Current Research Projects
The Marsh Institute draws on expertise from the social, natural, and technical
sciences to conduct multidisciplinary, integrated research programs, both nationally
and internationally. Its studies typically represent the interactions in various
ways of humans and the environment. Many diverse themes exist. The following are
some of the Institute's current projects, listed alphabetically by principal investigator.
The following are some of the Institute's current projects, listed alphabetically
by principal investigator:
Organizational Dynamics of the U.S. Logistics Industry: The Impacts of Inter-firm Networks, Technologies, and Globalization
Principal
Investigators: Yuko Aoyama and Samuel Ratick
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation
The aim of this study is to understand the organizational dynamics of the logistics industry.
The research is designed to provide insights into: (1) How competing market governance principles
influence the organizational logics of the logistics industry; (2) How logistics firms make decisions
on outsourcing; (3) How virtual and geographic spaces interact in the organization of the logistics industry.
The study will focus on dimensions identified as particularly important: use of global information
technologies, intensification of global trade, and changing geographic requirements.
Emergence of an Institution for Sustainable Development: Cross-country Study of the Global Reporting Initiative
Principal
Investigator: Halina S. Brown
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation
The subject of this cross-disciplinary research is the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI),
a rapidly diffusing system for voluntary reporting of environmental sustainability performance
by companies worldwide. The process of institutionalization of the GRI in three countries with
different regulatory styles (the United States, the Netherlands, and Hungary) will be examined
and compared. The work will focus on the organizational field: it will follow the dynamic
interactions within and among the key actors who collectively comprise the institution of GRI
reporting.
Strengthening Vulnerable Communities in the Worcester Built Environment
Co-Principal
Investigators: Timothy Downs and Laurie Ross
Funding Agency: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
The aim of this research is to test two coupled working hypotheses: (1) a manageable,
reduced set of primary built-environment stressors of a physical, chemical and socio-economic
nature conspire to drive human health and well-being vulnerability in the Main South and
Piedmont neighborhoods of the city of Worcester; and (2) this socio-economic vulnerability
can be described and improved through an anticipatory process that fosters experiential
learning, builds community ownership, strengthens the adaptive capacity of those set most
at risk, and makes environmental and health promotion policies more responsive to those most in need.
Spatial Monitoring of Trends in Biodiversity through Time Series Analysis of High Temporal Resolution Remotely Sensed Imagery
Principal
Investigator: J. Ronald Eastman
Funding Agency: Gordon and Bettty Moore Foundation
Under this grant, Clark Labs will analyze large archives of satellite imagery, explore and develop
time series analysis and data mining procedures and develop software that can be used to analyze these
archives on an ongoing basis. The resulting system will allow the identification of areas that are undergoing
significant changes in biodiversity as a result of anthropogenic drivers such as habitat degradation and
climate change. Field stations can then follow up confirming the trends and identifying their specific nature and cause.
Analysis and Interpretation of Hyperspectral Imagery for Mapping Distributions of Fraxinus Species and Emerald Ash Borer Host Trees
Principal
Investigator: J. Ronald Eastman
Funding Agency: United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service
Emerald ash borer, an exotic wood-boring beetle from East Asia, has been discovered in Michigan
and parts of Ohio and Indiana. Left unchecked, it poses a very serious threat to forests in the United
States. Survey for the beetle is difficult because it is already spread over a wide area, many ash
trees and stands are inaccessible from the ground, and trees exhibit few outward signs of attack until
they are moribund. This project will analyze hyperspectral imagery acquired from aircraft to produce
maps of ash tree distributions and trees in various stages of attack by the beetle.
Gypsy Moth Risk Mapping for Uninfested Portions of the United States
Principal
Investigator: J. Ronald Eastman
Funding Agency: United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service
The gypsy moth, a destructive forest pest, has spread across much of the northeastern and midwestern
United States. The defoliation caused by outbreaks of this pest causes significant ecological and economic
damage. A technique used to combat its spread has been a trapping program to monitor and predict its speed.
This program can be improved through newer data management practices and analysis. The project will use
available data and, when appropriate, develop new information to construct maps for potential gypsy moth
establishment and damage in uninfested portions of the United States.
Land-use Modeling and Prediction for Biodiversity Conservation in the Andes
Principal
Investigator: J. Ronald Eastman
Funding Agency: Conservation International
The objective of this project is to develop a modeling environment for the monitoring and
prediction of land-cover change, the assessment of biodiversity impacts and the evaluation of
alternative planning scenarios. Major areas of research will consist of modeling habitat
vulnerability, habitat suitability analysis, habitat status assessment, biological corridor
development, and reserve planning.
