Answering President Obama’s call

The Spanish International Engineering Program is helping President Barack Obama strengthen ties with Central and South American countries. The president selected URI as one of four schools across the nation to join his 100,000 Strong in the Americas initiative. Under the program, URI will send engineering students to study in Chile and welcome Chilean students to campus. Separately, a team of engineering students and faculty from URI and Chile’s Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso will head to Valparaiso, Chile to create portable anaerobic energy systems for sustainable energy.

Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry joined members of Rhode Island’s congressional team for ceremonies at the U.S. Department of State in January to praise the Spanish International Engineering Program, its director Megan Echevarría and Winifred Brownell, dean of URI’s College of Arts and Sciences.

“The IEP is all about removing students from their comfort zones where they can be challenged to experience new cultures, new ways of thinking and new approaches to solving problems,” Echevarría says. “In the long run, this is the best way to build bridges among nations and address the challenges of our time.”

Probing nanoparticle safety for the National Science Foundation

As the world rushes to use nanoparticles in everything from disease treatment to oil spill clean up, the impacts on the environment and human health remain uncertain. Recognizing the importance of understanding these effects, the National Science Foundation recently awarded civil and environmental engineering Assistant Professor Vinka Oyanedel-Craver a prestigious Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) Award.

Oyanedel-Craver will use the five-year, $432,000 award to study how bacteria respond when exposed to rare earth element oxide and metal nanoparticles. Such nanoparticles are used as contrast agents during MRI examinations and as agents to prevent

odors in clothing, among other uses. When released into the environment, these nanoparticles may change how bacteria function. Because bacteria recycle environmental nutrients and some cause disease, their reaction to nanoparticles is of great interest to Oyanedel-Craver and the NSF.

NATO knowledge

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization relies on science and technology to protect the security of its member nation. For two years, ocean engineering Professor James Miller held leadership roles at the organization’s Centre for Marine Research and Experimentation in Italy. Miller spent a year as the head of the research department supervising a multinational research staff. He then served as deputy chief scientist undertaking strategic planning and coordination with NATO leaders.

Miller, who returned to the United States in 2013, says the trip re-energized him. “When you go off for a while you think new thoughts, you think differently,” he says. “You see more things, you see the world.” The professor has already incorporated some of the research he saw on underwater acoustics into his teaching and research at URI to provide students with a big picture of the field.

Happy first anniversary

The college congratulates two faculty wrapping up their first year at the University of Rhode Island. Assistant Professor Ali Akanda joined the department of civil and environmental engineering while Assistant Professor Samantha Meenach joined the departments of chemical engineering and biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences.

Professor Akanda arrived as part of a University initiative to research global water security. An expert in computer modeling of water supplies, floods and droughts, Akanda combines research in water security, climate change and global health to create early warning systems to benefit public health. Originally from Bangladesh, Akanda is passionate about water and climate issues in the developing world.

Professor Meenach is focused on developing new drug delivery systems capable of penetrating physiological barriers such as tumors and mucus barriers in the lung. The interdisciplinary research will lead to next-generation medical treatments. A native of Kentucky, Meenach was drawn to URI by the opportunity for a joint appointment and the close-knit collaboration among colleagues and departments.