Welcome to Metcalf Institute at the University of Rhode Island!

2024 Fellowship Agenda

All times listed on this agenda are in U.S. Eastern Time.

Virtual Agenda

Thursday, May 23, 2024

Fellowship Kickoff

This entire virtual event will take place in Zoom via this meeting: https://uri-edu.zoom.us/j/9619849013

1:00-1:05 Welcome

Ricardo Sandoval Palos, PBS, Metcalf Advisory Council

1:05-1:30 Metcalf Team and Metcalf Fellows Introductions

1:30-2:00 Fellowship Orientation

Katharine McDuffie and Fara Warner, URI Metcalf Institute

In this final half-hour, we will review program goals and values, the in-person agenda, fellowship resources and pre-study. We'll also introduce the 2024 Metcalf Fellows into Metcalf Institute's networks.

In Person Agenda

Monday, June 3, 2024

The Building Blocks of Science

4:00-4:30 p.m. Transport from Hampton Inn South Kingstown to URI Narragansett Bay Campus

This agenda shows ground transport for the 2024 Metcalf Fellows only.

4:30-5:45 Orientation – Laying the Groundwork

Mosby Center

230 South Ferry Rd, Narragansett, RI 02882

For our first in-person encounter, Metcalf Fellows and staff will have a chance to informally meet and greet and complete a round of formal introductions along with Fellows’ stated goals for the fellowship. We will spend most of our orientation time today establishing community agreements and reviewing the tenets of Inclusive Science Communication. These conversations will lay the groundwork for the week ahead.

5:45-6:00 Break

Mosby Center and outdoor spaces

6:00-8:00 Dinner and Evening Discussion – The Building Blocks of Science

Mosby Center

Soni Pradhanang, URI Geosciences | Tatiana Rynearson, URI Biological Oceanography

The life of a scientist involves asking questions and seeking answers through research that move understanding forward and deeper, into ever greater complexity while building knowledge. From hypothesis to funding to data collection to publication, an academic researcher will typically work within and across disciplines and together with experts in other institutions toward these goals. In this opening fellowship session, our invited presenters will talk about the practice of science, how the stages of inquiry function, and particularly the peer review and publication process. Scientific peer review, which occurs prior to receiving federal research funding and again before the publication of a study, is essential in the development of scientific consensus. This evening, the Metcalf Fellows and invited presenters, in conversation, will lay the foundation for the fellowship experience ahead.

8:00-8:30 Transport from campus to hotel

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Tuesday, June 4, 2024

Water Quality, Access and Public Health

8:30-9:15 a.m. Transport from hotel to Providence

9:15-11 Field Immersion – Measuring and Monitoring Urban Water Quality

Roger Williams Park, Seal House

F.C. Greene Memorial Blvd, Providence, RI 02907

For the first field immersion of the week, Metcalf Fellows will travel to Roger Williams Park in Rhode Island’s capital city, Providence, where collaborators from state agencies, URI, The Nature Conservancy, and the Audubon Society of Rhode Island regularly monitor the water that drains through surface water bodies and into Narragansett Bay. Facilitators will demonstrate the tools used to measure parameters such as depth, volume, performance, temperature, toxins, cyanobacteria, dissolved oxygen, pH, nutrients, and alkalinity across three field stations, as part of the Stormwater Innovation Center's efforts to understand changes in water quality and help to improve stormwater management for the state and region.

The van will drop Fellows at the testing site; all Metcalf drivers can park at Carousel Village and walk up to Seal House. Upon arrival at the field site, presenters and Fellows will meet and greet in a brief round of introductions. Then the Fellows and presenters will split into three field stations for a round of three rotations, enabling the Fellows to learn about the measuring and monitoring across the various parameters, as follows:

9:30-9:55 Rotation 1

9:55-10:00 Switch stations

10:00-10:25 Rotation 2

10:25-10:30 Switch stations

10:30-10:55 Rotation 3

Questions to explore:

What are the major risks associated with water quality problems?
How are water quality inputs and impacts measured and considered for research?
How are municipalities/agencies/institutions collaborating on water quality monitoring and stormwater management?
What are the major public health concerns stemming from water quality/water quantity issues, especially related to climate change inputs such as more frequent and intense storms and the infusion of fossil fuel-derived plastics?

