Brown and Providence

University Initiatives

In wake of tragedy, Brown community comes together to celebrate and thank Providence

March 24, 2026

From supporting small businesses to volunteering with community organizations to thanking first responders, Brown Loves Providence returned care and connection to the city Brown calls home.

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News and Events

Photos: Rhode Island families enjoy a day of discovery at the Brown Brain Fair

March 15, 2026

Hundreds of local residents came to campus to explore brain puzzles, art projects and hands-on science experiments, all designed to make neuroscience fun and accessible for every age.

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Student Life

Student-led benefit concert celebrates Providence, raises $20,000 for local nonprofits

March 6, 2026

Organized by Brown University students, the “Thank You PVD” concert brought performers, students and Providence residents together for a night of music, gratitude and collective healing.

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News and Events

Brown Brain Fair invites Rhode Islanders to explore the science of the brain

March 5, 2026

The free, family-friendly event on March 15 welcomes visitors for a day of fun and exploration, featuring games, art projects, lightning talks and demonstrations that highlight the wonders of the human brain.

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University Initiatives

Through ‘Brown Loves Providence,’ Brown community members turn appreciation into action

February 25, 2026

Brown University students, faculty and staff are uniting to thank and honor Providence and its residents, businesses and officials through acts of appreciation including coordinated giving, local spending and volunteerism.

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University Initiatives

Staff Spotlight: A leader on Brown’s dining team, Hout Seng builds community through food

February 19, 2026

Starting in an entry-level role and rising to lead cook at Andrews Commons, Hout Seng channels his passion for food to create moments of comfort, joy and belonging for Brown students.

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Health and Medicine

Leaders gather for an authentic, lively conversation about health care policy in Rhode Island

February 11, 2026

A summit hosted by Brown University’s School of Public Health brought together policymakers, researchers, health care leaders and community stakeholders to discuss pressing health policy issues facing the state.

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News and Events

With support from a Brown education scholar, Central Falls charts path to return schools to local control

February 6, 2026

Research led by education policy scholar Ken Wong is helping to guide the Rhode Island city’s transition from state to local control, shaping how the community will govern and fund its schools.

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News and Events

Brown University invests $3 million to boost Rhode Island’s workforce in education, construction

January 29, 2026

As part of a pledge to contribute $50 million over 10 years to local workforce development initiatives, Brown has awarded two $1.5 million anchor grants and launched an open call for letters of interest for future funding.

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News and Events

Brown outlines plan to engage community members during external safety, security reviews

January 29, 2026

Team of experts including from global consulting firm Teneo will lead engagement with campus stakeholders and Brown’s neighbors in Providence during After-Action Review, Campus Safety and Security Assessment.

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Social Sciences

Brown researchers offer key contributions to recommendations on Rhode Island public school funding

January 23, 2026

Research from Annenberg Institute education scholars informed recommendations, detailed in a report commissioned by the Rhode Island Foundation, to improve the funding formula for the state’s K-12 public schools.

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News and Events

Brown provided $41 million in voluntary payments, community contributions to Providence in FY25

December 3, 2025

The University made $11.1 million in direct voluntary payments to the city, and its community contributions for K-12 education, nonprofit organizations and other local priorities were valued at $30.2 million.

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News and Events

Staff Spotlight: Melissa Shein takes chemistry to the community

November 17, 2025

As communications coordinator for Brown’s Department of Chemistry, Shein works to build community with students and colleagues while engaging the broader public on STEM education and the fight against cancer.

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University Initiatives

Brown employees take the stage in first-ever ‘Battle of the Bands’ to benefit United Way of Rhode Island

November 13, 2025

The lively concert at the Lindemann Performing Arts Center raised funds for Brown Gives, the University’s annual campaign supporting United Way programs across Rhode Island.

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News and Events

130 Years of Jewish Life at Brown: Celebration, connection and tradition

November 7, 2025

Packed with lively social events, panels, seminars, a timeline exhibition and more, a landmark alumni-led event celebrates the profound history of Jewish life at the University.

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News and Events

New admission welcome center at Brown opens its doors to prospective students and families

November 5, 2025

Brimming with design details that bring the Brown experience to life, the Galen V. Henderson Admission Welcome Center captures the warm and welcoming energy of the alumnus for whom it is named.

