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Welcome to the Ecosystem! | |  | As we move into the RI-NEST initiative, our research community is growing! Thank you to this month's subscribers: Fiona, Johanna, Keegan and Roberta. Welcome! | | | | |
Community Conversation Night - The Open Newsroom | Open Newsroom undergraduates Dylan, Sara and Jezell have been hard at work the past few weeks developing portfolios of news stories on issues of science impacting specific RI communities. | |
RI-NEST community invited to attend on Monday, August 18, 5-7pm
@Providence Public Library
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The Community Conversation Night is the culminating showcase of undergraduate work from The Open Newsroom, a partnership between RI-NEST and URI’s Metcalf Institute. For the past several weeks, Open Newsroom students have been thrust into the roles of community news reporters, meeting with experts and community voices on scientific issues that impact Rhode Island communities. Below is a brief description of each's portfolio:
Dylan Brenner, Roger Williams University - Covering the experiences of family caregivers supporting patients with breast cancer.
Jezell Green, University of Rhode Island - Covering the impacts of climate change on Rhode Island youth living with asthma.
Sara Homma, Brown University/RISD - Covering the experiences of Latino/a communities living near brownfield sites in Rhode Island.
Attendees will be able to engage with news stories developed through The Open Newsroom and learn about the students' experiences first-hand. . Attendees will also be able to share their own unique perspectives on the student portfolios and actions they might take to address the issues of science and community reported by them. Attendee feedback on how The Open Newsroom can improve in the future is very welcome!
Light refreshments will be provided.
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Attend 2025 SURF Symposium this Friday, August 1!
Open to all, the 2025 Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium is a showcase of all the research which undergraduates have developed over this past summer, from learning how to build devices that measure ecological change in Narragansett Bay to assessing the impact of microplastics on our waterways. LEARN MORE about our undergraduates' projects and REGISTER NOW!
| | Above: Ryan Cassin, a 2022 RI NSF EPSCoR SURF, is now interning at wind developer Ørsted. | | | | |
RI-NEST Seed grants will offer up to $10k for faculty-led projects and $5k for graduate students. | |
Time left! Apply for RI-NEST Seed Grants by September 1
RI-NEST's inaugural program will catalyze innovative projects that strengthen Rhode Island’s research ecosystem, supporting proposals that embody transdisciplinary, use-inspired approaches. We encourage unique partnerships between academia, industry, the Narragansett Indian Tribe, and community organizations. LEARN MORE & APPLY!
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Now Hiring! RI-NEST Coordinator for STEM Pre-Undergraduate Partnerships
RI-NEST is currently seeking applicants for the position of "Coordinator for Pre-undergraduate STEM Partnerships," in coordination with Rhode Island College. In this position, the selected applicant will be responsible for developing sustainable pathways for high school and early college students to enter and graduate from STEAM fields. For a full list of responsibilities and requested qualifications, please APPLY @RIC!
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E-RISE Office Hours
Thursday, August 5, 1:30pm ET
The NSF EPSCoR Research Incubators for STEM Excellence (NSF E-RISE) Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) program supports the development of research teams and products in a scientific topical area that links to research priorities identified in the submitting jurisdiction's approved science and technology plan. NSF E-RISE RII invites innovative proposals that will lead to the development and implementation of sustainable, broad networks of individuals, institutions and organizations that will transform the science, technology, engineering and mathematics research capacity and competitiveness in a jurisdiction within the chosen field of research. Learn more and REGISTER!
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BlueTide 2025 @401Tech Bridge
Thursday, Aug. 28, 10:30am-6pm ET
BlueTIDE is an annual, high-impact technology demonstration event hosted by 401 Tech Bridge in collaboration with the U.S. Navy, NavalX, and the Northeast Tech Bridge. Held in Newport, Rhode Island, it serves as a premier platform for showcasing cutting-edge maritime and dual-use technologies through live, mission-driven demonstrations.
Attendees from academic institutions can engage directly with defense and industry leaders, explore collaborative R&D opportunities, and gain insight into the technological needs driving future missions. LEARN MORE AND REGISTER!
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The Coastal Society's Coastal Careers Workshop @URI
Saturday, Sept. 20, 9am - 1pm ET
The Coastal Society (TCS)'s Coastal Career Workshop (hosted by the University of Rhode Island) aims to support aspiring coastal professionals in the southern New England region. This event is filled with networking, informative talks, and career advice from experts in the field. Whether you're a student looking to kickstart your career or an early professional seeking expanded opportunities, this workshop is the perfect place to connect with like-minded individuals.
Attendees will learn about career paths not always broadcast by institutions of higher learning or colleagues and hear speakers from a wide range of environmental fields. LEARN MORE!
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Newsletter Love
RIHub
Every month, we highlight all the good things happening at a Rhode Island community or organization, or EPSCoR-related program, that may interest many across the state's research ecosystem. This month, it's RIHub, an organization which helps local entrepreneurs, particularly in the blue economy space, to turn ideas into fundable startups.
TAKE A LOOK!
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URI's Dan Roxbury, associate professor of chemical, biomolecular, and materials engineering at URI, says about developing the E-RISE grant proposal,
"A large part of our economy relies on the bay and the ocean, and we wanted to pick a topic that critically affects it."
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URI's Roxbury leading team to study microplastics
Earlier this month, the U.S. National Science Foundation announced a $7 million award to enhance research collaboration across multiple Rhode Island communities and industries on the impacts of marine microplastics and nanoplastics. Daniel Roxbury, associate professor of chemical, biomolecular, and materials engineering at URI and a RI-NEST investigator will lead the program, called SIMCoast, which also includes faculty from Brown University, Rhode Island College, and Roger Williams University.
The grant has been made through through the EPSCoR E-RISE program which aims to enhance Rhode Island’s research capabilities and develop the workforce in areas critical to the state. READ MORE!
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RI NSF EPSCoR's Plankenhorn integrating indigenous knowledge into coastal research
Bryan Plankenhorn, whose research on algae in Narragansett Bay has been supported in the past by RI NSF EPSCoR, recently earned the prestigious Switzer Environmental Fellowship, which enables oceanography students to continue research while honoring Indigenous heritage. Learn more about Bryan's research journey. Congrats, Bryan!
| | Photo courtesy of Bryan Plankenhorn | | | | |
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Rhode Island EPSCoR is funded by the National Science Foundation under EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Award #OIA-2433276 . Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
For more information about RI NSF EPSCoR, contact Communications Coordinator Shaun Kirby at 401-874-6888 or skirby@uri.edu
| | | RI NSF EPSCoR | 418 Fascitelli, Univ. of RI 2 East Alumni Ave. | Kingston, RI 02881 US | | | | |
