HERO Fellowship
(Application downloads at bottom of the page)
The HERO REU Summer 2012-13 application now available
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
The Human-Environment Regional Observatory (HERO) program is a unique
undergraduate-graduate-faculty experience that engages in research on
human-environment relationships in Massachusetts. HERO Fellows conduct hands-on
research under the mentorship of Clark University faculty. The research
conducted by HERO Fellows often leads to scholarly publications, presentations
at academic conferences across the USA, and awards and honors.
This eight-week curriculum (June 4th through July 27th) is sponsored by the U.S. National Science Foundation
through its Research Experiences for Undergraduates Site (REU Site) program.
HERO Fellows analyze the causes and consequences of global environmental changes
at local scales in faculty-led research projects. Each Fellow is paired with a
Clark faculty mentor and other researchers on the HERO team in one of three
research domains. Fellows will learn how to use various research methods,
including GIS, remote sensing, geostatistical modeling, interviews and focus
groups.
New 2012 Brochure will be available soon, please check back
RESEARCH AREAS:
HERO engages three main areas of research.
• Vulnerability Assessment: You will explore interactions among suburbanization,
climate and water management, examining processes at multiple scales (household,
town, region, state).What is the association, in suburban Boston, between public
water management and patterns of household lawn care? How do land-use
regulations interact with this association, and how might such regulations limit
or enhance the ability of communities to reduce their vulnerabilities to water
scarcity in the face of continued suburbanization and changes in precipitation?
• Land Change Prediction: You will examine how to design, use and evaluate
georeferenced computer models of how humans change the landscape. How can
information about historic human behavior help anticipate and guide future human
behavior concerning the way humans change the landscape?
• Forest Change Monitoring: You will apply remote sensing data and technology to
monitor large-area forest-cover change in Massachusetts. What are the patterns
and processes associated with timber harvest and forest growth in Massachusetts?
How can remote sensing help us accurately and consistently monitor these
regional scale changes?
COMPENSATION:
HERO Fellows are awarded $4,500 for the eight weeks of full-time research (June 4th through July 27th, in addition to $1,000 for room and board, you are responsible for your transportation to and from Worcester, Mass., and 6 fellows will be chosen to attend the 2013 Association of American Geographers scholarly meeting in Los Angeles to present your research to an audience of like-minded scholars and professionals.
The map below shows the locations of the approximately 100 inquiries HERO
received during its 2011 application season.
APPLYING:
Based on a competitive application process, each year the HERO program
selects a diverse group of undergraduate students from a variety of programs
across the country to be HERO Fellows. HERO values students who demonstrate
energetic and inquisitive minds, and who are fearless when charting new
intellectual territory. Previous course work in human or environmental
geography—such as urban and population studies, GIS, landscape ecology, land-use
planning, statistics and remote sensing—is helpful but not required. There is no
minimum GPA or required class standing, but evidence of outstanding scholarly
and professional potential is essential. Because HERO is supported with NSF
funds, if you are not a Clark student you must be a citizen or permanent
resident of the United States or its possessions to apply. Non-Clark
students must also still be enrolled full time as undergraduates during the Fall
of 2012.
If you are a Clark Student:
download Clark REU
HERO Summer 2012 application. Must have Adobe
Acrobat reader version 9 and use the Typewriter Tool. The application is
due by March 1, 2012.
If you are a not a Clark Student: download Non-Clark REU HERO Summer 2012 application. Must have Adobe Acrobat reader version 9 and use the Typewriter Tool. The application is due by March 1, 2012. Please note that application materials may be emailed to heroadmissions@clarku.edu.
If you have questions about applying to HERO, contact:
Dr. John Rogan
Associate Professor of Geography
(508) 793 7562
Clark University
School of Geography
950 Main Street
Worcester, MA 01610-1477