The Story behind the Shot:

Oceanography master’s degree candidate M. Lubetkin ’19 of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, used a time-lapse camera mounted on a remote-operated undersea vehicle to take this image of a rare Deepstaria enigmatica jellyfish last fall.

These sea creatures feature large, translucent, undulating bells and can survive at great depths. Lubetkin’s thesis research focuses on unusual lava flows near the Barcena underwater volcano in Mexico’s Revillagigedo Archipelago, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lubetkin’s Deepstaria Medusa won second place in URI’s inaugural Research and Scholarship Photo Contest.

The Research and Scholarship Photo Contest drew close to 300 entries from URI students, faculty, researchers and staff. URI’s three magazines: QuadAngles, Momentum and 41°N sponsored the contest.  

Photo contest entries will be featured on the University website throughout the year.