The Endless Bond between Mother and Child
Matthew Palasciano ’20
A young macaque clings to its mother at the local watering hole in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, where Palasciano studied biodiversity, hydrology, and water resource management. He and two other students studied deforestation and illegal logging in Indonesia to understand the destruction these activities cause for wildlife and its habitat. Palasciano is studying geological oceanography and plans to pursue a master’s degree in coastal geology and business administration. He hopes to work in cultural resource management and as a professional shark diver in the Bahamas. Palasciano is from Thomaston, Connecticut. His photo won first place in URI’s Research and Scholarship Photo Contest this spring.
All the Water Returns to Hall
Yeqiao Wang, Professor of Natural Resources Science
This rural village home in southern China is designed to collect rainwater from all directions through a rectangular opening in its sloped roof. The water is stored in a stone cellar underneath the central hall. This photograph showcases the wisdom of a sustainable rural routine presented by this 100-year-old eco-friendly house. Professor Wang is leading and engaging more than 300 scholars and practitioners from URI and around the world to develop a multivolume book series entitled The Handbook of Natural Resources. This photo was taken during one of his field trips for the series. Professor Wang is originally from China. His photo won second place in URI’s Research and Scholarship Photo Contest this spring.
Raining Sparks
Laird French ’21
This image of burning steel wool being spun on a rope was taken using an 8-second shutter speed as part of a project for ART 214, or Photography 1, for a long-exposure photo assignment. French is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in marketing with an expected minor in fine arts and plans to move to Hawaii and become a professional photographer/videographer after graduation. French is from Kingston, Rhode Island. His photo won third place in URI’s Research and Scholarship Photo Contest this spring.
These photos by Brenner, Kirk, and Jaacks received honorable mentions in URI’s Research and Scholarship Photo Contest this spring.
Yellow Warbler
Stephen Brenner ’18
Taken in Manitoba, Canada, this photo depicts research with URI‘s McWilliams Lab in Biological and Environmental Sciences monitoring the demographics, breeding success, and growth rates of long-distance migratory birds at the far northern reaches of their range in shifting habitats and climate. Brenner is from Buffalo, New York.
Fungi Guttation
Riley Kirk, Ph.D. ’23
This photograph shows a frost bolete mushroom that is experiencing a rapid growth phase. The yellow droplets on the pores are not dew, but the result of a process known as guttation: when a mushroom exudes fluid during high metabolic times. After this photo was taken in the Great Swamp Management Area in West Kingston, Rhode Island, the mushroom was collected and brought back to the laboratory for extraction and isolation experiments. Kirk, who is pursuing a doctoral degree in natural product chemistry, is from Charlestown, Rhode Island.
Reef Manta
Jason Jaacks, Assistant Professor of Journalism
Jaacks captured this image while free diving in Raja Ampat, Indonesia. The reef manta was cruising through a cloud of plankton. Jaacks was working on a short film about sustainable fisheries practices in Indonesia, as part of a multiyear visual study of the biodiversity of the Coral Triangle region of the South Pacific. Jaacks is originally from Denver, Colorado.