{"id":748,"date":"2025-02-03T23:14:04","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T04:14:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.golive.clarku.edu\/school-of-climate-environment-and-society\/?page_id=748"},"modified":"2025-02-03T23:14:04","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T04:14:04","slug":"legacy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/climate-environment-society\/about\/legacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Clark\u2019s century of local and global research<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The School of Climate, Environment, and Society and its academic programs build on Clark University\u2019s legacy of leadership in climate and global change, drawing on over a century of pioneering work in geography, development studies, urban studies, natural resources governance, economics, earth system science, geospatial analytics, and environmental science.<\/p>\n\n\n

Our legacy<\/h1>
<\/div>
2025<\/span><\/div>
2025<\/div><\/div>
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\"Clark<\/div>\r\n
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Lou Leonard named Dean of School of Climate, Environment, and Society<\/a><\/h2>
\"Lou<\/a><\/div>
President David Fithian announces the appointment, effective May 1, 2025, of Lou Leonard as the inaugural D.J.A. Spencer Dean of the School of Climate, Environment, and Society. “As dean, Lou will lead interdisciplinary efforts \u2014 anchored in the School \u2014 to solidify Clark\u2019s recognition as a world-class contributor to confronting climate change and related ecological and social crises.”<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n
2025<\/div><\/div>
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\"Clark<\/div>\r\n
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First LEED Gold building at 20<\/a><\/h2>
\"science<\/a><\/div>

Clark marks 20 years since opening the Cathy \u201983 and Marc \u201981 Lasry Center for Bioscience, the first building in Worcester to receive nationally recognized Gold Certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. The 50,000-square-foot building\u00a0 houses laboratories, conference rooms, lounge spaces, faculty offices, and equipment for research and teaching in biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, and environmental science.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

2025<\/div><\/div>
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\"Clark<\/div>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n <\/div>

100 years of Economic Geography<\/a><\/h2>
\"two<\/a><\/div>

Economic Geography, the internationally peer-reviewed journal launched by Clark in 1925, celebrates its 100th year, led by Geography Professor and Editor-in-Chief Jim Murphy. The journal continues to delve into emerging global economic issues, including those related to climate change.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

2024<\/span><\/div>
2024<\/div><\/div>
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\"Clark<\/div>\r\n
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EPIC lab and greenhouse opens<\/a><\/h2>
\"plants<\/a><\/div>

The Experimental Plant Investigation Center (called the EPIC lab for short), a climate-controlled, energy-efficient, up-to-date laboratory and greenhouse for plant and insect behavior research \u2014 including studies related to the effects of climate and global change on organisms and ecosystems \u2014 opens in the Cathy \u201983 and Marc \u201981 Lasry Center for Bioscience. The EPIC lab includes the research labs of biology professors Chandra Jack and Kaitlyn Mathis.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

2024<\/div><\/div>
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\"Clark<\/div>\r\n
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The School of Climate, Environment, and Society<\/a><\/h2>
\"School<\/a><\/div>

A transformative $10 million gift by former trustee Vickie Riccardo and daughters Jocelyn and Alyssa Spencer \u201917<\/a> enabled establishment of the School of Climate, Environment, and Society. The gift endowed the school\u2019s inaugural D.J.A. Spencer deanship.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

2023<\/span><\/div>
2023<\/div><\/div>
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\"Clark<\/div>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n <\/div>

5th National Climate Assessment<\/a><\/h2>
\"James<\/a><\/div>

The U.S. government releases the Fifth National Climate Assessment, including a chapter led by Geography Professor Abby Frazier detailing the impacts of climate and global change on Hawai\u2018i and Pacific Islands.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

2023<\/div><\/div>
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\"Clark<\/div>\r\n
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Launching Sustainability & Social Justice<\/a><\/h2>
\"Laura<\/a><\/div>

Clark launches the Department of Sustainability and Social Justice, building upon decades of transformative, community-engaged work by faculty and students addressing local and global development and environmental issues.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

2023<\/div><\/div>
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\"Clark<\/div>\r\n
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Arctic Report Card leader<\/a><\/h2>
\"NOAA<\/a><\/div>

Internationally recognized polar scientist Karen Frey, a Clark geography professor, marks her 12th year as the lead author of an entry for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration\u2019s Arctic Report Card.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