11:00-11:45 Transport from Province to URI Kingston Campus

12:00-1:15 p.m. Lunch and Roundtable – Field to Agency: Water Quality Data for Management and Policy

Avedisian Hall, Room 240
College of Pharmacy, 7 Greenhouse Rd, Kingston, RI 02881

Brian Byrnes, Providence Parks Department | Terry Gray, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management | Elizabeth Herron, URI Watershed Watch | Alicia Lehrer, Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council | Wendy Heiger-Bernays, Boston University School of Health, invited

During the Metcalf Institute fellowship, conference room sessions will feature panels of experts and key players in water systems research, management and policy, conservation, community impacts and communication as a way to expand journalists’ appreciation for the role of science across all walks of life.

Today’s first roundtable will bring the Fellows together with watershed and public health research, management and policy in an exploration of how field research leads to policy. Panelists may present slides to underscore Important considerations in their work, but the purpose of these roundtables is provide a way for all experts, including the Fellows, to grapple together with critical questions around climate pressures on water systems, the research-policy process, and how stakeholders engage with public audiences toward water supply solutions.

Questions to explore:

How do policy makers determine appropriate water research for establishing policy and management strategies relative to environmental and public health?
How are decision-making strategies changing as water systems are increasingly under pressure from climate change and other human inputs? (collaborations, tools and databases)
What are the funding mechanisms for making strategic changes in water systems, building resilient neighborhoods and for updating water policy based on new research? Where are the opportunities to create partnerships and collaborations to take advantage of climate resilient funds?
Are there effective strategies for engaging people who are not otherwise represented by existing stakeholders, especially those living in affected areas, in the decision-making process for improving water systems?
What are effective strategies for communicating the urgency of these issues?

1:15-1:30 Break

Avedisian Hall, Room 240, and outdoor spaces

1:30-3:00 Science Translation I – Introduction to Graphing and Data Visualization

Avedisian Hall, Room 240

Katherine Thompson, URI Biological Oceanography

The Metcalf Annual Workshop offers four Science Translation sessions designed with two training objectives: to strengthen Fellows’ understanding of and skills in interpreting how research is communicated via professional channels and to improve researchers’ understanding of and skills in how to communicate science effectively with journalists.

Data visualization is essential for communicating scientific results clearly. For this first session, Fellows will pre-watch the On Demand video for a primer that introduces graphical approaches used by scientists, from the simplest x/y plots to some of the latest visualization techniques, and identifies the value of different approaches for different purposes. During today’s session, Fellows will apply this knowledge in a set of informal challenges to interpret increasingly complex graphs.

Questions to explore:

How is scientific data translated into standard visualized formats?
How do scientific graphs further our understanding of research findings?
How can journalists make use of scientific graphs in their reporting?

3:00-4:00 Break

Avedisian Hall, Room 240, and outdoor and other campus spaces

4:00-5:30 Roundtable – Water Justice: Collaborating with Communities for Equitable Science and Reporting

Avedisian Hall, Room 240

Kimberly Cartier, Thriving Earth Exchange | Hassaan Furqan Khan, Tufts University, invited | Bernardo Motta, Roger Williams University | Kate Mulvaney, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | Cassius Spears, Jr., Narragansett Indian Tribe

Equity and inclusion are critical in climate and environmental reporting and in science as frontline communities have faced the more severe effects of development, pollution and the changing climate for decades. In this session, Fellows will engage in discussion with people from organizations and communities that are working toward more equitable ways of researching and communicating the science of climate change and its effects. In order to build inclusive science communication practice in the journalist’s toolkit, this session will consider water research, management and communication as equitable endeavors, in ways that elevate and incorporate the agency and knowledge of community members. Following the roundtable discussion, Metcalf Fellows and invited presenters will gather in small groups to consider effective practices for inclusive environmental reporting.

