Student Life

Student Groups

As a Pratt undergraduate, it is important to realize that there are many research opportunities available to you, some of which are not listed here. If you want to learn more about how to create your own research opportunity, take a look at our page about Undergraduate Research Opportunities.

Another kind of hands-on learning experience available to Pratt undergrads is an industry internship. We have a page about how to find different types of internships in our Industry section.

Click on a link to go to the organization's website, or just hover over the link to read more about it.

Student Government

• Engineering Student Government Show/Hide Description

Student government at Duke is a longstanding and important tradition. Pratt's Engineering Student Government provides support to engineering students, takes part in community building, fundraising for the school, and forms a cohesive voice for engineering students in communicating with Pratt and Duke administration.

Engineering to Help Others

• Devices for People with Disabilities Show/Hide Description

BME 260, an elective design course, is offered to undergraduate and graduate Engineering students at Duke. Students are paired with health care professionals to build custom assistive, recreational, or therapeutic devices for people with disabilities.

• Engineering K-PhD Program Show/Hide Description

The mission of the Engineering K-PhD program is to increase significantly the number of children, particularly female and under-represented groups, who choose to pursue science related careers. K-PhD provides opportunities for children to learn to think critically and analytically while developing a passion for understanding the world and an appreciation for improving the quality of all living things.

• Engineering World Health Show/Hide Description

One-month technical training program in the operation and repair of medical equipment, followed by placement in developing world hospitals. For one month students repair medical equipment, calibrate instruments, take equipment inventory, do hospital hardware mapping, deal with equipment emergencies. Students apply both their language and technical skills. Open to Engineering, Chemistry and Physics majors. Faculty Adviser: Robert Malkin

• Engineers Without Borders Show/Hide Description

Pratt has established a student chapter of Engineers Without Borders, part of an international nonprofit organization that pairs disadvantaged communities with engineering students and professionals to improve quality of life through environmentally and economically sustainable engineering projects. Adviser: Daniel Vallero

• Innoworks Show/Hide Description

Innoworks is a program for introducing underserved kids to the wonders of science and engineering. The program is "For Students by Students," designed completely by volunteer college students. We design and test curriculum and work with local middle schoolers to make a positive difference in their lives.

• Environmental Alliance Show/Hide Description

the Duke Environmental Alliance (EA) is a very active student organization committed to promoting the implementation of sustainable practices at Duke University. By educating, organizing, and advocating, they strive to make Duke University a model campus for environmental stewardship.

Special Interest Engineering Clubs

• American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Duke Chapter Show/Hide Description

The Duke Chapter of the AIAA hopes to bring together students on campus who share a common interest in aerospace technologies. We bring speakers to campus and take field trips to production plants as part of our regular activities. The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics is a national organization for aerospace engineers and scientists and those interested in designing, developing, testing, constructing, and operating air and space vehicles and their associated systems. Faculty Adviser: Donald Bliss

• Architecture Club Show/Hide Description

The Architecture Club was formed in the Spring of 2004 to provide Duke University Students with a forum for exploring interest in Architecture. Meetings provide students with the opportunity to learn more about the profession, from discussion of graduate school study to alternative forms of practice. Club members recently traveled to Raleigh for a lecture on sustainable building and this past Fall the club sponsored a trip to Washington D.C. to visit the National Building Museum and take architectural tours of both historic and modern architecture. Future trips are in the planning process as well as trips to attend addtional lectures in the area focused on architectural topics. Faculty Adviser: Chris Brasier

• DukEngineer Magazine Show/Hide Description

In keeping with a tradition started in 1940, the DukEngineer team creates the annual student engineering magazine called the DukEngineer. The team includes freshmen through seniors from each engineering disciplines. Students write science features, faculty and alumni profiles, engineering jokes, commentary on the profession, and updates on student groups. Adviser: Deborah Hill

• Duke Robotics Team Show/Hide Description

The central goal of the Duke Robotics Team is to build an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) to compete in the annual Office of Naval Research and Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (ONR/AUVSI) Underwater Robotics Competition. The Team is also heavily focused on community outreach. Faculty Adviser: Jason Janet

• Duke Smart Home Show/Hide Description

The Duke Smart Home Project, is a multidisciplinary endeavor in engineering education designed to give students practical, hands-on interaction with technology of the future. Duke engineers are taking off-the-shelf components and integrating them into their own designs, and taking part in the design and development of an actual residential living laboratory on the Duke campus. Faculty Adviser: John Board, Barry Myers

• Formula SAE Duke Motorsports Show/Hide Description

Duke University Motorsports is a student group that designs and builds open wheel, single seat racecars to compete in the Formula SAE competition sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The team consists of Duke students from both Pratt and Trinity, in all classes. The purpose of the team is to provide students with a way to gain practical design and manufacturing experience in a fun and challenging setting. Faculty Advisers: Rhett George, Rob Clark

• International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience Show/Hide Description

The International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience, founded in January 1948 at Imperial College, London, is an organization for the exchange of students at institutions of higher education wishing to obtain technical experience abroad, relative to their studies. The Duke University chapter was founded in September 2002. The group focuses on cultivating domestic internships with U.S. employers, representing IAESTE on campus, organizing activities and events to promote the mission and purpose of IAESTE and to facilitate the arrival of foreign students.

Professional Societies

• American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Show/Hide Description
  Visit http://www.asce.org for the national ASCE website.

The ASCE, founded more than 150 years ago, is dedicated to setting a course for both the Society and the profession that will ready civil engineers for the challenges of the 21st century. The Duke Chapter of ASCE is an active group that takes part in the yearly concrete canoe competition (among others) at the annual Carolina Conference. Faculty Adviser: Joe Nadeau

• American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Show/Hide Description
  Visit http://www.asme.org for the national ASME website.

Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, today's ASME is a 120,000-member professional organization focused on technical, educational and research issues of the engineering and technology community. Faculty Adviser: Linda Franzoni

• Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Show/Hide Description
  Visit http://www.bmes.org for the national BMES website.

The BMES, founded in 1968, is dedicated to promoting the increase of biomedical engineering knowledge and its utilization. The BMES chapter at Duke will help you understand and stay abreast of major advances in biomedical engineering. Faculty Adviser: Lori Setton

• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Show/Hide Description
  Visit http://www.ieee.org for the national IEEE website.

The IEEE and its predecessors, the AIEE (American Institute of Electrical Engineers) and the IRE(Institute of Radio Engineers), date to 1884. IEEE is dedicated to pursuing scientific and educational activities to advance the theory and practice of electrical engineering, electronics, radio and the allied branches of engineering and the related arts and sciences. Duke's IEEE Student Branch is open to any student with a genuine interest in electrical engineering and/or its related fields (e.g. computer science, biomedical engineering, physics, applied mathematics, etc.). Faculty Adviser: Gary Ybarra

• National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Show/Hide Description
  Visit http://www.nsbe.org for the national NSBE website.

Founded in 1971, NSBE's mission is to increase the number of culturally responsible Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community. The Duke Society of Black Engineers focuses on not only inceasing the number of successful minority engineers at Duke University, but on growing a network among students, alumni, and other undergraduate engineers within the Triangle area. Faculty Adviser: Jeff Forbes

• Optical Society of America (OSA) Show/Hide Description
  Visit http://www.osa.org/ for the national NSBE website.

Founded in 1916, the Optical Society of America (OSA) was organized to increase and diffuse the knowledge of optics, pure and applied; to promote the common interests of investigators of optical problems, of designers and of users of optical apparatus of all kinds; and to encourage cooperation among them. The purposes of the Society are scientific, technical and educational. Faculty Adviser: Bob Guenther

• Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Show/Hide Description
  Visit http://oneshpe.shpe.org/wps/portal/national for the national SHPE website.

The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) was founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1974 by a group of engineers employed by the city of Los Angeles. Their objective was to form a national organization of professional engineers to serve as role models in the Hispanic community. Networking was the key basis for the organization. SHPE quickly established two student chapters to begin the network that would grow to encompass the nation as well as reach countries outside the United States. Today, SHPE enjoys a strong but independent network of professional and student chapters throughout the nation. Faculty Adviser: Ana Barros

• Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Show/Hide Description
  Visit http://www.swe.org for the national SWE website.

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE), founded in 1950, is a not-for-profit educational and service organization promoting engineering as a highly desirable career aspiration for women. The Duke Chapter of the Society of Women Engineers has three primary objectives: 1) To serve as a center of information on women in engineering at Duke University. 2) To encourage women engineers to attain high levels of education and professional achievement. 3)To inform young women, their parents, counselors, and the general public of the qualifications and achievements of women engineers and the opportunities open to them. Faculty Adviser: Lisa Huettel

Engineering Honor Societies

• Chi Epsilon (civil engineering) Show/Hide Description
  Visit www.chi-epsilon.org for the national Chi Epsilon website.

Chi Epsilon is dedicated to the purpose of maintaining and promoting the status of civil engineering as an ideal profession. It is organized to recognize the characteristics of the individual civil engineer deemed to be fundamental to the successful pursuit of an engineering career, to aid in the development of those characteristics in the civil engineering student... To contribute to the improvement of the profession, Chi Epsilon fosters the development and exercise of sound traits of character and technical ability among civil engineers, and its members, by precept and example, toward an ever higher standard of professional service. Faculty contact: Joseph Nadeau

• Eta Kappa Nu (electrical engineering) Show/Hide Description
  Visit www.hkn.org for the national Eta Kappa Nu website.

Eta Kappa Nu is the national electrical engineering honorary society. As is the case with the other honor societies, membership is by invitation only. Eligibility for consideration is based on unimpeachable character and on outstanding scholarship which places the student in the upper quarter of the Junior class or the upper third of the Senior class. Faculty contact: Rhett George

• Phi Beta Kappa (national honor society) Show/Hide Description
  Visit www.pbk.org for the national Phi Beta Kappa website.

Phi Beta Kappa is the national honorary society. Consideration is given to those engineering students of high moral character who are in a program of breadth comparable to that of Trinity College, with a minimum of 6 course credits in the Humanities and Social Sciences, and who are in the upper 10 percent of the Senior class. Faculty contact: Rhett George or Michael Gustafson

• Pi Tau Sigma (mechanical engineering) Show/Hide Description
  Visit www.pitausigma.net for the national Pi Tau Sigma website.

Pi Tau Sigma is a Mechanical Engineering Honor Society, instituted in order to establish a closer bond of fellowship among its members which will result in mutual benefit to those men and women in the study and in the profession of mechanical engineering. Pi Tau Sigma's core values are: Integrity (soundness of character and moral conduct), Service (serving the mechanical engineering profession and the community), and Leadership (being foremost and fostering initiative through example in a professional manner). Faculty contact: Ed Shaughnessy

• Tau Beta Pi (all of engineering) Show/Hide Description
  Visit www.tbp.org for the national Tau Beta Pi website.

Tau Beta Pi is the national engineering honorary society. Consideration is based on exemplary character and an academic standing in the upper eighth of the Junior class, the upper fifth of the Senior class. Faculty contact: Michael Gustafson