{"id":133064,"date":"2018-10-17T14:36:27","date_gmt":"2018-10-17T18:36:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/?p=133064"},"modified":"2018-10-17T14:40:35","modified_gmt":"2018-10-17T18:40:35","slug":"native-rhode-islander-returns-home-to-pursue-ocean-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/news\/native-rhode-islander-returns-home-to-pursue-ocean-science\/","title":{"rendered":"Native Rhode Islander returns home to pursue ocean science"},"content":{"rendered":"
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For Matthew Dunn, URI\u2019s Graduate School of Oceanography is the place to be<\/h2>\n<\/hgroup>\n

Posted on 

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NARRAGANSETT, R.I., Oct. 16, 2018 \u2014 Contrary to the popular aphorism, you can <\/em>go home again, and it can be exactly where you want to be.<\/p>\n

At least, that is the case for South Kingstown native Matthew Dunn<\/a>, a doctoral student at the University of Rhode Island\u2019s Graduate School of Oceanography. Dunn grew up barely a mile from URI\u2019s Kingston campus, and after graduating from South Kingstown High School, sought to broaden his perspective beyond his backyard, earning a bachelor\u2019s degree in marine science at the University of Delaware.<\/p>\n

For Dunn, 22, returning home is about pursuing a childhood dream to become a marine scientist and to do so in the place where he discovered his love for the ocean. The University of Rhode Island\u2019s Graduate School of Oceanography is where he made that discovery.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first beach I ever went to was at Narragansett Bay Campus, because it was safe for little kids. We were a beach family,\u201d Dunn said of his parents and two younger siblings. \u201cAnd I\u2019ve always had a fascination with sea life, the coastline, waves.\u201d<\/p>\n

By the time he was in middle school, Dunn knew he wanted to attend graduate school to become an oceanographer. \u201cGSO is such a renowned school,\u201d he said. \u201cWhy go to Hawaii or Florida to study, when URI is one of the best schools for oceanography.\u201d<\/p>\n

He believes Rhode Island is lucky to have an esteemed institution that attracts the best students from within and beyond state borders, and offers students advanced degrees that lead to rewarding careers.<\/p>\n

A chemical oceanographer, Dunn is studying emerging contaminants \u2014 pollutants from industry and manufacturing whose potential dangers were unknown when they were in wide use decades ago. His work is part of the multi-state, federally funded project STEEP<\/a>, which stands for Sources, Transport, Exposure and Effects of Polyfluoroalkyl substances. Known as PFASs and widely recognized as toxins, these compounds are released from consumer products, such as carpet and automotive parts. They are found in drinking water, can become airborne and eventually can enter the food web. One of the project directors is Rainer Lohmann<\/a>, URI professor of oceanography and Dunn\u2019s advisor.<\/p>\n

When Dunn was exploring graduate school opportunities, he reached out to Lohmann, who invited him to GSO to see his lab and the research he was conducting. \u201cHe thought I\u2019d be a good fit. I applied to GSO specifically to work in his lab,\u201d Dunn said. \u201cI am already actively doing research. I love the way my lab welcomed me right in.\u201d<\/p>\n

As an undergraduate, Dunn had focused on water quality issues, such as nitrogen loading and acidification, so the STEEP work offers a fresh direction. \u201cI saw this as a challenge, a new experience and a way to push myself. I am really enjoying it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Dunn is conducting validation experiments on chemical detection tools called passive samplers to prove that they will work in the field as intended. The samplers act as sponges, absorbing chemicals in water and indicating what is present and in what concentration. Usually, such tools can only measure one of those factors, Dunn noted, but, once refined, the passive samplers will measure both.<\/p>\n

At URI, Dunn appreciates the opportunities to work with students, faculty and experts from other disciplines across the University and beyond. \u201cThe interdisciplinary work can only increase my skills and the opportunities for publishing, which in the long run makes you a better scientist, more well-rounded,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He also believes in sharing his Rhody pride about GSO and, if given the chance, would tell Rhode Islanders: \u201cWe live in the Ocean State. The ocean has done something for you, whether you own a seafood restaurant, know a fisherman, are in a business that relies on the marine industry. GSO is actively protecting the oceans and coastal populations. This should be high on everyone\u2019s list.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After growing up barely a mile from URI\u2019s Kingston campus, South Kingstown native Matthew Dunn is now a doctoral student at the URI\u2019s\u00a0Graduate School of Oceanography, which he calls “one of the best schools for oceanography.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2165,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[1330,789,2045,804,2008],"class_list":["post-133064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-chemical-oceanography","tag-gso-student","tag-matthew-dunn","tag-rainer-lohmann","tag-steep"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2165"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133064"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133064\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":133091,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133064\/revisions\/133091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}