Questions to explore:

What research exists to help us understand the status of water quality and access issues in underserved or marginalized communities and/or communities at risk?
Who is involved in this research, including researchers who are using immersive and inclusive data (non-extractive data)? (big picture science, researchers, communities) How can researchers, and journalists, employ non-extractive practices?
What tools and efforts exist to effectively address water access for affected communities, looking across state and local agencies, NGOs, funders, community organizations, tribes? (projects, perspectives for reporting)
What approaches to science communication can be effective, not harmful, for moving appropriate funds and action in the direction of greatest need?
Are there examples where management/policy, the news industry, and communities/residents have come together to affect positive change for water access?

5:30-7:00 Networking and Group Dinner

Walk across campus to Fascitelli Center for Advanced Engineering, Toray Commons, West Alumni Avenue, Kingston RI 02881

7:00-7:30 Transport from campus to hotel

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Wednesday, June 5, 2024

Marine Ecosystem and Community Responses to Climate Change

8:30-9:00 a.m. Transport from hotel to Wickford RI

9:00-12:00 Field Immersion – Ecosystem Monitoring: A Time Series in Action

Wickford Shipyard

125 Steamboat Ave, North Kingstown, RI 02852

Riley Secor, URI Biological Oceanography | John Selby, URI Biological Oceanography

In our second field immersion, Fellows will gain an appreciation for the development of the University of Rhode Island’s long-term data series by participating in a demonstration fish trawl modeled on the URI GSO Fish Trawl Survey and by collecting plankton according to the protocols of the URI GSO long-term plankton monitoring project, which began in the 1950s. The GSO fish trawl celebrates its 65th year in 2024, making it the longest continuous fisheries survey in North America; these data inform scientists around the world.

From Wickford Shipyard, Fellows will board URI’s research vessel, R/V Cap’n Bert. Captain Steve Barber will review safety guidelines, and during the trawl on Narragansett Bay, rain or shine, graduate student Riley Secor will explain the trawler’s functions and the significance of the time series. GSO’s John Selby will explain the plankton trawl and uses of these data. Fellows will collect measurements of surface and bottom water temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity and pH as part of the fish survey. They will observe trawl deployment and plankton sample collection and participate in sorting and identifying species, counting and weighing the catch, and logging catch data. Fellows are invited to engage with the scientists around how these data reflect the ecology of Narragansett Bay and impacts thereon of global change.

Questions to explore:

How does long-term data collection like the GSO fish trawl inform scientists’ understanding of climate change?
What overall changes are researchers seeing in marine species in Narragansett Bay?
How are dissolved oxygen, salinity and pH indicators of water conditions? How are these interconnected and related to species changes?
How is the GSO data used by scientists in other institutions? How do URI researchers collaborate with others in advancing understanding of marine ecosystem change?

12:00-12:30 p.m. Transport from Wickford Shipyard to URI Narragansett Bay Campus

12:30-1:30 Lunch and Refresh

Ocean Science and Exploration Center, Room 111, 15 Pier Rd, Narragansett, RI 02882

A Window into the Sea

Microscopes will be available in the conference room during the lunch break for viewing phytoplankton and zooplankton common to Narragansett Bay. Check out this recent update on plankton sampling in Narragansett Bay.

1:30-3:00 Roundtable – Warming Waters: Impacts and Resilience for Water Systems

Ocean Science and Exploration Center, Room 111

Jen Brady, Climate Central | David Dietz, Global Seafood Alliance | Isaac Ginis, URI Physical Oceanography | Chris Gloninger, Woods Hole Group, Inc.

Journalists may have access to plenty of scientific data about climate change and warming trends, but it can be challenging to know how to relate these data to our day-to-day lives. In this session, presenters will discuss climate attribution, particularly how warming marine waters are associated with weather events, and how people are responding to some of the problems created by these changes. Presenters will discuss solutions both at the emergency level (intense storms, flooding, drought) and at smaller-scale production levels to build resilience in the face of a changing climate.

Questions to explore:

What are the direct and indirect effects of warming trends on extreme weather in coastal zones?
How is global temperature data used to understand and communicate climate impacts on water systems?
What are some potential innovations that can mitigate climate impacts and build resilience for coastal communities? What are the potential economic and social challenges of climate resilience?
How are changes in marine ecosystems influencing fishing practices?
What are some innovative and effective ways that warming data can be used in news reporting on climate change and water systems?

