C l a r k U n i v e r s i t yG r a d u a t e S t u d e n t C o u n c i l

7 t h A n n u a l M u l t i d i s c i p l i n a r yC o n f e r e n c e

Grace and Lurie Conference RoomsUniversity Center

1 April 2009

page 2 Schedule4 Dr. David Fullerton5 Session i9 Session ii13 Session iii17 Session iv23 Poster Session31 Session v35 Session vi39 Session vii43 Session viii47 Acknowledgements48 Graduate Student Council

Index of Presenters and Sessions

PFollowing Dr. Fullerton’s keynote address, there will be a reception

for all graduate students sponsored by Alumni A�airs and theGraduate Student Council. Please join us for hors d’œurves and

refreshments in the Multipurpose Room of Dana Commons.

Schedule9:00–9:30 Refreshments · Abraham’s Gallery

9:30–9:45 Opening Remarks · Grace Conference RoomDr. Nancy Budwig, Dean of Graduate Studies

9:45–10:30 Session i · Grace Conference RoomSocial Issues in Developing Countries

Session ii · Lurie Conference RoomDiscussions on Gender

10:40–11:40 Session iii · Grace Conference RoomChanging Needs in Education and Scholarship

Session iv · Lurie Conference RoomRethinking Norms

11:45–1:00 Lunch for presenters and associatedfaculty/sta� · Rosenblatt Conference Room

Poster Session · Abraham’s Gallery

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1:00–1:45 Session v · Grace Conference RoomA Taste of New England

Session vi · Lurie Conference RoomAt Clark and Beyond

1:55–2:55 Session vii · Grace Conference RoomPerspectives on Religion

Session viii · Lurie Conference RoomMeasurement and Detection

3:00–4:00 Keynote Address · Grace Conference RoomDr. David FullertonSustainability and the Specialty Co�ee Revolution

Travel Awards PresentationGraduate Student Council Travel AwardsCommittee

4:00–6:00 Reception · Dana Commons MultipurposeRoom / Sponsored by the Alumni Associationand Graduate Student Council

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Dr.David FullertonKeynote Speaker – Sustainability and the Specialty Co�eeRevolution

David Fullerton owns and manages Acoustic Java, a co�eeshopat 932 Main Street. He got his B.A. in Interdisciplinary Hu-manities from the University of San Diego and his Ph.D.in English Literature from Brown University. He has taughtEnglish as an adjunct faculty member at Holy Cross and As-sumption Colleges. David began his co�ee career at the Co�eeExchange in Providence, RI, and has been roasting beans formore than four years now. He bought Acoustic Java in June2007 and may often be found working behind the counter.When he isn’t managing Acoustic Java, David enjoys runningand playing soccer,playing pool, reading all forms of �ction andthe newspaper, and spending time with family and friends.

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Session iGrace Conference Room

9:45–10:30

Social Issues in Developing Countries

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Ashley Cataldoacataldo@clarku.eduHistory · Advisor: Janette Greenwood

Hosea Ballou, Universalism, and the Promise of the Revolution,1805–1820

Hosea Ballou (1771–1852), itinerant preacher of radical univer-salism in early nineteenth-century America, and a number ofother preachers from New England, all took part in writingand publishing sermons and pamphlets in heated debates from1805 to 1820. �is series of arguments reveals how preachers,struggling for power and survival in an era of increasing de-nominational instability, understood the consequences of eter-nal damnation and Puritan theology for a new nation.

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Session i

Kevin Surpriseksurprise@clarku.eduidsc · Advisor: Ken MacLean

�e World Social Forum: Space, Movement or Process?

�e World Social Forum (wsf), a gathering of activists fromaround the globe as the antithesis to the World EconomicForum, is a relatively recent phenomenon. So recent, in fact,that scholars and activists from a number of disciplines andideological persuasions continue to struggle in their attemptsat theorizing and contextualizing what it actually “is.” Givenits amorphous framework, the most contentious debates sur-rounding the wsf are seemingly simple questions: what is theWorld Social Forum, and what should it be? I will attemptto review the debates over these questions from both peo-ple deeply involved in the wsf process, and also those whocritique and o�er ideas from the sidelines. In reviewing theliterature, it appears evident that there are essentially threecentral debates that endeavor to answer the basic questionsposed above, and they can be categorized as: World SocialForum: Existential, World Social Forum: Political, and theWorld Social Forum’s relation to the global “social justice” (or“anti-globalization”) movement. I begin with a brief history ofthe wsf, and then focus largely on examining the argumentsabout what the world social forum is (and/or what it could be),followed by framing its relation to wider anti- or alternativeglobalization movements (with the explicitly political nature ofthe wsf falling ambiguously in-between). I then briey discussthe wsf’s implications for the development �eld, particularlydevelopment theory and social movements.

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Session i

Carly Edwardscedwards@clarku.eduidce · Advisor: Liza Grandia

�e United States Peace Corps as a Tool for Development?

�e United States Peace Corps will reach its 50th year of con-tinuous operation in 2011.During this time period,over 195,000Americans have served as Peace Corps volunteers (pcvs) in139 countries (Peace Corps 2008). Today approximately 7,900pcvs are serving in 76 countries. Considering its broad reach,it is not surprising that there has been much debate over therole and success of the Peace Corps (PC) throughout its longhistory. Recently there has been a notable exchange betweentwo leaders in the agency about the e�cacy of Peace Corps’structure and its historical achievements. Robert Strauss, for-mer PC county director in Cameroon,argues that Peace Corpshas “never lived up to its purpose or principles” (2008b:1), whileRonald Tschetter, PC director from 2006–2009, contends that“our dedicated, passionate volunteers represent America at itsbest and brightest, and their work is needed now more thanever” (2008b:1). I will examine this debate using historical andcontemporary accounts of pcv’s experiences and accomplish-ments, views of local people on pcvs in their communities,and my experience as a pcv in Morocco from 2005–2007. �edearth of literature and research on the impacts of pcvs in thecommunities where they serve leaves unanswered the questionof whether volunteers are an important tool for internationaldevelopment or if Peace Corps service provides more bene�tsto the volunteers and US government. I will describe areas ofresearch that will provide insight into this debate, including myown research plans for the summer.

