Award: OIA-1655221

The Rhode Island Consortium for Coastal Ecology Assessment, Innovation, and Modeling (RI C-AIM) was a RI NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 project, funded from 2017-2025. The consortiums partners included the University of Rhode Island, the lead institution, and Brown University, Bryant University, Providence College, Rhode Island College, Rhode Island School of Design, Roger Williams University, and Salve Regina University. RI-CAIMs vision was to position the State of Rhode Island as a Center of Excellence for assessing, predicting, and responding to the effects of climate variability on coastal ecosystems. To achieve this vision, our mission was to catalyze innovative, interdisciplinary research and workforce development that supports sustainable economic growth in RIs blue economy by enhancing human and physical infrastructure, supporting cutting-edge research, promoting diversity, and enabling research translation by partnering with industry and community stakeholders. RI C-AIMs research teams were interdisciplinary and multi-institutional across three major research thrusts: assessing biological and ecosystem impacts; predicting ecosystem response through integration; and enabling technologies for improved detection. These areas were coordinated and networked through four inter-thrusts: visualization and imaging; workforce development; stakeholder engagement and sustainability; and data discovery and management. RI C-AIM also engaged with seven core facilities as well as founding the Rhode Island Consortium for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, a multi-user materials characterization facility that enables cutting-edge academic and industrial research and education through access to advanced material characterization techniques. The first and only such facility in RI. RI C-AIM has impacted the research, education, and broadening of participation across our institutions. These accomplishments came despite the challenges posed by the COVID pandemic in 2020-2021. Our Integrated Bay Observatory coupled with the Rhode Island Data Discovery Center expanded our ability to observe the effects of climate change on coastal ecosystems, enabling novel sensor development and offering new opportunities to educate students and engage stakeholders. Our modeling efforts revealed new physical and biogeochemical insights of Narragansett Bay, and have positioned us closer to a predictive model that will span molecular phenomena to societal impacts. Embracing team science, training and professional development, and the critical role visualization plays in both guiding and disseminating research, we have had significant impacts on the next generation STEAM workforce. RI C-AIM supported the professional development of undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral level students through a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF); the Vis-a-thon, a RISD program designed to integrate visualization into research, allowing scientists to use art and design to express their findings and data; and the Graduate Career Development (CDP) program, which helps improve communication and professional skills in topics typically absent from formal STEM degree programs. SURF engaged over 150 undergraduates; Vis-a-thon engaged 26 students; and CDP engaged over 366 students and 63 certificate enrollees. Each has been sustained beyond the grants ending. RI C-AIMs ending coincided with NSF's archiving of the EPSCoR RII Track-1 program. Because of this, project personnel worked with the State and partners to develop and implement a transition to the new EPSCoR E-CORE/E-RISE model. The Project Director and staff provided continuity to the new model, and ensured that RI NSF EPSCoRs long-term presence and goals for the state were effectively maintained. Significant individual scientific and social outcomes of the project were generated at each of RI C-AIMs partner institutions, including: Developing new knowledge about harmful algal blooms (URI) Understanding the role of Ulva, a local seaweed, in Narragansett Bay and beyond (URI) Examining the viability of emerging commercial fishing species such as Jonah crab and sea robin (URI) Developing a better understanding of bacterial communities that form biofilm on marine equipment, as well as examining novel antifouling techniques (URI) Developing the Ocean State Ocean Model (URI/Brown) Using satellite imaging to better understand Narragansett Bays health and geochemistry (Brown) Improving and developing variants of the antibacterial inhibitor masarimycin (Bryant) Using environmenal DNA to understand fish populations (Providence College) Developing Simple Charts RI, a web portal for pre-undergraduate teachers and students to access and learn from marine data visualizations (RI College) Conceptualizing the Vis-a-thon, an art and design process for science visualization and communication (RI School of Design) Creating the Illuminated Bay, a 3D visualization platform to help the general public understand bay dynamics and anthropogenic impacts on Narragansett Bay (RI School of Design) Understanding the dormancy Astrangia poculata, RIs state coral and its value in tropical coral restoration and climate resilience (Roger Williams University) Designing integrated seawater sampling and chemical analysis devices (Salve Regina University) At its closure, C-AIM has supported 493 community members, including over 300 students and postdocs poised to contribute to the scientific and economic goals of our state and nation; published 195 peer-reviewed journal articles; and brought just over $57 million new research dollars into RI. Last Modified: 05/21/2025 Submitted by: GeoffreyDBothun