URI_Research_Magazine_Momentum_Spring_2019_Melissa-McCarthy

3rd place Raining Sparks  by Laird French ’21

This photograph 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.

Honorable Mention 1

Fungi Guttation by Riley Kirk ‘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 is from Charlestown, Rhode Island.

Honorable Mention 2

Yellow Warble at Nest by Stephen Brenner ’18

This photograph, taken in Manitoba, Canada, depicts research with the 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 originally from Buffalo, New York.

Honorable Mention 3

Reef Manta by Assistant Professor Jason Jaacks

Jaacks shot this photograph 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 multi-year visual study of the biodiversity of the Coral Triangle region of the south Pacific. Jaacks is originally from Denver, Colorado.

Spring 2019 | 55 |