Events
News
Shaping the Future of CELS: Jean VanderGheynst’s Commitment to Students, Interdisciplinary Research, and Community Impact November 25, 2025 - Dean Jean VanderGheynst brings a deep commitment to collaboration, mission-oriented research, and student success to her new role leading URI’s College of the Environment and Life Sciences. Building on the college’s strong foundation of experiential learning and environmental stewardship, she aims to position CELS as a leader in both research innovation and community impact.
Colonial gardens around us: URI Master Gardeners nurture history and plant-based lessons November 24, 2025 - More than 800 Master Gardener volunteers serve as community-based educators across the state, including some at historical sites where they help give visitors a view of how early residents employed agricultural methods that are still applicable today. 
Student Spotlight: Emma Sicheri, Animal and Veterinary Science November 20, 2025 - From working at Peckham Farm to involvement with the AVS Club to mentoring first-year students, Emma Sicheri has found many ways to turn her interests into meaningful opportunities in CELS. She says that her experiences at URI have fueled her passion for veterinary medicine, her leadership skills, and her sense of community. 
Seal mothers care for deceased pups, exhibiting unique mammalian behavior in Antarctic predator species November 18, 2025 - A new paper by University of Rhode Island post-doctoral researchers Emily Sperou and Renato Borras-Chavez in the journal Polar Biology discusses a unique phenomenon observed in a reclusive Antarctic animal: postmortem attentive behavior, or PAB, in the solitary leopard seal. 
Researchers warn of invisible groundwater threats to aging urban infrastructure in the journal Nature Cities November 17, 2025 - Rising groundwater, resulting from climate change, poses a significant threat to coastal cities, says assistant professor of geosciences Christopher Russoniello in the journal Nature Cities. Russoniello recently co-published a commentary highlighting hazards that are often overlooked in urban infrastructure.
URI team creates tabletop blast device to study long-term consequences of traumatic brain injury November 13, 2025 - Molecular biologists pair with mechanical engineers for URI-built experimental model offering new way to look at TBI-related neurodegenerative disease
Microplastics in Narragansett Bay: Hotspots, pathways, and solutions November 10, 2025 - Dr. Sarah Davis '24, who received her Ph.D. in our Biological and Environmental Science program, will share ongoing microplastics research and results from recent studies examining how and where microplastics accumulate in the waters and sediments of Narragansett Bay. Davis joins Dr. Victoria Fulfer, Ph.D. ’24 for the presentation. 
URI climate scientist contributes to research illustrating future impacts of Antarctic ice sheet melting November 5, 2025 - Geosciences professor Ambarish Karmalkar is part of team using interactive modeling to predict impact of ice sheet meltwater discharge on climate and sea level.