{"id":89323,"date":"2026-08-07T18:22:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:22:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/engineering\/?p=89323"},"modified":"2026-08-07T19:32:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:32:27","slug":"uri-where-arts-science-and-culture-blend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/engineering\/uri-where-arts-science-and-culture-blend\/","title":{"rendered":"URI: Where Arts, Science and Culture Blend"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

During the spring, the University of Rhode Island hosted back-to-back cultural events in collaboration with local consulates in Boston.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Celebration of German Creativity: Art, Science and Engineering in Rhode Island<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The first, called \u201cA Celebration of German Creativity: Art, Science and Engineering in Rhode Island\u201d, happened on April 9, 2026 and was jointly hosted by URI (Global Initiatives Office and International Engineering Program) and the German Consul General of Boston. The evening\u2019s activities were well attended, with the now former consul general Dr. Sonja Kreibich and over 125 students, faculty, alumni and friends in the German\/German IEP community present. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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From top left: Patrick Buhr speaks with a student; Stefan Fertmann shares his story; Nathaniel Nichols in traditional Bavarian clothing; URI president Marc Parlange seated with other special guests; a group photo of all invited guests; Dr. Sonja Kreibich engages the audience; Dr. Susanne Menden-Deuer presents her research. Photos courtesy of the German Consul General of Boston and URI’s Office of Global Initiatives.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Among the speakers were three individuals with diverse career backgrounds (art, engineering and science, respectively) as well as unique ties to both Rhode Island and Germany: Patrick Buhr, an animation artist and  assistant professor at RISD;  Stefan Fertmann \u201916, a mechanical engineering URI-TU Braunschweig dual master\u2019s program alum who is now the director of manufacturing at IGUS in the US; and Dr. Susanne Menden-Deuer, a professor of oceanography at URI\u2019s Graduate School of Oceanography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each presented their personal journey between Germany and Rhode Island, shared what they have been working on in their differing fields, and highlighted the impact of international collaboration across their areas of expertise. They later took questions from the audience and engaged in one-on-one conversations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several students in the German IEP International Computer Science Program, International Studies and Diplomacy program and dual master\u2019s programs were on hand to also share about their experiences in Germany, their current research and assignments (involving mythical creatures like mermaids and dragons) from their most recent German class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional entertainment for the event was provided by students in the IEP community. German IEP alumnus Max Hill ’20, ’26 MS (German IEP & mechanical engineering, master\u2019s in mechanical engineering) and his friend Mike Kalowski ’30 PhD offered violin and guitar duets. Incorporating some Alpine flair into the evening was Nathaniel Nichols ’26, a German, computer Science, philosophy and art quadruple major, who showed off his yodeling talents acquired abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Italy at the Intersection of the Arts and Sciences<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The following day, April 10, URI played host to a similar event sponsored again by the Office of Global Initiatives and the IEP, but in partnership with the Italian Consulate in Boston. This special occasion bore the title \u201cItaly at the Intersection of the Arts and Sciences\u201d and was a celebration of how Italy\u2019s cultural traditions and intellectual legacy continue to shape innovation in engineering, science, and education.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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From top left: A group photo with Emmanuel Michaca (left), manager of partnerships and strategic internationalization at URI and several invited guest speakers; Consul General Arnaldo Minuti takes the podium; a presenter poses a question to the audience; attendees peruse posters set up at the event. Photos courtesy of URI’s Office of Global Initiatives, Sydney Capello and Kevin Perri.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

A large group of speakers from the Italian Consulate in Boston, along with URI faculty, students, and alumni, offered perspectives on the intersection of culture, language, and innovation, emphasizing the role of international education in shaping academic and professional pathways, including through programs like the Italian track of the International Engineering Program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consul General Arnaldo Minuti, the Italian Consulate in Boston, helped preside over the event alongside the IEP\u2019s Dr. Michelangelo La Luna, director of the Italian IEP. Kevin Perri ’26, an international exchange student from the University of Calabria, one of URI\u2019s partners in Italy, also was essential in organizing and promoting the event within the Italian community at URI.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During the spring, the University of Rhode Island hosted back-to-back cultural events in collaboration with local consulates in Boston.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2296,"featured_media":89334,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-89323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-iep"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2296"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89323"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89323\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89425,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89323\/revisions\/89425"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}