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Five Free, Fun Things at Duke in March

From a labyrinth walk to talks about the brain, take time for a free campus event in March

Community members walk the Labyrinth in Duke Chapel. This year's walk is 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 17. Photo by Duke University Photography.
Community members walk the Labyrinth in Duke Chapel. This year's walk is 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 17. Photo by Duke University Photography.

Daylight saving time begins March 8, which means more light will extend into the evening hours. As the start of spring approaches, here are five free campus events to consider adding to your calendar this month. Enjoy.

Friday, March 6 – Unpark Yourself Challenge Kickoff Breakfast

To kickoff the new Unpark Yourself Challenge, which starts March 16, Duke staff, faculty and graduate students are invited to the Plaza at the Bryan Center from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. March. The event includes free pastries, scones, bagels, fruit and coffee. The Unpark Yourself Challenge is a team-based competition to encourage University and Health System employees and graduate students to become familiar with and use sustainable commuter options. At the breakfast, the grand prize ELF by Organic Transit will be on display. The ELF, which will be awarded to the individual with the highest point total at the end of the competition, is a recumbent bike-electric vehicle hybrid that uses no gas, is road safe, travels up to 35 miles per hour and parks at a bike rack.

Sunday, March 15 – Brain Awareness Week at Duke

The Duke Institute for Brain Sciences will host the seventh annual Brain Awareness Week at Duke from March 15 to 22. Brain Awareness Week, an international effort to promote the progress and benefits of brain research, begins with a free 7 p.m. talk March 15 by Dr. Dale Purves: “Visual Perception and the Brain,” at the Full Frame Theater, American Tobacco Campus. In addition to public talks, other events include hands-on science demos at the Museum of Life and Science on March 14 and a family-friendly Brain Awareness Week Open House on March 22.

Tuesday, March 17 – Duke Chapel Labyrinth

All are invited to walk the Labyrinth in Duke Chapel from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Labyrinth, a 40-foot circle containing a winding path, is an ancient spiritual tradition. The Labyrinth is self-guided and takes 30 minutes to an hour to complete.

Watch our first-person account of the Labyrinth walk from last year.

Tuesday, March 17 – Duke Chorale Spring Tour Concert

The Duke Chorale will perform a free concert in Baldwin Auditorium at 8 p.m. following its Spring 2015 concert tour to California. The group will offer a selection from Renaissance pieces to contemporary works, including American folk songs and spirituals. The Duke University Chorale, conducted by Rodney Wynkoop and accompanied by Mary Hamilton, is the principal choral group of the Department of Music at Duke. Composed mainly of undergraduate students, the 50-voice Chorale and its 20-voice Chamber Choir perform concerts throughout the year on and off campus.

Wednesday, March 25 – Women at Duke Wikipedia Edit-a-thon

Participants will learn how to edit Wikipedia articles, learn more about the rich history of women at Duke University, and then put that knowledge into action by creating and editing entries that document the lives and contributions of women alumnae, faculty, staff, and community members. Women will have the opportunity to join the global goal of increasing the number of female editors and articles about women on the free encyclopedia website. The event, co-sponsored with the Duke Women's Center and Duke University Archives, will be in The Edge Workshop Room in Bostock Library. It runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lunch is provided; please register here.

For more Duke events, visit the calendar.