Underwater Ribbon Cutting Ushers in New URI Ocean Robotics Laboratory

The University of Rhode Island marked a major milestone in the $300 million, multi-phase revitalization of its Narragansett Bay Campus with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Ocean Robotics Laboratory on June 25. In a unique twist, students Elliot Roman and Jake Bonney piloted URI’s remotely operated vehicle Rhody to cut the ceremonial ribbon underwater in the building’s 20-foot-wide by 30-foot-long test tank.

Hundreds of attendees, including Governor Dan McKee, House Speaker Emeritus K. Joseph Shekarchi, local and state elected leaders, members of the URI Board of Trustees, and university faculty, staff, students, and alumni, gathered for the event.

A Hub for the Blue Economy

URI President Marc Parlange hailed the laboratory as a transformative addition to the campus. “This is a major milestone in the revitalization of this campus,” he said. “This campus is truly a hub for the blue economy in Rhode Island, with education, with research, with training, with extension, and partnerships with industry, as well as state and federal agencies. I am so grateful for the support of our state and federal elected officials and generous donors who make this transformation possible.”

Margo Cook, chair of URI’s Board of Trustees, echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the facility’s role as a recruitment tool. “Because of this investment made by our state leaders and the voters of Rhode Island, the new Ocean Robotics Laboratory is a cutting-edge resource to support our students, faculty, and our industry partners,” she said. “It’s also a new recruitment tool for the state of Rhode Island that will attract and retain talent to advance the blue economy.”

State Support and Vision

Rhode Island voters backed the revitalization by approving two bond referenda totaling $145 million. Governor McKee noted that despite URI’s top-tier oceanography program, the campus infrastructure had lagged. “URI has one of the best oceanography programs in the entire country, and yet, we hadn’t really invested a great deal in the infrastructure on the campus,” he said. Citing a state commerce board report estimating up to 60,000 blue-economy jobs with proper investment, McKee added, “What better place to invest than the University of Rhode Island.”

House Speaker Emeritus Shekarchi recalled his first visit to the campus after becoming speaker. “I always held the oceanography school as a national treasure,” he said. “I came down here and I saw the antiquated facilities. It was a rainy day and President Parlange, ever the salesman that he is, took me through a few buildings and we had to use umbrellas inside the buildings because there were leaks coming down.”

A Facility for Global Leadership

The multi-year campus revitalization is replacing outdated infrastructure with state-of-the-art facilities designed to advance technology-driven solutions. Steve D’Hondt, interim dean of URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography, highlighted the lab’s potential. “The people who will work in the Ocean Robotics Laboratory are building the robots and instruments that are needed to solve challenges by giving them shared space, innovative infrastructure, and place-based partnership opportunity,” he said. “The facility will enable Rhode Island to take a commanding global lead in robotic ocean exploration and automated sensing of the ocean.”

Anthony Marchese, dean of the College of Engineering, noted the timeliness of the investment. “The taxpayers of the small but mighty state of Rhode Island were not only generous, but visionary because we are now poised to cut the ribbon on the ocean robotics laboratory at URI at a time when such a facility could not be more important for the region and for society at large,” he said.

From Research to Deployment

Lora Van Uffelen, associate professor of ocean engineering, explained the facility’s unique focus. “We’re all familiar with research and development. These are pillars of innovation everywhere. But what really makes us special and what makes this work unique is the deployment aspect,” she said. “We as oceanographers and ocean engineers take instrumentation to sea, to the ocean. This is one of the most extreme environments we have on our planet, and it requires a lot of preparation. Facilities like this tank behind me are really essential for refining our systems before they head out to sea.”

Jason Noel, a Ph.D. candidate in ocean engineering, expressed what the new space means for students and faculty. “It truly is an amazing advancement for us and is exactly what this department was lacking,” he said. “We have always been at the forefront of research and talent, with amazing faculty, graduate students, and undergrads. The one thing that we were missing was the facilities to do our work.”

Noel also highlighted the lab’s potential to strengthen ties between URI and private industry. “Not only is this building great for us, the researchers, but it is great for the state of Rhode Island,” he said. “We have the space here to support companies and integrate their work with existing research projects, as well as support larger organizations when they need facilities to test equipment. This creates a direct conduit between university minds and the state’s industry, keeping our talent local to our region.”

Lawmakers Praise Investment

Several state elected officials spoke at the ceremony, underscoring the project’s importance. Sen. Alana DiMario noted the tangible results of government investment. “I could see the importance of investing in leveraging what we have here as such a great asset in the Ocean State, which is our proximity to the ocean and our ability to capitalize on research and different types of innovation and development,” she said. “Projects like this are such a thrilling exception. We get to see in standing here today what happens when we think big things, when we build big things, and then together when we do big things.”

Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee called the day a great one for all Rhode Islanders. “Investing in URI is one of the best uses of taxpayer dollars, and today’s ribbon cutting on the new Ocean Robotics Laboratory demonstrates that,” she said. “I’m excited to be part of this exciting development on the Bay Campus because this is an amazing transformation.”

Rep. Kathleen Fogarty emphasized the lab’s role in attracting talent and driving economic growth. “Investing in facilities like this new Ocean Robotics Lab provides tremendous advancements for the University and will attract the talent and research in ocean science and drive our economic growth,” she said. “I look forward to seeing research and industry and collaboration at this new Ocean Robotics Lab for many years to come.”

Rep. Teresa Tanzi highlighted the power of state investment. “Today’s ribbon cutting demonstrates something very powerful here in Rhode Island—and that’s the fact that state investments in facilities here at the University of Rhode Island have a massive impact,” she said. “This represents the future of ocean exploration, research, education, technology development, and deployments—really another key part of the excitement around this project. We should be very proud of URI’s achievements and the benefits these provide for our state.”

The source for this article is https://www.roboticstomorrow.com/news/2026/07/01/underwater-ribbon-cutting-ushers-in-new-uri-ocean-robotics-laboratory-/26797/.