News Briefs

Kasperson directs international environmental institute

Geographer Roger Kasperson '59, who directed Clark's George Perkins Marsh Institute, has been named executive director of the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI). Kasperson began his appointment on Sept. 1.

SEI is an independent policy research institute based in Sweden, with regional centers in Boston; York, England; Tallinn, Estonia; and Bangkok, Thailand. According to Kasperson, SEI runs a worldwide program of research and a think-tank for issues of global environmental change and sustainability. He describes SEI as one of the leading international institutes in responses to global environmental change. As executive director, Kasperson will be responsible for strategic planning, managing SEI's current programs, and developing new programs and research.

Since joining the Clark faculty in 1968, Kasperson has become an authority in hazards and risk analysis. He has served on many boards and committees concerned with issues of technological hazards, risk communication, environmental sustainability, radioactive waste and global environmental change. He is currently president of the Society for Risk Analysis and a member of the executive committee of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Science Advisory Board and the U.S. National Research Council's Board of Radioactive Waste Management.

At Clark, Kasperson has served as provost from 1993 to 1997, director of the Center for Technology, Environment and Development and most recently as director of the George Perkins Marsh Institute. In 1997, Kasperson was also appointed University Professor at Clark. He and his wife Jeanne, the librarian at the George Perkins Marsh Institute who will join SEI in January as a visiting scholar, plan to return to Clark after his term at SEI. "I will miss Clark, and we do plan to return to Clark at the end of our time in Stockholm," Kasperson says. "We think of Clark as our long-term home."

Economists and geographers work together on environmental issues

Environmental economist Jacqueline Geoghegan is pushing the boundaries of traditional economics. She is currently involved with two studies in which economists and geographers team up to discover how the economy affects land use.

One study focuses on the Yucatan in south eastern Mexico, the other on the Patuxent Watershed in Maryland. The research in Mexico is supported by a $500,000 grant, written by Geoghegan and co-principal investigator and geographer B.L. Turner II, from the NASA Land Cover Land Use Change Program. Geoghegan is also the sole principal investigator of a $350,000 grant from NASA's New Investigator Program in Earth Sciences, which supports her research in Maryland and Mexico.

In Maryland, Geoghegan is studying the effect of economic development issues on the environment and infrastructure. She is looking at how the sale of farm land determines the site of a new housing development, for instance, as well as the infrastructure communities must build to support residents located further away from schools and stores. In the Yucatan, Geoghegan and Turner are studying the links between the agricultural practices of peasant farmers and tropical deforestation. These farmers grow corn, beans and squash to feed their families, Geoghegan explains, but they also grow chili peppers to sell. If the market for chili peppers is doing well, she says, a farmer might decide to clear more land for peppers, contributing to deforestation.

The study, which involves GIS analysis and the use of NASA satellite imagery, also examines the farmers' access to credit and the risks involved with growing certain crops, among other economic factors. The goal, Geoghegan says, is to gain a better understanding of why people use land in particular ways and how they respond to changes in government policies, and to better understand the impact of increased free trade on global warming. More broadly, Geoghegan hopes this study will help pave the way for more interdisciplinary research, one of Clark's strengths. "You can't have a disciplinary approach to these big, global environmental-change problems. Pushing the boundaries of interdisciplinary research is the only way to answer these questions," she says.

Geoghegan, now in her fifth year at Clark, holds a Ph.D. in agricultural and resource economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and teaches undergraduate and graduate economics and environmental economics.

Bauer spends semester at Clark

World-renowned scholar Yehuda Bauer, director of the International Center for Holocaust Studies at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, is serving as the Strassler Distinguished Visiting Professor for the fall 2000 semester.

In addition to teaching undergraduate and graduate courses, Bauer presented a three-part, public lecture series in September. Bauer's lectures included: "Holocaust and Genocide," "The Genocide of Armenians and Roma (Gypsies)," and "Is Prevention of Genocide and Genocidal Attacks a Practical Possibility?" The lecture series was made possible by a gift from Hannah and Roman Kent, philanthropists and Holocaust survivors who have supported Clark's Center for Holocaust Studies since its inception.

Scholarships for students who make a difference

In recognition of the value Clark places on community service and social activism, the University initiated a new scholarship program this fall. The University offered Making a Difference scholarships of $44,000 each over four years to first-year students who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to, and leadership in, community service activities. Students in the program have been involved in activities such as coaching Little League, leading Anti-Defamation League diversity workshops, tutoring, building homes for Habitat for Humanity, human rights activism and hunger and environmental education. In addition to receiving the scholarship for each of their four years at Clark, Making-a-Difference scholars are also offered a $2,500 stipend to support projects they develop with the University Park Partnership during the summer following their sophomore or junior years. Twelve students are participating in the program this year.