2022<\/span><\/div>
2022<\/div><\/div>
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\"Clark<\/div>\r\n
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A new Center for Geospatial Analytics<\/a><\/h2>
\"sun<\/a><\/div>

Clark hires geographer Hamed Alemohammad to head the new Center for Geospatial Analytics, building on the legacy of the University\u2019s research and development in GIS. The center will play an entrepreneurial role in strengthening connections with industry and stakeholders outside Clark, according to Alemohammad .<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

2022<\/div><\/div>
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\"Clark<\/div>\r\n
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Addressing Mexico\u2019s Water Crisis<\/a><\/h2>
\"IDCE<\/a><\/div>

Led by Professor Tim Downs, Clark researchers from the Department of Sustainability & Social Justice, Graduate School of Geography, and Becker School of Design & Technology embark on a three-year, NSF-funded project in Central Mexico to work with local and federal governments, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and community stakeholders on how to alter their fate under climate change.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

2021<\/span><\/div>
2021<\/div><\/div>
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\"Clark<\/div>\r\n
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Marking 100 years of environmental research<\/a><\/h2>
\"NRC<\/a><\/div>

Clark\u2019s Graduate School of Geography marks the 100th anniversary of its founding and, in turn, 100 years of environmental \u2014 and subsequently \u2014 climate change research. President Wallace W. Atwood \u2014 a geographer himself \u2014 launched the school in September 1921. Today, the Graduate School of Geography is top-ranked by the National Research Council, which was established under the National Academy of Sciences.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

2018<\/span><\/div>
2018<\/div><\/div>
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\"Clark<\/div>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n <\/div>

Resilience in Puerto Rico<\/a><\/h2>
\"people<\/a><\/div>

After devastating hurricanes in Puerto Rico, Sustainability & Social Justice Professor Ram\u00f3n Borges-M\u00e9ndez co-founds Fundaci\u00f3n Bucarab\u00f3n, a nonprofit organization supporting women, farmers, and community economic empowerment initiatives in Maricao, a town in mountainous, western part of the island. The foundation\u2019s goal is to \u201cbuild back better,\u201d ensuring residents can survive \u2014 even thrive \u2014 in the face of future disasters.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

2018<\/div><\/div>
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<\/i><\/div>\r\n
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1.5 degrees Celsius<\/a><\/h2>
\"book<\/a><\/div>

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) releases a groundbreaking report about the urgency of the world\u2019s taking dramatic steps to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. If not, the world could see even more extreme weather, rising sea levels, and diminishing Arctic sea ice.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

2016<\/span><\/div>
2016<\/div><\/div>
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\"Clark<\/div>\r\n
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Climate Change Teach-In<\/a><\/h2>
\"climate<\/a><\/div>

Clark holds its second \u2014 and largest yet \u2014 Climate Change Teach-In, bringing together the campus for a deep consideration of the challenges to the planet\u2019s health. Activist and author Naomi Klein delivers the opening lecture, followed by more than 50 faculty- and staff-led panels, presentations, and open classes, assisted by a team of student facilitators.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

2012<\/span><\/div>
2012<\/div><\/div>
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\"Clark<\/div>\r\n
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Advising the EPA<\/a><\/h2>
\"EPA<\/a><\/div>

Robert Johnston, director of the George Perkins Marsh Institute and an environmental economist, is appointed to serve on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s Science Advisory Board, continuing his <\/span>work in advising and developing models to help the EPA and other federal agencies quantify the economic benefits of environmental protection. He develops methods contributing to how the EPA quantifies water quality benefits for nationwide regulatory impact assessments.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

2009<\/span><\/div>
2009<\/div><\/div>
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<\/i><\/div>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n <\/div>

Third World Climate Conference<\/a><\/h2>

The World Meteorological Organization convenes the Third World Climate Conference in Geneva to achieve \u201cbetter climate information for a better future.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

<\/div><\/div>
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\"\"<\/div>\r\n
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Clark\u2019s Climate Action Plan<\/a><\/h2>
\"carbon<\/a><\/div>

Clark University, under the leadership of President John Bassett, releases a Climate Action Plan outlining the University\u2019s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ultimately become carbon-neutral.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

