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Clark Students Explore and Experience the World

From researching the folk music culture of Austin, to interning at Booz Allen Hamilton in Washington, to studying biological diversity in Peru, Clark University undergraduates are fanning out across the globe this summer to gain knowledge and skills, explore careers, and build their résumés. Others are staying on campus, delving into the world of science. Funding from Clark is helping them pursue their goals. Below, meet some of the students pursuing projects and internships.

Arts and Humanities

brett iarrobino

Brett Iarrobino ’21

Majors: Theatre Arts, English
Minor: Education
Summer location: Worcester

Through a ClarkCONNECT Summer Internship Award, Brett is volunteering with Main IDEA, a nonprofit that organizes arts programs to foster self-confidence in children and teens. Putting his twin passions for theater and literature to work, he’s leading drama and creative writing activities for 10- to 16-year-olds in Clark’s Main South neighborhood. Brett also is assisting with Main IDEA’s customer service and fundraising. Along the way, he’s developing skills required of youth educators and seeing firsthand how a nonprofit operates.

brett iarrobino

Brett Iarrobino ’21

Majors: Theatre Arts, English
Minor: Education
Summer location: Worcester

Through a ClarkCONNECT Summer Internship Award, Brett is volunteering with Main IDEA, a nonprofit that organizes arts programs to foster self-confidence in children and teens. Putting his twin passions for theater and literature to work, he’s leading drama and creative writing activities for 10- to 16-year-olds in Clark’s Main South neighborhood. Brett also is assisting with Main IDEA’s customer service and fundraising. Along the way, he’s developing skills required of youth educators and seeing firsthand how a nonprofit operates.

Brett Iarrobino ’21

Majors: Theatre Arts, English
Minor: Education
Summer location: Worcester

Through a ClarkCONNECT Summer Internship Award, Brett is volunteering with Main IDEA, a nonprofit that organizes arts programs to foster self-confidence in children and teens. Putting his twin passions for theater and literature to work, he’s leading drama and creative writing activities for 10- to 16-year-olds in Clark’s Main South neighborhood. Brett also is assisting with Main IDEA’s customer service and fundraising. Along the way, he’s developing skills required of youth educators and seeing firsthand how a nonprofit operates.

Juliana Lugg

Juliana Lugg ’21

Major: Media, Culture, and the Arts
Summer location: New England

From the mountains to the coast, summer is a great time to visit the hidden corners of New England. A Steinbrecher Fellowship is supporting Juliana’s field trips to the smallest town in each of New England’s six states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Focusing on a different town each weekend, she’s exploring and interacting with local residents as the mood takes her, all the while taking photographs that will supply imagery for six short video documentaries, one for each town.

Juliana Lugg

Juliana Lugg ’21

Major: Media, Culture, and the Arts
Summer location: New England

From the mountains to the coast, summer is a great time to visit the hidden corners of New England. A Steinbrecher Fellowship is supporting Juliana’s field trips to the smallest town in each of New England’s six states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Focusing on a different town each weekend, she’s exploring and interacting with local residents as the mood takes her, all the while taking photographs that will supply imagery for six short video documentaries, one for each town.

Juliana Lugg ’21

Major: Media, Culture, and the Arts
Summer location: New England

From the mountains to the coast, summer is a great time to visit the hidden corners of New England. A Steinbrecher Fellowship is supporting Juliana’s field trips to the smallest town in each of New England’s six states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Focusing on a different town each weekend, she’s exploring and interacting with local residents as the mood takes her, all the while taking photographs that will supply imagery for six short video documentaries, one for each town.

Mikey Ippolito

Michael Ippolito ’21

Major: Undeclared/ Exploratory
Summer location: Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas, bills itself as “The Live Music Capital of the World.” Thanks to a Steinbrecher Fellowship, Michael is spending part of his summer exploring Austin’s traditional folk music scene — how it has developed, changed, and sometimes disappeared — from the outlaw country movement of the 1970s to the present. He posits that the best way to study folklore is to understand the lived experiences of communities of artists, organizers, creators, and average folks, all of whom take part in the cultural transmission process. His goal? To create a multimedia project composed of literary analysis, audio, and live musical performances.

