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Issue 135 - August 2026

URI Cuts the Ribbon, Underwater, on New Ocean Robotics Laboratory

The University of Rhode Island opened its Ocean Robotics Laboratory on the Narragansett Bay Campus with an underwater ribbon cutting, a $300 million bet on the blue economy.

A first-of-its-kind facility positions Rhode Island at the forefront of robotic ocean exploration.

The University of Rhode Island opened a new chapter in the blue economy this week, unveiling its Ocean Robotics Laboratory on the Narragansett Bay Campus with a ribbon cutting unlike any other: the ribbon was cut underwater.

A Ribbon Cut at the Bottom of the Tank

On June 25, students Elliot Roman and Jake Bonney piloted URI’s remotely operated vehicle, Rhody, to slice the ceremonial ribbon at the bottom of the building’s new test tank, a 20-by-30-foot pool built to ready ocean instruments for the punishing conditions of the open sea. Moments later, a crane released a cascade of rubber ducks into the water in celebration. Hundreds attended, including Governor Dan McKee, House Speaker Emeritus K. Joseph Shekarchi, members of the URI Board of Trustees, and University faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

  • URI President Marc Parlange speaks at the Ocean Robotics Laboratory opening.
    URI President Marc Parlange called the Bay Campus a hub for the blue economy in Rhode Island. Photo: Michael Salerno / URI Photos.
  • House Speaker Emeritus K. Joseph Shekarchi speaks at the Ocean Robotics Laboratory opening.
    House Speaker Emeritus K. Joseph Shekarchi addresses guests at the Ocean Robotics Laboratory opening. Photo: Michael Salerno / URI Photos.
  • Two URI students pilot the ROV Rhody from a control station beside the test tank.
    Students Elliot Roman and Jake Bonney at the controls of URI’s remotely operated vehicle, Rhody. Photo: Michael Salerno / URI Photos.
  • A crane drops hundreds of rubber ducks into the Ocean Robotics Laboratory test tank.
    A crane releases a cascade of rubber ducks into the test tank in celebration. Photo: Michael Salerno / URI Photos.
  • Governor Dan McKee and guests gather beside the test tank at the Ocean Robotics Laboratory opening.
    Governor Dan McKee (far left) joins University leaders, trustees, and guests at the ribbon cutting. Photo: Michael Salerno / URI Photos.

A Hub for the Blue Economy

The laboratory is part of a $300 million, multi-phase revitalization of the Bay Campus, supported in part by two voter-approved bond referenda totaling $145 million. URI President Marc Parlange called the campus “a hub for the blue economy in Rhode Island,” weaving together education, research, training, and partnerships with industry and government.

Built for Deployment

For the oceanographers and engineers who will use it, the value lies in one word painted at the building’s entrance alongside “research” and “development”: deployment. “We as oceanographers and ocean engineers take instrumentation to sea, to the ocean,” said Lora Van Uffelen, associate professor of ocean engineering. “This is one of the most extreme environments we have on our planet… Facilities like this tank behind me are really essential for refining our systems before they head out to sea.”

Facilities like this tank behind me are really essential for refining our systems before they head out to sea.

Lora Van Uffelen, associate professor of ocean engineering

A Commanding Global Lead

The lab is also built to open doors for industry. Steve D’Hondt, interim dean of the Graduate School of Oceanography, said the facility “will enable Rhode Island to take a commanding global lead in robotic ocean exploration and automated sensing of the ocean.” Governor McKee pointed to a state estimate of up to 60,000 blue-economy jobs available with proper investment, adding, “What better place to invest than the University of Rhode Island.”

This facility will enable Rhode Island to take a commanding global lead in robotic ocean exploration and automated sensing of the ocean.

Steve D’Hondt, interim dean, Graduate School of Oceanography

For the Students, It’s Personal

For the students at the heart of it, the milestone is personal. “It truly is an amazing advancement for us and is exactly what this department was lacking,” said Jason Noel, a Ph.D. candidate in ocean engineering. “We have always been at the forefront of research and talent… The one thing that we were missing was the facilities to do our work.”

Adapted from a University of Rhode Island press release. Photos: Michael Salerno / URI Photos; URI Inner Space Center. SEVENSEAS Media thanks the University of Rhode Island for sharing.

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