Clark University - Clark News fall 2003
Newsbriefs (fall 2003)
According to several college guides released this fall, Clark’s diverse student body, international flavor and intimate academic setting make the University a hidden treasure.
Clark is one of 135 schools named "The Best in the Northeast" and profiled in the first edition of "The Best Northeastern Colleges," one of five regional guidebooks by the Princeton Review. The guidebooks identify colleges and universities that stand out within each region and raise awareness of many schools that are not well known outside of their region. The guide also recognizes the diversity of Clark’s campus.
Clark appears twice in "The Best 351 Colleges" from Random House/Princeton Review, an annual guidebook that surveyed 106,000 students at 351 top colleges. Clark ranked second in the category "students from different backgrounds interact frequently and easily." Clark also ranked eighth in the category "diverse (social and ethnic) student population."
The University also is included on two lists found in "The Unofficial, Unbiased Guide to the 328 Most Interesting Colleges 2004" by Trent Anderson and Seppy Basili. The book includes data from a poll of guidance counselors and reveals the latest national trends in college selection. Clark appears in two categories: "Schools that are Hidden Treasures" and "Schools That May Be Underrated."
In addition, Clark, tied at 73 with Michigan State University, Southern Methodist University, University of Missouri—Columbia and Virginia Tech in the category "Best National Universities-Doctoral" in the 2004 edition of the "America’s Best Colleges" guidebook from U.S. News & World Report. Clark is also included in the U.S. News’ list of schools with the largest proportion of international undergraduates during the 2002-2003 year. Seven percent of Clark’s undergraduate population was international.
"We are pleased that this year’s college guides testify to the quality of education at Clark and to its impressive international and cultural diversity," says President John Bassett. "As a doctoral-research university, Clark is often compared with much larger schools, but the more intimate liberal-arts learning experience within a research environment makes Clark special."
The following tenure-track faculty have joined Clark for the 2003-2004 academic year.
- Belén Atienza joins the Foreign Languages and Literatures Department from Connecticut College. Atienza teaches Spanish.
- Sang-Hoo Bae joins the Economics Department after earning a Ph.D. from Michigan State University.
- Betsy Huang joins the English Department after earning a Ph.D. from the University of Rochester.
- Willem Klooster joins the History Department from the University of Southern Maine.
- Ranjan Mukhopadhyay joins the Physics Department from NEC Research Institute, where he was a postdoctoral scientist.
- Paul Posner joins the Government and International Relations Department from the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga.
- John Rogan joins the Geography Department after earning a Ph.D. from a joint program of San Diego State University and the University of California at Santa Barbara.
- Srinivasan Sitaraman joins the Government and International Relations Department after earning a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
- Luis Smith joins the Chemistry Department from Argonne National Laboratory, where he conducted postdoctoral research.
- Daniel Jiro Tanaka joins the Foreign Languages and Literatures Department from Vassar College, where he was a Woodrow Wilson postdoctoral fellow. Tanaka teaches German.
- Ping Xuan joins the Math and Computer Science Department from Quantum Leap Innovations, Inc., where he was technical lead.
- Jing Zhang joins the Graduate School of Management after earning a Ph.D. from the State University of New York, Albany.
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Theater professor Gino DiIorio ’83 received the 2003 Berrilla Kerr Award for Playwriting for his plays "Sleeping Dogs" and "Winterizing the Summer House." The award comes with an undisclosed stipend to support the production of DiIorio’s plays. Past recipients include Eve Ensler for "The Vagina Monologues" and Margaret Edson for "Wit."
"This award is a great honor. It’s amazing to be included with so many other fine writers," says DiIorio, who has taught acting, playwriting and Shakespeare at Clark for more than 10 years.
DiIorio plans to use the money to help finance an upcoming production of "Sleeping Dogs," which recently received a public reading at the 78th Street Theatre Lab. Vincent Pastore, best known for his role as Big Pussy on HBO’s "The Sopranos," and Frank Vincent of "Raging Bull" have already signed on to the production.