Mikey Ippolito

Michael Ippolito ’21

Major: Undeclared/ Exploratory
Summer location: Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas, bills itself as “The Live Music Capital of the World.” Thanks to a Steinbrecher Fellowship, Michael is spending part of his summer exploring Austin’s traditional folk music scene — how it has developed, changed, and sometimes disappeared — from the outlaw country movement of the 1970s to the present. He posits that the best way to study folklore is to understand the lived experiences of communities of artists, organizers, creators, and average folks, all of whom take part in the cultural transmission process. His goal? To create a multimedia project composed of literary analysis, audio, and live musical performances.

Michael Ippolito ’21

Major: Undeclared/ Exploratory
Summer location: Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas, bills itself as “The Live Music Capital of the World.” Thanks to a Steinbrecher Fellowship, Michael is spending part of his summer exploring Austin’s traditional folk music scene — how it has developed, changed, and sometimes disappeared — from the outlaw country movement of the 1970s to the present. He posits that the best way to study folklore is to understand the lived experiences of communities of artists, organizers, creators, and average folks, all of whom take part in the cultural transmission process. His goal? To create a multimedia project composed of literary analysis, audio, and live musical performances.

Sciences

Shannon Reault '20

Shannon Reault ’20

Major: Environmental Science
Track: Earth System Science
Summer locations: Worcester, Pittsfield, Leominster

One of six undergraduate HERO (Human-Environment Regional Observatory) Fellows, Shannon is surveying the status of urban tree cover in Pittsfield and Leominster as part of an ongoing collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Greening the Gateway Cities Program. The program sponsors tree planting to increase the urban tree canopy in select neighborhoods. The HERO Fellows’ yearlong research project will result in presentations to stakeholders and at Clark’s Fall Fest and Academic Spree Day, which celebrate undergraduate research.

Shannon Reault '20

Shannon Reault ’20

Major: Environmental Science
Track: Earth System Science
Summer locations: Worcester, Pittsfield, Leominster

One of six undergraduate HERO (Human-Environment Regional Observatory) Fellows, Shannon is surveying the status of urban tree cover in Pittsfield and Leominster as part of an ongoing collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Greening the Gateway Cities Program. The program sponsors tree planting to increase the urban tree canopy in select neighborhoods. The HERO Fellows’ yearlong research project will result in presentations to stakeholders and at Clark’s Fall Fest and Academic Spree Day, which celebrate undergraduate research.

Shannon Reault ’20

Major: Environmental Science
Track: Earth System Science
Summer locations: Worcester, Pittsfield, Leominster

One of six undergraduate HERO (Human-Environment Regional Observatory) Fellows, Shannon is surveying the status of urban tree cover in Pittsfield and Leominster as part of an ongoing collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Greening the Gateway Cities Program. The program sponsors tree planting to increase the urban tree canopy in select neighborhoods. The HERO Fellows’ yearlong research project will result in presentations to stakeholders and at Clark’s Fall Fest and Academic Spree Day, which celebrate undergraduate research.

tayla-cormier

Tayla Cormier ’20

Major: Biology
Minors: Studio Art, Mathematical Biology and Bioinformatics
Summer location: Worcester

DNA, the information hub in all cells, is chemically modified in response to developmental and environmental signals. Supported by Clark’s Steinbrecher Fellowship, Tayla is exploring the role of DNA methylation, a chemical modification in the slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum, affectionately known as Dicty. Dicty is a model experimental organism used to by scientists to explore and understand the many cellular processes shared among eukaryotes — most living things, from algae to humans. Tayla is combining experimental and bioinformatic approaches to examine the importance of DNA methylation in Dicty.

tayla-cormier

Tayla Cormier ’20

Major: Biology
Minors: Studio Art, Mathematical Biology and Bioinformatics
Summer location: Worcester

DNA, the information hub in all cells, is chemically modified in response to developmental and environmental signals. Supported by Clark’s Steinbrecher Fellowship, Tayla is exploring the role of DNA methylation, a chemical modification in the slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum, affectionately known as Dicty. Dicty is a model experimental organism used to by scientists to explore and understand the many cellular processes shared among eukaryotes — most living things, from algae to humans. Tayla is combining experimental and bioinformatic approaches to examine the importance of DNA methylation in Dicty.