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Session i

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Session iiLurie Conference Room

9:30–9:45

Discussions on GenderP

Dianne Bergdberg@clarku.eduEnglish · Advisors: Virginia Vaughan & SunHee Gertz

“�e Girl Patriot:” Personal vs. Political Sacri�ce in Joan theWoman

In the wake of D.W. Gri�th’s 1915 blockbuster �e Birth ofa Nation, American �lmmakers were inspired to explore themedium’s potential as a means of bringing history to life. �efollowing years saw a proliferation of historical epics, amongwhich Cecil B. De Mille’s Joan the Woman is a particularlyambitious example. Released in 1916 (at the height of WorldWar I and midway between Joan’s beati�cation and canoniza-tion), the �lm o�ered a romantic interpretation of the life ofJoan of Arc, using a conventionally feminine heroine to elicitAmerican sympathy for the plight of contemporary France.Joan the Woman adds up to a piece of nationalist propagandaevery bit as impassioned as Gri�th’s saga of the ReconstructionSouth, but despite its popularity in the United States, the �lmfailed to resonate with French audiences until its re-release ina radically edited version. �is disparity of reception, rooted in

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Session ii

the �lm’s uniquely “American” approach, invites comparison ofthe ways nations interpret – and reinterpret – their identifyingsymbols. By juxtaposing De Mille’s earthy portrayal of France’snational heroine – so accessible to American moviegoers – withher established position as an icon whose divine guidance andterrible death represented France’s importance in the eyes ofGod, this paper addresses the ways Joan of Arc’s inexhaustibleadaptability ensured that both American and French audiencesultimately got the cinematic Joan that suited the di�ering – yethighly speci�c – purposes of their respective nations.

Asha Singhassingh@clarku.eduidce · Advisor: Halina Brown

Gender Analysis of Biogas as Potential Renewable energy inRural Nepal

Two billion people of sixteen countries in South and South-East Asia, rely on biomass fuel for cooking, space-heating andagro-processing. Traditionally, women of these regions are re-sponsible for supplying the household energy, and fuel woodis the major source for it. E�cient and renewable form ofenergy use came into practice with the changes in the genderfocused energy policies, international discourses about climatechange and pressing needs of reduction of greenhouse gases,technological advancements. Renewable energy is expectednot only to bring environmental change, but also drive socialand economic change. Improved biomass energy technologyis expected to contribute in four out of seven mdgs: reducinghunger, reducing child mortality, ensuring environmental sus-tainability and increasing gender equality and empowermentTaking example of Nepal, with a focus on biogas as potential

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Session ii

form of biomass energy, the paper identi�es signi�cant gap ingender based approach to renewable energy promotion thusunderlining the gender inequality.

Allison Petrozzielloapetrozziello@clarku.eduidce · Advisor: Barbara �omas-Slayter

Feminized Financial Flows: Gender Dimensions of RemittanceManagement in Honduran-US Transnational Families

Remittances – the earnings immigrants send home to theirfamilies – now total approximately $318 billion worldwide. �is�nancial ow is twice as large as o�cial development aid andnearly two-thirds of all foreign direct investment to developingcountries – and most of it is sent directly to women livingin poverty. It does not surprise then, that many developmentpolicymakers and practitioners now hail remittances as thenext “silver bullet” solution to poverty and women’s empow-erment – if only they can “leverage” these funds to stimu-late economic development in migrants’ countries of origin.Remittances are not public funds to be allocated, however.Rather, remittances constitute private transfers within familieswho are stretched across two or more nations. Women �gureprominently in these transnational families, as both remittancesenders/migrants and remittance managers/caretakers of thoseleft behind. Drawing on Patricia Pessar and Sarah Mahler’s“gendered geographies of power”framework,my research seeksto understand the shifting gendered aspects of family life thatgovern the sending and spending of economic remittances.�rough multi-sited interviews with Honduran immigrants inAlexandria, Virginia and their family members in Nacaome,Valle, Honduras, this study traces the transfers in twenty

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Session ii

transnational families in order to reveal the many gender di-mensions of remittance management that may help or hinderfamilies’ ability to achieve their economic goals. By identifyinghow gender shapes family responsibilities, economic opportu-nities, mobility, and decision-making power, this study aims tocontextualize remittances within the Honduran-US familieswho migrate to stay aoat in a global economy in ux.

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Session iiiGrace Conference Room

10:40–11:40

Changing Needs in Education and ScholarshipP

Rahul Rakshitrahulbabaji@gmail.comGeography · Advisor: Robert PontiusAdditional Authors: Yelena Ogneva-Himmelberger

Application of virtual globes in education

�e advent of virtual globes and online mapping has generatedinterest in spatial representations of data among many non-geographic communities, including educators and researcherswho have very little to no expertise in geospatial technologies.In this article, we give a state-of-the-art survey of existingvirtual globes and review the existing teaching applicationsrelated to them. We focus on the four most popular virtualglobes (Google Earth; NASA World Wind; Microsoft Vir-tual Earth Earth; and Skyline Globe), illustrating their variousapplications and comparing their capabilities, with a particularemphasis on educational aspects. We also explain the distinc-tion between the virtual globes and various online mappingapplications, such as Google Maps mash-ups.

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Session iii

Diane Boucherdboucher@clarku.eduHistory · Advisor: Janette Greenwood

�e Howard Industrial School for Colored Women and Children:Examining the Freedmen’s Bureau Migration Experiment in

Cambridgeport, Massachusetts

Following the Civil War, thousands of destitute freed peopleocked to Washington, DC depleting the limited resources ofthe Freedman’s Bureau. Women and children were among themost desperate arrivals. In response to requests for assistancefrom General Charles H. Howard, Anna C. Lowell and herfriends actively organized the Howard Industrial School Asso-ciation for Colored Women and Children in Cambridgeport,Mass., in 1866.

