Harrison Bass, of Morganville, 'paving the way' as one of Clark University's inaugural LEEP Project Pioneers

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Harrison Bass is a LEEP Project Pioneer at Clark University.

WORCESTER, MA (11/29/2012)(readMedia)--  Harrison W. Bass, of Morganville, New Jersey, is one of 46 Clark University students selected to serve as a LEEP Project Pioneer - the first class of students conducting projects under LEEP (Liberal Education and Effective Practice), Clark's model of education that combines a robust liberal arts curriculum with life-changing world and workplace experiences.

The LEEP Pioneers have been working closely with faculty mentors as well as Clark alumni and organizational partners on projects of shared interest or leading-edge research and analysis. The projects, some of which started this summer, and others which will commence during the 2012-2013 academic year, allow the students to creatively address actual problems and apply their knowledge in authentic workplace settings before they graduate. The LEEP Projects span the full breadth of academic studies, from arts/humanities to natural and social sciences.

Under the advisement of geography professor Mark Davidson, Bass is working on incorporating green roof technology into the curriculum of the University and neighboring high schools including the University Park Campus School.

"Clark's LEEP Project Pioneers initiative is the inaugural run for an exciting new feature of our undergraduate curriculum. LEEP Projects provide opportunities for students to blend academic learning with professional development," said Colin Polsky, associate dean for undergraduate research and active pedagogy and associate professor of geography. "LEEP Projects not only allow Clark students to dive deep into a topic about which they are passionate, but also require students to learn how to communicate about the topic to multiple and diverse audiences."

This is not the first honor for Bass at Clark University. In the spring of 2011, Bass was awarded a Steinbrecher Fellowship to fund an internship with the Brooklyn Food Coalition and the Brooklyn Rescue Mission Food Pantry. Bass spent time volunteering at urban farms throughout Brooklyn and at a farmers' market in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. Bass said the opportunity allowed him to "experience first-hand the blossoming of the urban gardening movement as a form of direct action against food injustice and food deserts" and "work with and meet a host of interesting and influential people in the urban gardening movement."

In 2010, Bass and another student were awarded $3,000 as winners of the U-Reka Big Idea Contest for their project, One Green Roof. With the prize money, Bass set his sights on transforming the Wetzel Terrace, an underutilized rooftop on campus, into a living green space for students to use as a "rooftop oasis." The two students envisioned the space would eventually be used to "study, practice yoga, and reflect on the beauty of the surrounding environment."

Amy Whitney, associate director of Clark's Innovation & Entrepreneurship Program, believed The One Green Roof idea was popular with the student body because it was "a tangible, innovative solution to helping address the effects of global warming and environmental issues."

Bass is a member of the Class of 2013 at Clark; majors in geography. On campus, Bass is involved with The Local Root Food Coop, the Youth Outreach Worcester (YOW) program, the International Student Association, and Student Council. He is the recipient of a Geller Research Award and a Katherine Kenlon Astolfi Memorial Prize, and is a member of the Fiat Lux honor society. This past summer, Bass served as a geography intern in the Research Division of National Geographic.

Bass is the son of Mark and Rachel Bass of Morganville. He is a 2009 graduate of Marlboro High School.

Founded in 1887 in Worcester, Massachusetts, Clark University is a small, liberal arts-based research university addressing social and human imperatives on a global scale. Clark's faculty and students work across boundaries to develop solutions to contemporary challenges in the areas of psychology, geography, management, urban education, Holocaust and genocide studies, environmental studies, and international development and social change. The Clark educational experience embodies the University's motto: Challenge convention. Change our world. www.clarku.edu