University of Rhode Island

Here’s what’s happening in health in Rhode Island:

Opening arguments are scheduled to get underway Wednesday in the trial of Dan Doyle, founder and director of the Institute for International Sport.

The organization, which Doyle started in 1986, hosted a variety of international sports conferences for young people, including the scholar-athlete games. Housed at the University of Rhode Island, the institute was also the recipient of thousands of dollars of legislative grants.

The University of Rhode Island has received a three-million dollar grant from the National Science Foundation. The Graduate School of Oceanography will use the money to charter a research trip through the Canadian Arctic Northwest Passage.

During the five-week journey college students will study the effects of climate change on the arctic waters says, URI’s Gail Scowcroft, one of the lead organizers of the trip.

“The arctic is rapidly changing, and because it’s changing so fast the chemistry can give us clues as to what’s going on,” said Scowcroft.

Jury selection started Monday in the trial of Dan Doyle, who faces charges of embezzlement and other crimes. The accusations stem from Doyle’s role as founder and director of the Institute for International Sport.

A group of defense companies and local universities have announced a new partnership aimed at creating a hub for undersea technology. Dubbed the Undersea Technology Innovation Center, the project is still in the early stages. 

It will be organized by the Southeastern New England Defense Industry Alliance, which has announced partners including the University of Rhode Island, the Navy and Salve Regina University. SENEDIA spokeswoman Molly Magee says the center would provide a hub for marine and defense technology.

Starting in 2018, state colleges and universities will have to meet specific performance goals to receive increases in state funding, under a state law signed by Governor Gina Raimondo on Thursday.

The goals include increasing the number of students graduating on-time and adding graduates in fields that employers need. 

Here’s what’s happening in health in Rhode Island (for 7/19/16 - 7/26/16): federal drug czar visits, a new college at URI, community health grants, Zika funding, addiction treatment, a sports program for disabled veterans, and a health system merger proceeds, but not as quickly as the parties would like.

The Rhode Island Foundation has seeded some of the state’s institutions of higher education with nearly half a million dollars in medical research funding. The money goes toward 20 research projects that range from studying heart failure in obese people to using mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques to help prevent pre-term births.