�e Freedmen’s Bureau agreed to pay transportation coststo the school located just outside Boston if it provided viablealternatives for freed persons’ education and employment. �eHoward Industrial School originally intended to teach domes-tic skills to adult women for employment in urban homes. �efounders modi�ed their goals and expectations once the freedwomen and children came north with their own goals andexpectations.

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Session iii

Kevin Keenan &Danielle Fontainekkeenan@clarku.edu, dfontaine@clarku.eduGeography · Advisor: David DiBiasio (wpi)

Research Methods in Geography at Clark University: A Grounded�eory Exploration

�e ways in which undergraduate students learn researchmethods in geography has not been studied, despite the cen-trality of �eld research to the discipline and the growing focusin higher education on student-centered learning. �e fewpedagogical articles that exist on research methods focus oncourse description as informed by the instructor’s perspective.Our research employs a grounded theory framework, allow-ing the students’ voices and ideas to shape a theory of howthey themselves learn research methods. In collaboration withthe students, we develop a theory that helps us understandstudent experiences of learning research methods and theireducational needs in this core geography course. Two focusgroups, a survey, and semi-structured interviews with ClarkUniversity undergraduate students taking a research methodsclass reveal three points about research methods in geography:1) Research methods need to be taught in conjunction withgeographic theories; students struggle with understanding therole of theory in research design; 2) Student experiences suggestthat research methods are best learned in small-group discus-sion sessions; and 3) using a social science approach to facilitatestudent learning in the various sub-disciplines (e.g., gis, criticalgeographies) may be problematic.

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Session iii

Joshua Flaccaventojaccavento@clarku.eduEnglish · Advisor: Betsy Huang

Hypertext Fiction as Interactive Literature

As print publishing declines, new forms of electronic narrativeare springing into being for computers, mobile phones andgaming systems. Most are created for purely commercial pur-poses and display an alarming lack of critical depth. Literaturein English risks obsolescence if it does not adapt to these newmedia with new ways of thinking about the construction andfunction of narrative.

Hypertext �ction is at the vanguard of this exciting con-vergence. My thesis research has led me to a more systematicunderstanding of its principles and I have begun to apply theseto the creation of a hyper�ction of my own, entitled, “�e Pat-terns of Night.” My presentation will demonstrate one of thefundamental concepts I have investigated during this research –interactivity – and attempt to apply it by allowing audiencemembers to explore the text on their own…and to contributeto its future forms.

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Session ivLurie Conference Room

10:40–11:40

Rethinking NormsP

Michael Geheranmgeheran@clarku.eduHistory – hgs · Advisor: �omas Kuehne

�e Collapse of Comradeship: German-Jewish WWI Veteransunder Hitler

In the early years of the �ird Reich, German-Jewish veteranswere largely exempt from the initial wave of Nazi racial lawssuch as the Arierparagraph of 1934. Of Germany’s half millionJewish citizens, 100,000 served in the armed forces duringthe First World War – of these, 12,000 were killed and anestimated 35,000 decorated for bravery or exemplary service.WWI had been viewed as an opportunity for Germany’s Jewishcommunity to demonstrate its allegiance and solidarity withthe fatherland, a chance to prove to their fellow countrymenthat they were, in fact, �rst and foremost Germans. Despitecautious optimism amongst Jewish veterans that their wartimeservice provided refuge from Nazi persecution, their protectedstatus was short-lived. Jewish war veterans who remained inGermany were eventually deported to ghettos or concentrationcamps, apparently with little more than token protests from themilitary or veterans’ leagues. e

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Session iv

e My paper focuses on the experience of German-Jewishwwi veterans prior to and during the �ird Reich. Speci�cally,I will explore the relationship between the German militaryestablishment, to include the veterans’ leagues, and former sol-diers of Jewish descent. Based on archival research, I will beanswering the following questions: To what extent was Ger-man identity a shared trait for Jewish veterans – did they regardthemselves as ordinary German soldiers? Were German Jewsaccepted as Kameraden in the eyes of their peers, speci�callyby the greater veterans’ community and the German militaryestablishment? How were these men seen through the rubricof Germany military culture – did perceptions change in theimmediate post-war era or only later under Hitler? What werethe reasons behind Hitler’s ambivalence towards Jewish veter-ans during the initial phases of Nazi persecution? Finally, whydid these veterans believe they were “safe” under the Nazis? Inaddition, this paper will try to establish whether the treatmentof Jewish vets by the SS, given their status as ex-soldiers, wasdi�erent from that of ordinary Jews at Nazi concentrationcamps.

Jaclyn Pennyjpenny@clarku.eduEnglish · Advisor: James Elliott

American past made strange: historicizing literature through thelens of archive

�roughout the life of modern historic �ction, novelists havebeen using and including the archive in their work. Americanwriters from the early republic to the present have recreatedevents using found fragments and frequently excerpting it in

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Session iv

their texts. Inspired by period newspaper articles, both Han-nah Foster’s �e Coquette (1797) and Nancy Horan’s LovingFrank (2007) access lost lives by remaking them �ctively. Mypresentation will largely be informed by my thesis, teasingout the intersection of history, �ction, and the archive, wherethe distinctions are and how they stay in place throughoutthe creative process. �e route to and preservation of truthremains one of the most contentious areas of the academy andone addressed by library science, literary studies and historicalresearch. My study considers their placement in alternativehistories, imagined histories, entangled histories and �ctivehistories. Subsequently, this paper will draw from my secondchapter which considers contemporary novelist’s constructionof the past.

In his Rethinking American History in a Global Age, �omasBender calls for American history to be made strange. Follow-ing the trajectory of the three overlapping disciplines, whatliterature brings to this proverbial history/archive table couldpotentially answer Bender’s challenge; the creative process it-self can reintroduce this sense of unfamiliarity. My purpose isto show, however, this strangeness is extracted not from histor-ical discourse but emerges from literary engagement with thearchive. �e resulting contradictions of imaginative renderingssigni�cantly reliant on the historic record therefore mediatebetween history and its primary sources.

