The SPIRE Fellows Program is an academic support system focused on enhancing student success, engagement, and retention in STEM. We welcome students with diverse experiences and interests, offering them a space to build a sense of academic belonging. The program supports high-achieving undergraduates pursuing majors and/or careers in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and STEM+ disciplines (e.g., Economics, Psychology) that offer a Bachelor of Science degree.
SPIRE also provides high-level STEM tutoring, academic skills development, and access to a network of STEM role-models/mentors. As a SPIRE Fellow, you will have many opportunities to learn how to network with faculty, alumni, and industry leaders – and in turn, envision your own successful career path.
STEM courses and majors can be highly competitive and academically challenging at Duke. SPIRE provides a supportive and inviting community, where you can find your place and form your identity both in STEM, and Duke as a whole. SPIRE strives to create an environment that fosters collaboration and close social bonds, where fellows are celebrated for their successes, and supported during their challenges. To that end, SPIRE provides a Living & Learning Community (LLC), and we host many social events throughout the year, e.g. SPIRE Fridays, game nights, and watch parties, etc!
SPIRE's commitment to you
- Academic coaching and skills instruction, tutoring, and career counseling
- Wellness and well-being coaching to assist you in balancing the academic demands of STEM at Duke
- Supportive STEM faculty/staff mentors
- Access to a network of departmental faculty, administration, and graduate students for potential shadowing, mentorship, and engagement opportunities
- Funding for approved enrichment opportunities/items and 1-1 tutoring
- Support to identify STEM enhancement and research opportunities
- Support to present research at local and/or national conferences
- Support to publish research in peer-reviewed journals
SPIRE's expectations of you
- Attend SPIRE events, e.g. the SPIRE Speaker Series and New Fellows Welcome Dinner
- Participate in community outreach and programs
- Take a first-year course in the Spring semester on developing your STEM identity (0.5 credits)
- Participate in summer exploration opportunities
- Live together sophomore year in the SPIRE LLC
- Participate in program development, e.g. an exit interview with SPIRE director in senior year and iterative program assessment
- Actively engage with the SPIRE community (attend SPIRE Fridays, social events, and seek from and provide help/support to other fellows)
Letter from the Fellows
Most of us remember the moment we got into Duke. As blue confetti soared across our computer screens, we looked at that acceptance and saw four years of opportunity, friendship, growth, and so much more. Choosing Duke, and especially choosing to pursue STEM at Duke, is no small feat. It’s natural to feel a lot of things along the way, including uncertainty.
SPIRE is not simply an academic checkmark on a resume. SPIRE is a community that celebrates our biggest accomplishments and stands beside us in our moments of uncertainty. As students, we come from different backgrounds, bringing unique and valuable perspectives, yet we are united by a shared love of STEM and a broader goal of making a positive impact on the world. And that community extends far beyond the students. From caring directors to invested faculty mentors, there is always an adult in your corner who is ready to share a lunch, answer your questions, or simply talk you through the next step of your journey.
As incredible as Duke is, it can also feel big and daunting at times. Pursuing a career in STEM can feel out of reach, especially when access to STEM resources, opportunities, or mentors has been limited for many of us for a variety of reasons. But we all have important stories to tell and meaningful impacts to make, and SPIRE is here to make sure we have the resources, support, and confidence to do just that.
We see that commitment woven into every part of the program: the first-year class, faculty mentorship, the LLC, community events, funding opportunities, and so much more. Each piece of the SPIRE experience becomes a meaningful part of our Duke journeys, but the most special part is the community itself. In just a matter of months, peers and mentors start to feel like long-lost siblings and other family members.
Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, and wherever your journey takes you, SPIRE will always leave the porch light on for you.
Welcome home.
Who Should Apply?
SPIRE welcomes all first-year Duke students who are interested in pursuing STEM majors and who are seeking an inclusive academic support system. We particularly encourage applications from students who have encountered barriers to accessing or advancing in STEM and who value collaborative learning and peer mentorship.
*Due to the outstanding support system already in place through our PreHeath Advising Program, prehealth students will not be considered for placement in SPIRE.