Mining FDI, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development
Principal
Investigator: Jody Emel
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation
This study will examine the "new" socially responsible mining sector in the gold fields of
Tanzania, an area of recent and aggressive mineral development and large potential. Surveys of
workers and non-workers in impacted communities (e.g., Lake Victoria) will be conducted, sustainable
livelihood changes will be assessed, and a "revenue filière" elaborating flows of revenues from mines
to governments and communities will be developed.
AIDS2031: Social Drivers of the Epidemic's Cluster
Principal
Investigator: William Fisher
Funding Agency: UNAIDS
AIDS 2031 has been developed to chart a course that would shift the global AIDS response from today's
short-term, crisis management, approach to a long-term sustainable response. The Drivers working group's
responsibility is to raise a number of questions related to the key social drivers of the epidemic.
The Polaris Project: Rising Stars in the Arctic
Principal Investigator: Karen Frey
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation
The Polaris Project is a multifaceted effort that includes: a field course and research experience for
undergraduate students in the Siberian Arctic, several new arctic-focused undergraduate courses taught at
colleges across the United States and in Russia, the opportunity to initiate research programs in the Siberian
Arctic, and a wide range of outreach activities. The Polaris Project will help train future leaders in arctic
research and education, which is essential given the rapid and profound changes underway in the Arctic
in response to global warming.
Biologically-based Risk Modeling with a Focus on Cellular Repair Mechanisms for Radiation-induced Damage
Principal
Investigator: Robert Goble
Funding Agency: Department of Energy
Ionizing radiation holds a special place among environmentalists because of the extent of information
available about radiation effects on humans, on other animals, and on cells and cell systems. The information
available has been enhanced recently with the availability of new genetic assays that shed light on both
low-dose effects and the rates of processes, such as DNA repair, that can modify the expected incidence of
effects of low doses and dose rates. With so much information available, along with very substantial ongoing
research efforts, it is a propitious time to attempt syntheses in the form of biologically based risk models.
Highly Uncertain Risks: Prospects for Improved Assessment and Management
Co-Principal
Investigators: Robert Goble, Dale Hattis, Roger Kasperson, and Seth Tuler
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation
This project will examine situations of high uncertainty, including implications of uncertainty
for hazard assessment, hazard management, and societal response and how high uncertainty affects the
links among these three areas. Active interaction with practitioners in six challenge hazards--unregulated
chemicals, radioactive waste, extreme sea-level rise, EMFs, terrorist acts, and emerging
diseases--will occur.
Why Do Plants Comply with Environmental Regulation? The Importance of Enforcement Activity, Abatement Costs, and Community
Pressures
Principal Investigator: Wayne Gray
Funding Agency: Environmental Protection Agency
This study examines factors affecting environmental performance (both compliance status and emissions
for air, water, and toxic pollutants) in paper mills, steel mills, and electric utilities. Four questions
will be addressed: (1) How do corporate environmental culture and government regulatory interventions
influence a plant's environmental performance? (2) Do community and political pressures on the state and
local level significantly affect performance? (3) Why do firms and plants differ in their response to
government interventions? (4) Is environmental performance in one plant related to the performance of
nearby plants?
Quantitative Analysis of Empirical Data on Age-related Susceptibility to Carcinogenesis from Non-mutagenic Carcinogens
Principal Investigator: Dale Hattis
Funding Agency: Environmental Protection Agency
This project builds upon two prior efforts by Clark University researchers and the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). The research consisted of the expansion and analysis of an EPA-assembled database of comparative
adult and early-life animal cancer bioassay results. The team then assessed the implications of these animal
data for human risk assessment for exposures to mutagenic carcinogens during fetal life and childhood, together
with associated uncertainties. Later the investigators developed a preliminary classification system for
putatively non-mutagenic carcinogens during fetal life and childhood, together with associated uncertainties.
For the current work, the study team will update the classification system and apply it to categorizing the EPA's
recently expanded database of age-related observations of cancer bioassays. The categorized data will then be
analyzed statistically.