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Session iv

AlexanderMarriottamarriott@clarku.eduHistory · Advisor: Amy Richter

Comfortable and Incurious Men: Contours of the AmericanPopular Reaction to Darwin, 1860–1893

�e American popular response to Darwin’s theory of evolu-tion through natural selection was largely muted initially due tothe Civil War.After that conict ended the response to Darwinwas characterized by two not unrelated veins of thought. �e�rst related to whether Darwin’s ideas were compatible withChristian metaphysics, and the second dealt with the implica-tions of his ideas for human evolution, speci�cally the presenceof di�erent races among men. Ultimately, much of the popularresponse indicated a level of comfort with the reconciliationof natural selection to a mystical metaphysics and an all toowilling disposition to graft a new science-laden language ontopre-existing racist prejudices.

Jody Russell Manningjmanning@clarku.eduHistory – hgs · Advisor: �omas Kühne

�e Legacy of Utopian Visions on Oswiecim

Most visitors to the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum ne-glect to acknowledge the surrounding city of Oswiecim. Infact, “Auschwitz” seemingly and symbolically overshadows thetown of Oswiecim entirely. Historically, several geographic andideologically structured utopian visions of how to reconstructand “improve” the city have played out, each having left theirdistinctive and lasting mark. �is presentation elucidates theseutopian visions attempted in the city of Oswiecim, from Nazi

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Session iv

Germanic to Communist, with special focus on their legacyand inuence. Whilst “Auschwitz” is the central symbol, it isimportant to remember the living space of Oswiecim, as itsresidents continue to deal with the legacy of imposed utopianvisions.

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Session iv

22

Poster SessionAbraham’s Gallery

11:45–1:00

P

Michael Lindgrenmlindgren@clarku.edugisde · Advisors: Dominik Kulakowski & Ron Eastman

Mountain Pine Beetle Range Expansion and ClimateTeleconnections

�is study is designed to examine possible teleconnections be-tween climate phenomena and range expansion of the Moun-tain Pine Beetle (mpb). �is species is a quick responder tochanges in climate trends and will quickly take advantage ofnewly suitable habitats. �ese expansions are a function ofclimate trends in western North America becoming warmerand drier. �ese conditions are favorable to mpb and causestress to their primary host species, lodgepole pine. Once atree is stressed, its defenses are lowered and infestation is morelikely to occur.Looking into how climate anomalies or patternsare a�ecting these two species, insight into the relationshipsbetween ecological parameters and these phenomena can beachieved.

�e quanti�cation of possible teleconnections is achievedthrough various statistical means. Principal components anal-ysis (Eastman and Fulk, 1993) will be used to identify seasonalvariability, climate oscillations and in theory, other large-scale

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Poster Session

phenomena that have an a�ect on the data set being used.Multiple regression analysis between Normalized Di�erenceVegetation Index time series and various known climate oscil-lation indices will show to what degree they co-vary. �e useof empirical orthogonal teleconnections as posited by van denDool (2000) will be used to �nd to what degree the time series’co-vary in both all space and in all time.

It is the goal to �nd how, if at all, climate teleconnectionscan explain the recent rapid expansions of the mpb in thewestern United States. �is will be achieved through telecon-nections between climate and susceptible stands of lodgepolepine.

Lena Alazawilalazawi@clarku.eduidsc · Advisor: David Bell

Iraqis in Egypt

�e 2003 war on Iraq has created a mass inux of refugeesescaping the violence and terrorism in their country. �ey areleaving for multiple reasons, but chiey because of the violence,which the UN estimates claimed more than 34,000 lives lastyear, and the rational fear that the new Iraq will be run by reli-gious demagogues intent on turning back the clock on issues ofreligious equality, their daughters’ access to education and pro-fessional lives, and freedom of thought and expression. After alifetime of living under dictatorship and fear, and now living infear due to the lack of security, Iraqi youth are struggling withtheir families to �nd, not only basic needs abroad as refugees,but searching for their identities and roles abroad. �eir familyand friendship networks have been strained, their attendance

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Poster Session

in schools declined, and their socialization with other youth isextremely limited. How this a�ects them and the future of Iraqare discussed in this paper.

Angela de Diosadedios@clarku.eduPsychology · Advisor: Je�rey Arnett

Exploring ethnic identity in Asian American emerging adults

Emerging adulthood is a period in the life cycle between theages 18 to around 25 that is characterized as the age of possibili-ties, the age of feeling in between, the age of instability, the selffocused age, and the age of identity explorations. �ese iden-tity explorations take place in work, romance, and worldviews.However, immigrants must also establish their ethnic identity.�is is di�cult because American values often conict withthe values of the immigrants’ culture of origin, and these dif-ferences are di�cult to reconcile. In order to explore how AsianAmerican emerging adults construct their ethnic identities,qualitative interviews were conducted with 30 Asian Americanemerging adults and quantitative questionnaires were given aswell. When asked whether they felt more American, moreAsian, or both, there was a wide range in responses. Someemerging adults felt more American, others felt more Asian,and some felt like they were a good mix of both. �ere weresome emerging adults that didn’t identify with either categoryand felt out of place in either setting. �ere were also manycases where there was a change over time; in childhood theyfelt ashamed of their Asian heritage, but as they exploredtheir identity in emerging adulthood they were better able tocombine the two cultures. �is study highlights the di�culty

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Poster Session

of establishing an ethnic identity and draws attention to thedi�ering experiences of immigrant emerging adults.

Katherine Lacasseklacasse@clarku.eduPsychology · Advisor: Joseph de Rivera

Using Commonality of Death to Expand the Circle of Care

My research examines a way to overcome in-group favoritismand out-group derogation by reframing the way people thinkabout death. Terror Management �eory research has shownthat mortality salience (awareness of one’s own eventual death)leads people to strongly uphold their own cultural worldview,appreciating and helping people who support it and lookingdown upon those who believe di�erently. In contrast, I hypoth-esize that when people are asked to consider the common-ality of death, they will be more compassionate rather thanmore prejudiced and may spread their pro-social behaviorsto a wider range of people, expanding their in-group circle.My participants are 60 Clark undergraduates, with 20 in eachcondition. Each receives $3.00 as payment for participating.Participants are randomly assigned to one of three mortalitysalience conditions and asked to either write about their owndeath, about the death of all people, or about watching tele-vision (neutral). �ey then �ll out series of questionnaires tocheck the e�ects of the writing prompts. Finally, participantsread summaries of two literacy charities, one strictly Americanand one international. �ey are then given the opportunity todonate some of their $3.00 payment to these charities. Boththe total amount donated and how the donation is split willbe analyzed. I hypothesize that participants in the common

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Poster Session

mortality condition will donate more to the international char-ity and those in the individual mortality condition will donatemore to the American charity.

