News – Department of Ocean Engineering

Sea Services symposium to showcase maritime programs and career opportunities on Sept. 27 - Second Sea Services Symposium open to URI, CCRI and high school students
Graduate will design and build underwater sonar technology - Mayer will be employed as a Staff Engineer at Applied Physical Sciences, a Research and Development company under General Dynamics where she will help design and build underwater sonar technology that will aid in military efforts.
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.
$500,000 Grant to Study Flood Risk Assessment - To research and communicate vital information about inland and coastal flooding in Rhode Island, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have awarded nearly $500,000 to a URI team to develop a Seamless Flood Risk Mapping Tool.
URI Professor Develops Deep-Sea Research on Fragile Organisms - A multi-institution team, led by Ocean Engineering professor Brennan Phillips, uses imaging technology and an innovative robotic device to quickly capture tissue for advanced genomic study.
Jim Miller Becomes Co-Director of the NIUVT - Ocean Engineering professor and chair James Miller took over the co-directorship of the National Institute of Undersea Vehicle Technology (NIUVT), a joint effort between URI and the University of Connecticut (UCONN).
URI Engineering Researchers Awarded $750k Grant on Floating Wind Turbines - The Biden administration has set a goal of deploying enough offshore wind turbines to produce 30 gigawatts—enough to power tens of millions of homes—by 2035. Key to that strategy is the development of floating wind turbines that can be built in vast areas of deeper water.
URI professor appears in French television documentary on tsunami threat to French Riviera - Ocean Engineering professor Stephan Grilli continues years of work with French, Italian, United Kingdom,other European scientists.
Offshore wind turbines not cause of whale strandings, deaths, says URI ocean engineering professor - James Miller, University of Rhode Island professor of Ocean Engineering and department chair, answered questions recently about whether wind turbines have an effect on whale safety and health.
Foundation Awards $3 Million for new Ocean Engineering Complex - The van Beuren Charitable Foundation has awarded URI a $3 million grant to support the development of a new Ocean Engineering Complex on the URI Narragansett Bay Campus that will propel the development of the region’s blue economy.
US Navy names future ship for URI alumnus, professor Robert Ballard - The U.S. Navy has announced that a future Pathfinder-class oceanography survey ship will be named in honor of University of Rhode Island alumnus and Professor of Oceanography Robert Ballard.
NUWC Comes to URI College of Engineering to Meet and Interview Students - Hiring personnel and engineers from the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport (NUWC) visited the URI College of Engineering recently to interview students and share information about the type of work conducted at NUWC.
Blue Economy Leaders Express Their Support for URI’s Bay Campus - As companies have formed and flourished in Rhode Island’s blue economy, the demand for URI’s talented ocean engineering students has never been greater. Companies have also increasingly turned to URI for support with research and product development needs.
Maryland Native Drawn to RI for Ocean Engineering, Stayed Due to Blue Economy - When Edgewater, Maryland native Maeve Story was deciding where to study ocean engineering, she confidently selected URI. She didn’t realize was how fast Rhode Island’s blue economy was growing and the career opportunities that awaited her.
Using Robots to Study Icebergs - Icebergs can impact the environment by affecting sea-level rise and local ecosystems, damage offshore equipment and disrupt marine transportation. URI researchers are developing multi-robot systems to study icebergs above and below the surface.
Deep-Sea Research Was Eye-Opening Experience for URI Student - Phil Parisi came to URI to pursue a master’s degree in ocean engineering so that he could work with autonomous systems and interact with nature. In his first deep-sea expedition to the Puerto Rico Trench, he got to do both.
Wave of the Future - Faculty and students in URI’s College of Engineering are partnering with federal defense and private industries to advance naval technology and keep the U.S. submarine fleet ahead of those from other countries.
Camera Could be Used to Monitor the Health of Coral Reefs - Graduate student Alexa Runyan worked with Assistant Professor Brennan Phillips to create a camera that could provide 3D images in real time to help monitor the health of coral reefs. The camera was tested in Bermuda.
Funding Helps Marine Energy Companies Partner with URI Ocean Engineering - URI has one of the best ocean engineering programs in the country, according to College Factual. Thanks to funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, companies have an added incentive to take advantage of the ocean engineering program’s equipment and expertise.
Partnership with Navy and UConn Continues to Make Impact on Research and Workforce Development - When the National Institute for Undersea Vehicle Technology was formed in 2017 as a partnership of URI, UConn and General Dynamics Electric Boat, it created collaborative opportunities in applied research, technology transition and workforce development.
