JWU College of Arts & Sciences

Assistant Professor Kevin Aviles Rodriguez published a new study offering tools to study genetic diversity and adaptations in urban wildlife. These tools can be used for conservation, pest management, and sustainable city planning. Together, this work highlights how scientific innovation can support healthier, more resilient urban ecosystems.

During Mental Health Awareness Month, faculty, students and alumni in the Counselor Education department came together on Saturday, May 16, to participate in a Walk-A-Thon supporting trauma care advocacy and awareness. Organizer Michelle McGuire, an adjunct instructor within the department along with Dr. Jessica Paulhus gathered students to support this cause. Special recognition at the walk was given to JWU participants for their meaningful contributions, commitment to mental health awareness, and support of trauma-informed care initiatives within the community.

Mark Peres, professor of leadership and ethics, leads The Charlotte Center for the Humanities and Civic Imagination, which hosts the annual Charlotte Ideas Festival. This year the Festival convened four days of panels, presentations, and interviews that brought together thinkers, creators, and community members to explore topics ranging from AI to affordability.

JWU pre-vet students partnered with Occupational Therapy students during a hands-on visit to the Easter Seals MA Bridge Center, exploring the science behind hippotherapy and adaptive riding. This interdisciplinary experience highlighted the connection between animal science, rehabilitation, and human health while giving students valuable real-world exposure to animal-assisted therapies.

JWU Students Explore Hippotherapy Through Hands-On Trip Hippotherapy is a specialized type of therapy that uses a horse’s movement to help treat patients with physical, occupational or speech challenges. (It does not involve hippopotamuses, which was news for this writer.) This spring, students in the Animal Science, Health Science, and Exercise and Sp...

Jonathan Stark, adjunct professor of art history and fine art photographer, took his class to the member exhibit at the Providence Art Club. After a talk by Gallery Director Michael Rose the students explored the space and found their favorites.

In February, Professor Church's LIT3001 Studies in Drama course attended the Trinity Rep's production of Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale. It was a joy to see the production while studying the play in class. Many students had never seen a Shakespeare production live, so it was a wonderful learning experience. Trinity Rep's production's set design, acting and costume choices led to many class discussions.

Dr. Nicole Urban's undergrad research team presented their posters at the recent Rhode Island IDeA Symposium at Brown University, and all three groups won the poster competition! This year's symposium theme, AI in research; Promises and Perils, was ideal for Dr. Urban's team, since they recently began leveraging AI to support their device design projects. Please join Dr. Urban in congratulating Sam Davy, Amanda Toledo, Colin Laidlaw, and Sadie Davignon for their winning presentations as well as the work of Valerie Rosario and Hailey Soares on the new device prototypes. The team thanks Johnson & Wales University and RI-INBRE for their funding, support, and encouragement, and Brown University and Advance - CTR (Advance Rhode Island Clinical & Translational Research) for an incredible symposium and this impactful opportunity.