A few URI engineering students presented their research projects at the Fall 2021 Undergraduate Research Showcase in URI’s Memorial Union Ballroom on Nov. 3.

Ciara French, senior, Biomedical Engineering
What’s the story? Developing engaging narratives to communicate scientific research

During Ciara French’s 10-week Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) in the summer of 2021, she interviewed her peers in the program to learn about their research projects. She then wrote about some of those projects and conveyed them to a broader audience. You can read French’s articles here.

Jason Schaedler, senior, Ocean Engineering
Building a “planktoscope” plankton imager

Jason Schaedler built a plankton imager for a fraction of what one normally costs. He successfully tested the device aboard the research vessel Endeavor in July 2021, capturing images of many different species of plankton at various depths of the water column. The quality of Schaedler’s images not only revealed a high concentration of plankton, but it demonstrated that a sophisticated imaging device could be designed and produced on a relatively small budget.

URI Hydrobotics Team
Raymond Turrisi, senior, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science
Nathan Dwyer, sophomore, Electrical Engineering, Spanish IEP, Computer Science
Taylor Fairchild, freshman, Ocean Engineering
Ryan Cassin, freshman, Ocean Engineering

Rather than just constructing devices to compete in collegiate underwater robotics contests, the Hydrobotics students have been engaging in undergraduate research. Here are some of the projects they are working on:

• Underwater Modular Low Light Stereo Camera System
• Catamaran and Mobile Mooring Hybrid Autonomous Surface Vehicle
• Ruggedized Microorganism Imager