Certificate & minor programs allow Duke Engineering students to explore the world of energy through either a board interdisciplinary lens or a deep technical dive.
Josiah Knight didn’t come to Duke intending to do energy research.
The affable professor joined the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science in 1992 and originally studied tribology, or the science of friction, lubrication and surface interactions. But what began as a side interest in energy grew as Knight began collaborating with colleagues in the Nicholas School of the Environment.
“I had always been interested in energy but never directly contributed to it,” Knight said. “Then I fell in with some Nicholas School folks, and I saw a way I could provide value to both the field and our students.”
Over the next few decades, Knight became deeply involved in developing energy curriculum programs. He helped propose and write the curriculum for the Energy & the Environment Certificate when it launched in 2008 and later became its co‑director on the engineering side in 2011. In 2022, Knight also took over as director of the Energy Engineering minor. The certificate and minor both introduce students to the complex world of energy, but from two different angles.
The Energy & the Environment certificate is an interdisciplinary program jointly led by the Pratt School of Engineering and the Nicholas School of the Environment, with support from the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability. Open to undergraduate students from both Duke Engineering and Duke’s Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, the certificate emphasizes approaching energy issues from across a breadth of fields.
Students take courses in multiple disciplines — including policy, economics, environmental science, and energy technologies — before combining all their knowledge in a capstone project. For that project, mixed teams of students design and evaluate solutions for specific energy problems while considering environmental impacts, economic feasibility and societal effects. The students also sometimes work with “clients” — or public and private sector professionals that collaborate with the program — to tackle real-world challenges that the clients and their organizations face.
“It becomes clear how essential it is to bring together students who have a wide range of skills,” said Emily Klein, University Distinguished Service Professor of Earth and Climate Sciences and co‑director of the certificate alongside Knight. “The dynamic of combining quantitative engineering analysis with broader environmental and societal thinking is what makes the program work,” Klein said.
For 2015 mechanical engineering (ME) alum Isa Ferrall-Wolf, the Energy & the Environment certificate opened her eyes to a broader view of the energy landscape. She had arrived at Duke already interested in renewable energy but discovered through the certificate that energy challenges rarely fit neatly within one discipline. Today, she works as an interdisciplinary energy researcher at the National Laboratory of the Rockies, helping communities across the United States reach their resilient energy system goals.
“The most interesting problems and solutions happen at the intersections between disciplines,” Ferrall-Wolf said.
Jessica Forlen, another 2015 ME alum who now works at Duke Energy, found that the certificate helped launch her career in the energy industry because it provided evidence of her focused commitment to the field.
“The certificate shaped how I think about energy at a systems level, and that perspective has stayed with me even a decade later,” Forlen said.
The Energy Engineering minor, which was also launched with support from the Nicholas Institute, takes a different approach by emphasizing technical depth over interdisciplinary breadth. Available only to Duke Engineering students, it provides a deep dive into the science and engineering underpinning energy systems. Students complete a core course in energy engineering along with additional classes covering topics such as renewable energy technologies, power systems and energy conversion.
“Through the minor, students develop rigorous analytical and technical abilities to participate in the design and development of energy systems,” Knight said. “These skills serve them well whether they’re heading for a career in industry or pursuing continued graduate study.”
For Shomik Verma, a 2019 ME graduate, the Energy Engineering minor provided foundational exposure to the mechanics of energy production and emerging technologies in the field. As an undergrad, he dove deep into areas like hydrogen-based energy systems and pursued hands-on projects like optimizing hydrogen fuel cell integration with the Duke Electric Vehicles student club.
“The classes and experiences that were part of my minor were invaluable in shaping how I conduct research now,” Verma said, whose current work combines mechanical engineering and materials science to design new ways of converting and storing energy. He recently completed his PhD at MIT and will soon begin his career as an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Rice University.
After nearly two decades helping to shape energy education at Duke, Knight is retiring this year. Colleagues say his mentorship has left a lasting mark.
“He’s extremely generous with his time and knowledge,” said Nico Hotz, a MEMS professor who will direct the Energy Engineering minor moving forward. “He always empowers students to take ownership of their ideas while being there to guide them when they need it.”
Verma, who had Knight as a course instructor and faculty advisor for the Duke Electric Vehicles club, echoed Hotz’s sentiment. “Even years after I’ve graduated, he’s continued to be a source of support and guidance,” he said. “We keep in touch and he offers invaluable insights about navigating academic life.”
Klein, who is also retiring this year, said that co-directing with Knight was a pleasure. “It has truly been a wonderful partnership,” she said. “With him being an engineer and me being an earth & environmental scientist, we had a fun and effective dynamic in the way we approached teaching our students.”
The programs Knight helped build will continue evolving after his retirement. Hotz plans to expand participation in the minor by involving more faculty across departments, advertising the minor more broadly to engineering students and adjusting course content to keep up to date with modern energy trends.
Rebecca Simmons, a MEMS professor of the practice, will oversee the certificate alongside Nicholas Institute and Nicholas School collaborators such as Tom Cinq-Mars (associate director for education & experiential learning) and Luana Lima (assistant professor of the practice for energy and environmental analytics). The new certificate leaders plan to further strengthen community connections among students, alumni, and industry partners.
“I’d love to see more of our students going into energy,” Simmons said. “It’s such an important field for where our world is heading.”
For Knight, that outcome has always been the goal. “Energy is an evolving field with massive impacts on both society and the environment,” he said. “Programs like these help students understand how, through energy, they can influence the world around them — hopefully for the better.”
For industry professionals interested in collaborating with the Energy & the Environment certificate, please contact Rebecca Simmons at rebecca.simmons@duke.edu.
For faculty interested in getting involved with the Energy Engineering minor, please contact Nico Hotz at nico.hotz@duke.edu.
A group of Duke undergraduates, doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers and faculty members spanning several years were recognized along with national collaborators for their work to develop novel semiconductor materials that can control spin, charge and light.
Led by a partnership between Durham Public Schools and Duke Engineering, the first “Innovation for Humanity” event brought teams from four local middle schools together to solve challenging problems.
Xiaoyue Ni has unlocked robotic building blocks using electrically heated elements that turn solids to liquids, which allows the material to mimic a wide range of mechanical behaviors.