Xi Liuxiliu1008@gmail.comidce · Advisors: Timothy Downs & Robert Goble

Prospects for Improving Urban Water Service Provision in China

My research focuses on the current privatization situa-tion of urban water services in China, including the pri-vatization models presently used and the analysis of sev-eral problems associated with the process. Furthermore, myresearch includes a detail description of the �rst city inChina experiencing privatization and based on that, exploreshow these problems could be addressed from the govern-ment, consumers, industry and water corporations’ perspec-tives.

�is paper is divided into four parts. �e �rst part brieydescribes the general situation in China, including a briefintroduction of the size and range of the urban water ser-vice and the current problems. �e second part focuses onthe introduction of the urban water service in France andbriey describes the construction and advantages of the Frenchmodel and other countries. �e third part analyzes the presentmainstream models of the urban water service, including bot,Joint Venture, and Combination & Purchase and also theirbasic characteristics and one particular case-Shenzhen WaterIndustry Corporation. (Ke, 2006) Based on the analysis, the

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Poster Session

�nal part of the paper concludes that there are many ad-vantages in the reformation of the urban water service, in-cluding enough funds to renew current waterworks construc-tion, lowering operating costs and increasing economic ef-�ciency. On the other hand, there are also some signi�cantproblems with the government, corporations, and industry. Fi-nally, the paper puts forwards that several recommendationscould be taken by government, corporations, industry and cus-tomers to improve the privatization of urban water services inChina.

Prajna Regmipregmi@clarku.eduidce · Advisor: Ronald J. Eastman

Indian Ocean Dipole: Relationship with El Niño-SouthernOscillation and Teleconnections in South Asia

Teleconnections are recurring and persistent large-scale pat-terns observed in our climate system that spans over a widerange of spatial and temporal scales. �ey are responsible forgenerating abnormal weather patterns such as droughts andoods that can severely disrupt human life. Over the pastfew decades, availability of remotely sensed data has facilitatedthe discovery and understanding of various teleconnections.Among many identi�ed teleconnection patterns, recently theIndian Ocean Dipole (iod) has received much attention fromthe scienti�c community concerning its existence independentfrom El Niño-Southern Oscillation (enso). It is characterizedby anomalous cooling of sea surface temperature (sst) in thesouth eastern equatorial Indian Ocean and anomalous warm-ing of sst in the western equatorial Indian Ocean. Variousstudies claim that the iod is responsible for causing droughts

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Poster Session

and ooding in the Indo-Paci�c region. �is study aims to ex-amine the independence of iod from enso and investigate theimportant teleconnention signals particularly over the SouthAsian domain. Linear Modeling and Empirical OrthogonalTeleconnections techniques are employed on monthly sst, at-mospheric pressure and precipitation image series over a periodof 26 years from 1982 to 2007. �e study enhances our under-standing of Indian Ocean dynamics and reveals the regionalclimate variability in South Asia.

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Poster Session

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Session vGrace Conference Room

1:00–1:45

A Taste of New EnglandP

Katherine Doironkdoiron@clarku.eduidce · Advisor: Gil Pontius

Vulnerability to Sea Level Rise of Habitats in the KennebecEstuary, Maine

�is study examines macrophyte habitat in the upper Ken-nebec Estuary in mid-coast Maine, the largest freshwater tidalestuary in the state. �e estuary and adjoining rivers support17 rare, threatened or endangered aquatic tidal plants and oneexemplary freshwater tidal natural community. While this areahas been recognized as a conservation focus area of ecologicalimportance and was delineated by �ve state departments, twoprivate non-pro�t organizations and the US Fish and WildlifeService (usfws) in 2007, no prior studies had been conductedwhich modeled both the potential suitable habitat of the rareplants within the estuary and the impacts sea level rise will haveon this habitat. �is study incorporates gis methods for mod-eling sea level rise and habitat suitability for two rare plants inthe Kennebec Estuary, Sagittaria rigida and Sagittaria calycina.In order to assess vulnerability of these habitats and to make

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Session v

recomme ndations for data needed to improve the accuracy ofthe models, a series of maps were produced to highlight at riskareas within the estuary for a 0.8 meter sea level rise scenario.

Quinton Sankofaqrobinson@clarku.eduidce · Advisor: Miriam Chion

Linked by our Past. Bound Together by our Future: An analysis ofthe social tensions between Africans and Black Americans in

Worcester, Massachusetts

African Immigration to the United States has dramaticallyincreased since 1970. At that time there were about 61,500Africans living in the US. Current estimates suggest thereare now over 1 million. As is the case with other immigrantgroups, Africans tend to settle in large cities like Houston,Atlanta, or New York. �e cities in which African immigrantschoose to settle also have high concentrations of African-Americans (Washington DC and Atlanta, for example). �isphenomenon creates an unprecedented level of social interac-tion between African-Americans and Africans. Indeed, this isthe �rst time such large numbers of Africans have voluntarilyentered the country.

Since the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Africans in America,as well as their descendants, have debated their connection andrelationship with Africa and her people. �e current increasein African immigration to the US has thrust this debate into anew context. As Africans interact with African-Americans incities throughout the country, interesting and complex socialtensions are arising between the two groups. �e relationshipbetween these two groups has been neglected as a topic ofimportance for community developers. If those of us working

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Session v

in the realm of community development are to remain true tothe task of creating communities that enhance the quality oflife for all people, especially those who have been and currentlyare oppressed, then examining the social tensions betweenAfricans and African-Americans is extremely important. Us-ing Worcester as a case study this paper seeks to enrich ourunderstanding of this topic.

