Ram Sharma, Editor in Chief
Ram Sudhir Sharma ’19 is a physics and philosophy double-major with a minor in mathematics. His academic pursuits bring him much joy and occasional unhappiness and he can often be found around campus asking random questions off random people. His work in physics is in soft matter and he is currently working on mixing of fluids of different viscosities (when added with grains), and resultant instabilities. His work in philosophy is on an ancient Greek philosopher — Gorgias — on the nature of persuasion, manipulation, and its impact on free-action.
Shelby Spohn, Executive Editor
Shelby Spohn ’20 is a biochemistry major with a minor in political science and a concentration in health, science, and society. She is currently the executive editor in her second year with SURJ. She continues to overcommit herself by acting as a first responder with Clark’s Rapid Response team, volunteering in the endoscopy suite at UMass Memorial, and serving on the Pre-Health Society Executive Board. Her favorite Worcester meal is the vegetarian khao soi at Thai Time and she’ll be sad to leave it when pursuing medical school.
Joseph McElwee, Editor of Peer Review
Joseph McElwee ’19 is a chemistry major with minors in biology and environmental science. With varied interests in environmental and green engineering, pre-hospital health care, the public service professions, and higher education, his current career aspirations include attending medical school and acquiring a residency in emergency medicine. When not in the labs of Clark’s Sackler Sciences Center or on call with our on-campus emergency service organization, Rapid Response, as an EMT, Joseph can be found binge-watching Game of Thrones, eating an obnoxious amount of food, or spending time at Acoustic Java.
Ibrahim Ozgenc, Director of Operations
Ibrahim is a biochemistry and molecular biology major. Being very research-oriented, he believes SURJ is an essential organization for Clark to promote research on campus. Ibrahim co-founded a website called “The Science Weekly” where he writes short research articles mostly on the molecular pathways of diseases/disorders. In his free time, you will see Ibrahim either playing basketball or in the gym lifting, as he thinks it is the best way to relieve the stress and boost endorphin levels. Ibrahim conducted research in institutions like University College London and is very interested specifically interested in the fields of neuroscience and cancer biology.
Kaiomi Inniss, Director of Outreach and Marketing
Kaiomi Inniss ’19 is a global environmental studies major, with a concentration in urban development, and a minor in creative writing. She is the director of marketing and outreach. With interests in critical race theory, city planning, urban design, and sustainable environmental systems, Kaiomi aspires to combine these interests and complete a master’s in urban design. In her free time, Kaiomi loves to write and read short story collections, munch on too many Oreos, and do yoga!
Io Brooks, Editor of Copy Editing and Content
Iolanthe Brooks ’19 is a geography and sociology double-major, and this year’s editor of copy editing and content. Beyond her passion for correctly placed punctuation, she loves critical theory, qualitative research, and criminal justice reform. Last year, Iolanthe published a piece on carceral geographies and community corrections, and this year she has been working on a thesis project on prison transfers as carceral mobilities. Iolanthe can be found chatting, at museum free nights, or running (late) across campus.
Manal Ahmed, Deputy Editor
Manal Ahmed ’21 is a political science and English major and a deputy editor for SURJ. She enjoys creative writing, zine-making, baking lots of banana bread, and surviving on copious amounts of tea and coffee over the course of the school year.
Michael O’Connor, Deputy Editor
Michael O’Connor ’20 is a physics major with minors in mathematics and data science. When not running late to SURJ meetings because he forgot this week’s location, Michael can be found frantically pacing about the basement of the Physics Department working on his research. When responsibilities must inevitably be postponed in place of self-care, Michael loves sleeping, practicing piano, climbing, swimming, and sleeping. He also enjoys sleeping.
Nadav Battat, Deputy Editor
Nadav Battat ’20 is a philosophy major with minors in both physics and mathematics. He has been a member of SURJ since his first year and plans on continuing to play an active role in the journal’s future. Nadav is fascinated by the philosophical implications of contemporary theories in physics, such as general relativity and quantum mechanics. He has designs to eventually go to law school, perhaps taking Clark up on its fifth-year MBA program beforehand.
Ryan King, Editor of Design and Layout
Ryan King ’19 is a computer science major and sociology minor. At SURJ he is the editor of design and layout and previously designed Clark’s student-run newspaper, “The Scarlet,” for three years. After graduation, he hopes to lead teams to build impactful and elegant software and live in an aesthetic apartment. In his spare time, Ryan bakes treats that are mostly consumed by his roommates, plays games on his PS4, and cracks way too many unfunny jokes.
Emma Carleton, Deputy Editor of Design and Layout
Emma Carleton ’20 is an art history and studio art double-major and the deputy editor of design and layout for this year’s journal. Being involved with multiple facets of an arts education, Emma hopes to get more involved with this in the future by becoming an art teacher. When not in the studios at the Traina Center for the Arts here at Clark, Emma enjoys going to local art museums, trying food spots around Worcester, and warming up the kitchen while baking new recipes for her friends to try.
Liana Shpani, Web Editor
Liana Shpani ’21 is a physics major with minors in mathematics and computer science. In her free time, she loves re-watching her favorite shows and movies, or hanging out with her (few) friends. Her dream is to go to graduate school for physics and pursue a career in research/academia.