Focus

SPEAKING OUT: Zainabou Thiam, center, a student at the MET School in Providence, speaks at a rally at Brown University on July 8 organized by the Black Lives Matter Rhode Island political action committee. The rally sought to end legacy admissions and support diversity and equity in universities.  PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Diversity advocates take aim at legacy admissions

Focus 07/21/2023

For Viet Nguyen, a Brown University alumnus and founder of social impact organization EdMobilizer, the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ban on affirmative action presents...

BACKING CHARTERS: Janie Segui Rodriguez founded the nonprofit Stop the Wait RI to oppose legislation in 2021 that would have put a hold on opening new charter schools for three years. The legislation failed to pass.  PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Charter schools fight to grow as demand increases

Focus 07/21/2023

Most parents don’t want to gamble with their children’s education. But for some, to provide what they believe is the right choice for their...

NO WORRIES: Dorothy Davison, executive director of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Rhode Island, says artificial intelligence will allow engineers to be more efficient, not replace them entirely.  PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

‘We don’t look at AI as a terrifying thing’

Focus 07/21/2023

How will artificial intelligence impact professional engineers? Will it improve their lives or put them out of work? Any major AI chatbot can provide answers to...

WATER WORK: From rear to front, Roger Williams University senior civil engineering student Nathan Silveira, assistant professor Pamela Judge and senior environmental science student Lauren Northrup are assisting with soil erosion research at the RWU School of Engineering, Computing and Construction Management’s Richard L. Bready Applied Learning Laboratories on the Bristol campus.  PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Engineering building an RWU recruiting tool

Focus 07/21/2023

When Luke Calabrese toured Roger Williams University as a prospective student, one of the engineering program’s draws didn’t yet exist. But it nevertheless made...

Growth of self storage raising some alarms

Focus 07/07/2023

Driving up Interstate 95 on a recent evening, Richard Godfrey, executive director of Roger Williams University’s real estate program, couldn’t help but notice a...

FRESH START: Philadelphia development company Scout Ltd. is revitalizing a building at 50 Sims Ave. in Providence. From left are Kelley Gerrard, creative marketing director; Lindsey Scannapieco, managing partner; and Everett Abitbol, director of development. Revival Brewing Co. was one of the first tenants of the repurposed building. PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Without fanfare, Scout reviving former factory

Focus 07/07/2023

John Rosenwinkel needed space to grow. A founding member of the nonprofit PVD Bike Collective, Rosenwinkel began hearing about a developer of a repurposed building...

BIG PLANS: Jack Warner, Rhode Island College’s interim president, says in addition to training for RIC students, the Institute of Cybersecurity & Emerging Technologies will do contract work for local businesses, such as offering professional development courses to train staff in cybersecurity.  PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

For many, tech institute can’t come fast enough

Focus 06/23/2023

The alarming notice appeared without warning on the town of North Kingstown’s computer system in April. A message said hackers had taken control of the...

SELF IMPROVEMENT: Lori-Anne Wunschel is a staff member at the nonprofit Community Care Alliance in Woonsocket, helping adults with mental illness and substance use disorders, but a state pilot program is allowing her to pursue an advanced degree at no cost to her.  PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Pilot program gives lift to hopeful health workers

Focus 06/23/2023

Lori-Anne Wunschel has logged more than 15 years working in social services and addiction counseling, helping countless clients, many with major traumas and minimal...

IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT: Frederick Reinhardt, CEO and president of Greenwood Credit Union, says more people were turning to Greenwood and other credit unions for auto loans as interest rates changed over the last year.  PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Suddenly, auto loans popular at credit unions

Focus 06/09/2023

Frederick Reinhardt immediately noticed something was up – way up – last year shortly after the Federal Reserve began hiking interest rates from nearly...