URI ocean engineering Professor James Miller has been hired to conduct a sound study of East Greenwich’s waterfront area. A proposed town ordinance would limit the noise level for waterfront businesses to 60 decibels.

M. Reza Hashemi, an assistant professor in the Department of Ocean Engineering at URI, has co-written the first textbook of its kind on ocean energy. The 336-page book is titled “Fundamentals of Ocean Renewable Energy: Generating Electricity from the Sea.”

URI alumnus Roby Luna will share his inspirational story of growing up in South Providence to eventually become president of the data science firm Aretec Inc., as part of the Anthony J. Risica Lecture Series on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The lecture will be on March 25 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in URI’s Robert J. Higgins Welcome Center.

URI assistant professor of biomedical engineering Yalda Shahriari will host visiting scholar Michael X. Cohen, associate professor of neuroscience, from Radboud University in the Netherlands, from April 8-12.

URI College of Engineering Professor Walter Besio and his colleagues at other universities are creating the first underwater noise-canceling EEG sensors to better understand the octopus’ nervous system/brain.

Rhode Island Commissioner of Postsecondary Education Dr. Brenda Dann-Messier visited the URI College of Engineering on March 6. She spoke with students in the mechanical engineering senior capstone program and the Wearable Biosensing Lab.

Chris Capuano, who graduated from URI’s International Engineering Program in 2015 with bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering and Spanish, works as an engineer for the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) during the week, but spends his off-duty time as the keyboardist and vocalist of local band The Naticks.

While enrollment in foreign language studies are declining nationally, they are booming at the University of Rhode Island thanks to the success of unique programs such as the International Engineering Program, which was launched more than 30 years ago.

David Rego, who graduated from URI’s International Engineering Program in 1999 with bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering and German, was named vice president and general manager of PI’s (Physik Instrumente) North American operations. PI is a leader in motion control and positioning components and systems.

URI Ocean Engineering Professor Stephan Grilli is analyzing the recent Indonesian volcano collapse and deadly tsunami in order to gain insight and create models which will help the United States prepare for future tsunamis.

The new building will be one of the most provocative and technologically advanced engineering buildings in the country. The largest project in University history is expected to be ready for classes in fall 2019. URI photo by Nora Lewis.

In the current issue of Momentum magazine, Professor James Miller describes how URI supported the creation of his company FarSounder in 2001. The company provides forward looking sonar for yachts, cruise ships and commercial vessels.

In case you weren’t able to attend the 2018 Rhode Island Transportation Forum at URI, the event was recorded and split into six videos.

Among others, Gretchen Macht, assistant professor in the College of Engineering, spoke about the many benefits of URI’s new solar farm at a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony.

John Babb, lead customer advocate at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport, has been selected for the position of deputy technical director – technical excellence. Babb has master’s degrees in ocean engineering and mechanical engineering/applied mechanics from URI.