3:00-3:30 Break

Ocean Science and Exploration Center, Room 111, and outdoor spaces

3:30-5:00 Science Translation II – Introduction to Statistics and Probabilities

Ocean Science and Exploration Center, Room 111

John Selby, URI Biological Oceanography

For the second in the Science Translation series, Metcalf Fellows will pre-watch a second On Demand video for a primer on probabilities, confidence levels and some basic statistical concepts that are important in accurate interpretation and communication of research findings. Today’s presenter will review concepts from the video and offer challenge exercises to build journalists’ skills and confidence in using scientific data in their reporting, and, importantly, how to question and understand the data in scientific papers, government reports, and organizations’ press releases. Click here for the Probabilities and Statistics Files, also accessible from the Resources tab of this website, to use in the breakouts.

Questions to explore:

How do researchers account for and represent the fact that findings cannot always be precise?
How can non-scientists interpret the probabilities that are presented in modeling and interpreting data?
How can misleading or misrepresented data be identified with statistical understanding?
How can journalists make use of statistics and probabilities in their reporting?

5:30-7:00 Networking and Group Dinner

Walk across campus to Mosby Center, 230 South Ferry Rd, Narragansett, RI 02882

This location is down a short but steep hill. Send guest requests for van transportation to mcduffie@uri.edu.

7:00-7:30 Transport from campus to hotel

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Thursday, June 6, 2024

Measuring and Planning for Sea Level Rise Impacts

8:30-9:00 a.m. Transport from hotel to URI Narragansett Bay Campus

9:00-10:15 Science Translation III – Deconstructing a Scientific Publication

Coastal Institute Large Conference Room

218 South Ferry Road, Narragansett RI 02882

Andrew Davies, URI Biological Sciences | Kathleen Donohue, URI Physical Oceanography | Marta Gomez-Chiarri, URI Fisheries and Animal Veterinary Sciences | Rainer Lohmann, URI Chemical Oceanography | David Smith, URI Biological Oceanography

For the third Science Translation session, Metcalf Fellows and invited scientists and engineers will take a close look at a published paper in a scientific journal together. Pre-selected by the scientist, the papers will be accessible in advance, though pre-reading is not required. In five breakout groups, Fellows will partner with scientist and engineer coaches and learn strategies and tips for effectively reading and understanding the significance of the selected papers. The coaches will describe the paper structure, varying by journal and paper type, point out the essential details of the paper, and lead a conversation about interpreting the research. In the final 30 minutes, each Fellow takes turns offering a short summary of the research and sharing a translation tip for the full group. Click here for the Science Translation III papers.

Questions to explore:

What are the components of a scientific paper as it appears in publication format? How do these components tell the science story?
What techniques can journalists apply to efficiently and accurately interpret the significance of a scientific publication?
How can journalists find authoritative and accessible sources on a scientific publication?

10:15-10:30 Break

Coastal Institute Large Conference Room and outdoor spaces

10:30-11:30 Roundtable – Equitable Water Management and Adaptation for Water Sustainability

Coastal Institute Large Conference Room

Christina Stringer, NEIWPCC (originally New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission) | Phoenix Wheeler, Audubon Society of Rhode Island | Jaclyn Witterschien, URI Coastal Institute

Scientific research, and scientific knowledge, about sea level rise and its effects are limited by available funding. While knowledge gaps abound globally – most research focuses on the United States and tropical Asian ecosystems – climate risks are broadly understood. Unfortunately, therefore, less than one percent of research on sea level rise is produced in the 20 developing nations with "rural low-elevation coastal zones," where 85 million "poor" people live (Khojasteh et al. 2023). Clearly, some of the most impacted communities, cities and whole regions, are being left behind. This session will explore those risks and ways we can improve our chances of greatest resilience.

Questions to explore:

What are the primary concerns for water systems due to sea level rise?
How is scientific knowledge about sea level rise and associated effects informing decision-making about adaptation in freshwater and marine coastal areas?
How is equity driving solutions to the impacts of sea level rise and flooding?

