Service Starts at URI

Isabella Silverman ’20 has often stood at the intersection of science and service—from engineering labs to international development work, she has built a career serving the community and the environment back home in Rhode Island.

As a student at URI, Silverman often used her semester breaks to volunteer with the URI Service Corps as a student leader and expand her education. Traveling to Indonesia with Professor Thomas Boving and the Dominican Republic with Professor Vinka Craver helped her become involved with the Water for the World Lab in the College of Engineering. Opening her eyes to the need for international development engineering viewed through a humanitarian lens.

“The breadth of opportunities available at URI allowed me to participate in experiential learning that transformed the way I view the world and how I want to live in it,” she says.

Silverman decided to continue her education after graduating from URI and obtained a master’s degree in environmental engineering, with a concentration in international development engineering, from the University of South Florida.

She put her education to use globally by serving in the Peace Corps. Stationed in Peru, she conducted workshops on environmental risks, point-of-use water treatment, and the importance of potable drinking water for public health, while developing health communication plans for underserved schools and health posts.

“Volunteering has given me a deeper understanding of how environmental challenges can intersect with social and economic issues in our communities, affecting the most vulnerable in society,” she adds.

While in Peru, Silverman spent her free time mentoring high school students at a local non-profit. She also taught a class at a community college, connecting with students and developing a love for teaching and lecturing that she hopes to continue in the future.

After returning from Peru, her travels took her back home to Rhody. Today, Silverman is the 2025 recipient of the 10 Under 10 Provost’s Award for Ethical Leadership and Community Engagement and serves as a health risk assessment toxicologist and environmental engineer for the Rhode Island Department of Health. Assessing potential community health risks posed by environmental contaminants, she is part of a new generation of changemakers reshaping the future of community engagement and environmental change. In her free time, she finds herself volunteering at her local food pantry and teaching surfing at the beach where she resides in Newport, Rhode Island.