KristinaMarie Gonzalezkgonzalez@clarku.eduBiology · Advisor: Linda M. Kennedy

Experience-induced changes in sugar receptor cell �ring in responseto fructose and glucose in Drosophila melanogaster

A taste induction hypothesis i.e. that sensitivity for a stimulusincreases with repeated exposure to it, or similar stimuli, hasbeen supported in taste and smell. A variety of data fromrodent, insects and humans suggest a peripheral nervous systemlocus for experience induced changes in chemosensory sensi-tivity.

Here we show �rst, that experience induced changes insugar taste sensitivities occur in Drosophila melanogaster. Sec-ond, the changes take place in or before the sugar taste receptorcell. D. melanogaster reared with a fructose based mediumchose to eat more glucose or fructose at various concentrationsthan ies reared on a glucose based medium in both two choiceand multi choice behavioral tests.

�ird, in neurophysiological recordings of action poten-tials in sugar taste receptor cells reveal that fructose rearedies responded to fructose or glucose with signi�cantly greater�ring rates than the receptor cells of ies reared on glucosemedium. Further, a signi�cant positive correlation between the

33

Session v

behavioral and the neurophysiology data suggests that at leasta portion of the changes in behavior results from the changesin the receptor cell �ring. �ese are the �rst data to show thatexperience induced changes in sugar taste responses take placein the sugar taste cells and indicate a biological locus for themechanism(s) in or before the taste receptor cells.

34

Session viLurie Conference Room

1:00–1:45

At Clark and Beyond

P

William A.Conigliowconiglio@clarku.eduPhysics · Advisor: Charles Agosta

Clark University Pulsed Field Laboratory: A Clarkie approach toscience

Clark’s logo features the catchphrase, “Challenging Conven-tion, Changing our World.” Putting aside the tagline feel, Ilike to interpret it terms of graduate research to mean that weshould apply creative and ingenious solutions to solving verylarge problems. To illustrate one application of the tagline inthe sciences, I will give a slideshow tour of the Clark UniversityPulsed Field Laboratory as it appears today, after 18 years ofdevelopment by Prof. Agosta and a large number of graduateand undergraduate students. For this informal talk, please feelfree to interrupt me for questions at any time.

35

Session vi

Adepero Oladeindeaoladeinde@clarku.eduidce · Advisor: Henry BulleyAdditional Author: Rumika Chaudhry

Clarkie’s Virtual Housing

Incoming Clark students are often posed with the dilemmaof �nding suitable or desirable o�-campus housing for them-selves.

�e aim of this project is to create a dynamic o�- campushousing database for Clark students in the form of a website.We propose to develop a user friendly interface with visual toolssuch as interactive maps and pictures which will allow the userto visually assess the available housing options. �e websitewill be able to perform tasks such as measuring distance toschool and other facilities such as laundromats, restaurants andgrocery stores.�e website will also provide information on theavailability of Clark Escort Service to the selected housing.

With the use of Linux,Apache,MySQL, php, xml, htmland Google api, we intend to create a database of all o�-campus housing based on the listings advertised on the Clarkwebsite for the past two years. Based on the information avail-able, such as description, address, contact information of thelandlords and pictures, we will 1) geocode addresses of proper-ties that have been available for rent for the last two years, 2)geocode addresses of nearby facilities, 3) make use of GoogleRouting Systems to retrieve the route information betweenhousing and facilities, and 4) update the statuses on availabilityof housing.

36

Session vi

Hamil Pearsallcpearsall@clarku.eduGeography · Advisor: Colin Polsky

Linking the Stressors and Stressing the Linkages: HumanVulnerability and Brown�eld Redevelopment in New York City

�is paper operationalizes models of vulnerability that showfeedbacks and interactions among vulnerabilities to multi-ple hazards and vulnerability dimensions through a study ofbrown�eld redevelopment in New York City. To examine howmitigating human exposure to one urban environmental hazard– soil contamination – a�ects the vulnerability of local residentsto additional environmental hazards, this study develops a vul-nerability scoping diagram (vsd) to identify components thatcontribute to a community’s vulnerability based on the the-matic analysis of �fty-�ve interviews with residents from fourneighborhoods with brown�eld redevelopment activities inNew York City. �e resulting analysis demonstrates the com-plex interactions among vulnerability dimensions, since resi-dents indicated environmental gentri�cation associated withbrown�eld redevelopment could a) increase exposures to en-vironmental hazards like ooding and air pollution, b) increasesensitivities by increasing the cost of living and eliminatinglocal job sources,and c) decrease adaptive capacities by weaken-ing community networks, eliminating a�ordable housing op-portunities, and straining local services. A causal model of vul-nerability to the negative impacts of brown�eld redevelopmentis subsequently developed to further demonstrate the linkagesamong exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity to multiplestressors. �is research also provides measures that stakehold-ers can monitor and evaluate over time to track the socio-spatial and environmental implications of hazard mitigation.

37

Session vi

38

Session viiGrace Conference Room

1:55–2:55

Perspectives on ReligionP

Joanna Sliwajsliwa@clarku.eduHistory – hgs · Advisor: Debórah Dwork

Hidden Children Become Priests: �e Story of Romuald JakubWeksler-Waszkinel and Grzegorz Pawłowski ( Jakub Hersz

Griner)

�e aim of this paper is to discuss the theological dimension ofthe Holocaust by concentrating on individual stories to explorethe dilemmas faced by hidden children, and the di�cult reli-gious and identity implications caused by the Holocaust. �ispaper focuses on two exceptional stories of resistance, faith,survival, and bridging of two religious traditions and identities.It is a story about how the Holocaust a�ected the choice ofreligion and the torn identity of two Jewish children who hadbeen hidden by gentiles in Nazi-occupied Poland: RomualdJakub Weksler-Waszkinel and Grzegorz Pawłowski ( JakubHersz Griner), both of whom became Catholic priests in post-war Poland.�e stories of these two hidden children provide aninsight into the di�cult theological aspects of post-Holocaustreality and the issues of choice, conviction, obligation, loyalty,

39

Session vii

and memory. �is paper also sheds light on the ways in whichthese two survivors coped and were able to reconcile with theirlegacy as hidden children.

