Shelby A. Rinehart joins CELS this fall as an assistant professor of watershed ecology in the Department of Natural Resources.

This summer, landscape architecture students Julia Dever and Jose Andre Orozco Ortiz partnered with The Flower District—a nonprofit in Olneyville, Providence that rescues and redistributes over 100,000 flowers a year—to design a multifunctional green space that blends beauty, sustainability, and community.

Caitlin Murdoch joins the College of the Environment and Life Sciences this fall as an assistant professor of cell and molecular biology.

Michael Chirillo joins the College of the Environment and Life Sciences this fall as an assistant teaching professor in the Department of Biological Sciences.

Zarah Deutsch joins the College of the Environment and Life Sciences this fall as an assistant teaching professor in the Department of Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Science.

Every fall, thousands of migrating songbirds make a pit stop on Block Island. A recent study coauthored by Lauren Michael reveals a promising trend: while many species experienced steep declines in the 1970s and ’80s, most have since stabilized or begun to recover.

Sarah Kienle has been awarded a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program award to investigate the causes and consequences of female-biased dimorphism in leopard seals, generating new data on the life, physiology, and biology of this important and mysterious polar predator.

Through the Regenerative Community Design Lab, landscape architecture majors Mia Jenkins and Brandon Howard are partnering with the towns of Charlestown, Cumberland, and Providence to redesign public green spaces using sustainable, nature-based solutions. From managing stormwater to creating welcoming parks, they’re turning classroom lessons into real-world change.

Geosciences professor Dawn Cardace is always happy to talk about what we see around us in parks and natural spaces. At URI, she’s teaching students about vital minerals and materials to better understand discussions in today’s news.