Summer Blogging with Students
From around the world, students write back from service and research projects
Adam Eaglin headed to Ghana this summer feeling both adventurous and optimistic that he could further his education and contribute something of value to a needy community.
A few hours into the voyage -- not yet even in Ghana -- the Duke rising senior got a dose of reality. Striking up a conversation with a fellow traveler in a London airport, Eaglin learned that the traveler had gone to Africa 25 years ago with similar hopes. In his blog, Eaglin writes about the encounter:
"First, she told me about the piles of fly-encrusted rotting meat that were laid out on campus everyday for people to buy. Next, she told me about the third-degree sunburn she received after standing outside for less than four hours, and finally, she told me about how everyone in her family got malaria while they were there. When her 5-year-old son became ill, they decided to ship back to Poland.
Picturing Student Blogs
Brandon Warner at Assateague National Seashore
Yishan Chang on cancer stem cells
"But, I asked positively, that was 25 years ago. I'm sure things are better now.
"Oh, I doubt it. Actually, I bet things are worse."
The traveler's description may be exaggerated, and Eaglin has now arrived in Ghana and will start his project studying gender inequities in Ghana today (Monday).
Summer travel and study have long been a staple of college education, but what's new is the blogs that allow students to tell their stories directly.
Eaglin's blog, "Adam in Ghana," is just one of several written by Duke students participating in university-related programs this summer. Sarah Wallace is doing work for the Institute of Genome Sciences and Policy and DukeEngage in Chernobyl, conducting studies of the health consequences of the 1986 nuclear disaster there. Nicholas School interns are blogging from several sites around the world about their environmental research. DukeEngage -- the university's new service and study program -- is sponsoring several blogs written by students doing local, national and international work. Divinity School students are writing from their field missions in several locations.
Duke officials said they've long believed that students stories are best written by the students themselves. Such stories are important to explain to both the internal Duke community and to external audiences what is involved in a Duke education. And student blogs are a powerful way of allowing such stories to be told, said Jon Goldstein, director of communications for the Divinity School.
"We hoped that by using student blogs we could present the most genuine, unfiltered view possible of our field education placements," Goldstein said. "By giving control of the storytelling to the students in the field, we achieve a new level of authenticity."
During the summer, Duke Today will highlight several of the student blogs with a special tab section. Each week, we will feature six of the student blogs.
The blogging will continue after the summer. Student writing is an important part of the DukeEngage program, for example, and the Nicholas School regularly promotes student blogging throughout the year. In addition, programs such as the Hart Leadership Program features letters from student participants in its fellowship program.