Monday, August 29, 2022 - 5:00 pm
Topic: Climate Change: Action and Optimism
Paula Bontempi – has been Dean of the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island since September 2020. Prior to her arrival at URI, she served as acting deputy director and program manager/physical scientist in the Earth Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.. Her scientific interests include Earth and ocean remote sensing, phytoplankton ecology, marine bio-optics, studying the Earth as a system, the connection of ocean exploration to global economics, and the development of ocean sensors. She has a strong interest in mentorship and justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) initiatives in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Her talk will showcase the phenomena of climate events, how the Narragansett Bay Campus supports climate change research and adaptation strategies in Rhode Island, and a journey through the frontiers of our home planet. Paula earned her Ph.D. in Oceanography from URI-GSO, and holds a Master of Science Degree from Texas A&M University, and a Bachelor of Science from Boston College