2005<\/span><\/div>
2005<\/div><\/div>
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<\/i><\/div>\r\n
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First Global Day of Action<\/a><\/h2>
\"activists<\/a><\/div>

The first Global Day of Action occurs during U.N. climate talks in Montreal. Going forward, the annual event will spark worldwide protests to take action against human-induced climate change, including reducing fossil fuels.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

1997<\/span><\/div>
1997<\/div><\/div>
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<\/i><\/div>\r\n
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Kyoto Protocol<\/a><\/h2>

In Japan, industrially advanced nations agree to the Kyoto Protocol, the first international treaty to mandate the reduction of greenhouse gases.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

1995<\/span><\/div>
1995<\/div><\/div>
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\"Clark<\/div>\r\n
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\u2018Regions at Risk\u2019<\/a><\/h2>
\"book<\/a><\/div>

Part of a United Nations University research initiative, the Clark-based Project on Critical Environmental Zones publishes Regions at Risk: Comparisons of Threatened Environments<\/em>, an international, interdisciplinary report exploring nine regions facing large-scale, human-induced environmental changes. Editors are Jeanne X. Kasperson, research associate professor and research librarian for the George Perkins Marsh Institute, and geography professors Roger E. Kasperson and Billie Lee Turner. \u201cIn nearly all these regions, trajectories of change are proceeding to greater endangerment, sometimes rapidly so, while societal efforts to stabilize these trajectories and to avert further environmental deterioration are lagging,\u201d they conclude.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

1991<\/span><\/div>
1991<\/div><\/div>
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\"Clark<\/div>\r\n
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George Perkins Marsh Institute<\/a><\/h2>
\"book<\/a><\/div>

Clark establishes the George Perkins Marsh Institute, emerging out of earlier research clusters around environmental risk and hazards. The institute is named for George Perkins Marsh, who, in the 19th century, spoke of the impact of humans on the environment.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

1990<\/span><\/div>
1990<\/div><\/div>
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<\/i><\/div>\r\n
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Second Climate Conference<\/a><\/h2>

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) holds the Second Climate Conference in Geneva, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) releases its First Assessment Report, warning that human activities are increasing the atmospheric concentrations of the greenhouse gases, resulting in additional global warming.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

1988<\/span><\/div>
1988<\/div><\/div>
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\"Clark<\/div>\r\n
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United Nations University<\/a><\/h2>
\"United<\/a><\/div>

Clark Geography Professor Roger Kasperson promotes research and international discussions around global environmental change, receiving funding from the United Nations University. He also begins a National Science Foundation-funded examination of \u201cCritical Zones in Global Environmental Change: Comparing Driving Forces, Awareness, and Societal Response.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

1987<\/span><\/div>
1987<\/div><\/div>
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\"Clark<\/div>\r\n
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World-changing GIS software<\/a><\/h2>
\"Clark<\/a><\/div>

Under the direction of J. Ronald Eastman, Clark Labs debuts IDRISI, an integrated geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing software affordable and accessible to researchers, nonprofit organizations, and students around the world, essentially democratizing a valuable resource. Clark Labs\u2019 GIS and remote sensing software technologies are used by climate scientists worldwide.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

1987<\/div><\/div>
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\"Clark<\/div>\r\n
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\u2018The Earth Transformed by Human Action\u2019<\/a><\/h2>
\"book<\/a><\/div>

Organized by Clark geographers Robert Kates and Billie Lee Turner and Harvard\u2019s William C. Clark, an international symposium, \u201cThe Earth as Transformed by Human Action,\u201d draws widespread attention from the global scientific community. The symposium will help lay the foundation for the creation of Clark\u2019s George Perkins Marsh Institute, and encourage Clark\u2019s research in earth system science and sustainability science. Three years later, Cambridge University Press will publish The Earth as Transformed by Human Action<\/em>, co-edited by Turner and Kates. The book, a major stocktaking of the anthropogenic impacts on the planet and its ecosystems over 300 years, is deemed \u201ca landmark study.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

1985<\/span><\/div>
1985<\/div><\/div>
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\"Clark<\/div>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n <\/div>

Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment<\/a><\/h2>
\"Climate<\/a><\/div>

The Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) publishes the \u201cClimate Impact Assessment: Studies of the Interaction of Climate and Society,\u201d co-edited by Clark Geography Professor Robert Kates. The report notes that scientists widely agree \u201clong-term global warming \u2026 is underway\u201d and that a \u201cscientific study of climate and society will inform societal response.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

