ACTIVITIES OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCE INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND POLICY (SSIREP) The Social Science Institute for Research, Education, and Policy was created as a base for stimulating, nurturing, supporting, and disseminating research ideas among URI social scientists and facilitating the collaboration of those with similar interests. Although only officially authorized in March 2017, the SSIREP has been very active since its launch. It has gathered together a roster of sixty affiliated URI faculty doing social science research, not only from the traditional disciplines of sociology, anthropology, political science, psychology, and economics, but also from engineering, human development, education, business, pharmacy, nursing, English, biology, marine affairs, history, languages, computer science, and statistics. The Institute has given out its first annual series of SSIREP Summer Faculty Research Proposal Grants to assist in funding recipients' future research. Five excellent proposals received these awards: An Applied Policy and Action Institute combining policy research using undergraduate students and training for students to be effective in influencing and promoting legislation. Stakeholders Perceptions of "Seaport Vulnerability" to Extreme Weather Event Impacts: A Cultural Consensus Model incorporating stakeholders and researchers in strengthening the resilience of coastal communities and reducing the impacts of climate change on North Atlantic ports. Widening Circles of Care: Jumpstarting Ethnic and Racial Inclusion in Elementary School Children designed to shed light on how educators can stimulate positive intergroup relations in schools. Rhode Island's Coal-Fired Conflict: How Closed-Cycle Cooling Towers Altered the Views of Mount Hope Bay Residents looking at the choice of action venues chosen by stakeholders in the Brayton Point plant closing.Understanding the Stages of Small Island Tourism Development to Improve the Health of Fishing Communities and Coral Reefs investigating how regional policy makers in Indonesia can (1) integrate tourism within existing and future fisheries and coral reef management decisions and (2) create mechanisms to ensure local residents have equitable access to open-access or common property coastal resources as well as to new revenues from tourism. With the help of talented undergraduate students, the SSIREP has created a website to keep URI social scientists informed about research funding and collaboration opportunities. It has set up social media pages to inform the public about events and accomplishments involving URI social science research. The Institute has held meetings to promote collaboration on NSF grant applications that provide research experiences for undergraduates and to develop a speaker series. The Institute has also worked with, and encouraged URI researchers to apply to, the Rhode Island Collaborative for projects using undergraduate student researchers. The SSIREP has started work to link URI researchers up with government agencies and private entities seeking studies and data relating to the social sciences.

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