URI to host RI-INBRE Summer Research Symposium Aug. 1
KINGSTON, R.I. — July 29, 2025 — About 200 students from 10 institutions across Rhode Island will present more than 100 biomedical research projects they’ve spent the summer studying, as RI-INBRE hosts its 21st annual Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium on Aug. 1.
The Rhode Island IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence program started in 2001, and students from URI’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship began presenting at the poster symposium in 2004. Based on URI’s Kingston Campus, the SURF program and symposium is open to students from all other institutions affiliated with the RI-INBRE program, which include URI, Rhode Island College, Salve Regina University, Brown University, Providence College, the Community College of Rhode Island, Roger Williams University, Bryant University, new England Institute of Technology and Johnson & Wales University.
The poster presentation in Avedisian Hall and the Fascitelli Center for Advance Engineering on the Kingston Campus caps off the 10-week SURF program, during which students are fully immersed in all aspects of mentored research projects. The students will present their research posters and detail their findings on such topics as the opioid epidemic, cerebral palsy, cancer, heart disease, and more.
Over the last 24 years, the RI-INBRE program has expanded beyond pharmaceutical sciences to include neuroscience, engineering, biotechnology, nursing and other health sciences, as well as students in the EPSCoR and Navy STEM programs, according to URI Pharmacy Professor Bongsup Cho, also the INBRE program director. While the SURF program has been impacted by federal cuts to research funding, the INBRE-affiliated schools have stepped in to fill the gaps and keep the program running.
“It has been quite an effort to keep the SURF programs running this year,” Cho said. “The funding uncertainty continues, however, our network institutions have really collaborated to make this happen.”
WHAT: RI-INBRE Summer Research Symposium
WHEN: Friday, Aug. 1, 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
WHERE: Avedisian Hall, 7 Greenhouse Road, Kingston; Fascitelli Center for Advanced Engineering, 45 Upper College Road, Kingston; DeChristofaro Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences, 120 Flagg Road, Kingston.
WHO: URI College of Pharmacy, Rhode Island IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence, and undergraduate students from across Rhode Island
Latest All News
- Preterm birth can cause health problems later in life, should be considered in adult health records, URI study showsKINGSTON, R.I. — August 4, 2025 — The stress preterm infants experience at birth can carry on throughout a lifetime and cause negative health impacts later in life, necessitating the routine inclusion of birth history in medical records and the development of clinical guidelines for adults born preterm, the longest continuously running study of individuals […]
- John Olerio named to Providence Business News 40 Under Forty listKINGSTON, R.I. – July 31, 2025 – University of Rhode Island Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives John Olerio M.B.A. ’11, Ph.D. ’20 has been recognized with a PBN 40 Under Forty Award by Providence Business News. The annual award recognizes individuals under the age of 40 who have excelled in their profession and are involved […]
- Core matters: URI geoscientist weighs in on critical mineralsKINGSTON, R.I. – July 31, 2025 – Critical minerals are a hot topic in the news these days, whether as a point of contention between countries or in discussions of supply and demand. Critical minerals are nonfuel minerals/metals necessary to industry and are essential in a wide range of technologies. Their availability is sensitive to […]
- URI jazz students to return to Newport Jazz Festival for third yearKINGSTON, R.I. – July 31, 2025 – University of Rhode Island music students will again take the stage at the legendary Newport Jazz Festival. Playing a half-hour set that tips the hat to the festival’s vast history, the seven URI students will perform Sunday, Aug. 3, at about 2:45 p.m. on the Foundation Stage at […]
- Caribbean coral reefs’ chronic decline could get a boost from proactive assisted gene flow — if allowedKINGSTON, R.I. – July 30, 2025 – Coral reefs are under threat from warming oceans and prolonged heat — but regulatory inaction also poses a risk. However, marine biologists say that new approaches in the region could help prevent species loss and retain ecosystem function, if they get the permission to proceed. One approach that […]
- Navigating health careIf you’ve had to find a primary-care provider or pay a medical bill lately, you know that accessing and paying for health care can be difficult. But why? How can we get the care we need?
