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.
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Tree talk: URI forester says forests are part of the solution to climate change April 14, 2025 - A forestry extension specialist at the University of Rhode Island, Christopher Riely works with faculty and students across campus, and off-campus partners, to help improve Rhode Island’s forests and the wildlife they support.
Bunnies for biodiversity April 11, 2025 - Alex Rebelo and Alannah Lee, both animal science and technology majors, are working on conservation efforts alongside Justin Richard, assistant professor in the Department of Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Science, to ensure native New England cottontails are born and released into the wild every year to support declining populations and establish new ones
Department of Natural Resources Science Hosts Field Day for Students April 10, 2025 - Earlier this month, the Blue Trail in URI’s North Woods was busy with students investigating vernal pool amphibians, aquatic invertebrates, camera trapping as part of the Department of Natural Resources Science field day.
The state of the plate: food protection and safety subject of URI conference April 8, 2025 - Cooperative Extension is hosting this year’s 31st annual Rhode Island Food Safety Task Force Conference on Thursday, April 24. The conference, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel in Warwick, will provide attendees with information on the Food Safety Modernization Act’s Food Traceability Rule and how it applies to food businesses and operations.
