The October newsletter highlights how the Christensen Family Center for Innovation's interconnected programs—including GoBIG, Product Lab, Founders Fridays, Business Leadership, and the Research Accelerator—help Duke students and faculty develop ideas, build products, launch ventures, and pursue meaningful innovation.
A team from EGR 102: Design to Deliver won second place and a $10,000 prize in the 2026 ISHOW Africa innovation competition for CannaSave, a low-cost monitor that alerts caregivers when a baby’s oxygen tube becomes displaced.
Eleven incoming Duke Christensen Family Center for Innovation's A. James Clark Scholars arrived on campus early for the 2026 Clark Scholars Summer Bridge Program held on Aug 3-14. During the two-week experience, the scholars gained an introduction to product management, became familiar with Duke and Durham, and began building the peer support network that will help them navigate their first year as engineering students.
Grayson Hamrick is leveraging AI and machine learning with existing clinical data to improve patient outcomes for antibiotic-resistant hospital infections.
Aidan Canning is developing an integrated miRNA biosensing platform designed to enable rapid, customizable diagnostics that support clinical decision-making at the point of care.
Duke's Christensen Family Center for Innovation's September newsletter recaps a busy summer: 22 students completed an AI Build Sprint building real software, Product Lab internships led to actual hires at companies like Esquire Deposition Solutions, and Clark Scholars spent six weeks in Barcelona blending coursework with industry mentorship. It also celebrates standout wins including alumni startup Lumius Imaging's acceptance into Y Combinator and the e-Fest Social Impact Award for the LowCostomy venture, plus a fully enrolled, waitlisted Business Leadership for Engineers course connecting students with top executives.
Duke Class of 2026 alumni Shaan Yadav and Edmond Niu’s AI-native property management startup, Atlia, has been accepted into Y Combinator after early mentoring through Duke’s Christensen Family Center for Innovation.
Have an idea you’re excited about, but not sure if now is the right time to build it? Join us for a candid conversation with Jaylen Coleman, founder of ATP and co-founder of Trench Sports, about how to know when it’s time to launch, keep exploring, or wait. We’ll talk about pursuing an ambitious idea while balancing classes, relationships, personal growth, and all the opportunities available at Duke.
This summer, members of the A. James Clark Scholars Program’s Class of 2029 spent six weeks in Barcelona, Spain, combining Duke-credit coursework in entrepreneurship with industry mentorship and cultural immersion through a new partnership with IES Abroad.
Congratulations to Duke alumni Tri Vu, Chenhang Li, and Luca Menozzi on their startup's acceptance into Y Combinator and currently raising their seed round. YC is one of the world's most competitive startup accelerators - birthplace of OpenAI, Airbnb, Dropbox, and many more.
Duke University undergraduates Jessica Alvarez and John Claude Shaffer (Class of 2027) recently earned national recognition for their work as members of LowCostomy, a student-led global health venture focused on addressing healthcare challenges in low-resource settings.
The Christensen Center is offering EGR 190 - Business Leadership for Engineers this Summer Session I (in-person). This seminar is designed specifically for Pratt engineering undergraduate students who want to strengthen the skills that differentiate top engineers in industry: judgment, ethical decision-making, communication, resilience, mentoring, innovation, and executive presence.