Newsletter-October 2020
The latest news & opportunities from RI C-AIM
Above: A select group of SURFs joined us at the NSF EPSCoR National Conference in October 2019, showcasing their critical contributions to RI C-AIM research across the state. From left to right: Mikayla Dubis (Rhode Island College), Jessi Florendo, Sebastian Rueda, Devyn Barraza, and Raymond Turrisi (all University of Rhode Island)
RI C-AIM accepting mentor project proposals for SURF 2021!
It's that time of year again! RI C-AIM is now accepting proposals for our 2021 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship. We welcome submissions from faculty and graduate students based at our eight partner institutions.

Submitted projects should align with RI C-AIM's overall mission to advance marine science and engineering research to assess, predict and respond to the effects of climate variability on our coastal ecosystems, as well as support efforts in diversity and inclusion, career development, and data and science visualization.
SURF proposals will be accepted until Friday, November 20, 2020.
Upcoming Opportunities
Inclusive Mentoring Virtual Workshop
Tuesday, Oct. 27, OR Tuesday, Dec. 10, 9 am-3:30 pm

Working in a research lab offers unique opportunities for students to both contribute to the generation of new knowledge and cultivate the scientist within themselves. Therefore, lab PIs must be positioned to support and nurture this process. This URI-organized virtual workshop will help participants identify opportunities for effective inclusive mentoring and help participants consider strategies for sustaining equitable lab climates.

*Satisfies a CDP Certificate requirement*
Blue Green Innovation Challenge: Launch Webinar
Monday, Oct. 26, 3:30-5 pm

SeaAhead, National Grid, and the Cambridge Innovation Center have established the BlueGreen Innovation Challenge to support novel approaches to interconnected challenges in Rhode Island. This systems design challenge will leverage one of the state’s key assets - its university students - to conceive and develop big ideas at the energy-food-urban community-coastal nexus.

This launch webinar will be simulcast from District Hall in Providence, featuring a program overview and Q&A session for interested participants.
Student Spotlight
Juwaan Douglas-Jenkins &
Sofia Refulio-Coronado
In the latest edition of our student newsletter The Breakdown, we learn about two of RI C-AIM's longest tenured students, Juwaan Douglas-Jenkins (Salve Regina) and Sonia Refulio-Coronado (University of Rhode Island). Read more about their research journey!
More @RI C-AIM Community
Innovation is For Everyone: Welcoming Newcomers to RI Webinar
Thursday, October 29, 11:30 am-1:30 pm

Newcomers to the United States share common dreams and goals of finding belonging, education, and meaningful career paths. Join Venture Café & District Hall Providence for a conversation on the American immigration experience, showcasing the innovators and startups making the process easier for immigrants to Rhode Island.
Tech Solutions for the Rest of the World’s Water Crises-Webinar
Thursday, November 12, 5-6 pm

Through the Dana M. Dourdeville Lecture on Engineering in Service to Society 2020 at Brown University, Dr. David Sedlak from UC Berkeley will describe the key water crises facing people outside of wealthy cities and the challenges that engineers face in their efforts to repurpose existing technologies to provide robust and affordable solutions.
Supercomputing for Everyone Series: Intro to R for Biologists
Oct. 27, Nov. 3 & Nov. 10, 1-4:30 pm

This virtual workshop, open to any Rhode Island investigator and offered through Indiana University, is a three-day course to help participants get started in R so they will be able to read and write code, and figure out where to get help when needed. Participants must attend all three days.

Register by Sunday, October 25
The News

RI C-AIM grad students Charbaji, Heidari-Bafroui honored at international conference

Hojat Heidari-Bafroui (above, right) and Amer Charbaji, both doctoral candidates conducting RI C-AIM research on marine sensors under URI's Dr. Mohammad Faghri and Dr. Constantine Anagnostopoulos, were recognized at the International Conference on Environmental & Analytical Chemistry in August with "Best Paper Award" for their recent publication, "Infrared Lightbox and iPhone App for Improving Detection Limit of Phosphate Detecting Dip Strips." Congrats!
Reid recognized @Salve for research on food-borne pathogens
RI C-AIM investigator Dr. Anne Reid, assistant professor of biology and biomedical sciences at Salve Regina University, was recognized with the Sister M. Therese Antone Recognition Award for her research in understanding the interactions between Salmonella enterica and other food-borne pathogens.

For RI C-AIM, Dr. Reid's work has focused on understanding the bacteria communities that make up marine biofilm. Congratulations!
Dr. Anne Reid, Salve Regina University
Above: RI C-AIM's Tania Silva de Oliveira at URI's RIN2, a RI C-AIM core facility, this past February.
Bose, Oliveira on research during COVID
RI C-AIM's Dr. Arijit Bose, professor of chemical engineering at URI, and doctoral candidate Tania Silva de Oliveira, talk to URI's student newspaper The Good 5 Cent Cigar about how they have adjusted research practices in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Don't Forget
NSF Deadlines: Be sure to consult upcoming funding/project due dates for faculty and students alike from the National Science Foundation through their web portal.
Grad Student & Post-Doc Assistance: If you are a graduate student working on RI C-AIM research, be sure to contact our liaison Patricia Thibodeau for questions about programming and opportunities.
C-AIM Newsletter Archive: Looking for info from a past C-AIM newsletter? Check out our archived newsletter page!