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Chemist Donald Nelson recently received a $138,259 grant from the National Institutes of Heath to support his study of anthrax.
Nelson’s research, "Molecular Dynamics Study of Anthrax Edema Factor: Calmodulin Complexes," will examine the activation of one of the toxic proteins produced by the anthrax bacterium. This activation is an important component in the disruptive effects of an anthrax infection. The results could help with the rational design of drugs to treat anthrax infections.
Stephanie Roy ’04 and graduate students Jingyan Zhao and Andrew Driscoll are assisting Nelson with thisresearch. Roy received an Anton Fellowship to support her work on the project over the summer.
"We hope the results of our research will contribute in some small way to our country’s defense against the potential threat of bioterrorism," Nelson says. "It’s also extremely rewarding to witness the excitement felt by both Clark undergraduate and graduate students involved in such a relevant biomedical research endeavor."
A complete list of this year’s Academic Spree Day projects is on the Clark Web site at www.clarku.edu/academicspreeday. |
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Clark Labs, the developer of the widely used IDRISI GIS software, was recently awarded a contract with the Andes Monitoring and Modeling Unit of Conservation International to develop software tools to analyze land use in the Andes.
The software will be used to determine how deforestation, agrobusiness, mining, oil exploration, armed conflict and other factors are changing the landscape of the Andes. The resulting models and simulations will help researchers assess designs for conservation corridors. The simulations will also be used in discussions with stakeholders in an effort to integrate productive and healthy landscapes with broader, long-term conservation goals.
IDRISI’s new Kilimanjaro GIS and Image Processing software will be the basis of these new modeling tools, and the work will be done with help from the ecology and applied math departments at Princeton University. |
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| From Stephen DiRado's "Dinner Table Series" |
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Stephen DiRado, a photographer and studio lecturer in Clark’s photography program, received a $5,000 Artist Grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. DiRado is one of 31 individual artists chosen from 835 applicants to receive the grants this year.
Well-known for his "Beach People" series and "Celestial Photographs" of stars and comets, DiRado earned the Artist Grant for his "Dinner Table Series." In 1985, he began documenting dinners with family, friends and acquaintances. Aside from preserving memories, DiRado was interested in the surrounding environment—the foods, clothing and décor. In recent years, he has added a narrative aspect to this series by directing his subjects and dramatically lighting the scene.
"I want a photograph that captures the energy and emotions, without prejudice, of each dinner," he says.
DiRado’s work has been shown in Houston, New York City, the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park in Lincoln, Mass., the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and many other museums and galleries throughout the country and the world. This summer, DiRado’s work was shown at the Yossi Milo Gallery in New York City. His "Dinner Table Series" was first exhibited in fall 2002 at the Houston Center for Photography.
The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Coffee Project, led by geographer Stanley Herwitz, continues to earn accolades and support from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
In July, the UAV Coffee Harvest Optimization Project Team was presented with the NASA Group Achievement Award. Presented to groups who have distinguished themselves by making outstanding contributions to the NASA mission, the Group Achievement Award is one of the most prestigious a research group can receive. As principal investigator of the UAV Coffee Project, Herwitz accepted the award on behalf of the team at Ames’ annual NASA Honor Awards Ceremony on July 31.
In addition, NASA recently announced the award of a new $2-million grant to the research team that participated in Herwitz’s UAV Coffee Project. Herwitz is the co-principal investigator of the grant, which will involve the use of UAVs equipped with thermal sensors for fire management. The grant will also help promote and maintain the long-term presence of the Clark University UAV Applications Center in the NASA Research Park.
Geographer R. Gil Pontius Jr., English Professor Heather Roberts and biologist Deborah Robertson received this year’s Hodgkins Junior Faculty Awards. The awards, which were presented at Fall Convocation on Aug. 27, recognize assistant professors who have completed more than one year at Clark and who have demonstrated excellence in teaching, research and service.
