Underwater Ribbon Cutting Ushers in New URI Ocean Robotics Laboratory

 

[By The University of Rhode Island]

The University of Rhode Island celebrated a major milestone in the $300 million, multi-phase revitalization of the Narragansett Bay Campus with a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Ocean Robotics Laboratory on June 25. 

Students Elliot Roman and Jake Bonney piloted URI’s remotely operated vehicle Rhody to cut the ceremonial ribbon underwater in the building’s 20-foot-wide by 30-foot-long test tank. 
Governor Dan McKee, House Speaker Emeritus K. Joseph Shekarchi, other local and state elected leaders, members of the URI Board of Trustees, and University faculty, staff, students, and alumni were among the hundreds who attended the ceremony.

“This is a major milestone in the revitalization of this campus,” said URI President Marc Parlange. “This campus is truly a hub for the blue economy in Rhode Island, with education, with research, with training, with extension, and partnerships with industry, as well as state and federal agencies. I am so grateful for the support of our state and federal elected officials and generous donors who make this transformation possible.”

Margo Cook, chair of URI’s Board of Trustees, also expressed appreciation on behalf of the University.

“Because of this investment made by our state leaders and the voters of Rhode Island, the new Ocean Robotics Laboratory is a cutting-edge resource to support our students, faculty, and our industry partners,” said Cook. “It's also a new recruitment tool for the state of Rhode Island that will attract and retain talent to advance the blue economy.”

Rhode Island voters supported the revitalization measures by approving two bond referenda totaling $145 million.

“URI has one the best oceanography programs in the entire country, and yet, we hadn't really invested a great deal in the infrastructure on the campus,” said Governor McKee. Noting a report from the state’s commerce board that estimated up to 60,000 jobs are available in the blue economy with proper investment, McKee continued, “What better place to invest than the University of Rhode Island.”

Shekarchi recalled visiting the Narragansett Bay Campus for the first time soon after he became speaker of the House of Representatives.

“I always held the oceanography school as a national treasure,” he said. “I came down here and I saw the antiquated facilities. It was a rainy day and President Parlange, ever the salesman that he is, took me through a few buildings and we had to use umbrellas inside the buildings because there were leaks coming down.”

The multi-year campus revitalization is changing that, with new, state-of-the art facilities that are advancing the design and development of technology-driven solutions.

“The people who will work in the Ocean Robotics Laboratory are building the robots and instruments that are needed to solve challenges by giving them shared space, innovative infrastructure, and place-based partnership opportunity,” said Steve D'Hondt, interim dean of URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography. “The facility will enable Rhode Island to take a commanding global lead in robotic ocean exploration and automated sensing of the ocean.”

Anthony Marchese, dean of the College of Engineering, said the research and innovation that will transpire in the new building is as relevant now as it has ever been.

“The taxpayers of the small but mighty state of Rhode Island were not only generous, but visionary because we are now poised to cut the ribbon on the ocean robotics laboratory at URI at a time when such a facility could not be more important for the region and for society at large,” Marchese said.

In speaking about the building and three words—research, development and deployment—that greet visitors upon their entry, Lora Van Uffelen, associate professor of ocean engineering explained, "We're all familiar with research and development. These are pillars of innovation everywhere. But what really makes us special and what makes this work unique is the deployment aspect. We as oceanographers and ocean engineers take instrumentation to sea, to the ocean. This is one of the most extreme environments we have on our planet, and it requires a lot of preparation. Facilities like this tank behind me are really essential for refining our systems before they head out to sea.”

Jason Noel, a Ph.D. candidate in ocean engineering, who earned a bachelor’s degree in ocean engineering with a minor in oceanography in 2022, expressed how much the new facility means to the students and faculty who will use it regularly.

“It truly is an amazing advancement for us and is exactly what this department was lacking,” said Noel. “We have always been at the forefront of research and talent, with amazing faculty, graduate students, and undergrads. The one thing that we were missing was the facilities to do our work.”

The graduate student also pointed out what the facility will mean for the blue economy and partnerships between URI and private industry.

“Not only is this building great for us, the researchers, but it is great for the state of Rhode Island,” said Noel. “We have the space here to support companies and integrate their work with existing research projects, as well as support larger organizations when they need facilities to test equipment. This creates a direct conduit between university minds and the state’s industry, keeping our talent local to our region.”

 
Several state elected officials spoke about the significance of URI’s new Ocean Robotics Laboratory.

Sen. Alana DiMario  

I could see the importance of investing in leveraging what we have here as such a great asset in the Ocean State, which is our proximity to the ocean and our ability to capitalize on research and different types of innovation and development to be able to utilize that to its full potential.

In our work in government, we often work on things that are slow and abstract and incremental, and we don't always get to see exactly how those things play out. Projects like this are such a thrilling exception. We get to see in standing here today what happens when we think big things, when we build big things, and then together when we do big things.

Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee

I would say that this is a great day for all of us. Investing in URI is one of the best uses of taxpayer dollars, and today's ribbon cutting on the new Ocean Robotics Laboratory demonstrates that. I'm excited to be part of this exciting development on the Bay Campus because this is an amazing transformation. 

Rep. Kathleen Fogarty

Investing in facilities like this new Ocean Robotics Lab provides tremendous advancements for the University and will attract the talent and research in ocean science and drive our economic growth. I look forward to seeing research and industry and collaboration at this new Ocean Robotics Lab for many years to come.     

Rep. Teresa Tanzi

Today's ribbon cutting demonstrates something very powerful here in Rhode Island—and that's the fact that state investments in facilities here at the University of Rhode Island have a massive impact. This represents the future of ocean exploration, research, education, technology development, and deployments—really another key part of the excitement around this project. We should be very proud of URI's achievements and the benefits these provide for our state.