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University Initiatives

Staff Spotlight: John Colarusso has built a career at Brown from the ground up

October 16, 2025

Forty years after joining Brown’s staff as a cook’s helper, Colarusso is a manager of structural projects in the University’s Department of Facilities and Campus Operations, helping to maintain the physical campus.

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News and Events

Brown researchers bring bold ideas to life at Innovation@Brown Showcase

September 25, 2025

During Rhode Island Startup Week, faculty and student entrepreneurs pitched new technologies and connected with investors, partners and industry experts to turn cutting-edge research into real-world solutions.

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University Initiatives

With a focus on how to be a good neighbor, new Brown initiative prepares students for off-campus living

September 17, 2025

Through resources, events and outreach, Brunonians Living Off Campus helps students navigate the transition from campus housing to city living, equipping them to be engaged, responsible community members.

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News and Events

Staff Spotlight: From Brown’s campus to local neighborhoods, Victoria Mealer-Flowers roots for all students

September 16, 2025

As a senior manager for student-athlete development, undergraduate adviser and community engagement leader, Mealer-Flowers strengthens students’ experiences and Brown’s ties to the broader community.

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News and Events

Rhode Island Startup Week to spotlight Brown faculty and student ventures

September 15, 2025

Held from Sept. 18 to 26, the annual celebration of entrepreneurship and innovation will feature bold ideas and breakthrough technologies from Brown researchers and inventors.

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University Initiatives

Photos: From school visits to sports clinics, Brown Bears rally behind Providence kids

August 29, 2025

Through a series of outreach initiatives, Brown Athletics and the University’s student-athletes forge deeper connections between city residents and the campus community.

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Health and Medicine

Topping-off ceremony at Brown celebrates future laboratories for integrated life sciences research

August 20, 2025

On schedule for completion in 2027, Danoff Laboratories will convene scientists to solve complex health and medical challenges and spur economic growth in Providence’s Jewelry District.

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University Initiatives

Matched with Rhode Island’s top employers, local students take first steps toward future careers

August 12, 2025

Since 2018, Brown University has hosted dozens of interns through PrepareRI, a statewide initiative that helps high schoolers explore careers, build skills and shape Rhode Island’s future workforce.

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Science and Technology

National Science Foundation renews Brown’s national mathematics institute with $16.5 million

August 4, 2025

The grant will fund the Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics through 2030, offering opportunities to explore mathematical concepts that underpin everything from AI to industrial design.

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University Initiatives

Staff Spotlight: A community builder at heart, Dilania Inoa carves out a lasting career in service

August 1, 2025

As senior manager of community partnerships at the Swearer Center, Inoa has expanded educational opportunities for thousands of local kids while strengthening Brown’s ties to the Providence community.

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Environment

Sophia Wu: Crab wrangler, ocean dreamer

July 30, 2025

Brown sophomore Sophia Wu is spending her summer at Save the Bay in Rhode Island, wrangling crabs, supporting summer camps for kids and exploring a future in marine science.

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University Initiatives

Brown’s Pre-College Programs see local enrollment climb for third straight year

July 25, 2025

With more partnerships and a new scholarship model, the University’s Pre-College Programs are increasing local turnout, enabling more Rhode Island teens to explore academic pathways and college life.

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Arts and Humanities

In Pre-College course, students uncover new ways of writing through the forgotten and the familiar

July 25, 2025

Instructed by two Brown graduate students, Secondhand Writing encourages young writers to explore archives, museums and antique shops as a way to advance their own creative-writing practices.

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Student Life

Ben Underwood: Helping Rhode Islanders explore seasonal food and farming

July 23, 2025

Through everything from scavenger hunts to cooking demonstrations, the Brown undergraduate is connecting community members and local agriculture as an intern with Farm Fresh Rhode Island.

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News and Events

Eager to learn, local high schoolers find enrichment at Brown Summer High School

July 22, 2025

Since 1969, Brown Summer High School has given Rhode Island teens a space to grow, explore and connect, all while training educators through the University’s master of arts in teaching program.

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News and Events

Second group of Providence students joins Brown’s college-prep program

July 10, 2025

By welcoming its second cohort this summer, the Brown Collegiate Scholars Program now supports nearly 60 local high schoolers, guiding them on a four-year path to college readiness and success.

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News and Events

Kicking off a summer of discovery, Brown welcomes thousands of Pre-College students

June 30, 2025

Each summer, thousands of high school students study on campus and around the globe in Brown’s Pre-College Programs, which offer intensive academics, cultural immersion, research experiences and more.

