Research Demonstrations
Visit our demonstration areas to see the impact of Big Ideas. Bold Plans. The Campaign for the University of Rhode Island in action!
From Pollution to Product: Textile Technology
Izabela Ciesielska-Wrobel, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design, College of Business
Professor Ciesielska-Wrobel is researching technologies to transform the vast quantities of plastics polluting our oceans into fabric that can be used to make long-lasting clothing and other products. Touch a sample of the fabric made using her technology.
Biomedical Wearables: Try it out!
Kunal Mankodiya, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering
Director, Wearable Biosensing Lab
Professor Mankodiya intertwines textiles with sensors and computing to create unobtrusive wearables for improved quality of life, health, and wellness. He and his team recently received accolades nationally and internationally for their design of smart gloves and socks to assist people with Parkinson’s Disease. Try out one of the wearables!
Watch his TEDxURI presentation
Floating World-Class Research Laboratory: R/V Endeavor & R/V Narragansett Dawn
Erich Gruebel
Manager, NBC/Marine Scientific Services, Graduate School of Oceanography
Discover the high-tech research capabilities built into the R/V Endeavor and the still-under-construction R/V Narragansett Dawn. See a model of the R/V Narragansett Dawn and watch video footage of the research sensors.
Read more about the vessels and their infrastructure
Election Science: Engineering for Democracy Institute
Gretchen Macht, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering, College of Engineering
The Engineering for Democracy Institute uses engineering to help election administrators overcome current and future obstacles and make voting faster and easier. Talk with researchers and ask questions.
Learn more about their tools and research
Veggie Meter: Eat those vegetables!
How many veggies have you eaten today? Try out the Veggie Meter, which tests levels of carotenoids (pigments from plants) that act as antioxidants in the human body.
Find resources from the Community Nutrition Education program
Ocean Engineering OPERA Lab: Seaglider Vehicle
Lora Van Uffelen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Ocean Engineering, College of Engineering
Professor Van Uffelen leads the Ocean Platforms, Experiments, and Research in Acoustics (OPERA) lab, where researchers study underwater acoustics with a focus on the use of autonomous underwater vehicles. Check out a seaglider up close!