1982<\/span><\/div>
1982<\/div><\/div>
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\"Clark<\/div>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n <\/div>

Sustainable energy<\/a><\/h2>
\"facilities<\/a><\/div>

To further its sustainability practices, Clark opens the cogeneration plant, one of the first grid-connected such plants in the country. The plant\u2019s engine converts natural gas into steam for heat and electricity for lighting. Waste heat produced when generating electricity is captured and reused, while surplus energy in the form of electricity can be sold to the electrical grid.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

1980<\/span><\/div>
1980<\/div><\/div>
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\"Clark<\/div>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n <\/div>

Pioneering land change science<\/a><\/h2>
\"Billie<\/a><\/div>

The Graduate School of Geography hires Professor Billie Lee Turner II, who becomes an internationally recognized environmental research scientist and pioneer in the field of land change science. He later is named to the National Academy of Sciences, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and American Association for the Advancement of Science.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

1979<\/span><\/div>
1979<\/div><\/div>
\r\n
<\/i><\/div>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n <\/div>

First World Climate Conference<\/a><\/h2>

In Geneva, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) holds what is now called the First World Climate Conference.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

1975<\/span><\/div>
1975<\/div><\/div>
\r\n
<\/i><\/div>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n <\/div>

\u2018Global warming\u2019 emerges<\/a><\/h2>
\"chart<\/a><\/div>

The term \u201cglobal warming\u201d gains widespread use after publication of an article titled\u00a0 \u201cClimatic Change: Are We on the Brink of a Pronounced Global Warming?\u201d by U.S. geochemist Wallace Broecker in the journal Science.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

1970<\/span><\/div>
1970<\/div><\/div>
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<\/i><\/div>\r\n
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First Earth Day<\/a><\/h2>
\"new<\/a><\/div>

On April 22, the world \u2014 and Clark University \u2014 celebrates the first Earth Day, now an annual event that draws attention to environmental issues, most notably climate change. The first event sees pro-environment demonstrations in Washington, New York, and other cities, and litter cleanup throughout the country.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

1968<\/span><\/div>
1968<\/div><\/div>
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\"Clark<\/div>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n <\/div>

Increased environmental research<\/a><\/h2>
\"Roger<\/a><\/div>

Alumnus Roger Kasperson returns to Clark Geography, this time as a faculty member. An academic leader and world-renowned expert in risk assessment and the human dimensions of global change, Kasperson will join Robert Kates in building Clark\u2019s environmental research programs. Kasperson will be appointed to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board; elected to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, National Academy of Sciences, and American Academy of Arts and Sciences; and head the Stockholm Environment Institute.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

1965<\/span><\/div>
1965<\/div><\/div>
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<\/i><\/div>\r\n
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\u2018Greenhouse effect\u2019 warning<\/a><\/h2>
\"Presidential<\/a><\/div>

In its \u201cRestoring the Quality of Our Environment\u201d report presented to to President Lyndon B. Johnson, the U.S. President\u2019s Science Advisory Committee raises concerns about the \u201cgreenhouse effect.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

1962<\/span><\/div>
1962<\/div><\/div>
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\"Clark<\/div>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n <\/div>

Nobel-laureate-in-the-making<\/a><\/h2>
\"Robert<\/a><\/div>

Robert Kates begins his tenure on the geography faculty at Clark, where he lays the groundwork for research in global and climate change. An internationally recognized expert in human ecology, Kates later is appointed executive editor of Environment magazine, and to the National Academy of Sciences, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Academia Europaea. He and his fellow members on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will be awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

1939<\/span><\/div>
1939<\/div><\/div>
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\"Clark<\/div>\r\n
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Wind Chill Factor<\/a><\/h2>
\"Paul<\/a><\/div>

Clark first enters the arena of polar and climate studies via Paul Siple, who has accompanied Admiral Richard E. Byrd on two expeditions to Antarctica. Siple defends his Clark geography dissertation, \u201cAdaptations of the Explorer to the Climate of Antarctica,\u201d in which he develops the theory of the wind chill factor. He will join Byrd on three more expeditions and earn three Congressional Medals of Honor.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n