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
Safe well water? Test to be sure June 18, 2025 - To provide residents with information on private well water testing, treatment, and maintenance, water quality expert Alyson McCann with the University of Rhode Island’s Cooperative Extension Water Quality Program will hold a free program on Wednesday, July 9, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Cross’ Mills Public Library, 4417 Old Post Road, in Charlestown. 
URI Cooperative Extension program aims to rescue and recycle food by changing the way Rhode Islanders interact with it June 11, 2025 - Applications are now open for Food Recovery for Rhode Island at the University of Rhode Island, a community education program for Rhode Islanders offered through URI Cooperative Extension. The six-week course includes online coursework and field experiences that can be completed at participants’ convenience.
Riverkeeper Kate McPherson ’03 on Protecting the Narragansett Bay Watershed June 10, 2025 - As part of Save the Bay’s saltwater restoration work, Kate McPherson ’03 works to mitigate the problems and risks of the invase Phragmites australis. 
Fire hazard: Phragmites sometimes pose an overlooked risk June 4, 2025 - While fires can be caused for a variety of reasons, manmade and natural, invasive phragmites sometimes pose an overlooked risk. Laura Meyerson, professor of natural resources science, would like to see other New Englanders recognize the ubiquitous plant known as Phragmites australis growing by roadways and ponds for what it is.
