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!
Topic: The Built Environment, Housing, & Land Use
Community Healthcare Access in Alexandria, VA
Juliette Fore interned with MedStreet, a nonprofit organization that provides free healthcare to the homeless. MedStreet has a unique service model where they bring the physician directly to those in need. Throughout her internship, Juliette focused on building partnerships with local community organization and established multiple free pop-up medical clinics …
Letcher County Culture Hub: Impact on Borrowing and Financing Power
Despite the tight-knit and trust-abundant nature of rural America, traditional financial institutions are largely unable to trust communities with funding, especially without traditional measures like credit score checks, which rural communities are disproportionately excluded from demonstrating. International efforts under the umbrella of microfinance have attempted to generate alternative solutions to …
Understanding the Complex Factors of Disaster Gentrification in Washington D.C
[Abstract not currently available.]
Improving Connections to Affordable and Adequate Housing for Individuals Leaving Incarceration & People with Substance Use Disorders in North Carolina
The North Carolina Housing Coalition received a grant from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services – Division of Public Health to address housing needs of N.C.’s most vulnerable populations, with a focus on formerly incarcerated individuals and individuals struggling with substance abuse. We conducted a landscape analysis …
Environmental Justice in the Urban Environment
Duke’s Environmental Justice Lab conducts projects in partnership with community non-profits to assess gentrification and housing trends in Durham, NC. Zoë’s research focused on parcel-level analysis of affordable housing interventions to highlight next steps for community partners to protect the city’s affordable housing stock.
Participatory Planning for Environmental Justice
Urban planning historically has contributed to harm for environmental justice communities, marginalizing voices rather than inviting meaningful partnership. This research project explored implementation of Sherry Arnstein’s “Ladder of Participation” (1969) to redistribute power to environmental justice communities. Focusing on participatory models which emphasize the assets that communities bring to the …