URI Graduate School Holding Naming Contest For Research Vessel

NARRAGANSETT, RI — If you've ever wished you could name a boat, now's your chance.

The University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography is holding a national contest to name the new National Science Foundation-owned regional class research vessel, which will call the Narragansett Bay Campus its home port. The competition will run from Oct. 15 through the end of the year.

"GSO, along with its academic partners and federal sponsors, invites the public — individuals and groups — to submit names that honor individuals, communities or ideas that have furthered our understanding of the ocean, and whose recognition is long overdue," campus officials said in a statement. "The name of this vessel will proudly represent an underrepresented voice."

The vessel will "embody the spirit of ocean exploration, discovery and research," carrying researchers studying ocean currents, fish migration, seafloor surveys and more. It will also provide education and outreach opportunities for teachers, undergraduate and graduate students and the public

The university invited students, both in-school and at home, to submit names as a class or family project. Submissions should have an accompanying statement explaining why the name was chosen.

The graduate school's dean, Paula Bontempi, will form a naming committee to choose from the submissions. Finalists will be announced in February. The committee will name their choice to Bontempi, who will then offer her recommendation to URI's president and the National Science Foundation.

The finalists, winner, and winner's family if they are a minor will be invited to attend the christening of the new vessel in 2023.

"GSO looks forward to identifying a name that celebrates its excellence in ocean research and honors its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion," the statement continued. "As GSO approaches its 60th anniversary in 2021, the school looks forward to a new era of ocean exploration and discovery, and a vibrant future for ocean science."