Tonga Eruption Means New Data for URI Scientist, Student - When the volcano near the island nation of Tonga erupted on Jan. 15, it created an opportunity for URI Professor and Fulbright Scholar Stephan Grilli and Ph.D. Ocean Engineering candidate Maryam Muhommadpour to gather new data on tsunamis.
BBC Interviews Professor Stéphan Grilli About Tonga Tsunami - Stéphan Grilli, URI professor of ocean engineering and leading tsunami expert, was interviewed by the BBC about the tsunami caused by the eruption of an underwater volcano near Tonga. The interview starts at 8:26 into the broadcast.
Ocean News & Technology Podcast Features URI Ocean Engineering Professor - Brennan Phillips, assistant professor of ocean engineering at URI, was a featured guest on the Ocean News & Technology magazine podcast. He spoke about his research on devices used for deep-sea ocean exploration.
Professor Grilli Awarded Fulbright to Study Renewable Energy - Stephan Grilli, distinguished professor of ocean engineering and oceanography at the University of Rhode Island, has received the Fulbright Tocqueville Distinguished Chair Award to conduct research and teach in France.
‘Blue’ Technology Capabilities Helped URI Become Finalist for Build Back Better Challenge - The URI Research Foundation, in conjunction with a regional team focused on the “blue economy,” has successfully competed against hundreds of regional teams to be selected as a finalist in the nation-wide Build Back Better Regional Challenge.
$3 Million Grant Awarded to URI, UConn Navy STEM coalition - A $3 million grant has been awarded to URI and UConn by the U.S. Department of Defense to build on the successes of their joint Naval Science and Technology (Navy STEM) coalition to address engineering workforce needs in the naval sector.
$1.2 Million Grant Awarded to URI Researchers to Study Floating Offshore Wind Turbines - A team of URI ocean engineers received a $1.2 million federal grant to study floating offshore wind turbines. They will design and test a system for controlling the motion of the floating structures. The floating turbines would allow for electricity generation farther offshore, where winds are more favorable.
Young Investigator Award Enables Researcher to Further Develop Deep-Sea Technology - In the past year, Phillips, an assistant professor of ocean engineering at URI, created the most compact deep-sea system in the world that can provide a livestream video feed. Now, Phillips will test the limits of his system, thanks to a three-year, $510,000 Young Investigator Award he received from the Office of Naval Research.
Intern Uses Technology to Collaborate on URI Project from Puerto Rico - If there’s a positive outcome from remote learning during the last year, it’s that students and professors have become adept at collaborating on projects while apart. Adriana Muñoz-Soto is completing a yearlong internship with URI Assistant Professor Brennan Phillips while attending school in Puerto Rico.
Compact Deployment System Makes Exploring Deep Seas Easier - By having fiber optics woven into fishing line, URI engineering professor Brennan Phillips created the smallest deep-sea system in the world that can provide a livestream video feed. The fiber optic reel system will make deep-sea exploration much more affordable and accessible.
New Data Provides Clearer Picture of Historic Anak Krakatau Volcano Collapse - By combining new synthetic aperture radar images, field observations from a marine geology underwater survey, and aerial photographs taken by drones, a more accurate model has been created of the Anak Krakatau volcano before and after it collapsed.
Prestigious Hollings Scholarship Awarded to Ocean Engineering Student - Elizabeth Taylor, an ocean engineering major and business minor, has been awarded the Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Modern Technology Used Underwater by URI Alumnus to Make Informed Decisions - As a coastal engineer, URI alumnus Nicholas Bragaia spends most of his time studying what takes place underwater. Bragaia, who graduated from URI in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in ocean engineering, works in Florida for the global, employee-owned company GHD.
Multidisciplinary Team of URI Researchers Studies Recessed Dune - A multidisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Rhode Island are studying how to restore a dune at a local pond, which would alleviate flood risk and improve water quality, while protecting wildlife living in the area.
Student Studies Effects of Noise and Shock Loads on Marine Mammals - Catherine Eno, who is in her third year of majoring in ocean engineering and marine biology, joined a team of oceanographers, marine biologists and engineers at NUWC this summer to study the effects noise and shock loads have on marine mammals.
Students Investigate Microplastics Distribution in Narragansett Bay - Jacqui Roush, a sophomore majoring in ocean engineering and marine biology at URI, spent half the summer researching the location, concentration and movement of microplastics in Narragansett Bay.
‘Sharkcano’ Discovered By URI Professor Featured on National Geographic - The discovery of sharks living in an active underwater volcano in the Pacific Ocean by Brennan Phillips, an assistant professor of ocean engineering at URI, was the subject of a documentary on National Geographic.
Brennan Phillips has a ‘Blue Mind’ When It Comes to Research - Assistant Professor of Ocean Engineering Brennan Phillips feels right at home when conducting research in the ocean.