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A BEACON FOR EXPLORATION
The Rose Island Field School Offers Research Opportunities Across Disciplines
• BY TERYN O’BRIEN
IT’S BEEN SAID THAT BIRDS OF A FEATHER flock together—and for habitats like Rose Island, hundreds of birds do come to nest together, reproduce, and add to a vibrant ecosystem ripe for scientific study.
Situated in Narragansett Bay with Goat Island to the east and the Pell Newport Bridge to the north, Rose Island is a gold mine for interdisciplinary research and programming.
The area offers unique opportunities for experiential learning where students utilize skills learned in the classroom in a variety of ways.
Following an inaugural project in summer 2021, a handful of students selected from across disciplines participated in the Rose Island Field School (RIFS) during June and July 2022. The Field school is part of a larger Narragansett Bay Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research Summer Field Program, which plans to implement similar research opportunities across the Bay.
Dr. Jameson Chace, professor of biology and chair of cultural, environmental and global studies, and Dr. Jeroen van den Hurk, assistant professor in cultural and historic preservation, served as faculty interdisciplinary mentors for the 2022 program.
As interns for RIFS, students earned a stipend and assisted with the development of a field station on the island. Tasks included a study of breeding biology and reproductive success of birds on the island versus the mainland; vegetative surveys, quantification, and collections for the Newport Arboretum; architectural history, human history, and building documentation; preparation of materials for historical interpretation during island tours by visitors from the Jamestown Ferry and other groups; preparation and implementation of educational materials for visitation by Newport public school students; and serving as interpretation assistants guiding visitors of all ages through the human and natural history of the island.
Housing was provided at Salve Regina when on the mainland, but students also slept on the island in bunk beds provided for the summer program, making the area more habitable for longer-term projects.
Sharing History And Research
On June 30, 2022, students presented their findings from the field school to members of the University community—including Dr. Kelli J. Armstrong, president, and Dr. Nancy Schreiber, vice president for academic a airs and provost. Sharon Grills Jackson and Stephen Jackson ’15 (Ph.D.), founders of the Southeastern New England Educational and Charitable Foundation (SNEC)—an organization that partnered with Salve Regina to provide major funding for RIFS—were also in attendance. e group took a boat from Fort Adams and spent the morning learning about the research and initiatives under way.
As the students described, Rose Island allegedly gained its name because at low tide, the island appears to be shaped like a rose. Fortifications were built on the 18.5acre island during the American Revolution and from 1789 to 1801, the U.S. government began constructing Fort Hamilton, which was never completed. With increased shipping traffic on Narragansett Bay in the mid-1860s, the Rose Island Lighthouse was constructed, serving as a beacon for the lower bay for nearly 100 years until the bridge was built in the 1960s. e U.S. Navy also used Rose Island to store explosives during World Wars I and II as part of the Naval Torpedo Station.
Above: Ashley Caputo ’24 presents research on the island’s history.
“ These arches for Fort Hamilton were created by Major Louis de Tousard, a French architect,” described Ashley Caputo ’24, an environmental studies major with a minor in biology. “It was very common for the U.S. to steal architects from other areas, and that’s what they did with Louis de Tousard. He created a lot of the architecture that you see here on the island.” The Rose Island Lighthouse has gone through an extensive restoration, as Zachary Russell ’23, a major in cultural and historic preservation with a minor in sociology and anthropology, pointed out on the tour. e lighthouse was saved through the community coming together and founding the Rose Island Lighthouse and Fort Hamilton Trust (RILFH Trust), a nonprofit that seeks to help preserve the historical legacy of the island.
“I love local history—and learning about the island and especially the lighthouse itself was really cool,” said Russell. “Seeing something that no one would want to save and then being able to have the community come together and bring something back to how it used to be to preserve it for future generations is really special.”
Brie von Beren ’23, a double major in environmental studies and anthropology and sociology, gave the group a run-down of the birds that are on Rose Island: Herring Gull,
Great Black-backed Gull, Song Sparrows and warblers. Students have been bird banding and counting eggs to help track each species of birds’ expansion and population in the area.