Pontius specializes in geographic information science, quantitative modeling, ecological sustainability and international development. Most of his research focuses on land-use change and its effect on environmental issues. Pontius also helps lead the Human Environment Research Observatory (HERO) at Clark, a program funded by the National Science Foundation that examines human-environment relationships in central Massachusetts. He teaches a HERO course each year and advises undergraduate researchers on the project, which provides valuable data for the city of Worcester and local environmental organizations. Pontius teaches in Clark’s International Development, Community and Environment Department and the Graduate School of Geography.
Roberts specializes in pre-1865 American literature, history and culture. Her research explores the role of fiction in cultural production. In her classes, Roberts examines literary texts in their broader social and historical contexts, specifically the relationship between literary genres and the construction of gender, class, ethnic and national identity. Most recently, Roberts has been working on a manuscript tentatively titled "Taking it to the Streets: The City in Antebellum American Women’s Writing." Her research and teaching has helped strengthen the relationship between Clark and the American Antiquarian Society, which is based in Worcester.
Robertson specializes in marine biology and algal physiology. In her "Marine Biology" and "Ecology of Atlantic Shores" classes, Robertson introduces undergraduates to the diversity of organisms and habitats in the ocean and the ecological processes driving those ecosystems. Her research investigates the physiological ecology and evolution of nitrogen metabolism in select species of marine algae. Robertson’s research is funded by the National Science Foundation and provides research opportunities for Clark undergraduates, graduate students and local high-school science teachers.
The Hodgkins Junior Faculty Award was established by the late Edward "Ted" Hodgkins. Although not a Clark alumnus, Hodgkins felt a close affinity to the University and was a great believer in the importance of higher education. In addition to the junior faculty award, he also established the Hodgkins Scholars Program at Clark for outstanding women students.
Geographer Dianne Rocheleau spent part of the summer in Thailand with the support of a Fulbright Senior Specialists grant in environmental science. Rocheleau used the grant to support work at Chiang Mai University, Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development.
The Fulbright Senior Specialists program offers two- to six-week grants to leading U.S. scholars and professionals to support curricular and faculty development and institutional planning at academic institutions in 140 countries around the world. Beginning in July, Rocheleau delivered a series of graduate seminars at Chiang Mai University. She also delivered two public lectures on political ecology, community-based mapping, the changing nature of the commons in forest and farm communities, and the possibility for just, humane and viable human ecologies in areas of rapid land-use change.
Last year, Rocheleau received a Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study Fellowship at Harvard University to work on her book, "The Invisible Ecologies of Machakos: Landscape, Livelihoods and Life Stories, 1890—1990."
Ethan Prosnit ’05 and Marvin D’Lugo, professor of Spanish and adjunct professor of screen studies, shared this year’s John W. Lund Community Service Award, which was presented during Fall Convocation ceremonies on Aug. 27.
Prosnit, a Making a Difference scholar, was recognized for his outstanding commitment to and leadership in student volunteerism and civic engagement. He has participated in regional conferences and leadership institutes and organized several local community-action events. Last spring, Prosnit coordinated the first "Just Do It! Day," recruiting more than 100 Clark volunteers to participate in projects that benefited the Main South community. "Just Do It! Day" will become an annual community-service event sponsored by the Making a Difference scholars.
D’Lugo co-directs, along with Dolly Vasquez of Centro Las Americas, the Worcester Latino Film Festival, the oldest such continuing film festival in New England. In recent years, the festival has attracted audiences of nearly1,000 people to the Clark campus for a full week of screenings. D’Lugo’s work over the past eight years has brought the educational and cultural experience of the film festival to Worcester, and helped to create new partnerships for the University and the Worcester community.
Other faculty who received awards at Fall Convocation include:
- Professor William Ferguson of the Foreign Languages and Literatures Department, Outstanding Academic Adviser.
- English Professor Heather Roberts, Outstanding Teacher Award and Hodgkins Junior Faculty Award.
