{"id":14427,"date":"2022-04-15T15:39:41","date_gmt":"2022-04-15T19:39:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/?page_id=14427"},"modified":"2025-01-22T11:39:15","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T16:39:15","slug":"speakers-and-honored-guests","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/y2022\/speakers-and-honored-guests\/","title":{"rendered":"Speakers and Honored Guests 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul class=\"display-posts-listing\"><li class=\"listing-item\"><a class=\"image\" href=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/shg2022\/robert-ballard-ph-d-74-hon-86\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1303\/bob-ballard-200x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"Robert Ballard\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1303\/bob-ballard-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1303\/bob-ballard.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a> <a class=\"title\" href=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/shg2022\/robert-ballard-ph-d-74-hon-86\/\">Robert Ballard, Ph.D. &#8217;75, Hon. &#8217;86<\/a> <span class=\"excerpt-dash\">-<\/span> <span class=\"excerpt\"><strong><em>Commencement Speaker<\/em><\/strong><br \/><br \/>\r\nWhile perhaps best known for his 1985 discovery of the <em>R.M.S. Titanic's<\/em> final resting place, Robert Ballard believes his most important discoveries were of hydrothermal vents and \"black smokers\" in the Galapagos Rift and East Pacific Rise in 1977 and 1979, along with the exotic life-forms living there. As an ocean explorer, discoverer, and historian, he has made it possible for others to explore the ocean\u2019s mysteries through his commitment to outreach programs, teaching, and service.<br \/>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/robert-ballard-ph-d-74-hon-86\/\">Read more<\/a><\/span><\/li><li class=\"listing-item\"><a class=\"image\" href=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/shg2022\/barnaby-m-evans\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1303\/barnaby-evans-200x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1303\/barnaby-evans-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1303\/barnaby-evans.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a> <a class=\"title\" href=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/shg2022\/barnaby-m-evans\/\">Barnaby M. Evans<\/a> <span class=\"excerpt-dash\">-<\/span> <span class=\"excerpt\"><strong><em>Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters<\/em><\/strong><br \/><br \/>\r\nCreator, artist, and visionary, Barnaby Evans\u2019 impact on the state of Rhode Island and its capital city has been immeasurable. Originally trained as an environmental scientist, the artist behind <em>WaterFire<\/em> had an early career in photography, exhibiting his work worldwide before exploring more site-specific sculpture installations, landscape, architectural, and design projects, and conceptual works.<br \/>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/barnaby-m-evans\/\">Read more<\/a><\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n<ul class=\"display-posts-listing\"><li class=\"listing-item\"><a class=\"image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2022\/05\/commencement-2022-ghanaian-american-poet-ph-d-candidate-to-discuss-travels-identity-and-origin-stories-at-graduate-school-commencement\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1303\/Afua-Ansong-speaker-200x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1303\/Afua-Ansong-speaker-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1303\/Afua-Ansong-speaker.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a> <a class=\"title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2022\/05\/commencement-2022-ghanaian-american-poet-ph-d-candidate-to-discuss-travels-identity-and-origin-stories-at-graduate-school-commencement\/\">Afua Ansong<\/a> <span class=\"excerpt-dash\">-<\/span> <span class=\"excerpt\"><strong><em>Graduate Student Speaker<\/em><\/strong><br \/><br \/>\r\nWhen Afua (Rachel) Ansong addresses the 2022 Graduate School Commencement on May 21, the idea of journey and origins will be central to her theme \u2013 the path she has taken in becoming a Ghanaian American writer, that of her grandmother in Ghana, the travels of Adinkra symbols that were indigenous to the Akan people of Ghana, and the journey she and her fellow graduates are embarking on. <br \/>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2022\/05\/commencement-2022-ghanaian-american-poet-ph-d-candidate-to-discuss-travels-identity-and-origin-stories-at-graduate-school-commencement\/\" target=\"blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read more<\/a><\/span><\/li><li class=\"listing-item\"><a class=\"image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2022\/05\/commencement-2022-undergrad-ceremony-speaker-brian-martin-to-share-his-passion-for-uri\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1303\/Brian-Martin-speaker-200x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1303\/Brian-Martin-speaker-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1303\/Brian-Martin-speaker.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a> <a class=\"title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2022\/05\/commencement-2022-undergrad-ceremony-speaker-brian-martin-to-share-his-passion-for-uri\/\">Brian Martin<\/a> <span class=\"excerpt-dash\">-<\/span> <span class=\"excerpt\"><strong><em>Undergraduate Student Speaker<\/em><\/strong><br \/><br \/>\r\nAlong with being an orientation leader and tour guide, Martin has served as vice president of his fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and the Student Entertainment Committee, and as a peer leader in the leadership studies program. He was also one of 10 students featured in an episode of \u201cThe College Tour\u201d that provided a virtual tour of the University that was shown on Amazon\u2019s streaming platform. On Sunday, May 22, his love for the University will be a central theme as Martin delivers his undergraduate commencement speech on the Quadrangle.<br \/>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2022\/05\/commencement-2022-undergrad-ceremony-speaker-brian-martin-to-share-his-passion-for-uri\/\" target=\"blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read more<\/a><\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":581,"featured_media":0,"parent":14289,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-14427","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/581"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14427"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14427\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16028,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14427\/revisions\/16028"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/commencement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}