Student Projects
The Hart Leadership Program has a long history of exemplary student work, and we are proud to showcase here a selection of student research projects, internships, and honors theses dating back to 2011. Below, you can explore nearly 400 student projects, filtering by project type, Hart program affiliated with the project, thematic topics, project locations, and project years. The database does not provide the full text of students' projects, but it does provide abstracts of student work wherever available, as well as more information including students' class year and, when applicable, the name of the community partner organization a student worked with to conduct their internship or research. We will continue to expand the database as our students continue conducting phenomenal projects. In the meantime, use the search function below to explore our incredible students' work, and get inspired!
Training Law Enforcers to Address Cases of Domestic Violence
Law enforcement officers from the Salt Lake City Police Department in Utah are not being provided with the resources necessary to effectively respond to domestic violence cases. The state of Utah currently retains the highest rate of domestic violence related homicides in the nation. Furthermore, Salt Lake City crime statistics …
Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Integration of Chinese Rural-to-Urban Migrants into Urban Society
Problem Statement Migrant children’s educational situation in Beijing perpetuates their alienation, resulting in psychological problems. In 2011, there were over 400,000 migrant children studying in Beijing. These children face barriers to enrollment in local public schools. Thus, many attend privately owned migrant schools. These schools bar their educational advancement and …
Do Humanities Still Have a Place in Education? Evaluating the Role fo the Humanities in Modern Society
Two years ago, seven undergraduate students created Duke Dance Council in response to a drastic reduction in rehearsal space. In an effort to increase group fitness classes, the Recreation and Physical Education program reclaimed all the rehearsal space previously provided to dance groups. The students approached Vice President of Student …
India’s Invisible Laborers: Connecting the Aajeevika Bureau, Internal Labor Migrants, and the Government to Combat Exploitation, Low Standard of Living and Child Labor in India’s Construction Sector
Problem Statement Although the Aajeevika Bureau has enjoyed much success in providing services and legal support to adult migrant laborers in Gujarat, young migrant laborers have fallen through the cracks in these efforts. The number of child migrant laborers is difficult to estimate because of the temporary nature and the …
What Can Be Done to Reduce the Latino Dropout Rate?: Racial-Ethnic Schemas in Latino Educational Disparities
Problem Statement One of every two students enrolled in the Spring Branch Independent School District identifies as Latino. Of all the district’s high schools, Northbrook has the highest Latino concentration (89.6%), the highest economically disadvantaged index (85.6%), and the district’s highest dropout rate (15.3%). Consistently, this rate is twice as …
Addressing the Prevalence of Urban Poverty in Bangalore, India
Problem Statement Increased rural migration to the city of Bangalore has resulted in its largest population of slum dwellers ever. A slum that is officially recognized by the KSDB receives basic infrastructure and services from the KSDB. These services allow the slum to move out of poverty. However, the KSDB’s …