-BRIE VON BEREN ’23
“From our research, we found out that there are far less species on the island than Aquidneck Island, because it cannot sustain all types of birds,” von Beren explained. “But the birds that are on the island have a higher success rate than the birds on Aquidneck Island, because they’re not exposed to as many predators.”
Kyle Stukel ’23, an environmental studies major with minors in biology and business administration, led a tour of the trees and other vegetation on Rose Island. He believes the island is a perfect way to study a variety of ecological systems.
“During World War One, there was no vegetation, croplands, or woodlands. It was just military posts,” Stukel said. “But the island had 50-plus years to grow naturally.
And in 2012, we had a lot of donations from people from all di erent parts of the world, and we were able to get a variety of trees and plants that aren’t native to Rhode Island here.”
IN TUNE WITH THE ISLAND
All of the students who presented their findings from the Rose Island Field School were grateful for the opportunity to be part of the program. They expressed that the experience was life-changing—both personally and academically—to be able to learn in such a hands-on environment.
“I am interested in the history part of the island, so being able to see both the architectural history and the natural history come to life in front of me was incredible,” said Caputo. “I also want to do environmental education after I graduate, so this is such an amazing way to start getting in front of people and doing that.”
Maxwell Van Winkle ’23, an environmental studies major with a minor in biology, added that the opportunity to live on the island will stand out as one of the defining moments of his time while at Salve Regina.
“You really get to be in tune with the island. You get to really observe things and discover the island for yourself,” said Van Winkle. “We were able to go all in, and by doing that we were able to explore as much as we wanted to.”
Stukel also added that it was important for him to get research experience at the undergraduate level, because it helped him see what research is like.
“It helps me see the work ethic of what it takes to come out here every single day, do the various tasks we have to do, and schedule times during the week to stay overnight to observe the ecosystem,” Stukel explained. “I want to do this later, and now I know what could be expected of me down the road.”
A NATURAL RESOURCE FOR ALL
Students also offered educational resources and tours on Rose Island to local elementary school children, according to Dr. Craig Condella, who helped launch the RIFS in 2021 and is professor and chair of philosophy as well as professor for cultural, environmental, and global studies.
“From an environmental justice standpoint, this is incredibly valuable, as it gives local kids a chance to learn about and explore a place that they wouldn’t otherwise have access to,” said Condella. “We visited a second-grade class at Pell Elementary School in April and got them out on the island in May, and we have the goal of bringing a good deal more local kids out there in the coming years.”
Through extended study on the island, students were able to inform many different visitors coming to Rose Island in creative ways, according to Dr. Holly Moore, assistant professor of education.
“These opportunities included giving tours, sharing stories around the campfire, guiding kayak tours to view oyster catchers, and even painting shells with young learners,” Moore explained. “They also created display information panels that are now housed on the island, as well as digital education resources for children and youth.”
LOOKING AHEAD
-SEAN O’CONNOR, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RILFH TRUST
“This place is really important,” said Chace. “It gives the opportunity for the students to have an authentic piece of their education by taking all things that they’ve learned in the classroom and really putting it into practice.”
Salve Regina’s partnerships with both the Southeastern New England Educational and Charitable Foundation and the Rose Island Lighthouse and Fort Hamilton Trust highlight the University’s efforts to create stand-out educational programming that enriches the student experience. Such initiatives underscore the “living laboratory” in which students learn, live and make a difference.
Above: (l-r) Stephen Jackson (left) and Sharon Grills Jackson (middle) of the Southeastern New England Educational and Charitable Foundation tour Rose Island with President Kelli Armstrong.
“The partnerships with SNEC in collaboration with the RILFH Trust offered students important experiences with hands-on research and experiential learning,” said Moore. “They offered rich possibilities for continued development of educational resources that can connect learners of all ages to the beauty and history of this Rhode Island treasure.”
“It’s just a special, key piece for us to be able to bring students out to environments such as this,” added van den Hurk. “The students come here to learn from an area that is rich with exploratory opportunities. And then to be able to stand up in front of people and present their findings with tours and other educational opportunities—it’s an incredible thing, indeed.”
