URI_Research _Magazine_Momentum_Spring_2020_Melissa-McCarthy

3rd place PENGUIN POLAR PLUNGE

By Assistant Professor of Oceanography Kelton McMahon

This photo was taken during an NSF-funded research cruise to the Antarctic to study how warming waters and disappearing sea ice as a function of rapid climate change are impacting the food webs supporting krill predators in the Southern Ocean. Penguins are “canaries in the coal mine” for the health of the ecosystem in order to better predict future responses to growing environmental change. This gentoo penguin leaps off a floating iceberg in the frigid waters of the Antarctic Peninsula in hopes of finding krill to eat while avoiding being eaten by a hungry leopard seal or killer whale.

Honorable Mention FROM REEF TO MARKET

By Biological Sciences Ph.D. Candidate Elaine Shen ’23

With the sunrise, a fisheries collector prepares a freshly-caught triggerfish for sale at the local market. As part of her research in Biological and Environmental Sciences, she was able to get a first-hand glimpse of how small-scale fisheries in Lombok, Indonesia operated, oftentimes meeting fishermen at landing sites right as they arrived. Their boats were filled with colorful coral reef fish that were designated for personal consumption or sale, depending on the species.

Honorable Mention NATURE’S UNDERWATER 3D PRINTER: THE PARCHMENT TUBEWORM

By Ocean Engineering Doctoral Student Kotachi Liu ’23

Mr. Kotachi’s research at URI is focused on developing autonomous underwater vehicles through bio-inspiration. This image is from a transmission electron micrograph showing the

housing tube of a marine parchment worm. It shows a cross section of the material, made of highly organized nano-fibrils. These nano-fibrils are able to assemble rapidly underwater, making the material a potential template for novel 3D printing and underwater repair.

Honorable Mention WHERE DOES THE TIMBERDOODLE GO?

By Natural Resources Science Graduate Student Colby Slezak ’22

During the last 10 years, tracking birds using radio-telemetry has produced detailed probability of use maps and has influenced forest management conducted by the RI state department of environmental management. This research is contributing to the Eastern woodcock migration collaborative by recatching radio- marked birds in the fall prior to migration and attaching state of the art GPS transmitters. These provide detailed location data as the birds migrate to their wintering grounds.