Among this year’s 10 recipients of the Emerging Coastal Leaders Awards, are members of the CELS community: Ben Charo (Ecology and Ecosystem Science), Megan Delatte-Guidry (Evolution and Marine Biology), Geubrina Fajria (Biological and Environmental Sciences), Aida Pauls (Fisheries Economics), and Oliver Tiliouine (Marine Affairs).

The annual symposium showcases the work of URI Fellows in energy, agriculture and food systems, summer research and outreach, on topics from brain health to veggie trials.

The Champlin Foundation has awarded URI $500,000 to purchase equipment and technology that will benefit more than 850 students annually. Funds will support three interdisciplinary proposals submitted by faculty from URI’s Colleges of the Environment and Life Sciences, Engineering, and Pharmacy.

Laura Meyerson in Natural Resources Science and Simona Trandafir (pictured) in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics are among the URI faculty receiving grants.

Drawing on the hands-on experience and mentorship he got while at URI, Joseph V Andreozzi IV ‘14, founder of Sherlock Hemp, LLC, has turned his passion for plant science into a thriving business.

World Soil Day highlights the essential role soil plays in sustaining life. URI’s Patrick Sorensen is dedicated to understanding the microorganisms that make it all work. Through cutting-edge research on soil microbial diversity and function, he reveals how unseen organisms protect water and air quality, maintain the resources we depend on, and more.

URI students are growing poinsettias, one of the most economically important holiday crops, in Camilo Villouta’s “Horticultural Plant Production” course. Managing the plants’ complex temperature, nutrition, and timing requirements builds essential skills for careers in agriculture. Read more.

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.

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.

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.