URI_Research _Magazine_Momentum_Spring_2020_Melissa-McCarthy

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THE SANCTITY OF SCIENCE: THE PUBLIC MISUSE OF SCIENCE When the politicization and weaponizing of information leads to partisan rancor and flagrant attacks on truth, we have an obligation to defend and protect the primacy of scientific method and to press our government to set policy based on hard, defendable facts. SHE ACHIEVES. SHE INSPIRES. The Fulbright recipient, undergraduate student at the University of Rhode Island racked up three published journal articles, a half dozen academic conference presentations, a teaching assistantship, a local TED Talk and accolades from the United Nations before ever earning her triple major in philosophy, communication studies and political science, and double minor in Ancient Greek and rhetoric, with honors. ENSURING EFFICIENCY IN HUMANITARIAN AID LOGISTICS Why the supply chain matters when you want to help victims of hurricanes, fires, floods, tsunamis, or tornadoes. Associate Professor Koray Özpolat’s research shows the best items to send and why (and it may not be the old pair of jeans in your closet). SHARKS: THE MISREPRESENTED PREDATOR Researching sharks along the shores of Rhode Island, Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and the Cayman Islands, Assistant Professor Bradley Wetherbee knows the importance of this apex predator to fisheries. He is sharing his knowledge through shark charters, and summer camps for high school students. DEVELOPING/ ENCOURAGING/ SUPPORTING/ AND NURTURING THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCHOLARS At a research university, one of the most important roles a professor may have is as a mentor to the next generation of scholars, to prepare them to academically take over and push the boundaries of knowledge further. A TINY MITE CAUSING A BIG PROBLEM: ELIMINATING A PARASITE HARMING BEES The varroa mite is the single biggest threat to the honeybee. The mites are disease vectors, bringing along at least five and as many as 18 viruses that end up weakening and killing the hive. EXPLORING THE HISTORIES OF BLACK RESISTANCE AND SLAVERY IN THE GREAT DISMAL SWAMP Assistant Professor Marcus Nevius researches the complex relationship between self-emancipated slaves and nearby slave labor driven timber camps in Virginia’s and North Carolina’s Great Dismal Swamp. THE MENTOR MENTEE RELATIONSHIP: THE IMPORTANCE OF FOSTERING/ INSPIRING/ URI’S NEW INITIATIVE , PLASTICS: LAND TO SEA AND THE GREEK LIFE GIFT URI is implementing a broad plastics and microplastics research initiative, which will span technology, oceanography, policy, community education, and both local and global strategic action plans. URI’s Greek Life system collectively raised $35,000 to support the initiative. It is a gift that will have a ripple effect on our world for years to come. This student-supported gift is a key element in solidifying URI’s global efforts to address this issue.

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“Fur Seal on his Throne” (the throne is a whale skull). Photo by URI Assistant Professor Kelton McMahon. Cover Story Picture of a Honeybee (Apis mellifera) on top of honeycomb with a varroa mite (Varroa destructor) on her thorax. Photo by Casey Johnson ’19

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