Message From the Dean
Professor of Biology Tom Langen

Welcome to the fall issue of the Clarkson University School of Arts & Sciences e-newsletter. It has been busy, and we have a lot to be proud of. As the 2020-21 academic year begins, we in the School of Arts & Sciences community are energetically preparing for a most challenging year.

All summer, faculty members have been learning new and better ways to combine online and face-to-face classroom teaching. We have been adjusting our classroom practices to accommodate masks, spacing, reduced occupancy and a mix of online and physically present students. At the same time, faculty members and graduate students have been modifying their research and other scholarship to respond to the constraints caused by COVID-19.

This past summer, Clarkson faculty in the School of Arts & Sciences mentored undergraduate researcher interns from a distance — the students conducted their research from their homes! The diversity and quality of research projects was astonishing, and our electronic Research and Project Showcase (eRAPS) provided a wonderful venue for students to give their talks and present their posters publicly. 

In addition, we continue to be engaged in a conversation among students, faculty, staff, alumni and our community on racism, and on the climate and environment for Black people at Clarkson. We are frankly discussing and figuring out solutions for some long-standing problems at Clarkson. The School of Arts & Sciences is committed to addressing these problems and to making the School and University an inclusive, safe and comfortable place for Black students, faculty and staff — as it is for others — because Black lives matter.

In this e-newsletter, I have chosen to highlight faculty members, staff and students who are applying their knowledge to addressing concerns in our local community and our nation. Clarkson and its School of Arts & Sciences continues to grow its reputation as a leader in innovative research and education that improves people’s lives and the sustainability of our environment. I am confident you will be as impressed as I am by the contributions to our community by our students, staff and faculty.

— Tom Langen, Interim Dean, School of Arts & Sciences

ANCA Websites

Web Team, Assemble! 

These days, with the uncertainty surrounding the reopening of brick-and-mortar stores, an online business presence is essential. Still, many North Country businesses had yet to make the leap to the digital realm. Cue a group of Clarkson student web developers, led by The Shipley Center, who were ready to help.

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Probing Fish Toxicity 

It’s hard to believe, when looking at a pristine Adirondack lake, that the fish may be too toxic to eat due to mercury pollution. This fall, Clarkson students participating in the Adirondack Semester will shed light on this problem by exploring the factors underlying mercury contamination in the region’s food chain.

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Mercury ADK
Rollercoaster camp

Virtual Amusement

While the pandemic has shut down many fun activities like riding roller coasters, it didn’t stop Clarkson’s Roller Coaster Engineering camp, which went virtual this summer. Secondary-school students from across St. Lawrence County still got to design an amusement park and roller coaster, all from the comfort of home.

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Into the Blue, and Beyond...

In a sign of the times, members of the Class of 2020 Air Force ROTC Detachment 536 swore their oaths of office over Zoom. Another first — 2nd Lt. Michael Gagnon ’20 became one of just 100 members of the newest military branch, the U.S. Space Force.

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2Lt. Michael Gagnon