Fall 2021

Features

David Cipoletta '14, M.S. '19, co-founder and CEO of Pison, in Pison's Boston, Mass., offices.

David Cipoletta ’14, M.S. ’19, is a born engineer–a techie who gets things done. With his startup, Pison, he’s designing revolutionary gesture-control and brain wave-control tech to help the U.S. military, people with ALS, and everyday device users.

Mind over matter

MAKING HISTORY

Rhody basketball player Charlie Lee was the first Black player to participate in a college game in the state of Georgia.

ALL AGES LEARNING

Rethinking the education model and encouraging the participation of older adults is enriching the Rhody community.

GOLF MEDIA GIANT

Alzheimer’s forced Tim Rosaforte ’77 into early retirement; his friends and colleagues are ensuring his legacy.

Unsung Heroes

Librarians out Loud

Serving essential roles in the communities they serve, today’s librarians are so much more than keepers of the books.

From the President

Hello, URI ALUMNI!

Currents

  • Assistant Professor of Philosophy Douglass Reed, shown in a darkly lit library space The Everyday Philosopher - For assistant professor Douglass Reed ’04, philosophy goes beyond reading Plato’s Symposium or discussing Socratic virtue in a classroom.
  • Students wearing protective eyewear and clothing work with a liquid in a glass container in a laboratory A Bigger, Bolder Vision for URI’s Future - In October, the University announced that it would raise the goal of Big Ideas. Bold Plans. The Campaign for the University of Rhode Island from $250 million to $300 million.
  • URI writing/ rhetoric and education student, Tyrone Thomas ’22 sitting in front of a microphone in a recording studio Resurrecting the Art of Respectful Conversation - Can respectful conversation and real listening change the tone of contemporary discourse? The Good Faith Idea Exchange podcast says, “Absolutely.”
  • URI Doctoral student and Fulbright recipient Meg Jones seated before a colorful chalk drawing with the word PRIDE in rainbow letters Pushing the Boundaries of Inclusion - Doctoral student Meg Jones was awarded a Fulbright grant to study LGBTQ+ inclusive practices in teacher education programs in Finland.
  • Blue open quotation mark You Can Quote Me - URI experts are quoted in the media frequently. Here are a few that bear repeating.
  • URI MBA student Thomas Bonneau started a nonprofit, America’s Recoverable Medical Supply (ARMS), which collects and repurposes medical supplies. He is pictured here surrounded by donated supplies. Called to Serve - URI M.B.A. student and combat medic, Thomas Bonneau started a nonprofit which collects and repurposes medical supplies.

Network

The Torchbearers

Alumni of Color Network

How the Alumni of Color Network became one of the University’s strongest alumni groups.

  • Copeland coaching with a smile at the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Track and Field Championships The Copeland Effect - An alumnus reflects on the impact of men’s track and field coach John Copeland, who retired this year.
  • Alumni of Color Network co-chairs Sara Monteiro ’08 and Bobby Britto-Oliveira ’06, M.S. ’11; Michelle Fontes ’96, M.A. ’11; and Gina Miranda ’20 seated on the stone wall outside the Alumni Center on the URI Kingston Campus. The Torchbearers - The Alumni of Color Network celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2022. Michelle Fontes ’96, M.A. ’11, the group’s organizer, reflects on how one of URI’s strongest alumni groups got started and what lies ahead.
  • University of Rhode Island led boat, including URI alumni, coxswain Karen Petrik ’19 and Allie Reilly ’19 rowing at the at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Silver Medal for Ram-Led U.S.A. Rowers - University of Rhode Island rowing coach Shelagh Donohoe, along with coxswain Karen Petrik ’19 and Allie Reilly ’19, led the U.S. PR3 mixed four with coxswain to the silver medal at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

Caption This

A black and white picture of students during the winter waiting outside the telephone booth occupied by a snowman.

Photo Caption Contest

Do you have a funny idea for a caption for this photo from the URI Archives?

Submit Your Entry
A historical black and white image of a person getting his hair clipped as two others look on.

“Hey guys! Once we’re done with this job, they want us to change a lightbulb over at Edwards Hall.”

Summer 2021 Winners

Aperture

“My role as a teacher is to help each student discover their own creative voice and find ways to link it to real-world situations.”

The Full Picture