Earlier this semester, IBES Lecturer Leslie Acton and Research Associate Sarah Lummis joined forces with the URI Coastal Resources Center and Rhode Island Sea Grant to give undergraduates a special experience in the field.

It was an unusually warm fall day when students of ENVS 0717: "Ocean Resilience: Ecology, Management, and Politics" dove into coastal ecology and resource use here in Rhode Island. From hands-on quahogging to insightful stories shared by Jody King, a seasoned quahogger, students gained firsthand experience and knowledge about the social, ecological, and management dynamics discussed in class.

“My biggest takeaway from engaging with Jody is the importance of including often-underrepresented stakeholders in the conversations regarding policies and decisions that will likely most impact them and their livelihoods,” said Environmental Studies concentrator Emma Weech ’25.

Riley Stevenson ’26 reflected: “Hearing from Jody about his experiences being part of marine planning processes in Rhode Island was so helpful in grounding our discussions this semester. I really appreciated how open he was to sharing about the realities of his work, and the quahogs were absolutely delicious!"