When Phill Rhyner graduated from URI, he didn’t envision that he would soon invent a unique piece of dredging equipment or that he would appear on more than a dozen episodes of a popular reality television program while ensuring that the device operated properly. But that’s exactly what he has been doing for the last two years.

The Narragansett native invented a remotely operated, submersible sub-dredge that can pump sediments from the seafloor in challenging environments. The car-sized device can be deployed to deep waters that floating dredges cannot reach, and it can be squeezed into tight spaces inaccessible to other dredges. Which is why one of the characters in the Discovery Channel reality program Bering Sea Gold sought to use the sub-dredge to hunt for gold beneath the ice off the coast of northwest Alaska. And because Rhyner’s employer was anxious for the publicity the project would generate, he was sent to Alaska for two month-long stints to oversee its operation during filming.

“I typically go to the job site for the first couple weeks for assembly and testing, but it was a little shocking going to Alaska in the winter after living in San Diego for seven years,” Rhyner said. “And the weather made it really difficult to even get the equipment to the site. But I’ve been worked into the story line of the program more and more for the last two seasons.”

As much as Rhyner enjoyed being part of a television production, he is just as pleased that it was a success for his company. “The whole thing definitely paid off for the company,” he said. “They’re dealing with tons of calls from prospective customers.”