Water for the World

Around the world, more than three times the population of the United States lack access to safe drinking water and more than 2 million people–most of them children–die every year from water-borne illnesses. Tsunamis are both unpredictable and deadly.

At the University of Rhode Island, researchers are seeking better ways to provide potable water and stop pollution from contaminating water supplies.

Associate Professor Vinka Oyanedel-Craver is helping communities in remote villages in the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, India, Jordan, and Kenya manufacture inexpensive ceramic water filters. Her students have developed a small, portable solar water treatment system for the rural city in the Dominican Republic.

Assistant Professor Ali Akanda and his expertise in computer modeling of water supplies, floods and droughts. He combines the models with research in water security, climate change and global health to create early warning systems to benefit public health.

Tsunamis are both unpredictable and deadly. 100,000 souls were lost during the Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami in 2004. Distinguished Engineering Professor Stephan Grilli is studying Tsunamis, and is considered one of the world experts on the topic.


  • Swelling the Banks - As climate change causes increasingly catastrophic river flooding in Rhode Island, URI scientists are fighting back.
  • Department of Energy Awards URI Team Funding for Carbon Capture Analysis - University of Rhode Island (URI) received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy in partnership with the University of Kentucky to develop an ocean-faring electrochemical direct ocean capture system for carbon. This technology would be using renewable energy to drive a device that removes carbon dioxide (CO2) from ocean water. Climate change is driven by […]
  • URI’s Water for the World Lab Works to Reach Sustainable Water Goals - The United Nations has observed World Water Day annually on March 22 since 1993. It’s a global celebration of water and recognition to raise awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe drinking water. Every year, UN-Water, the UN’s coordination mechanism on water and sanitation — sets the theme for World Water […]
  • Cross-Disciplinary URI Team Forms Neuro-Learning Center - A URI team featuring Engineering Professor Kunal Mankodiya will establish a Neuro-Learning Center that will include cutting-edge equipment to study the relationship between brain activity and behavior, brain mapping, and neuroplasticity.
Engineering isn’t about doing research for the sake of doing research. It should be useful and make an impact in people's lives
Associate Professor, Vinka Oyanedel-Craver

Faculty

Professor and Department Chair

Ocean Engineering

401.874.6122
jmdahl@uri.edu

Associate Professor and Graduate Director

Civil and Environmental Engineering

401.874.7050
akanda@uri.edu

Professor

Ocean Engineering and Oceanography

401.874.6480
rballard@uri.edu

Professor (Courtesy Appointment)

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Geosciences

401.874.7053
tboving@uri.edu

Professor

Civil & Environmental Engineering

401.874.2680
abrads@uri.edu

Associate Professor

Civil and Environmental Engineering

401.874.2889
goodwill@uri.edu

Professor Research

Ocean Engineering

401.874.6029
annette_grilli@uri.edu

Associate Professor

Ocean Engineering

401.874.6217
reza_hashemi@uri.edu

Associate Professor and Graduate Director

Ocean Engineering

401.874.6028
slicht@uri.edu

Professor and Director, NIUVT

Ocean Engineering

401.874.6540
miller@uri.edu

Professor & Associate Dean of Research

Civil and Environmental Engineering

401.874.2784
craver@uri.edu

Associate Professor

Ocean Engineering

401.874.6035
brennanphillips@uri.edu

Professor Research

Ocean Engineering

401.874.6591
gpotty@uri.edu

Professor

Ocean Engineering (limited) and Oceanography

401.874.6115
croman2@uri.edu

Associate Professor

Civil and Environmental Engineering

401.874.2693
lt@uri.edu

Associate Professor

Ocean Engineering

401.874.6879
loravu@uri.edu