- English Department Chair SunHee Gertz, University Senior Faculty Fellowship Award.
- Geography Professor R. Gil Pontius, Oliver and Dorothy Hayden Junior Faculty Fellowship Award and Hodgkins Junior Faculty Award.
- Biology Professor Deborah Robertson, Hodgkins Junior Faculty Award. Read more about the Hodgkins Award recipients.
In addition, graduate students Maggie Cole-Beebe and Jeremiah Jones received Outstanding Teaching Assistant awards.
View a full listing of awards and full text of the convocation speeches.
Departments
BIOLOGY: David Hibbett was awarded $90,346 in renewal funds from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for his research on "Phylogenetic Relationships of Cyphelloid and Aquatic Homobasidiomycetes." Hibbett also received $138,317 in renewal funds from the NSF for "Collaborative Research: Assembling the Fungal Tree of Life."
CHEMISTRY: Don Nelson was awarded a three-year grant totaling $138,312 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for his research on the "Molecular Dynamics Study of Anthrax Edema Factor: Calmodulin Complexes."
CHEMISTRY/PHYSICS: Mark Turnbull and Chris Landee were awarded $150,000 from the NSF for "Acquisition of a SQUID Magnetometer." This instrument will assist Turnbull’s research as a synthetic chemist and Landee’s research as a condensed-matter experimental physicist.
EDUCATION: Tom Del Prete entered a $40,000 contract with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Board of Higher Education for the Hiatt Center’s "K-17 Curriculum and Knowing Project." Del Prete was also awarded $8,000 from the Greater Worcester Community Foundation to support efforts of Worcester African-Americans to assist underachieving students and increase family involvement.
GEOGRAPHY: Graduate student Aaron Pollack (adviser Dianne Rocheleau) received a Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad award for his research on "Linking Towns and Making Places: The 1820 Anti-Tribute Rebellion in Totonicapan, Guatemala." Graduate student Jacqueline Vadjunec (adviser B.L. Turner II) received a Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad award for her research on "Land-Use/Cover-Change in the Extractive Reserve System, Acre, Brazil: Do Institutions Matter?"
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT: Under the direction of Larry Marsh, the Small Business Development Center was again awarded $340,000 in program funds for this year from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (Mass. Small Business Development Center).
MATH AND COMPUTER SCIENCE: Fred Green was awarded $33,587 in additional funds in a subcontract from Boston University, funded by the Army Research Office, for his research on "Complexity Bounds for Quantum Computation." Natalia Sternberg has entered a $71,110 agreement with the U.S. Air Force to be a visiting scientist for the fall semester at the Center for Computational Sciences, Air Force Research Laboratory. Sternberg will conduct research on "Mathematical Modeling in Plasma Science."
PSYCHOLOGY: Esteban Cardemil was awarded $149,024 in supplemental funds from the NIH for his research on "Prevention of Depression in Latino Parents." This is the second year of support for Cardemil’s five-year award.
BIOLOGY/PHYSICS/CHEMISTRY/MATH AND COMPUTER SCIENCE: David Hibbett, Harvey Gould, Li Han, Raphael Bruschweiler, and Shuanghong Huo were awarded $190,000 from the NSF for "Acquisition of a High Performance Parallel Computing Cluster for the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Math and Computer Science."
Research Centers
GEORGE PERKINS MARSH INSTITUTE: Rob Goble and Dale Hattis were awarded a two-year grant totaling $399,456 from the Department of Energy for research on "Biologically-Based Risk Modeling with a Focus on Cellular Repair Mechanisms for Radiation-Induced Damage." Ron Eastman has entered a six-month, $88,312 contract agreement with Conservation International for research on "Land-Use Modeling and Prediction for Biodiversity Conservation in the Andes." Kurt Fisher was awarded $18,000 in supplemental funds from the Environmental Protection Agency for his research to support "The Greening of Industry Network’s Effort of Information Dissemination and Awareness Building Aimed at Improving Environmental Performance."
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Clarknews Fall 2003
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