At the Narragansett Bay Campus

Joshua Kelly unexpectedly found himself on a ship in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea on his very first week as a student at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography.

“Talk about being thrown into the fire,” said the native of North Reading, Mass. “But it was a blast!”

A debate among scientists about the dynamics of the Cascades subduction system in the western United States has taken a major step toward being resolved, thanks to new evidence provided by a team of international researchers led by University of Rhode Island Professor Christopher Kincaid.

The Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island is providing URI undergraduates interested in earning a Master of Oceanography degree with a chance to get a jumpstart on their coursework and complete the degree just one year after finishing their bachelor’s degree.

The Deep Carbon Observatory, a decade-long $500 million research project to discover the quantity, movement, origin, and forms of carbon deep inside the Earth, has released a landmark 700-page book, Carbon in Earth, which outlines questions that will guide the program through 2019 and beyond.

On Wednesday, February 6, Dean Bruce Corliss presided over the formal opening of Studio Blue, a multimedia coastal and ocean learning commons designed to exhibit creative works in a variety of media that are inspired by and imbue the research of marine and coastal scientists. The artists and their scientist counterparts were in attendance to discuss their works, both to the audience as a group, and individually after the formal program.  

About 50 percent of the salt marshes in the Northeast have been destroyed by human development, and many of those that remain have been severely degraded by roads and other crossings, restricting tidal flows and limiting their ability to provide flood protection, water quality maintenance and wildlife habitat.

A new book, co-edited by a University of Rhode Island scientist and including chapters written by several others affiliated with URI, provides the scientific foundation and practical guidance to reverse this trend and restore many of these marshes.

Dr. Mary Voytek, Director of NASA's Astrobiology program, was presented this year's GSO Dean's Distinguished Achievement Award. The awards, conferred by the President of the University and each college within the University, honor alumni who have brought distinction to themselves and the University through their professional achievements, outstanding leadership or community service.

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse was awarded the inaugural Admiral James D. Watkins Award by the Consortium for Ocean Leadership in a ceremony at the Bay Campus. The award was created in honor of the late Admiral to recognize outstanding contributions to ocean research and education.  

In Rhode Island and around the country, coastal communities are working on plans to manage and sustain the ocean’s resources to generate new industries, support job creation, and provide food and services to an ever-increasing population.

A new short film, America’s Ocean Economy: Challenges and Opportunities, is the first in a series that explores this effort with ocean management practitioners from around the world. The film provides an overview of economic issues related to ocean planning.

The Graduate School of Oceanography welcomes its newest graduate students as a new academic year begins. The students were formally welcomed by the new Dean of GSO, Dr. Bruce Corliss, and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Dr. David C. Smith. The new students joined faculty and returning students at Mosby Center for refreshments, then headed to the beach to enjoy the traditional boat burning.