11:30-12:00 Transport from campus to Narragansett field site

12:00-1:45 p.m. Field Immersion – Measuring Sea Level Rise Impacts on Coastal Habitats

John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refuge at Middlebridge

94 Middlebridge Road, Narragansett RI 02882

Mike Bradley, URI Environmental Data Center | Caitlin Chaffee, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management | Ben Gaspar, Save The Bay | Tom Kutcher,Rhode Island Natural History Survey | Dasan McElroy, URI Geological Oceanography | Suzanne Paton, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Salt marshes are natural barriers to protect upland areas from storm surge and therefore provide an early warning of possible sea level rise effects. Marsh ecosystems also provide important habitat, serving as nesting, feeding, breeding, and nursery sites for many species of marine and terrestrial species, especially birds and fish. The sediments in wetlands are also hotspots for biogeochemical activity: plants, algae and microbes are constantly transforming chemicals and nutrients in the mud and water of wetlands. These chemical transformations are critical for the functioning of the ecosystem and can help wetlands act as pollution filters or nutrient providers to surrounding ecosystems.

Today’s field immersion will examine some of the tools used to assess the current state of salt marsh habitats and the value of long-term data sets for tracking changes. Scientists make reasonable predictions about expected physical and ecological changes resulting from climate change, but it’s a dynamic process and considerable uncertainty remains. As changes continually occur, effective and scientifically sound water and coastal management policies depend on sustained monitoring and accurate mapping of coastal systems.

12:00-12:30 Over a picnic lunch and following a round of introductions, Caitlin Chaffee will provide an overview of sea level rise impacts on Rhode Island salt marshes and assign the three field stations for looking at elevation and species monitoring. Scientists will discuss the challenges of slower vegetation recovery due to hyper saline conditions, compaction, and anoxic conditions. They will also address restoration work and the adaptive management techniques currently being implemented.

12:30-1:45 Metcalf Fellows will rotate around three stations in three small groups, with 20 minutes at each station and 5 minutes for rotations.

Questions to explore:

How are changes in Rhode Island’s coastal salt marshes measured?
Besides direct habitat loss, what are the implications of negative impacts to salt marshes related to climate change?
Which salt marsh functions and values should be the focus of salt marsh restoration and conservation efforts?
What should be the state’s strategy for conserving salt marsh functions and values in the face of climate change?

1:50-2:10 Transport from field to hotel for clean up and refresh

2:50-3:10 Transport to URI Narragansett Bay Campus

3:30-4:30 Public Lecture – Listening to Water: How We Can Thrive in a Time of Drought and Deluge

Corless Auditorium

215 South Ferry Road, Narragansett RI 02882

Erica Gies, journalist and author

Climate change is bringing more frequent and severe floods and droughts. Such disasters spur calls for more infrastructure, but the ways we try to control water make these disasters worse. Sooner or later, water always wins, says Erica Gies in her exploration of the Slow Water Movement. But there’s hope, and it starts with a revolutionary question: what does water want? By recognizing water’s agency and its relationships with soil, rock, microbes, plants, animals, and humans, innovators in the Slow Water movement are transforming our relationship with water, showing the way toward a better future. For the 2024 Leeson Lecture, join Metcalf Institute and Gies, an award-winning science journalist, for a new perspective on one of the most fascinating and pressing issues of our time.

4:45-6:30 Private Guest Reception

Mosby Center

6:30-7:00 Transport from campus to hotel

Fellows are free to make dinner plans on their own this evening

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Friday, June 7, 2024

Equitable Adaptations for Water Sustainability

8:30-9:00 a.m. Transport to URI Narragansett Bay Campus

9:00-10:30 Framing for Climate Change and Water Systems Reporting

Coastal Institute Large Conference Room

218 South Ferry Road, Narragansett RI 02882

Emily Diamond, URI Communication Studies/Marine Affairs

Journalists and academic researchers generally share a common professional norm: gather and provide facts and let others draw conclusions. Audience perception of those facts varies, however, depending on individuals’ experiences, values, and biases. The way the information is presented also plays a significant role in how it is received. The challenge of reporting the science, economic, and policy implications of water systems and climate change, then, has an added layer, as the language of these issues also varies by audience, from local to global scales. This session will explore effective and inclusive framing and messaging about climate change, energy, scientific uncertainty, and risk for different audiences. This session is an opportunity for Metcalf Fellows to explore the challenges of reporting on climate change, broadly, and consider novel approaches for covering these topics.

