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Gross Hall Opens With Dedication Ceremony Thursday

Renovations transform building into home for interdisciplinary innovation; Bass Connections to hold open house at 2 pm

Gross Hall renovations have emphasized open, commons area for interaction. Shown is open space outside the Department of Political Science during its open house this past fall.
Gross Hall renovations have emphasized open, commons area for interaction. Shown is open space outside the Department of Political Science during its open house this past fall.
By Duke Today Staff

Duke will officially commemorate the transformation of Gross Hall into a university hub for the social sciences and interdisciplinary initiatives with a dedication ceremony and open house from 2-6:30 p.m. Thursday.

The ceremony will celebrate Duke's strengths in the social sciences and interdisciplinary learning and highlight how the renovated building offers greater opportunities for collaboration in teaching and research on real-world issues.

The free, public event begins with a 2 p.m. open house for Bass Connections, showcasing the work of more than three dozen interdisciplinary teams of faculty and students tackling specific social problems ranging from global climate change to the mental health of refugees. The open house will also serve to announce the new project teams for the summer and 2014/15 academic year, as well as the opening of student applications for the new teams.

Other events will feature comments from representatives of Gross Hall's resident units, as well as a ribbon-cutting featuring President Richard Brodhead and other Duke leadership.  Sanford School Dean Kelly Brownell will also speak on connecting scholarship to public policy and large social issues.

Among the new residents are the Department of Political Science, the Social Sciences Research Institute (SSRI), Bass Connections, The Duke Energy Initiative, the Center for Sustainability and Commerce and the Duke Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative.

Renovation has turned the former collection of chemistry labs into office, classroom, and commons space that promotes interaction not just within the individual units but also across the residents. Social Scientists in SSRI for example will be able to work closely to the Big Data scholars in the Information Futures program.

"SSRI West [in Gross Hall] expands our mission in SSRI -- from one primarily focused on supporting our affiliated centers to one that seeks to engage scholars across the university," Tom Nechyba, director of SSRI, said in a recent interview. "It will strengthen our support of the affiliated centers by providing new opportunities for these centers to collaborate with one another and with those currently not engaged with SSRI."

The schedule of events:

2-4 p.m. Bass Connections open house, first, second and third floors.  Representatives from the five Bass Connections themes will discuss their existing and upcoming project teams.

4 p.m. Kelly Brownell, dean of the Sanford School of Public Policy, will speak on "Harnessing Scholarship to Create Social and Policy Change," Gross Auditorium.

5 p.m. Building dedication and reception, main entrance.  President Richard H. Brodhead, Provost Peter Lange, Executive Vice President Tallman Trask III and others, main entrance.  Reception will follow on the second floor in SSRI West.