Over the past year, our news and communications team has been exploring different ways to use social media to connect Duke researchers and faculty with larger audiences. One of the more successful experiments are Twitter chats – conversations on Twitter using a hashtag around a topic and/or event. Twitter chats are a great way for Duke experts to weigh in on a topic and engage in public education.

One example of a Duke Twitter chat was when we had faculty, post-docs and students tweeting during the 2012 State of the Union using the hashtag #DukeChat with #SOTU, the main hashtag for the event. We ended up with a total of 45 people tweeting 250+ times with the hashtag, creating some good conversation around the opinions of Duke experts.

Duke’s next Twitter chat  is hosted by the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions and follows the release of two new case studies exploring the opportunities and barriers associated with clean energy, using solar water heating and combined heat and power as examples. On August 21 from 2-3 p.m. EST, two study authors will lead a conversation about the case study projects and an overview of the state of renewable energy in the southeast U.S. To participate in the chat, send your questions and comments on Twitter using the hashtag #seenergytalk, or post them early to Facebook. We hope to meet you there!