Roger Williams University

Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at New England Aquarium, Roger Williams University one of four winners internationally

BOSTON – The Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium and Roger Williams University won a prestigious award recently to develop technology that will help port inspectors find illegally hidden wildlife and help stem wildlife trafficking in the U.S. They are one of four grand prize winners to receive the inaugural Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge award from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

The Aquarium’s Michael Tlusty and Roger Williams’s Andrew Rhyne submitted their proposal to USAID’s Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge, which is funding a combined $900,000 to the Aquarium, New York University, University of Washington, and the National Whistleblower Center to design innovative science and technology solutions to combat illegal marine and terrestrial wildlife trafficking. More than 300 groups applied for the award internationally.

“We are delighted to be part of a worldwide effort to develop effective solutions to this growing and widespread problem by developing technology that can stop traffickers at the point of entering our country and causing damage, ecologically and economically,” said Tlusty, who works with Rhyne on aquaculture research and the aquarium fish trade.

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Roger Williams University sponsors workshop aimed at applying latest research on local corals toward solutions for declining tropical coral reef health around the globe. 

BRISTOL, R.I. – With Roger Williams University’s marine scientist Koty Sharp at the helm, 20 leading coral reef scientists from around the United States met at RWU last week to explore ways research on non-tropical corals in New England waters can lead to solutions for tropical coral reef health across the globe.

When imagining the depths along Rhode Island’s coasts, not many realize it is home to temperate corals including Astrangia poculata, the Northern Star Coral which inhabits waters along the entire East Coast. Sharp has been researching this coral’s microbiome for several years, bringing her work to the International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) in Honolulu, Hawaii, last month where she shared her latest science with more than 3,000 coral reef scientists and practitioners discussing coral reef health status, tools and solutions geared towards conservation strategies.

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Partnership will provide programs and resources to the State’s growing Latino population

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Roger Williams University School of Continuing Studies and the Rhode Island Latino Civic Fund today announced a new partnership that will enhance collaborative opportunities, as well as provide university-supported resources to the RILCF and its efforts to provide inclusive civic education and political participation among the Ocean State’s Latino population.

“Roger Williams University is a private institution committed to serving the public good,” said Roger Williams University President Donald J. Farish. “Our partnership with the Latino Civic Fund speaks directly to our commitment to expand our innovative adult education initiatives through the School of Continuing Studies to help thousands of Rhode Islanders develop the skills they need to succeed in today’s workforce and improve their quality of life.”

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Unique partnership to provide contextualized education and development opportunities in support of each city’s economic development efforts

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Roger Williams University School of Continuing Studies and the Cities of Central Falls and Pawtucket today announced a pair of unprecedented partnerships to deliver tailored programming to residents and community based organizations whose grassroots efforts provide critical support to their populations.

“Partnering with Central Falls and Pawtucket is an exceptional opportunity for Roger Williams and the School of Continuing Studies to deliver on our commitment to work collaboratively with communities to provide cultural and ecological contextualized economic development,” said Roger Williams University President Donald J. Farish. “We hope that this is just the first of many partnerships with municipalities where RWU can continue to provide a revolutionary model of engagement and immersion in Rhode Island’s urban communities.”

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