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John Kerry tapes special episode of Story in the Public Square at Slave Regina University

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NEWPORT, R.I. – Silence filled the great hall of Ochre Court. The cameras rolled and the audience sat in hushed anticipation of the special guest. On October 10, former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry filmed a special edition episode of Story in the Public Square at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island. Salve Regina President Sister Jane Gerety gave the opening remarks welcoming the Secretary to the University.

Hosted by Jim Ludes, Executive Director of the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy, and G. Wayne Miller, Senior Staff Writer at The Providence Journal, Story in the Public Square is a weekly 30-minute program that tries to make sense of the stories shaping public life in the United States.

Upon answering the first question from Story in the Public Square co-host Jim Ludes, Kerry broke his stoicism. “First of all, I’m glad the Red Sox won last night,” he said, to much laughter and amusement of the audience.

The episode focuses on Kerry’s new book, Every Day is Extra. “This one is a lot from the heart and from the gut,” Kerry said, “It’s honest and it’s optimistic.”…Click to read more

Grant to Brown will expand opioid treatment in state’s correctional facilities

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — In 2016, the Rhode Island Department of Corrections (RIDOC) became the first state correctional system in the U.S. to screen all incarcerated individuals for opioid use disorder and provide medications for addiction treatment (MAT) for those who need it. A 2018 study led by researchers from Brown University found that the program significantly reduced post-incarceration drug overdose deaths.

Now, a new $1.5 million grant from the federal government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will allow Brown, RIDOC and their partners to expand the existing program and treat more people.

“The goal of this project is to increase the number of individuals with an opioid use disorder receiving medications for addiction treatment by providing intensive outreach to those involved in the criminal justice system, who are at high risk for overdose and treatment non-compliance,” said Rosemarie Martin, an assistant professor at Brown’s School of Public Health and the principal investigator on the grant. “By ensuring access to MAT, levels of relapse and recidivism will decline, hopefully leading to lower crime, intact families, higher levels of employment and community engagement.”…Click to read more

New WaterFire Access Program Boat Dedication to take place on August 25th, 2018

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New WaterFire Access Program Boat Dedication to take place on August 25th, 2018

WaterFire is proud to announce the Access Program Boat Dedication on August 25th, which will be part of the lighting ceremony

With the generous support of Lead Access Program Sponsor Bryant University, its Graduate, & Physician Assistant Programs, WaterFire board member Mark Scott and the help of WaterFire Access Boat Captain Mark Karas, along with volunteers and individual donors, WaterFire Providence has been able to bring back the Access Program to the WaterFire 2018 season.

WaterFire’s commitment to include each and every visitor resulted in WaterFire’s Access Program; The Access Program is offered by WaterFire to accommodate individuals with disabilities so they may enjoy the magic of WaterFire free from the physical restrictions and challenges the outdoor location might present.

The Access Program Boat Dedication will take place prior to the lighting ceremony at the guest boat dock adjacent to Memorial Park and the College Street Bridge at 6:30 pm. The public is invited to celebrate with us as we toast to the new boat and reveal its dedication. Access Boat donor Mark Scott and representatives from Bryant University, its Graduate, & Physician Assistant Programs will be lighting the wall and the Access Boat will officially receive its name, Sandra Jane.

WaterFire Providence is excited to welcome Bryant University, its Graduate, & Physician Assistant Programs as the Lead Access Program Sponsor. “We are honored to partner with WaterFire as two organizations dedicated to enhancing people’s’ lives. Together, we recognize and celebrate the value of all people in our community,” said Bryant Provost and Chief Academic Officer Glenn Sulmasy.

As the first fully accredited PA program in Rhode Island, we recognize the crucial need to be part of the solution to the complex healthcare challenges for our community including providing universal access for all,” said Robert Jay Amrien, MPAS, PA-C, director of Bryant’s Physician Assistant program. “Sponsoring the WaterFire access boat “Sandra Jane” seemed like a perfect way to raise awareness of health care disparities, including our disabled citizens.”

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Learning Onboard RWU’s Research Vessel

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BRISTOL, R.I. – With the start of the Fall semester, that means students will be launching hands-on science lessons aboard the new research vessel, the InVincebleSpirit.

At Roger Williams University, our philosophy is to bring lessons to life through experiential learning, which doesn’t happen only inside a classroom or lab. With our science curriculum, we bring you out into the field, into tidal areas along our beautiful coastline, and into the depths of Mount Hope Bay and Narragansett Bay to study science in action.

That’s why 20 students in a physical oceanography class found themselves taking part in launching the first full class onboard the research vessel, once the university received Coast Guard approval in the final weeks of the Spring semester. As they voyaged out into Mount Hope Bay for experiments with water depth, temperature and salinity, Professor Jennifer Pearce noted that itwas the first time she’s been able to take her entire class, computer science and marine biology majors alike, to explore what they’ve only studied in the classroom and lab.

“This new boat means that everybody in my class can participate – not just the marine biology majors; some are computer science majors, and for them, this is the only time they’ll get to have this opportunity,” Pearce says. When she worked with smaller research vessels she would ask for volunteers from class, finding that typically non-science majors “wouldn’t step up so that science majors could get the opportunity. This way I can involve all my students in my experiments that normally wouldn’t get that in their curriculum.”

 

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