Ryan C. Jonesrjones@clarku.eduHistory · Advisor: Virginia M. Vaughan

�e Merchant of Venice and the Concern of Anti-Semitic Discourse

Is William Shakespeare’s �e Merchant of Venice a work of anti-Semitism? Critics and scholars of Shakespeare have addressedthe issue. Many have tendered an opinion, others refuse tocomment and thereby justify the debate. I employ a historian’sapproach and o�er a de�nitive interpretation of the supposedanti-Semitic content of �e Merchant of Venice.

Nancy Goedhartnjgoedhart@gmail.comidce · Advisor: William Fisher

Beyond �ou Shall Not

�e road to the left is lined with religions, faith practices andfaith-based institutions. Each one shouts to the traveler thatthey possess a way to believe, a way to act, a way to live.�e road to the right is lined with many dimensions of thehiv/aids pandemic. Every few feet there is another dimensionclaiming to be the most important aspect of the disease rangingfrom prevention education to the most recent medical break-throughs.Each dimension clamors for the passers-by attention.�ey scream out, “Focus on me and end hiv/aids!” �ese tworoads don’t seem to share an overabundance of similarities. Yet,

40

Session vii

there is a place of signi�cance that they do share – the inter-section. �is research will provide a survey of the intersectionwhere the road of faith and the road of hiv/aids meet.

�is overview facilitates an examination of how faith-basedorganizations are currently responding to the hiv/aids crisis.A case will be made as to why the relationship between faith-based organizations and hiv/aids is both compelling andrelevant to future dialogues about changing the course of thedisease. More speci�cally, this essay will demonstrate that it istime to lay aside previously held assumptions about faith-basedorganizations’motivations, strategies and techniques. �ese as-sumptions only restrict the debate and the analysis of their role.Simultaneously, this research will o�er a critique of faith-basedorganizations assumptions about the proper way to facilitatetheir hiv/aids response as they engage issues of sexuality,stigma and faith.

Alexis Herraherr@clarku.eduHistory – hgs · Advisor: Debórah Dwork

Religious Institutions and Memory after Genocide: �e Rwandanand Armenian Genocides

In the wake of the Rwandan and the Armenian genocides,religious communities and churches continue to operate asimportant vehicles of memory. �e mass murder that occurredin and around Rwandan churches, o�ciated the devastatingforce of genocide. Following the Rwandan genocide, churchesbecame sites of memorialization, reconciliation, and prayer.�ey have managed to exist as important vessels of memory fora recovering society.However, in the Armenian case,Armenian

41

Session vii

churches in present-day Turkey have been abandoned, dese-crated, and used as sites of political propaganda. In responseto the state sponsored denial of the Armenian genocide, Ar-menian church communities around the world have taken itupon themselves do what cannot be done in Turkey – activelyremember and memorialize murdered Armenians.

�e central question framing my talk is: How have Rwan-dan and Armenian churches and/or church communitieshelped maintain and/or continue memory after genocide? �isquestion is the aggregate to several others: How do the dif-fering pretexts of the Rwandan and Armenian genocides at-tribute to the ways in which churches and church communitiesmemorialize the genocide? How do memorialization e�ortsby Rwandan and Armenian church communities di�er? Howare they similar? What role, if any, did churches or churchcommunities play during the genocides? What happened tochurches during and after the genocides? What have churchesand or church communities accomplished in regards to pre-serving memory after genocide?

42

Session viiiLurie Conference Room

1:55–2:55

Measurement and DetectionP

Benoît Parmentierbparmentier@clarku.eduGeography · Advisor: Ron Eastman

Detecting and categorizing changes using remotely sensed timeseries: Typology of land cover transitions in multivariable space at

multiple temporal scale

Land cover transitions constitute an important component ofstudy in global environmental change as it can alter Earth sys-tem functioning. In this context, detection and understandingof broad land cover changes is important in scienti�c agenda.�is research studies land use and land cover transitions usingtime series of remotely sensed variables such as ndvi and Landsurface temperature. �e annual temporal signatures of landcover are used to detect land transition. Most change studieshave focused on temporal di�erencing and critical points of theannual signatures. We propose to focus on the changes in theshape of the annual curves. In the �rst stage, we decomposeannual remotely sensed signals using the Fourier transformand examine to what extent we are able to detect changes inthe properties of land cover by using Fourier amplitudes and

43

Session viii

phases. In the second stage, we create a typology of transitionsfor sample sites loca ted around the world. �ese sites providefurther insight in land transitions and their associated remotelysensed signals. Early results suggest that this technique canbe useful for detecting and understanding land transitions.In particular, agricultural intensi�cation and disintensi�cationwere detected in some sites. Future work will provide betterunderstanding of the potential of this technique in studyingand understanding land use and land cover changes.

William A.Conigliowconiglio@clarku.eduPhysics · Advisor: Charles AgostaAdditional Authors: Laurel E.Winter,Kyuil Cho,Braunen E.Smith,C.C. Agosta

Upper Critical Field and Phase Diagram Studies forλ-(BETS)2GaCl4

Superconductivity, despite its discovery in 1911 and intenseongoing research, remains an unsolved mystery of physics. Iwill discuss superconductivity in layered materials, provide anoverview of our measurement technique, and present resultsfrom recent experiments at the Clark University Pulsed FieldLaboratory. We used a tunnel diode oscillator (tdo) operatingat 390 MHz to measure the in-plane penetration depth of asingle crystal of λ-(BETS)2GaCl4 in pulsed �elds orientedboth parallel and perpendicular to the conducting planes. Weused temperatures down to 400 mK and measured three di�er-ent samples. I will show a phase diagram in temperature andmagnetic �eld using a false-color plot in which the upper crit-ical �eld splits below 0.35 Tc into two transitions and present

44

Session viii

evidence arguing for the presence of a Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinikov (fflo) state. I will also point out the existenceof a surprising set of transition lines lower than Hc2 in λ-(BETS)2GaCl4 and compare them to the same experiment onβ′′-(BEDT-TTF)2SF5CH2CF2SO3, where we observed thefflo state similarly, but with no lower transitions. �e verylowest transition is identical in all samples, and each transitiongives a signature in zero-�eld temperature sweeps.

