Helping Rhode Islanders thrive through science and technology endeavors across the Ocean State | | | | |
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Welcome to the Ecosystem! | |  | Through the RI-NEST initiative, our research community is growing! Thank you to this month's subscribers: Aidan, Alessandra, Barry, Jimmy, Joel, Mike, Mona, Riazat, Stephanie, and Timothy! Welcome! | | | | |
Above: Madison Geraci, a graduate student at URI, takes sediment samples from a local salt marsh as part of her research under EPSCoR investigator Ying Zhang. Photo by Shaun Kirby | | |
Apply for a RI-NEST Seed Grant or Workshop Award!
Submissions due this Friday, July 24
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Seed grants support original academic research projects that have high-potential for follow-on funding opportunities and center creative partnerships between academia, community groups, or industry. Learn more!
Workshop Awards bring together faculty, postdoctoral researchers, students, educators, and subject matter experts to identify and address gaps in Rhode Island’s research and innovation ecosystem. Learn more!
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Above: The 2026 Class of EPSCoR Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURFs). Photo by Ang Cai. | | |
Join us for the SURF Symposium!
Friday, July 31, 2026 @URI
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Undergraduates supported by Rhode Island NSF EPSCoR programs will showcase summer research through the Rhode Island Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium on Friday, July 31, at 9am-12pm at the University of Rhode Island.
Held in partnership with the RI-INBRE program, more than 140 students will present to an estimated 400 faculty, students, and administrators from Rhode Island colleges and universities. LEARN MORE and REGISTER!
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Above: The 2026 Class of EPSCoR Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURFs). | | |
Join us for The Open Newsroom's Community Conversation Night!
Friday, August 14, 2026 @RIC
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The Open Newsroom, a partnership between RI-NEST and URI’s Metcalf Institute, puts STEM undergraduates into the shoes of local journalists to develop a deeper understanding of science issues facing RI communities. Through their reporting, Open Newsroom fellows support public conversations about research and its role in society and culture.
The Community Conversation Night on Friday, August 14, 5-7pm at Rhode Island College, is the culminating presentation of the students' reporting. At this event, attendees will be able to share their impressions and feedback on the students' news portfolios.
This year, five Open Newsroom fellows will present reporting on issues such as farming and food sovereignty, women in aquaculture, mental and social well-being of first generation college students, and hronic illness and the primary care shortage. LEARN MORE and REGISTER!
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EPSCoR Live!
Wednesday, July 22, 4pm ET
THe U.S. National Science Foundation’s Education and Training Application (ETAP) platform is a way to address the education and training needs of the scientific community by connecting researchers with applicants via its interactive one-stop platform. This webinar will serve as an explainer of how faculty, students and staff can get the most out of this unique resource. REGISTER!
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Request for Proposals:
Planning Activities to Advance Water Quality and Habitat Restoration
Submissions due Oct. 2
The Narragansett Bay Estuary Program (NBEP), through its host Roger Williams University, is issuing this RFP for design, engineering, and permitting activities to advance water quality and habitat restoration and enhancement projects within Narragansett Bay and surrounding watersheds. LEARN MORE!
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America's Seed Fund Summit: Art of the NSF SBIR/STTR Project Pitch
Thursday, July 23, 2pm ET
Join this webinar to learn the art of the pitch and gain insights into what makes a successful Seed Fund Project Pitch. This session will cover the key elements of a successful pitch, common pitfalls to avoid, and strategies for clearly communicating your innovation, technical vision, and commercial opportunity. Includes Q&A with NSF program directors. REGISTER!
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Rhode Island EPSCoR has hand in nabbing $15m grant to support regional seafood infrastructure
The U.S. National Science Foundation announced a major new award through its Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) program. This award, led by the Portsmouth-based non-profit NERACOOS, is a collaboration of seafood industry, tech sector, government, and research partners across Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. Among other partners, RI NSF EPSCoR's Elin Torell, Principal Investigator for the RI-NEST program, was a part of the proposal team. Congrats, all!
| | Above: Elin Torell, PhD, Principal Investigator for the RI-NEST program and Director of URI's Coastal Institute. | | | | |
Above: Gabrielle Kuba as a SURF in 2016. | |
Former RI EPSCoR SURF co-publishes chapter on algal diseases
Gabrielle Kuba, a 2016 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow and now a lab scientist with the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH), recently published a book chapter entitled, "Algal Diseases and their Intricate Relationship with Evolutionary Ecology." This work stems from her original explorations of algae microbiology during her SURF experience at Salve Regina. Congrats, Gabbi!
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EPSCoR-supported faculty, students at RIC tackle microplastics
This summer, Rhode Island College faculty member Daniel Hewins is working with a social science team made up of two undergraduate students and the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council (WRWC) to learn from and educate the public about the impact of microplastics. This work is supported through the Rhode Island EPSCoR project, SIMCoast. Learn more about Hewins' project from RIC News!
| | From left: RIC environmental studies and anthropology double major Judy LaRose, Professor Daniel Hewins and RIC biology major Elizabeth Turbi. Photo courtesy RIC News. | | | | |
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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 | | | | |
