By Diana, Karla, and Cassie, URI SWMS Chairs
Greetings from the University of Rhode Island! We’ve had an exciting year here in the Ocean State. After electing three new chairs in December (and getting lots of help from the previous chairs!), we had a spring semester packed with great events. We thought it would be fun to share them with all of you! Hearing about the different activities happening in SWMS chapters around the country (and around the world!) is one of our favorite things about behind a part of this community.
None of our events would have been possible without all of our wonderful members! We also had help and support from other groups at URI, such as the Marine Biology Department, the URI Marine Science Society, the Graduate Student Association, and the Graduate School of Oceanography, for which we are eternally grateful. Here’s a brief recap of our events:
– Beyond the Reef Post-Grad Panel: stories and discussions about life after undergrad, from people who’ve been there and survived (and snacks, of course)
– Undergraduate Opportunities Panel: great ideas from professors, alumni, and current students on how to get involved in research as an undergrad
– Just Keep Swimming Mental Health Day: awesome crafting and talking about stress management with Dr. Penny Rosenthal of the URI Women’s Center
– URI SMILE: local elementary school students got to visit campus and do hands-on activities about marine science
– URI Welcome Days: we got to tell prospective students all about SWMS!
– Racing Extinction Screening: the URI Marine Science Society showed this fascinating documentary, and afterward hosted a discussion with experts in the field
As we move into summer, we have more ideas on the horizon. We’re already thinking about hosting some informal networking and community building events, and we want to highlight all the cool summer research, jobs, and internships that our members are doing. In the fall, we’re hoping to host an informative panel aimed at graduate students, and maybe bring back Just Keep Swimming Day. We’re setting our sights on hosting a SWMS Symposium at URI in Spring 2020, so stay tuned!
Huge thank you to all of URI SWMS for their hard work, enthusiasm, and for just plain showing up. We couldn’t do anything without all of you!
Congratulations to all graduating seniors, and happy summer, everyone!