At the College of the Environment and Life Sciences, you’ll deepen your understanding of the living world and your place within it.
The work that happens here is rooted in our land- and sea-grant mission, and connected to the needs of the local, regional, and global communities. Our faculty researchers work collaboratively across disciplines, drawing from a broad, inclusive field of human knowledge to make critical discoveries within their fields. URI’s core research facilities and specialized labs offer the latest technologies that will enable you to gather field data, synthesize vast amounts of information, and develop solutions to real world challenges. Whether you are interested in urban food systems; protecting marine wildlife; understanding what makes an organism adapt and an ecosystem thrive; or assisting policy makers in the shift towards renewable energy and sustainable natural resource management, you’ll find your place here.
URI Cooperative Extension
Education and engagement with Rhode Island communities is at the core of what we do. As a land-grant and sea-grant university, our mission is to ensure URI provides education and applied research that helps communities and improves the lives of Rhode Islanders.
learn moreNews and Stories
Mia Jenkins and Brandon Howard on Design to Improve Public Green Spaces August 8, 2025 - Through the Regenerative Community Design Lab, landscape architecture majors Mia Jenkins and Brandon Howard are partnering with the towns of Charlestown, Cumberland, and Providence to redesign public green spaces using sustainable, nature-based solutions. From managing stormwater to creating welcoming parks, they’re turning classroom lessons into real-world change.
Core matters: URI geoscientist weighs in on critical minerals July 31, 2025 - Geosciences professor Dawn Cardace is always happy to talk about what we see around us in parks and natural spaces. At URI, she's teaching students about vital minerals and materials to better understand discussions in today's news.
Caribbean coral reefs’ chronic decline could get a boost from proactive assisted gene flow — if allowed July 30, 2025 - Coral populations are at risk due to ocean warming and changing environmental conditions, leading to precipitous coral declines in the Caribbean region. URI professor Carlos Prada is part of an international scientific team calling for action and regulatory reform to allow a technique that could prevent further reef decline and irreversible damage to coral ecosystems there.
Novel discoveries about Eastern Whip-poor-will nesting and chick growth July 29, 2025 - Wild populations of the Eastern Whip-poor-will have declined precipitously since 1970, and because of their nocturnal and cryptic nature, few researchers have been able to study their nesting behavior. Liam Corcoran ’18 M.S. ’25 is contributing crucial new insights into its breeding biology, offering the first published growth data for the species.
