KINGSTON, R.I. – Jan. 17, 2024 – Rhode Island, Alaska, Hawaii — can you guess what these three coastal states have in common?
Despite 4,000-plus miles separating them, the three are joined in a new RISE-UP initiative funded by the U.S. Office of Naval Research, which selected Rhode Island and its far-flung counterparts to move innovation and technology forward. The new partnership — for Resilient Innovative Sustainable Economies via University Partnerships — will push the frontiers of intellectual development and entrepreneurship on college campuses.
Eleven newly selected Faculty Fellows at the University of Rhode Island will help lead the University through that process.
The first cohort of RISE-UP Innovation & Entrepreneurship Faculty Fellows at URI were recently announced by 401 Tech Bridge. The Faculty Fellows program focuses on enhancing faculty knowledge and involvement in innovation and entrepreneurship at URI and in Rhode Island, by integrating innovation and entrepreneurship with curriculum, exposing students and other faculty to innovation opportunities and participating in growing the entrepreneurship ecosystem at URI and its surrounding community.
URI clinical faculty member Nancy Forster-Holt, in the College of Business, is program lead for the team. The past TEDxURI speaker developed URI’s interdisciplinary major, minor and certificate in innovation and entrepreneurship and is part of the founding team of the Launch Lab. Her award-winning class ‘Introduction to Innovation and Entrepreneurship’ empowers students to start a side business on the Kanu marketplace platform.
Ten faculty members from across the University join Forster-Holt in the first cohort:
Yuwen Chen (College of Business) has taught graduate courses at URI for 10 years. A recipient of multiple awards, his research focuses on new product development, operations and supply chain management, and logistics/transportation.
Izabela Ciesielska-Wrobel (College of Business) has published more than 50 papers and conference proceedings, co-authored two patents, and is author of Contemporary Personal Ballistic Protection. She is a beneficiary of two competitive Marie Curie fellowships.
Megan Echevarría (College of Arts and Sciences), author of Rehumanizing the Language Curriculum, serves in the Modern Language Association assembly and on the Faculty Senate executive committee. In 2023, she won URI’s Global Mobility Award.
Victor Fay-Wolfe (College of Arts and Sciences) received the URI Golden Key Teaching Award. He’s a member of the statewide computer science initiative CS4RI and hosts events at URI to introduce software development to high school students.
Saheli Goswami (College of Business) is committee chair for the International Textile and Apparel Association. She also serves on the editorial board for the Clothing and Textiles Research Journal and oversees the College of Business’ sustainability minor.
Virginia Lemay (College of Pharmacy) is the director of the college’s Community-Based Residency Program. She focuses on integrative health, preventive medicine, immunizations, and well-being.
Brice Loose (Graduate School of Oceanography) is a leading oceanographer in discussions about climate change. He co-founded the Water Science Research Community and has secured several awards and funding for his research and contributions to marine/atmospheric chemistry and physical oceanography.
Brennan T. Phillips (College of Engineering) created the world’s pioneering compact deep-sea system with fiber optic reel for underwater livestream video feeds (FOReels). He brings extensive scholarship in robotics and novel instrumentation for oceanographic research and served as lead remote-vehicle engineer/pilot for Robert Ballard.
Thaís São-João (College of Nursing) focuses her research on behavior, physical activity, interventions, and care for chronic diseases. She has been awarded grants from the National Council of Scientific and Technological Development and the São Paulo Research Foundation in Brazil.
Cynthia Taylor (Honors Program) brings interdisciplinary training in anthropology, biology, and STEM education. She is leading the new Honors course that demonstrates design thinking to inspire students in creative problem-solving for global challenges.
Program Manager Ancita Sherel says, “Our goal is to have every college at URI involved in RISE-UP for innovation to reach its full potential here. The Faculty Fellows are at the helm of our efforts to shift the paradigm on innovation in the classroom and cultivate an entrepreneurial culture at URI.”
Business mindset
“Connecting academia with real businesses is very important to me as a researcher and teacher,” says Chen in the College of Business. “The project and industrial exposure also bring invaluable experiences to our students. I would like to know other faculty at URI who are also doing the same thing, or want to, and learn how they work with industry. A group of faculty can bring better contributions to the University and local businesses, than us as individuals. When we pool talents, we can maximize potential.”
Chen was pleased to learn he’d been selected for the program and is looking forward to helping URI students prepare for industries of the future. He cites a number of areas that offer growth potential for URI graduates from aging and senior care to manufacturing in outer space.
“A collaborative culture is a start,” says Chen.
Christy Ashley, associate dean in URI’s College of Business, says that the Fellows investment will help all of the University’s colleges strengthen their collaborations with one another and with 401TechBridge, RIHub, and the URI Launch Lab.
“We really appreciate the efforts to leverage external funding to help URI organize an entrepreneurial ecosystem,” she says. “The Faculty Fellows program will build on existing efforts at the University to foster regional prosperity and make a local impact.”
Learn more here and follow on Linkedin for updates and applications.