Matthew Manley of Warren, Conn., Named O'Connor HERO Fellow at Clark University

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WORCESTER, MA (11/14/2011)(readMedia)-- Matthew J. Manley, of Warren, Conn., is a HERO Fellow, joining a select group of student researchers from around the country who are members of the Human-Environment Regional Observatory (HERO) program coordinated at Clark University.

Manley, a junior at Clark, gained further distinction as the 2011-12 recipient of the John O'Connor Award for Excellence in Environmental Research.

Each summer, HERO students embark on a demanding eight-week curriculum. The goal for every HERO fellow is to carry out a year-long research project, and to have that culminate in a written, oral and poster presentation. On Nov. 2, the HERO Fellows presented their research findings at the annual Fall Fest, a campus-wide academic showcase at Clark. They also presented before an audience of fellow student scientists, faculty, and the public in late July. Their topics include analyses of suburban lawns and water management, suburban sprawl and mapping flood plain areas; and application of remote sensing data and technology to monitor large-area forest cover change in New England.

Manley is part of the Massachusetts Forest Mapping group at Clark. His research focuses on land cover change in Massachusetts.

The HERO research curriculum is sponsored by the U.S. National Science Foundation through its Research Experiences for Undergraduates Site (REU Site) program. Each Fellow is paired with a Clark faculty mentor and other researchers on the HERO team, which includes Fellows who apply to the program from other colleges.

HERO students also enjoy the opportunity-relatively rare for undergraduates-to present their professional-level science in scholarly publications and at academic conferences across the country, including the annual meeting of the American Association of Geographers, which will be held next in New York City (Feb. 24-28, 2012).

Manley received First Academic Honors in spring 2011. He is a member of the Clark University Jazz Combo, the Pub Entertainment Committee, the Major Event Committee and the Clark University Rowing Team.

A 2009 graduate of Wamogo Regional High School, Manley is the son of Joseph and Jane Manley of Warren.

The O'Connor HERO Fellowship is named for the late Clark University Trustee John O'Connor (Class of '78) who was a prominent Massachusetts environmentalist and community activist. This award is provided to an outstanding undergraduate student in one of the environmental studies programs based on the quality of an individual project in the study of the environment and on overall academic work.

HERO research at Clark is funded by multiple grants: from the National Science Foundation; the National Marine Fisheries Service; the Henry David Thoreau Foundation; the O'Connor '78 Fund; and the Culpeper Foundation.

To learn more about the HERO program, visit http://www.clarku.edu/hero.

Since its founding in 1887, Clark University in Worcester, Mass., has a history of challenging convention. As an innovative liberal arts college and research university, Clark's world-class faculty lead a community of creative thinkers and passionate doers and offer a range of expertise, particularly in the areas of psychology, geography, urban education, Holocaust and genocide studies, environmental studies, and international development and social change. Clark's students, faculty and alumni embody the Clark motto: Challenge convention. Change our world.

www.clarku.edu