1st Place | Photo Title: “The Endless Bond Between Mother and Child”

by Matt Palasciano ’20

A young macaque clings to its mother at the local
watering hole in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, where
Palasciano studied biodiversity, hydrology and
water resource management. He and two other
students studied deforestation and illegal logging in
Indonesia to understand the destruction it imposes
on wildlife and its habitat. Palasciano is pursuing a
bachelor’s degree in geological oceanography and
plans to pursue a master’s degree in coastal geology
and business administration. He hopes to work in
cultural resource management and as a professional
shark diver in the Bahamas. Palasciano is from
Thomaston, Connecticut.

2nd Place | Photo Title: “All the Water Returns to Hall”

by Professor Yeqiao Wang

This rural village home in southern China is designed to collect rainwater
from all directions through a rectangular opening in its sloped roof. The
water is stored in a stone cellar underneath the central hall. This photograph
showcases the wisdom of a sustainable rural routine presented by this
hundred-year-old eco-friendly house. Professor Wang is currently leading
and engaging more than 300 scholars and practitioners from URI and around
the world to develop a multi-volume book series entitled The Handbook of
Natural Resources. This photo was taken during one of his field trips for the
series. Professor Wang is originally from China

3rd Place | Photo Title: “Raining Sparks”

by Laird French ’21

This photograph of burning steel wool being spun on a rope was taken using
an 8-second shutter speed as part of a project for ART 214, or Photography
1, for a long-exposure photo assignment. French is pursuing a bachelor’s
degree in marketing with an expected minor in fine arts and plans to move
to Hawaii and become a professional photographer/videographer after
graduation. French is from Kingston, Rhode Island.

Honorable Mention | Photo Title: “Fungi Guttation”

by Riley Kirk ‘23

This photograph shows a frost bolete
mushroom that is experiencing a rapid
growth phase. The yellow droplets on
the pores are not dew, but the result of
a process known as guttation — when
a mushroom exudes fluid during high
metabolic times. After this photo was
taken in the Great Swamp Management
Area in West Kingston, Rhode Island, the
mushroom was collected and brought
back to the laboratory for extraction
and isolation experiments. Kirk is from
Charlestown, Rhode Island.

Honorable Mention | Photo Title: “Yellow Warble at Nest”

by Stephen Brenner ’18

This photograph, taken in Manitoba, Canada, depicts research with the
McWilliams Lab in Biological and Environmental Sciences monitoring
the demographics, breeding success, and growth rates of long-distance
migratory birds at the far northern reaches of their range in shifting habitats
and climate. Brenner is originally from Buffalo, New York.

Honorable Mention | Photo Title: “Reef Manta”

by Assistant Professor Jason Jaacks

Jaacks shot this photograph while free diving in Raja
Ampat, Indonesia. The reef manta was cruising through
a cloud of plankton. Jaacks, was working on a short
film about sustainable fisheries practices in Indonesia,
as part of a multi-year visual study of the biodiversity of
the Coral Triangle region of the south Pacific. Jaacks is
originally from Denver, Colorado.