10:30-11:00 Break

Coastal Institute Large Conference Room and outdoor spaces

11:00-12:30 p.m. Science Translation IV – Telling the Research Story

Coastal Institute Large Conference Room

Andrew Davies, URI Biological Sciences | Kathy Donohue, URI Physical Oceanography | Marta Gomez-Chiarri, URI Fisheries and Animal Veterinary Sciences | Rainer Lohmann, URI Chemical Oceanography | Jaime Palter, URI Physical Oceanography

For the final Science Translation session in the series, Metcalf Fellows will again gather in small groups with invited researchers and, building on the earlier science translation sessions, first identify key conclusions from their assigned papers. To make best use of this session, Fellows should read the paper ahead of time. Then in the small groups, Metcalf Fellows will explain to their coaches what makes a story pitch successful and help them identify a compelling news hook for their selected journal article. Together, they will develop a pitch that would spur interest in coverage of the paper. Returning to the conference room, the journalists will summarize the conclusions of the scientific journal article, and the scientists and engineers will give a brief pitch to the full group for a news story relating to those conclusions. Click here for June 15 science papers.

Questions to explore:

What techniques can journalists apply to efficiently and accurately interpret the significance of a scientific publication?
How can journalists find authoritative and accessible sources on a scientific publication?
What do scientists need to understand about what makes a published paper newsworthy?
How can scientists most effectively gain the attention of journalists when pitching a study for a news audience?

12:30-1:30 Lunch

Informal Conversation with Metcalf Fellows on Climate Change and Reporting

Kate Schapira, educator and author

Coastal Institute Large Conference Room and outdoor spaces

1:30-2:15 Transport from campus to Aquidneck Island

2:15-5:00 Field immersion - Climate Adaptation for Community Resilience

Newport and Middletown

Teresa Crean, Town of Barrington | Jillian Chin, City of Newport | Leah Feldman, Coastal Resources Management Council | Kimberly Korioth, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management | Alex Kuffner, The Providence Journal | Trish Reynolds, City of Newport | Ronald Wolanski, Town of Middletown | Julia Wyman, Roger Williams University School of Law

In the final fellowship session, we will visit three areas of Aquidneck Island, a region in the state that is particularly water-stressed due to a combination of low-lying neighborhoods, a lack of natural water supply and climate and development pressures. These case studies will provide insight into how governments, researchers, and communities are working on a daily basis to address complex water system demands. Beginning in Newport, the Fellows and presenters will tour the Point neighborhood to understand the city's work on preserving this collection of historic properties. Next, we'll stop at King Park on Wellington Avenue for insight into water management strategies under flooding pressures, accommodating sea level rise on a secondary-level managed retreat strategy. From there we will head to neighboring Middletown and the narrow roadway between Easton Beach and Easton Pond, where managers are working to address threats of stormwater, pollutants and erosion for this business district alongside social and economic challenges.

Questions to explore:

What are the big water system impacts for coastal towns and cities that most urgently need to be addressed? What are concerns and considerations for residents, businesses, community groups, and others?
Is managed retreat a workable strategy for addressing these needs?
What are other possible resilience-building adaptation strategies?
What are the mechanisms and/or incentives that would spur action on adaptation such as managed retreat? How can institutions (municipal, state, federal government; NGOs and advocacy groups; research institutions; etc.) work together to affect change?
How are costs and equity factored into decision-making around property buy-outs and other stages of adaptation?
How do commuities and agencies build reasonable and inclusive timelines for achieving resilient coastal communities? How likely is a stress event or emergency to drive community change and disrupt best-laid plans?
Where in the U.S. has managed retreat actually been implemented? In other countries? And how did the nuts-and-bolts work, such as convincing residents to relocate, federal property acquisitions/buyouts, decommissioning homes, remediating landscapes?
How can journalists and other experts start conversations about managed retreat in a proactive (as opposed to reactive) way? What planning exercises are effective?

5:00-5:30 Transport from Middletown to restaurant

5:30-7:30 Networking and Group Dinner
Fellowship concludes

Stoneacre Brasserie
28 Washington Square, Newport, RI 02840

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Saturday, June 8, 2024

Metcalf Fellows depart; van rides are available by arrangement.

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