Del Prete recognized for dedication to Worcester Public Schools

This year's John W. Lund Community Service Award was presented to Thomas Del Prete, director of Clark's Jacob Hiatt Center for Urban Education, in recognition of his commitment to the Worcester community and Worcester Public Schools. The award was presented at fall Convocation ceremonies in August.

As head of the Hiatt Center for the last three years and associate director for the three previous years, Del Prete has worked to find ways to produce dedicated, innovative teachers, and to support those already in Worcester's classrooms. The Hiatt Center's Professional Development School Collaborative, for example, provides training and mentoring for new teachers and professional development opportunities for Worcester's current public school teachers.

Del Prete was also instrumental in earning a $250,000 grant from the Carnegie Corporation's Schools for a New Society Competition. The grant, which was awarded in June, supports the Worcester Education Partnership. With a focus on Worcester's 7,500 high school students at the city's six public high schools, the partnership encompasses the Worcester Public Schools, the Hiatt Center and a team of Clark students, parents, teachers, principals, community leaders, several other universities and colleges, the business community, unions, churches, museums, youth development organizations and the State Education Reform Commission.

"The impact Tom has had on the Worcester Public Schools and the quality of the city's teachers will influence the lives of students and teachers for decades to come," says President John Bassett. "His work to start this new partnership is another shining example of the dedicated spirit that Tom brings to this community."

The Lund Award, which includes a $5,000 cash prize, recognizes the contributions made to the Worcester community by Clark faculty, students and staff. The award was established by retired Worcester businessman John Lund. Lund is a member of the Jonas Clark Fellows, serves on the board of the Friends of the Goddard Library and has audited classes at Clark for more than 20 years.

New award recognizes three faculty members

Psychologist Michael Addis, art historian Gauvin Bailey and sociologist Eric Gordy are the recipients of the first Hodgkins Junior Faculty Awards, which recognize junior faculty who have demonstrated excellence in scholarship, teaching and service.

The awards, which include a stipend, are supported by the Hodgkins Trust Fund, established with an endowment provided by the late Edward (Ted) Hodgkins.

Addis, who joined Clark in 1995, earned his Ph.D. at the University of Washington. His research interests include mental health treatment results, the relationships between science and practice, lay theories of psychotherapy and treatment, and the psychology of men and masculinity. In 1998, he received the President's New Researcher Award from the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy and the Dorothy Hayden Junior Faculty Fellowship from Clark. He is currently researching the dissemination of research-based treatments to clinical practice, a study supported by a five-year grant from the National Institute of Mental Health.

Bailey earned his Ph.D. at Harvard and joined Clark in 1998. He specializes in Baroque and Renaissance art, as well as the Jesuits and their influence on art around the world. Bailey had two books published in December 1999, "The Jesuits" and "Art on the Jesuit Missions in Asia and Latin America, 1542-1773."

Gordy joined Clark in 1997, after earning a master's degree and Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley. His research focuses on daily life in authoritarian states. His book "The Culture of Power in Serbia: Nationalism and the Destruction of Alternatives" was published in July 1999, at the height of the crisis in the former Yugoslavia.

Forum addresses recent Holocaust denier lawsuit

Holocaust denial is the focus of an open forum sponsored by Clark's Center for Holocaust Studies. "Defense Against Holocaust Denial: A Public Forum on the Problem of Holocaust Denial" will be held at 8 p.m. on Oct. 25 in the Richard C. Daniels '49 Theater in Atwood Hall. It is free and open to the public.

The forum examines the suit brought by Holocaust denier David Irving against historian Deborah Lipstadt and Penguin Books, which ended on April 11 with a judgement in favor of the defendants. Lead members of Lipstadt's defense team, including the chief barrister, Sir Richard Rampton, and co-lead counsel, Heather Rogers, will visit Clark from London to participate in the forum.

The forum is made possible by the generous support of the Rita J. and Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation.

New Web site launched

In August, Clark's Public Affairs Office launched a new Web site for the University. The site was redesigned to incorporate Clark's new logo and theme line and was reorganized to suit the needs of its different visitors, including prospective students, alumni and friends, parents, current students, faculty and staff and the community. Through a portal on Clark's home page, alumni have direct access to the Web pages of most interest to them, such as the regional events schedule, the alumni store and ClarkNews on line.

The Public Affairs Office welcomes comments about the new site. A feedback form is located on the Clark home page, www.clarku.edu.

