Anya Hanson, Director of the URI Diving Research and Safety Program. Photo credit: Richard Vevers.
The Diving Research & Safety Program oversees all diving operations including education, outreach, and research activities following standards as set forth per the American Academy of Underwater Sciences. As the state’s leading and multi-institutional scuba diving program, it is committed to providing high quality instruction at an affordable cost and to supporting underwater research needs for a substantial number of marine-related degrees ranging from marine biology to ocean engineering and underwater archaeology, all while maintaining compliance and safe practices. Research divers directly witness the presence of ocean plastic pollution on the underwater environment and have the unique perspective and skills to communicate its destructive impacts.