KINGSTON, R.I. – Dec. 22, 2022 – The Champlin Foundation has awarded the University of Rhode Island $498,965 to support four projects to advance technology and learning for students and faculty across various disciplines.
Chosen from among a competitive set of applications, the URI projects include new methods of drug testing, an atomic thermometer, equipment to create wearable textile technology, and advanced archaeological tools. Each project represents cross-disciplinary collaboration between faculty representing a variety of URI’s academic colleges.
The Champlin Foundation, one of the oldest philanthropic organizations in Rhode Island, has a 30-year legacy funding projects at URI that totals more than $19 million.
“The Champlin Foundation has a long history in giving equipment that better prepares URI students to successfully enter their professions and grow within their fields,” said Laura Beauvais, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Our faculty are in tune with the needs of students and the cutting-edge technology that would improve their educational experience. We are incredibly excited that The Champlin Foundation continues to provide resources to help students throughout their educational journey.”
The projects include:
Advanced Drug Release Testing Technologies for Hands-On Training: $95,000 topurchase cutting-edge equipment for hands-on training for students to support excellence in the area of in vitro drug release testing (outside the living body in an artificial environment) used to predict drug efficacy and safety in animals and humans.
Principal Investigators: Jie Shen (Primary PI), Departments of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chemical Engineering; Samantha A. Meenach, Departments of Chemical Engineering and Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Saleh Allababidi, Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Daniel E. Roxbury, Department of Chemical Engineering; Katharina Quinlan, Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ryan Institute for Neuroscience; Jaime M. Ross, Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ryan Institute for Neuroscience; and Jiyeon Kim, Department of Chemistry.
Atomic Thermometer: $197,360 will purchase the SSTR-F thermal conductivity measurement system from Laser Thermal, Inc. for students in chemistry, chemical engineering, and mechanical engineering. This tool can provide non-contact measurements to understand the thermal conductivity of materials.
Principal Investigators: Ashutosh Giri (Primary PI), Mechanical, Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Systems Engineering; Dugan Hayes, Department of Chemistry; and Daniel Roxbury, Department of Chemical Engineering.
KNIT and WEAR technology with computer-aided textile designing and manufacturing: $125,605 will be used to purchase a knitting machine that will give students hands-on experience in production techniques by designing their own textiles, simulating their appearance and features, and manufacturing them using the most contemporary software and technology.
Principal Investigators: Izabela Ciesielska-Wrobel (Primary PI), Department of Textiles, Fashion Merchandising, and Design, College of Business; Kunal Mankodiya, Department of Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering; Dhaval Solanki, Department of Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering; and Karim Boughida, Dean, University Libraries.
Student Tools for Building an Archaeological, Historical and Cultural Understanding of the URI Campus: $81,000 will purchase archaeological geophysical survey equipment that can detect underground cultural features and artifacts and provide insights about buried archaeological resources.
Principal Investigators: Kris Bovy (Primary PI), Department of Sociology and Anthropology; Rod Mather, Department of History; and Catherine DeCesare, Department of History.