KINGSTON, R.I. — Oct. 24, 2023 — Like many young people facing a daily barrage of bad news about climate change, David Rafael LeClair has felt a bit of despair about the future of the planet. As an artist, he wondered how he might inspire others of his generation to keep their heads up and keep working toward a better world.

So, a few years ago he got the idea for a young adult graphic novel—something that would help young people to rediscover the wonder and beauty of nature.

“I wanted to make something that would take people of my generation back to the wonder we had about nature as children—back when we experienced nature with fresh eyes,” said LeClair, who is from Westerly. “I had this idea since high school, but I really never thought anything would ever come of it because I never really had the time to work on it.”

But when he got to the University of Rhode Island, he found a way to make it real. As a first-year student majoring in art, he applied for and won a College of Arts and Sciences Student Fellowship, which provides funding for students to work over the summer on a research or creative project. The idea is to provide these kinds of opportunities to students who may otherwise have to work during the summer.

Over 10 weeks this summer, LeClair worked with art faculty member Kevin Gilmore to sketch out the story arc and begin creating the artwork he’ll need to complete his novel. The experience could be a major springboard toward his lifelong dream of becoming a graphic artist, he says, and it may not have happened without the fellowship.

“I’m 19 and I just got an apartment on my own,” LeClair said. “While working to pay for all of that, finding time to make my art is really difficult. So being able to work on this project that I’m passionate about over the summer and still provide for myself—that was really life changing.”

LeClair was one of 18 Arts and Sciences Student Fellows this year. On Oct. 6, several of those students presented their work at a poster exhibition in the Carothers Library for faculty and fellow students.

“It’s incredible to see such an array of different projects, and the ways in which those projects helped students to make connections on campus and in their communities,” said Jeannette Riley, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “And all of these projects have the potential to be pivotal in each student’s college journey, which is why we created this program.”

Each student fellow works with a member of the Arts and Sciences faculty, either on a project the students themselves come up with, or a faculty member’s existing project.

Projects this year covered a wide variety of topics. Senior philosophy major Karli Belyea explored the nature of virtue on Plato’s Phaedo. Junior chemistry major Neil Ellis investigated a new method to enable molecules like DNA and RNA to be studied using mass spectrometry. Amanda Queiroz, a junior double-majoring in international studies and diplomacy and Spanish, worked with the CIRIGHTS project—the largest quantitative database of global human rights, which is housed at URI—to study the extent to which non-governmental organizations are able to operate autonomously in countries around the world.

Three history students—Katelyn Boss, Kaitlan Machado, and Ricky Mather—worked with historian Catherine DeCesare to take a deep dive into the history of the College of Arts and Sciences, which celebrates its 75^th anniversary this year. Their research uncovered highlights and turning points as the college evolved into URI’s largest college. Along the way, the students say they gained a new appreciation for their college as well as a valuable educational experience.

“The fellowship program allowed me the opportunity to gain experience in archival research,” Mather said. “It was extremely rewarding because I got to delve deeply into the history of the college, particularly the 1950s and 1960s. From this experience I obtained a real appreciation for the importance of Arts and Sciences, and the way it helped transform the institution from a technical college to a university.”

A pair of budding filmmakers also found a way to deepen their connection with the URI community. Sophomore Caroline McCullough and junior Garrett Calusdian collaborated on a short documentary about URI’s nonprofit food pantry, Rhody Outpost. The idea is for the video to be used on the Rhody Outpost website and on social media. The students said they appreciated the opportunity to spread the word about an important campus organization while putting the filmmaking skills learned in the classroom to use.

“Getting out into the film industry is all about experience,” McCullough said. “It’s about what you have on your resumé—what projects you’ve done,” McCullough said. “This was a great opportunity to get some experience out in the field while we were still in college.”

Other projects made for interesting pairings of students and faculty. Vilde Aaslid, a professor of music and music history, is working on a project to highlight the work of women composers through time. She’s looking for interesting ways to catalog and present her findings. Enter Jacob Duhaime, a junior computer science and applied math major. Duhaime used his data skills to create an interactive map detailing the contributions of over 850 women composers from all over the world.

For Duhaime, who is also a trumpet player in the marching band, the project brought two of his interests together in a way he’d never imagined.

“It’s allowed me to combine two sides of my life that have kind of been separate, but I’ve really liked both of them,” Duhaime said. “I got to work with the music side and to learn more about these composers, and I also got to do some technical computer science stuff.”

Riley says the fellows program is a key part of the College of Arts and Sciences’ Career Readiness program, which helps students of all majors to prepare themselves for life after college.

“We’re trying to show students how the durable skills they’re learning in the College of Arts and Sciences—things like critical thinking, writing, the ability to see things from other perspectives—can translate into career success,” Riley said. “The fellows program is an integral part of that effort and I’m so pleased to see our students taking advantage of the program in meaningful ways.”