Tayla Cormier ’20

Major: Biology
Minors: Studio Art, Mathematical Biology and Bioinformatics
Summer location: Worcester

DNA, the information hub in all cells, is chemically modified in response to developmental and environmental signals. Supported by Clark’s Steinbrecher Fellowship, Tayla is exploring the role of DNA methylation, a chemical modification in the slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum, affectionately known as Dicty. Dicty is a model experimental organism used to by scientists to explore and understand the many cellular processes shared among eukaryotes — most living things, from algae to humans. Tayla is combining experimental and bioinformatic approaches to examine the importance of DNA methylation in Dicty.

Ishraq Chowdhury

Ishraq Chowdhury ’21

Major: Mathematics
Minor: Computer Science
Summer location: Clark University

Ishraq is spending his summer on the Clark campus, working on a project with Professor Jacqueline Dresch, whose research often sits at the intersection of mathematics and biology. The project, “Investigating the Ability of Bioinformatic Algorithms to Accurately Predict Protein DNA Binding Interactions,” builds upon and expands existing work done previously by Professor Dresch’s research assistants. The project will determine a way, given biological data, to identify both transcriptional binding sites in large-scale data sets, and regress binding motif frequency against mismatch energy.

Ishraq Chowdhury

Ishraq Chowdhury ’21

Major: Mathematics
Minor: Computer Science
Summer location: Clark University

Ishraq is spending his summer on the Clark campus, working on a project with Professor Jacqueline Dresch, whose research often sits at the intersection of mathematics and biology. The project, “Investigating the Ability of Bioinformatic Algorithms to Accurately Predict Protein DNA Binding Interactions,” builds upon and expands existing work done previously by Professor Dresch’s research assistants. The project will determine a way, given biological data, to identify both transcriptional binding sites in large-scale data sets, and regress binding motif frequency against mismatch energy.

Ishraq Chowdhury ’21

Major: Mathematics
Minor: Computer Science
Summer location: Clark University

Ishraq is spending his summer on the Clark campus, working on a project with Professor Jacqueline Dresch, whose research often sits at the intersection of mathematics and biology. The project, “Investigating the Ability of Bioinformatic Algorithms to Accurately Predict Protein DNA Binding Interactions,” builds upon and expands existing work done previously by Professor Dresch’s research assistants. The project will determine a way, given biological data, to identify both transcriptional binding sites in large-scale data sets, and regress binding motif frequency against mismatch energy.

ibrahim ozec

Ibrahim Ozgenc ’20

Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Summer location: New York City

Cancer remains one of the most serious threats to human health, in part because most treatments have tended to use a “one-size-fits-all” approach. As an intern at the Englander Institute for Precision Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, Ibrahim is engaged in research using the methods of precision and computational medicine to develop individualized cancer treatments based on each patient’s unique genome. Ibrahim is using 3D tumor structures grown by culture to identify the best therapy option for a given patient. He’s also conducting RNA sequencing and downstream computer analysis to better understand the underlying genetic expression of tumor cells.

ibrahim ozec

Ibrahim Ozgenc ’20

Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Summer location: New York City

Cancer remains one of the most serious threats to human health, in part because most treatments have tended to use a “one-size-fits-all” approach. As an intern at the Englander Institute for Precision Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, Ibrahim is engaged in research using the methods of precision and computational medicine to develop individualized cancer treatments based on each patient’s unique genome. Ibrahim is using 3D tumor structures grown by culture to identify the best therapy option for a given patient. He’s also conducting RNA sequencing and downstream computer analysis to better understand the underlying genetic expression of tumor cells.

