influence tree reproductive cycles and masting events. There’s something captivating about understanding how trees decide when and how much to invest in reproduction. Statistics and machine learning are integral to my work, helping me uncover patterns in these reproductive strategies across different species and environments.

I share my life with my eleven-year-old dog, Qiuqiu (pronounced “chyo-chyo,” meaning “furry ball” in Chinese), who accompanied me from China to Duke. During the semester, we’re regular visitors to Duke Gardens and Duke Pond—he’s become quite fond of our campus walks. Outside of research, I enjoy hiking throughout the Triangle area and exploring North Carolina’s natural landscapes. Music is another passion of mine; I play classical guitar and several traditional Chinese instruments.

I look forward to meeting you all and welcome any questions about my research or experiences at Duke. Please feel free to reach out anytime. I hope you have a wonderful summer, and I’m excited to connect with you 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 for graduate/professional students are generally available for purchase in June. 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.

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COMING UP!

Additional sessions will be scheduled throughout the summer. Please refer to the ‘Upcoming Dates’ section and ‘Onboarding Schedule’ for updates.

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