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
After Rhode Island’s shoreline access law, what’s next? October 9, 2025 - An attorney who teaches in URI’s Department of Marine Affairs, Professor Jesse Reiblich is writing and presenting on an important topic in the Ocean State: How can access to its shorelines be protected if the boundary is unclear?
Fellowship Spotlight: Lou Cabrera on Plant Diagnostics and Stewardship October 9, 2025 - Lou Cabrera, an environmental science and management major from Piermont, New York who is also minoring in restoration science, completed their CELS Summer Research Fellowship working with the URI Plant Diagnostics Lab, under the direction of Dr. Keiddy Urrea-Morawicki.
Marine Biology in Action with Sea Turtle Conservation October 9, 2025 - This past summer, Grace Dandeneau worked as a Night Time Sea Turtle Tagging Intern with Mote Marine Lab, spending nights patrolling Florida’s beaches to monitor hatching sea turtle nests and tag nesting adults. 
Rhode Island’s state tree in the spotlight this year October 2, 2025 - With plans in the works for the Rhode Island state tree to get a ceremonial planting in each Rhode Island town for the United States’ upcoming semiquincentennial (250th) anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the state’s land-grant university is offering some helpful information on its noteworthy red maple (Acer rubrum).
