Research

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Research

Current Research

Over the past 25 years, HERO has welcomed more than 200 undergraduate students to work on challenging human-environment research projects. The HERO program is currently collaborating with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Greening the Gateway Cities Program. The collaboration involves the inventory of juvenile trees along public roads and at private residences, as well as the survey of residents and other stakeholders in Worcester. To date, we have surveyed stakeholders and tree vigor in Worcester, Chelsea, Holyoke, Fall River, Pittsfield, Chicopee, and Leominster. Additionally, we partner with Groundwork Rhode Island on tree health research.

Students present to DCR Foresters, faculty and residents at stakeholder summit

HERO Research Model

The HERO model engages a multi-generational team of researchers, including two faculty co-directors, graduate student mentors, and the HERO students. Our work includes orienting field trips, in-depth biophysical and social field research, qualitative, GIS, and statistical analytics, consultations with and presentations to local officials and stakeholders. We also offer mentoring to Worcester Technical High School Environmental Science students.

Program Information

The summer portion of HERO typically begins the week following University Commencement and continues until mid-July (8 weeks duration). During these weeks, students participate in fieldwork, research, data analysis, and presentations. Fieldwork often includes daily travel to and from field sites in Massachusetts. The program concludes in July with a final presentation to members of the Clark and Worcester community (HERO Stakeholder Summit).

During the following academic year, HERO students continue to apply their research in weekly meetings with HERO faculty and Graduate Research Assistants to formulate larger independent projects. Students will have opportunities to attend local and national conferences to present research and represent the HERO program.

Previous Summer Highlights

Read the summaries of previous HERO summer research projects along with the PowerPoint slides.

The research project of HERO 2024-2025 saw the team return to tree survey in the cities of Chelsea and Holyoke, where the DCR’s Greening the Gateway Cities Program first planted trees back in 2013. The HERO team re-surveyed the health of trees in residential yards, that had been surveyed about ten years prior. The work also involved interviews with residents and community partners to gauge their perceptions about the successes and challenges associated with the Greening the Gateway Cities Program. The outcome of the project contributed the first round of decadal scale tree health survey information to our DCR partners with regard to the Greening the Gateway Cities Program. The findings of the project can help the DCR refine and improve their tree species selection in the context of planting site variability, and build upon their existing communication strategies in partnership with the communities they collaborate with throughout Massachusetts.

We were joined this year by seven Clark undergraduate students from a variety of departments and programs.

View the full presentation

HERO 2024-2025 Media

HERO still super after 25 years
ClarkNow, 8/8/24

The research project of HERO 2023-2024 saw the team return to tree survey in Worcester – focusing on the Burncoat and Greendale neighborhoods that experienced extensive tree removal in 2010-2012 in response to the Asian Longhorned Beetle Outbreak. The HERO team re-surveyed the health of trees in residential yards, that had been surveyed ten years prior. The work also involved interviews with residents to gauge their perceptions about tree care and neighborhood resilience. The outcome of the project contributed important first-of-a-kind information to the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation partners to help with current and future tree planting efforts in Worcester, and other Greening the Gateway Cities sites.

We were joined this year by seven Clark undergraduate students from a variety of departments and programs.

View the full presentation

HERO 2023-2024 Media

HERO students document neighborhoods’ recovery from tree-killing beetles
ClarkNow, 8/1/23
Have city residents cared for new trees after beetle attack? This study may surprise you.
Worcester Telegram & Gazette, 7/20/23
Work continues after Asian longhorned beetle destroyed thousands of Worcester trees
Worcester Telegram & Gazette, 6/1/23
New study: Plant more trees in Worcester to combat rising temperature
Worcester Telegram & Gazette, 1/20/23

The research project of HERO 2022-2023 involved collaboration with Worcester’s Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary and Groundwork Rhode Island. Collaboration with Broad Meadow Brook had the HERO team conduct interviews with residents who live in close proximity to the conservation area, in order to assess their perceptions of the site. The findings of the project contributed valuable information to the sanctuary’s ongoing wetland restoration program. Working in Rhode Island towns – East Providence, Cumberland, and Central Falls – the team surveyed street tree health and local air/surface temperature, and air quality. The findings of the project contribute important information about the success of tree planting in environmental justice neighborhoods in Rhode Island.

We were joined this year by five Clark undergraduate students from a variety of departments and programs.

View the full presentation

HERO 2022-2023 Media

‘Everything a geographer should know’
ClarkNow, 7/13/22
Shady Projects Look to Lower the Temperature
ecoRI News, 7/1/22

The research project of HERO 2021-2022 involved collaboration with the City of Worcester’s Department of Sustainability & Resilience. The student team used historical wetlands data to document the change in Worcester’s hydrology over the past 170 years, in relation to ongoing flooding that occurs during the summer months. The team also conducted an intensive data collection campaign to survey air temperature, surface temperature, and air quality in the Green Island neighborhood. The findings of the research contributed new information to the City of Worcester’s conservation planning team to address the goals laid out in the Green Worcester Plan, launched in 2021.

We were joined this year by five Clark undergraduate students from a variety of departments and programs.

View the full presentation

HERO 2021-2022 Media

Clark University students look to improve Worcester environment
Central Mass Town Square, 9/16/21
Climate change a ‘grave concern’ in Worcester, and city has a plan, but is it achievable?
Worcester Telegram & Gazette, 8/27/21
When the going gets hot, Clark’s HERO fellows get going
ClarkNow, 8/13/21

The theme of HERO 2020-2021 was Greening the Gateway Cities, but with a new focus on the influence of juvenile tree cover on local air temperature in three Massachusetts gateway cities that we had surveyed in previous years: Chelsea, Holyoke, and Fall River. The three-city air temperature analysis produced new information to the Department of Conservation and Recreation concerning the early-stage influence of new trees on local air temperatures. The HERO team did a remarkable amount of high quality work despite the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We were delighted to keep the program running in its 21st year!

Additionally, we worked together at Clark University’s Hadwen Arboretum, planting new trees and removing invasive plants in collaboration with the Worcester Tree Initiative of Tower Hill Botanic Garden. For more information about the Hadwen Arboretum click here.

We were joined this year by five Clark undergraduate students from a variety of departments and programs.