Picturesque
Cumberland’s Temitope Ogunwumi, right, a student at URI, took first place in the school’s first photo contest.
KINGSTON – The University of Rhode Island has named the winners of its inaugural Research and Scholarship Photo Contest, which drew close to 300 entries that highlight the breadth and depth of the work URI’s students and faculty are doing around the world.
Entries included fine art, photography, electron microscopy and computerized imaging outputs, and showcased scholarship that runs the gamut from polar exploration to underwater archeology, and from cellular-level research to composite-mapping techniques.
“This contest demonstrates the global reach and talent of our students, faculty, researchers and staff and highlights, in brilliant photographs, the many opportunities available to members of the URI community,” said URI President David M. Dooley. “All of the submitted photos offer a glimpse into diverse scholarship, from faculty-led student trips abroad to labs right here in Rhode Island.”
The contest was sponsored by URI’s three magazines, QuadAngles, Momentum and 41°N.
“It was an honor to review these photos. Even as a former URI student and current member of the URI Alumni Association Board, I am impressed by the variety and quality of photographs,” said John J. Palumbo, one of the contest’s judges, a 1976 graduate of URI and publisher of Rhode Island Monthly Magazine.
The three other judges were Krisanne Murray, a 1995 graduate of URI and owner of Wakefield’s Designroom, a graphic design, photography and web services firm; Kim Robertson, assistant director of URI’s Department of Publications and Creative Services; and Nora Lewis, URI photographer.
Winning images will be published in the URI magazines. The first place winner is art/communication studies undergraduate student Temitope Ogunwumi ’18 of Cumberland, for “Train Tracks,” shot in Chicago for a photography class assignment in January 2017, which explored themes of lines and sym- metry in urban architecture. Ogunwumi took the photo for an advanced photography class. “It’s primarily a 35mm class, but my professor knew I liked digital photography as well, so she allowed me to do both,” Ogunwumi relates. “My friends and I usually spend our free time traveling and exploring large cities. We use photography as an outlet to document our adventures. This happened to be my second time visiting Chicago. One night during our stay, we decided to explore one of Chicago’s many train stations. After a little while of exploring we wound up stumbling across this area. I was intrigued by the tunnels and the way the tracks intersected one another. I quickly set my tripod up and took a couple photos before leaving.”