Coalition Mission

A Rising Tide

The University of Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay Campus is undergoing a dramatic transformation as it implements its master plan and builds upon its global reputation for oceanographic research and education.

Work was initiated in 2022 on a larger pier for the new research vessel arriving in 2023, and plans were finalized for the construction of the ocean technology design laboratory and the marine operations facility, which will begin in fall 2022.

A review of the $200 million plan in winter 2021 validated other phase two priorities, including a new research facility to replace Horn Laboratory, a new research complex for the ocean engineering department, and renovation of the Coastal Institute building.

A bond for $100 million for the Narragansett Bay Campus is on the ballot in November 2022.

INNOVATIVE AND DISTINCTIVE PROGRAMS | STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITIES | STUDENT ACCESS | THE URI LEARNING EXPERIENCE | Coalition Mission

Launch Lab leads ocean health collaboration

Collaboration is the constant thread that runs through innovative programming at URI. A prime example: Hacking 4Oceans (H4O), a new interdisciplinary course that asks students to tackle real-world problems threatening our oceans and provides sponsors and mentors to guide them to solutions.

A collaboration between the Graduate School of Oceanography, the College of Business, and the URI Launch Lab was crucial to bringing the course to campus. GSO Dean Paula Bontempi, the linchpin of the enterprise, said, “I love this class and concept. It brings together mentors from industry, NGOs, the government, and other partners, and teaches the students the ethos of entrepreneurship.”

The collaboration among colleges led to collaboration among students. “There were brilliant students from GSO and from CELS and from engineering. There were international students—you had students from different backgrounds working in teams, just like in the real world,” said course mentor Peter Rumsey, chief business development officer at the URI Research Foundation and a member of the Launch Lab Advisory Council. “Amazing things happen when you bring together people with different skill sets in a common cause.”

By the end of the course, said Bontempi, “The students learned how to develop a concept to address a challenge, from building a coalition to selling their ideas and explaining why a solution to a challenge is worthy of investment. It’s very cool and a real career and life skill.”

The URI Launch Lab, which facilitated the recruitment of mentors and coaching of students for H4O, is an entrepreneurial resource for all members of the URI community who want to bring their ideas to life. As the University seeks to expand the Lab’s capacities, Rumsey says, “fundraising is a new focus for us. The dream is for alumni from all colleges to contribute to cross-disciplinary, cross-college, cross-university entrepreneurship and innovation. The URI Launch Lab hopes to power more extraordinary courses like H4O, and I think that’s something all alumni can get behind.”

L to R: Monica Rao; Christine De Silva; Xiaozhuo Wei; Erfa Fachroni