Hillel earns award for excellence in student government

Hillel, successor to the Jewish Student Coalition, was recently honored as the first Excellence in Student Government Award recipient. The award, which comes with a $500 prize, was created by a gift from Brian Yee '93 in 1999 and is presented to the student organization that provides the most effective programs throughout the year.

According to David Coyne, the group's adviser, Hillel holds approximately 12 to 15 events each month and collaborates extensively with other student groups. Last year, for example, Hillel helped organize a multicultural, multi-faith holiday party to celebrate the holidays that occur in December and January. More than 100 students attended the event, which included a variety of ethnic foods, bands and a brief explanation of the traditions associated with each holiday being celebrated.

New students meet Main South

Thanks to a special activity developed for this year's orientation program, first-year students are off to a great start at getting to know their neighbors.

On Community Engagement Day, all new students participated in a treasure hunt throughout Main South. Working in small groups led by volunteers from the Clark community, including President John Bassett and his wife Kay, the students visited different locations in Main South to learn some local trivia. The hunt included questions such as: What was the event that shut down Lloyd's Pizza and when did it re-open? How many Clark alumni work at the University Park Campus School? What is ALL short for in the ALL School located at 15 Claremont St.? While visiting these sites, the groups met business owners and community leaders and completed tasks, such as painting hydrants. They also had to collect one bag of trash and one bag of recyclable materials.

Lisa Moore, director of Clark's multicultural center who helped develop the program, says the hunt helped students become connected to their new community. "We want students to really get to know their neighborhood and to feel comfortable volunteering in Main South," Moore says. Test your knowledge of Main South with a sampling of questions from the treasure hunt on the Clarknews Web site, www.clarku.edu.

Faculty Grants & Awards:

CHEMISTRY: Al Jones and Paul Inglefield were awarded a three-year grant, with $98,707 in the first year, from the U.S. Army Research Office for research on "Characterization of Nafion as a Permeselective Membrane by NMR."

CHEMISTRY/PHYSICS: Mark Turnbull and Chris Landee were awarded $60,000 in renewal funds from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for research on "Molecular Based Quantum Antiferromagnets: Design, Synthesis, and Experimental Investigations."

EDUCATION: Tom Del Prete was awarded a 15-month planning grant, totaling $250,000, from the Carnegie Foundation's School for a New Society Competition.

GEOGRAPHY: A proposal by Stan Herwitz was one of 11 proposals chosen by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-based Science Demonstration Programs. He received a $90,000 grant for developing an implementation plan for an initial risk-reducing study. When the plan is complete, Herwitz will be invited to submit a revised proposal for his research on "Coffee Harvest Optimization using UAV Platforms for the Acquisition of High Spatial Resolution Real-Time Multispectral Imagery." Graduate student Susannah McCandless (adviser Ron Eastman) is new to the Graduate School of Geography this fall and brings with her a three-year NSF graduate research fellowship for $26,700 each year. Three graduate students were awarded NSF grants for doctoral dissertation research, which began over the summer: Mary Thomas (adviser Susan Hanson) for $9,852; Jennifer Brewer (adviser Dianne Rocheleau) for $9,996; and Alice Hovorka (adviser Dianne Rocheleau) for $9,985. See George Perkins Marsh Institute below for other awards involving geography faculty.

PHYSICS: Harvey Gould was awarded $62,683 in renewal funds from the NSF for research on "New Curriculum Materials for Upper Level Undergraduate Courses on Thermal & Statistical Physics." Chuck Agosta was awarded $85,000 in renewal funds from the NSF for "Studies of Correlated Electron Effects in Anisotropic Metals and Superconductors."

PSYCHOLOGY: James McHale was awarded four years of supplemental funding, totaling $170,636, from the National Institutes of Health Underrepresented Minorities Program to support graduate student Easter Dawn Vo's participation in McHale's research on "Coparenting and Family Level Processes."

GEORGE PERKINS MARSH INSTITUTE: Billie Lee Turner II has entered a three-year subcontract agreement, with $64,961 in the first year, with Harvard University (funded by the NSF and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)), for research on "Systems of Integrated Research, Assessment and Decision Support for Global Environmental Change." Turner entered a second subcontract agreement from Carnegie Mellon University (funded by the NSF), which provides four years of support, at $40,000 each year, for research on the "Integrated Study of the Human Dimensions of Global Change." Turner's third subcontract agreement, through Penn State (funded by the NSF and NOAA), provides $50,000 in the first of five years of support for research on "Infrastructure to Develop a Human-Environment Regional Observatory (HERO) Network." Jackie Geoghegan was awarded $114,513 in renewal funds from NASA for her research on "Pixeling the Social: Using Remotely Sensed Information on Social Science Models."

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