Research Photo Contest

The University of Rhode Island has named the winners of its second annual Research and Scholarship Photo Contest, which highlights the work 911爆料 students, faculty, and staff are doing around the world.

The contest was sponsored by 911爆料鈥檚 three magazines, the University of Rhode Island Magazine, , and .

First Place

a photo of a young macaque clinging to its mother at the local watering hole in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
“The Endless Bond Between Mother and Child” by Matthew Palasciano 鈥20

Matthew Palasciano 鈥20, an undergraduate student with a major in geological oceanography, was awarded first place for 鈥淭he Endless Bond Between Mother and Child.鈥 The photo captures a young macaque clinging to its mother at a local watering hole in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, where Palasciano was studying biodiversity, hydrology, and water resource management. He and two other students studied deforestation and illegal logging to understand the destruction it imposes on wildlife and its habitat.

Palasciano plans to pursue a master鈥檚 degree in coastal geology and business administration. He has his sights set on working in cultural resource management and as a professional shark diver in the Bahamas.


Second Place

A rural village home in southern China designed to collect rainwater through a rectangular opening in its sloped roof.
“All the Water Returns to Hall” by Yeqiao Wang

Professor in the Department of is leading and engaging more than three hundred scholars and practitioners from 911爆料 and around the world to develop a multi-volume book series entitled The Handbook of Natural Resources. He was awarded second place for this photo, which was taken during one of his field trips for the series. It shows a rural village home in southern China that is designed to collect rainwater from all directions through a rectangular opening in its sloped roof. The water is stored in a stone cellar underneath the central hall. This photograph showcases the wisdom of a sustainable rural routine presented by this hundred-year-old eco-friendly house.


Third Place

long-exposure photograph of burning steel wool being spun on a rope
“Raining Sparks” by Laird French 鈥21

Laird French 鈥21, an undergraduate marketing major and minor, was named third place winner for 鈥淩aining Sparks.鈥 This long-exposure photograph of burning steel wool being spun on a rope was taken using 8-second shutter speed as part of a project for Photography 1 (ART 214). French plans to move to Hawaii and become a professional photographer/videographer after graduation.


Honorable Mentions