Interspecies Differences and Human Inter-individual Variability in Tissue-level Pharmacokinetic Parameters
Principal Investigator: Dale Hattis
Funding Agency: Environmental Protection Agency
Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling is increasingly being used to assess the doses of
toxicants that are delivered to places in the body where they may cause effects. This project will develop
two kinds of tools for PBPK modelers, aimed at helping analyze (1) interspecies differences and (2) human
inter-individual differences in the activity of specific enzymes. Compilations and analyses of databases of
observations from the basic scientific literature will be undertaken. The results will guide modelers in
forming baseline assumptions about the magnitude and direction of differences in enzyme activities among
species and among different people.
Use of Biomarkers and Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic (PBPK) Modeling in Risk Analysis for Developmental Effects of Chlorpyrifos
Principal Investigator: Dale Hattis and Rob Goble
Funding Agency: Environmental Protection Agency
The primary goal is to use PBPK modeling to help derive a developmental Reference Dose (RfD) for Chlorpyrifos (CPF). Other parts of the project
will evaluate the internal dose-response for adverse effects in developmental and mechanistic toxicity studies in rodents for comparison with humans;
use the PBPK modeling approaches to assess population exposures and risk from CPF, based on NHANES general population measurements of a specific CPF
urinary metabolite; and develop more general recommendations for the collection and interpretation of dynamically changing biomarker measurements
for health risk assessment modeling.
Sustainability Science: From Knowledge into Action
Principal Investigator: Roger E. Kasperson
Funding Agency: Lucile Packard Foundation
The purpose of this project is to help maintain and indeed accelerate the momentum of the sustainability
science initiative over the two years between mid-2004 and the launch of the next phase of the program in mid-2006.
Two closely related elements will be studied: a focused Partnership Team effort to link knowledge with action in
emerging areas of sustainability science; and a Science/Practitioner dialogue to catalyze significant increases
in the quantity and effectiveness of knowledge/action partnerships around the world, and to develop and implement
the capacity to establish and implement such partnerships.
The Socio-spatial Aspects of Industrial Change in Bolivia: Manufacturers, Regions, and the Prospects for Global Value Chain Integration
Principal Investigator: Deborah Martin
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation
This project will explore the interactions of citizen groups and lawyers in place-based disputing. The proposed research will expose the
connections between legal practices and land-use outcomes. It will aid policy-makers, lawyers, social service providers and community groups
in their efforts to mediate land use conflicts and to realize less contentious resolutions.
The Socio-spatial Aspects of Industrial Change in Bolivia: Manufacturers, Regions, and the Prospects for Global Value Chain Integration
Principal Investigator: James Murphy
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation
Global economic trends indicate that while Latin America has generally struggled with export-led development, Asia's economies have prospered through increasing global market integration. The contrasts are particularly significant in the manufacturing sector, and the growing gaps between Asia and Latin America raise important questions about why Latin American manufacturers have been less successful in reaping the benefits of economic liberalization policies. Bolivian industries have performed particularly poorly. This study examines Bolivia's manufacturing sector and assesses the prospects for its firms and businesses to upgrade their production capabilities such that they might develop stronger ties to global markets.
The Socio-spatial Aspects of Industrial Change in Bolivia: Manufacturers, Regions, and the Prospects for Global Value Chain Integration
Principal Investigator: James Murphy
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation
Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) supplemental monies will fund two undergraduate students who will support the main project--on global value chain integration in Bolivia's wood products industry--by conducting a semi-independent analysis of forestry policies and their relationship to growth, innovation, and development in the wood products sector. The focus of their research activities will be on understanding how forest management policies are influencing the development of the industry and on determining the degree to which current policies are encouraging and facilitating sustainable management practices in Bolivia's forestry sector.
Continued Support of the Undergraduate Component of the HERO Program
Principal Investigator: Colin Polsky
Funding Agency: Henry David Thoreau Foundation
The Henry David Thoreau Foundation, in support of the undergraduate component of the Human-Environmental Regional Observatory (HERO) Program, has given funding for an additional year, to begin in August 2007. This funding will catalyze two new research tracks for the HERO program. Professor John Rogan will conduct a study of Central Massachusetts drumlins to explore trends in human-caused landform alteration and loss since 1970. Processor Colin Polsky will examine, with additional support from the National Oceanic and Oceanic Administration, how prepared New England fishing communities are to cope not only with variations in climate and ocean conditions, but also changes in national fish-catch policies and coastal suburbanization development pressures.