Scott Broosbroo@clarku.eduidce · Advisors: John Rogan & Amy Ickowitz

Mapping presence and absence of an invasive plant species insouthern Cameroon with satellite imagery

Monitoring invasive species is of particular interest to manyland management and conservation agencies around the world.Chromolaena odorata, native to tropical America, now hasa wide range throughout much of global tropics, includingWest and Central Africa. Qualitative research has identi�edC. odorata as a potential driver of a�orestation in southernCameroon. �e objective of this study is to model the pres-ence and absence of C. odorata in a pilot study region usingLandsat Enhanced �ematic Mapper Plus (etm+) imagery. Asimple Boolean overlay method of classi�cation yielded a moreaccurate prediction of species presence than conventional clas-si�cation algorithms.�e results of this study will contribute toa greater knowledge of the distribution of C. odorata, and howLandsat imagery can be e�ectively used to model presence andabsence of invasive species.

45

Session viii

Florencia Sangermanofsangermano@clarku.eduGeography · Advisor: Ronald J. Eastman

Inferential monitering of global change impact on biodiversity

One of the fundamental aspects of assessing the impact ofclimate change on biodiversity is the monitoring of biodiversityand ecosystems. With current trends in global changes, thereis a need for a rapid assessment of biodiversity status for con-servation and management purposes.

Current approaches to monitoring biodiversity rely mainlyon long term observations of predetermined sites and re-sampling of previously surveyed regions, with the disadvantagethat they require large amounts of time, money and person-nel to be executed. �e use of remotely sensed data has highpotential for the inference of ecological status, because withsatellite images it is possible to monitor large areas in shortperiods of time. Despite this known advantage and the largeamount of remotely sensed data publicly available, just a fewdatasets (mostly related to land cover and elevation) have beenused for this purpose.

In this work I present a method that combines per-speciesmeasures of sensitivity, marginality and range restriction, to-gether with changes in climate conditions to generate mapsof the impact of environmental change on biodiversity. �emethod was applied to 6362 species of mammals, amphibiansand birds of South America, identifying the Andes, Patagoniaand Atlantic forest as areas most impacted by environmentalchange.

46

AcknowledgementsPutting a conference together requires the cooperation of manypeople and groups. �e Graduate Student Council ConferencePlanning Committee is thankful for the help and encourage-ment of the Clark community. We would especially like to rec-ognize a number of individuals, without whom this conferencewould not have been possible:

G Special thanks to Nancy Budwig, Dean of Graduate Studiesand Research, for her continuing support and advocacy forgraduate students and research.

G Denise Robertson, the Graduate Student Coordinator, andher student assistants for their help in making this conferencepossible, and helping gsc with its day to day operations; wecould not complete half of what we do without her help.

G Dr. David Fullerton, for sharing his time and insight withus and enriching Main South with some of the best co�ee inNew England.

G �e faculty and sta� of all the graduate programs at Clark,for providing a constructive and intellectually stimulating aca-demic environment, without which we could not do our re-search.

G �e Alumni O�ce and Garrett Abrahamson, for their con-tinued support through yearly sponsorship of the receptionfollowing this conference.

G Iris Arsenault and the sta� of Curry Printing. JoanneMacMillan in the Events Planning o�ce. John Vaporis in MediaServices. Kim McElroy in Dining Services.

G Past conference planning committees, who have createdgoodwill toward this event and a basis for our planning.

47

Graduate Student Councilhttp://clarku.edu/~gsc/

�is year’s conference planning committee included AndyConiglio, Kevin Keenan, Scott Broo, Kate Doiron, KringleDaly, Carly Edwards, and all the session chairs. Scott Broochaired the Travel Awards Committee. Andy Coniglio set thetype for the book with editorial assistance from Kevin Keenanand Carly Edwards. Kringle Daly drew the cover art.

�e Graduate Student Council at Clark University holdsopen meetings every two weeks at a time convenient for itsmembership. (Currently Mondays at noon.) We plan events,appropriate money from our budget of student activity fees, siton University committees, and provide graduate student inputto administrators making decisions. In addition to the o�cers,each department is allowed two representatives. If there is anopening in your department, there is no formal process tobecome a council member. Simply start coming to the meet-ings and voice your opinion. Agenda items frequently includeevent planning, appropriation requests, health insurance andstipends, University policy, and campus services. Pizza andbeverages accompany each meeting.

O�cers of the Council include Co-presidents Scott Brooand Andy Coniglio, Treasurer Diane Boucher, and Adminis-trator Kate Doiron. Active department representatives includeKringle Daly, Physics / Nicole Dewberry, English / Jill DiMe-dio, idce / Carly Edwards, idce / Roberta Hawkins, Geog-raphy / Ryan Jones, History / and Kevin Keenan, Geographyand cetl. Wei Li serves as gsom liason.

See the gsc website http://clarku.edu/~gsc/ for informa-tion on our next meeting.

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Index of Presenters and Sessions

Alazawi, Lena, posterBerg, Dianne, iiBoucher, Diane, iiiBroo, Scott, viiiCataldo, Ashley, iConiglio, William A., vi,viiide Dios, Angela, posterDoiron, Katherine, vEdwards, Carly, iFlaccavento, Joshua, iiiFontaine, Danielle, iiiGeheran, Michael, ivGoedhart, Nancy, viiGonzalez, Kristina Marie, vHerr, Alexis, viiJones, Ryan C., viiKeenan, Kevin, iii

Lacasse, Katherine, posterLindgren, Michael, posterLiu, Xi, posterManning, Jody Russell, ivMarriott, Alexander, ivOladeinde, Adepero, viParmentier, Benoît, viiiPearsall, Hamil, viPenny, Jaclyn, ivPetrozziello, Allison, iiRakshit, Rahul, iiiRegmi, Prajna, posterSangermano, Florencia, viiiSankofa, Quinton, vSingh, Asha, iiSliwa, Joanna, viiSurprise, Kevin, i

q