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Arts and Humanities

Beyond the pages: John Carter Brown Library exhibition celebrates the making of rare books

June 27, 2025

“Elemental: Crafting Books from Nature” is an ode to the physical book, exploring thousands of years of practical knowledge and natural resources that led to the production of books.

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News and Events

To open doors to business on campus, Brown hosts inaugural small business supplier summit

June 18, 2025

The new initiative brought Rhode Island suppliers face-to-face with Brown purchasing decision-makers, breaking down barriers and increasing access to campus business opportunities.

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Health and Medicine

Translational science showcase highlights RNA’s promise to improve human health

June 17, 2025

At a Brown University symposium hosted by Rhode Island’s federally funded IDeA programs, biomedical scientists shared how they’re turning discoveries into treatments.

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Social Sciences

The history behind Brown historian’s Pulitzer finalist ‘Plantation Goods’

June 17, 2025

Inspired by his scholarship and teaching at Brown, Seth Rockman uncovered an unknown facet of pre-Civil War history that he detailed in an acclaimed book.

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News and Events

‘Learn, synergize, empathize’: Brown celebrates 31st annual Staff Development Day

June 11, 2025

Nearly 2,000 University staff enjoyed a full day of activities that included workshops, tours, community engagement opportunities, a farmers market and more.

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Health and Medicine

Walk with a Doc bridges clinical care and community connection

June 6, 2025

By blending exercise, health education and social support, community walking groups led by Brown medical faculty and students empower Rhode Islanders to take steps toward better health.

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News and Events

Photos: Local families enjoy story hour at the Brown Bookstore

May 8, 2025

The Brown University Bookstore welcomed families for a bilingual reading of "Planting Stories," celebrating community and cultural heritage through children’s literature.

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Student Life

Brown students rescue campus food to serve neighbors in need

April 29, 2025

For more than 15 years, Brown’s Food Recovery Network has redirected thousands of pounds of surplus food to support local soup kitchens, shelters and community food pantries, while diverting landfill waste.

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University Initiatives

Staff Spotlight: Sowing more than seedlings, Nicholas Vasques cultivates learning and research

April 22, 2025

As Brown’s research greenhouse manager, Vasques tends the Plant Environmental Center run by the University’s Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology.

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News and Events

Alumni-led event to celebrate the profound history of Jewish life at Brown

April 17, 2025

After more than a year of planning, “130 Years of Jewish Life at Brown” will convene generations of Brown community members for a weekend of panels, activities and celebrations in early November.

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Arts and Humanities

Free, student-led public art tours at Brown University to run from April to November

April 11, 2025

The Brown Arts Institute will host public art tours every Saturday and Sunday, inviting Brown and Providence community members to explore the University’s distinctive public art collection.

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University Initiatives

Providence-area students discover college life, future possibilities at Brown’s annual College Day

April 9, 2025

With a full day of classes, campus tours and conversations with Brown community members, local high schoolers got a firsthand look into what college can offer — and how their futures might take shape.

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Arts and Humanities

Residual Noise festival explores the creative power of sound

April 7, 2025

Hosted at Brown and RISD, the festival celebrated sound’s potential to transform art and society — and The Lindemann’s potential to push the limits of sound exploration for generations to come.

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University Initiatives

For Brown Collegiate Scholars, a year of learning, growth and early college preparation

March 31, 2025

Members of the college-prep program’s inaugural cohort are gaining academic skills and confidence on their four-year path toward admission to and success in college.

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Science and Technology

In labs across Brown, STEM Day brings science to life for local high school students

March 25, 2025

The eighth annual Department of Chemistry event offered high schoolers a sneak preview of STEM careers along with interactive science demonstrations led by Brown students and faculty.

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News and Events

Photos: Brown Brain Fair makes brain science fun for all

March 15, 2025

Through hands-on experiments, brain-bending games and expert insights, the free, all-ages annual event engages local residents and families in the wonders of neuroscience.

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Health and Medicine

Treating kids’ health, inspiring medical careers — an A+ plan takes shape in Central Falls school

March 11, 2025

Through a first-of-its-kind SMART Plus Clinic, doctors and medical students from Brown’s Warren Alpert Medical School are boosting middle schoolers’ health outcomes, academic success and career preparation.

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