Ibrahim Ozgenc ’20

Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Summer location: New York City

Cancer remains one of the most serious threats to human health, in part because most treatments have tended to use a “one-size-fits-all” approach. As an intern at the Englander Institute for Precision Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, Ibrahim is engaged in research using the methods of precision and computational medicine to develop individualized cancer treatments based on each patient’s unique genome. Ibrahim is using 3D tumor structures grown by culture to identify the best therapy option for a given patient. He’s also conducting RNA sequencing and downstream computer analysis to better understand the underlying genetic expression of tumor cells.

Sadie Murray

Sadie Murray ’21

Majors: Biology, Geography
Summer location: Peru

Located in the Amazon rainforest of northeast Peru, the Tamshiyacu Tahuayo Regional Conservation Area is renowned for the diversity of its wildlife. Sadie is counting wildlife in the Yarapa River region — birds and fish by day, and bats, amphibians, and caimans by night — using various methods: boat-based surveys, point counts, gillnet and rod surveys, and food-based surveys using mist nets or camera traps. The wildlife counts are part of a long-term study of the impact of climate change on this region and its indigenous residents. In addition to advancing her knowledge of conservation biology, Sadie will contribute research that adds to scientists’ understanding of biological diversity.

Sadie Murray

Sadie Murray ’21

Majors: Biology, Geography
Summer location: Peru

Located in the Amazon rainforest of northeast Peru, the Tamshiyacu Tahuayo Regional Conservation Area is renowned for the diversity of its wildlife. Sadie is counting wildlife in the Yarapa River region — birds and fish by day, and bats, amphibians, and caimans by night — using various methods: boat-based surveys, point counts, gillnet and rod surveys, and food-based surveys using mist nets or camera traps. The wildlife counts are part of a long-term study of the impact of climate change on this region and its indigenous residents. In addition to advancing her knowledge of conservation biology, Sadie will contribute research that adds to scientists’ understanding of biological diversity.

Sadie Murray ’21

Majors: Biology, Geography
Summer location: Peru

Located in the Amazon rainforest of northeast Peru, the Tamshiyacu Tahuayo Regional Conservation Area is renowned for the diversity of its wildlife. Sadie is counting wildlife in the Yarapa River region — birds and fish by day, and bats, amphibians, and caimans by night — using various methods: boat-based surveys, point counts, gillnet and rod surveys, and food-based surveys using mist nets or camera traps. The wildlife counts are part of a long-term study of the impact of climate change on this region and its indigenous residents. In addition to advancing her knowledge of conservation biology, Sadie will contribute research that adds to scientists’ understanding of biological diversity.

Faustna Owusu

Faustina Owusu ’21

Major: Computer Science
Summer location: Washington, D.C.

Faustina’s ClarkCONNECT Summer Internship Award will take her to Booz Allen Hamilton, one of the oldest and most prestigious technology and management consulting firms in the world. Executive Vice President Gary Labovich ’81, one of the first alumni participants in ClarkCONNECT, ensures that Clark students like Faustina are able to secure valuable work experiences to supplement what they’ve learned in the classroom — and make connections that will help them in the future.

Faustna Owusu

Faustina Owusu ’21

Major: Computer Science
Summer location: Washington, D.C.

Faustina’s ClarkCONNECT Summer Internship Award will take her to Booz Allen Hamilton, one of the oldest and most prestigious technology and management consulting firms in the world. Executive Vice President Gary Labovich ’81, one of the first alumni participants in ClarkCONNECT, ensures that Clark students like Faustina are able to secure valuable work experiences to supplement what they’ve learned in the classroom — and make connections that will help them in the future.

Faustina Owusu ’21

Major: Computer Science
Summer location: Washington, D.C.

Faustina’s ClarkCONNECT Summer Internship Award will take her to Booz Allen Hamilton, one of the oldest and most prestigious technology and management consulting firms in the world. Executive Vice President Gary Labovich ’81, one of the first alumni participants in ClarkCONNECT, ensures that Clark students like Faustina are able to secure valuable work experiences to supplement what they’ve learned in the classroom — and make connections that will help them in the future.