Suburbanization, Water-Use, Nitrogen Cycling & Eutrophication in the 21st Century: Interactions, Feedbacks & Uncertainties in a Massachusetts Coastal Zone
Principal Investigator: Colin Polsky and Robert Pontius
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation
The research examines the links between suburbanization and environmental factors while integrating basic research across disciplines. Click here for more information: www.clarku.edu/offices/publicaffairs/news/press/2007/NSFgrant.cfm and www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=110437&org=NSF&from=news
Plum Island Ecosystems LTER
Principal Investigator: R. Gil Pontius
Funding Agency: Subcontract with Marine Biological Laboratories, under NSF Prime Award
This is an integrated research, education and outreach program whose goal is to develop a predictive understanding
of the long-term response of watershed and estuarine systems at the land-sea interface to changes in climate, land use
and sea level. Understanding and predicting how multiple stresses affect the sustainability of ecosystems is one of the
most crucial challenges in environmental biology. How several aspects of global change influence organic matter and
nutrient biogeochemistry and estuarine food webs will be studied.
Action Research on a Collaborative, Multi-pronged Approach to Prevent and Reduce Youth and Gang Violence in Worcester, MA
Principal Investigator: Laurie Ross
Funding Agency: Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety
This collaborative action research project will work in partnership with the City of Worcester, the Worcester Police
Department, and Worcester Community Action Council to understand the effectiveness of the new Start Our Success (SOS) program.
This innovative program is designed to provide education, work readiness, counseling, and other support services to young people
coming out of jail or lock-up. The research team will examine the strengths and challenges of this program as it is being
implemented so as to help the City improve SOS in real time. Another aim is to follow the young people and other stakeholders
through the process in order to understand the extent to which the program allows them to maintain full-time, meaningful
employment and leave their gangs and illegal activities.
Diffusion of Emerging Energy Technologies within a State Context
Principal Investigator: Jennie Stephens
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation
This cross-disciplinary research examines the interconnected, state-level, socio-political influences on diffusion and
deployment of emerging energy technologies with potential to contribute to an energy system transformation for climate change
mitigation and energy security.
Demonstrating a Risk-Based Approach to Rapid Vulnerability Assessment in New England Fishery Communities
Principal Investigator: Seth Tuler; Co-PI's: Tom Webler, Colin Polsky
Funding Agency: National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, US Department of Commerce
Demonstrating a Risk-Based Approach to Rapid Vulnerability Assessment in New England Fishery Communities
The primary goal of our project is to demonstrate the practicality and utility of an innovative rapid vulnerability assessment
framework for gathering routine social, economic, and cultural information about vulnerabilities of sub-groups to inform
fisheries management decision-making. The information derived from assessments based on this framework can improve understandings
of potential vulnerabilities and disproportionate impacts arising from proposed regulatory changes.
HERO: Human-Environment Regional Observatory Network
Principal Investigator: B.L. Turner II
Funding Agency: Subcontract with Pennsylvania State University, under NSF prime award
Global environmental change is essentially a human problem. It results from myriad human actions occurring
in local places. At the same time, people experience and respond to global environmental changes in localities.
Consequently, there has been a proliferation of research centers and sites dedicated to studying the local
implications of the human dimensions of global environmental change (HDGEC). This project attempts to answer
critical questions about the complex relationships among individuals, communities, and their environments over
time and space, and to bring scientists, stakeholders, and decision makers together to address fundamental
issues linking nature and society.
Click here for a progress report of the HERO program, summarizing the start-up interval of the first seven years from summer 1999 to summer 2006.
The Vulnerability and Adaptive Capacity of Coupled Human-Environment Systems in the Southern Yucatán
Peninsular Region: A Transition Effort
Principal Investigator: B.L. Turner II
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation
Since 1997, a large, interdisciplinary project has been developing data and analysis to understand the human
and biophysical effects of deforestation, and to model and project land changes in the southern Yucatán. The
understanding gained is being used to develop insights about the vulnerability and resilience of coupled land uses
and land covers in the region, ultimately building toward a full-blown vulnerability study. This particular
research seeks to lay out some of the critical factors linked to sustained human disturbance and increasing
aridity (climate change) on the land systems of the area.
Landscape Resilience-Vulnerability in the Southern Yucatán Peninsular Region: Land Cover/Land Use Change
Co-Principal Investigators: B.L. Turner II, J. Ronald Eastman, and John Rogan
Funding Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
This project employs novel uses of NASA data and products to determine the changing resilience-vulnerability
of the land system and its capacity to provide a prescribed set of ecosystem services in the face of near-term
social and biophysical hazards. The consequences of deforestation and intensified land use towards creating more
deciduous forest and warmer landscape conditions, and how these affect landscape buffering capacity, will be examined.
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