Skip to content
Clark University
  • Media Relations
Suggest a Story
ClarkNow logo
  • Topics
  • All Stories
  • In the News
  • Expert Sources
  • Podcasts
      • Info For

        • Media Relations
Suggest a Story

Plave Family Research Fellowship contributes to the battle against ALS

Funding gives Clark students access to science research opportunities
June 2, 2021
By Clark News and Media Relations
Lou Gehrig swings a bat during a game with the New York Yankees
Lou Gehrig sends the baseball into center field during a 1938 game at Yankee Stadium. He retired in 1939 after being diagnosed with ALS.

 

Major League Baseball today is commemorating the 80th anniversary of the passing of Yankees great Lou Gehrig, to raise awareness of the neuromuscular disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which took the player’s life on June 2, 1941.

Lou Gehrig Day holds special resonance for Clark Trustee Lee Plave ’80, whose wife, Ilene, passed away from ALS in October 2017, after 31 years of marriage.

In Ilene’s honor, Lee and their three children have made a substantial gift to the University to establish the Plave Family Research Fellowship. The Fellowship will support Clark undergraduates who are pursuing research in neuroscience, with an emphasis on the fundamental science needed to understand, diagnose, and treat ALS.

Students who have been awarded the Fellowship will conduct their research under the guidance of Professor Néva Meyer in the Biology Department.

“The disease is unimaginable and devastating to the patient, of course, as well as to their family and friends,” Plave says. “When I met with Professor Meyer, I could see that she was passionate about this research, and I know that her students will do great things.”

Plave said that his late wife Ilene was no stranger to Clark, and she visited campus many times when he was a student and attended his graduation. His children, too, were frequent visitors to campus as they grew up.

“While I’m technically the only Clarkie, there’s a deep family connection to the University,” he says.

Applications for the Fellowship will be submitted through the Career Connections Center and be reviewed by Biology Department faculty.

Recipients will present the results of their research at an appropriate venue such as a professional conference or Clark’s Fall Fest or Academic Spree Day during the academic year following their fellowship.

Clark CommunityHealth & Well-beingScience & Technology

Related Stories

More from this topic
Fingers on justice scale
Analyzing America’s final arbiter
Suzanne Wood and Kortni Wroten
Clarkie recruits fellow alum to advance key sustainability initiatives
More from this topic
  • Apply Undergrad
  • Apply Grad
  • Give
  • Contact Us
Helpful Links
  • Report a Concern
  • Offices
  • Campus Safety
  • Employment
  • Healthy Clark Dashboard
  • Website Feedback
Follow Us
  • See more of us on Facebook
  • See more of us on Twitter
  • See more of us on Instagram
  • See more of us on TikTok
  • See more of us on YouTube
  • See more of us on LinkedIn
Clark University footer logo Return to Clark University Homepage
Challenge Convention.
Change Our World.
508-793-7711
950 Main Street Worcester, MA 01610
Copyright © 2023 Clark University Public Information | Privacy Policy | Website Accessibility | Nondiscrimination Policy