Social Sciences

Jake Sullivan

Jake Sullivan ’20

Major: Psychology
Summer location: Worcester

Thanks to Clark’s Steinbrecher Fellowship, Jake is researching the relationship between queer youth and social media. In particular, he wonders: Do young people identifying as LGBTQ+ believe they have the same opportunities to express and explore their identities online as their heterosexual and/or cisgender peers? Learning how the development of gender identity and sexual orientation is influenced by social media, Jake suggests, can be used to make social media networks more queer-affirmative and intentional, to develop queer-inclusive media-literacy lesson plans, and to contribute to the creation of culturally sensitive therapies.

Jake Sullivan

Jake Sullivan ’20

Major: Psychology
Summer location: Worcester

Thanks to Clark’s Steinbrecher Fellowship, Jake is researching the relationship between queer youth and social media. In particular, he wonders: Do young people identifying as LGBTQ+ believe they have the same opportunities to express and explore their identities online as their heterosexual and/or cisgender peers? Learning how the development of gender identity and sexual orientation is influenced by social media, Jake suggests, can be used to make social media networks more queer-affirmative and intentional, to develop queer-inclusive media-literacy lesson plans, and to contribute to the creation of culturally sensitive therapies.

Jake Sullivan ’20

Major: Psychology
Summer location: Worcester

Thanks to Clark’s Steinbrecher Fellowship, Jake is researching the relationship between queer youth and social media. In particular, he wonders: Do young people identifying as LGBTQ+ believe they have the same opportunities to express and explore their identities online as their heterosexual and/or cisgender peers? Learning how the development of gender identity and sexual orientation is influenced by social media, Jake suggests, can be used to make social media networks more queer-affirmative and intentional, to develop queer-inclusive media-literacy lesson plans, and to contribute to the creation of culturally sensitive therapies.

Erin Shull

Erin Shull ’19, MBA ’20

Major: Management
Summer location: Washington, D.C.

National Strategies LLC is a consulting firm that helps organizations generate revenue and growth, solve problems, and create opportunities with state and local governments. A ClarkCONNECT Summer Internship Award will support Erin in her work at National Strategies, as part of an immersive learning experience designed for students who are curious about American politics and governance.

Erin Shull

Erin Shull ’19, MBA ’20

Major: Management
Summer location: Washington, D.C.

National Strategies LLC is a consulting firm that helps organizations generate revenue and growth, solve problems, and create opportunities with state and local governments. A ClarkCONNECT Summer Internship Award will support Erin in her work at National Strategies, as part of an immersive learning experience designed for students who are curious about American politics and governance.

Erin Shull ’19, MBA ’20

Major: Management
Summer location: Washington, D.C.

National Strategies LLC is a consulting firm that helps organizations generate revenue and growth, solve problems, and create opportunities with state and local governments. A ClarkCONNECT Summer Internship Award will support Erin in her work at National Strategies, as part of an immersive learning experience designed for students who are curious about American politics and governance.

Manal Ahmed

Manal Ahmed ’21

Majors: Political Science, English
Summer location: New York City

Manal is using her ClarkCONNECT Summer Internship Award to spend two months working at the Pakistani Mission to the United Nations. In addition to attending conferences and meetings, engaging in analytical work, and contributing to the formation of organizational policy, she plans to use her time at the U.N. to gather information for and develop a research and reflection paper. She hopes this experience will help her find important links between policymaking, literature, and human rights.

Manal Ahmed

Manal Ahmed ’21

Majors: Political Science, English
Summer location: New York City

Manal is using her ClarkCONNECT Summer Internship Award to spend two months working at the Pakistani Mission to the United Nations. In addition to attending conferences and meetings, engaging in analytical work, and contributing to the formation of organizational policy, she plans to use her time at the U.N. to gather information for and develop a research and reflection paper. She hopes this experience will help her find important links between policymaking, literature, and human rights.

Manal Ahmed ’21

Majors: Political Science, English
Summer location: New York City

Manal is using her ClarkCONNECT Summer Internship Award to spend two months working at the Pakistani Mission to the United Nations. In addition to attending conferences and meetings, engaging in analytical work, and contributing to the formation of organizational policy, she plans to use her time at the U.N. to gather information for and develop a research and reflection paper. She hopes this experience will help her find important links between policymaking, literature, and human rights.