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Scenes from The University of Rhode Island

International media focuses on URI research, programs

Media Contact: Todd McLeish, 401-874-7892

Here is a sampling of news highlights and coverage about University people, research, programs and more that appeared in print, broadcast or online media worldwide during the last few months. These items and others are featured on our news blog, URI NewsOnline.

A Mouthful of News: A new book by English Professor Mary Cappello is filled with safety pins, coins, porcelain dolls and even a toy goat, all foreign objects that have been ingested by people through the years. The unusual subject matter of Swallow: Foreign Bodies, Their Ingestion, Inspiration and the Curious Doctor Who Extracted Them has produced quite a following. The book and Prof. Cappello's research has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Salon.com and on radio programs in Vancouver and New Zealand. A URI news release about the book can be found here.

Powerful Harvest: When a team of URI researchers discovered ways to harvest the solar energy radiating from hot roadways to power streetlights and road signs and melt ice on bridges, their work generated media attention worldwide. Their results were covered by the Philadelphia Inquirer, International Business Times, United Press International, Channel 12, Electronics News and many more. Dozens of bloggers also wrote about it, from Brighter Energy and Renewable Power News to Cooler Planet and Smarter Technology. Read the press release here.

High Visibility: Among the most visible stories were a feature in USA Today on the discovery of Depression-era murals in Edwards Hall; a lengthy segment on Discovery Channel/Canada about explosives research by Chemistry Professor Jimmie Oxley; an MSNBC program, Future Earth: Journey to the End of the World, which featured commentary by Oceanography Professor Kate Moran; a History Channel program called Mega Disasters that highlighted Ocean Engineering Professor Stefan Grilli creating a simulated tsunami in the Bay Campus wave tank; and a tick removal story on the Martha Stewart Show that included a video produced by Entomology Professor Tom Mather.

Bond Issue: In October and early November, media attention of the bond referendum to fund construction of the Center for Chemical and Forensic Sciences showed it to be Essential to R.I. Coverage included editorial endorsements by the Providence Journal, Providence Business News, Providence Phoenix, South County Independent and Newport Daily News and feature stories in news outlets statewide. The campaign even inspired an unsolicited Huffington Post column and Projo opinion piece by URI graduate Anthony Amore, who is a homeland security and art theft expert.

Top Research Award: The announcement of the $20 million EPSCoR grant garnered two front-page stories in the Providence Journal, as well as coverage in Providence Business News, WRNI and all the Rhode Island television stations. Read the press release here.

Newsy Research: A research study concluding that watching TV medical dramas makes people fear illness, by Yinjiao Ye, assistant professor of communication studies, generated news stories on dozens of U.S. television stations. The results also appeared in numerous daily newspapers, from the Vancouver Sun and Montreal Gazette to the Japan Herald and London’s Daily Mail. Read the press release here

Digital Storm: An educational website about hurricane science created by the Office of Marine Programs at the Graduate School of Oceanography was launched at a museum exhibit opening in Louisiana and resulted in news stories in more than 140 media outlets around the country. Read the press release here

Geophysical News: URI researchers made big news sharing their research at one of the largest scientific conferences in the world, the American Geophysical Union fall meeting. Assistant Professor Katherine Kelley's research resolving the debate among geologists about the availability of oxygen in the Earth's mantle was included in U.S. News and World Report, Our Amazing Planet, Sify News, and Earth Today, while Assistant Professor Brian Savage's improved seismic model for monitoring possible nuclear explosions worldwide received the attention of Science Daily, R & D Magazine, Daily India and others.