Becky Sartini, the recently appointed interim dean of the College of the Environment and Life Sciences, plans to use her time in this role to grow the college through both community outreach and more hands-on experience for first-year students.
To start off her new role as interim dean, she aims to help first-year students with their transition into college, according to Sartini. She hopes to find ways that the college can adapt and do more hands-on science activities for first-year students in place of sitting in a lecture hall.
“The focus is on first-year students, teaching experience for graduate students and outreach into the Rhode Island community,” Sartini said. “The goal is maintaining and then growing the connections that we have around the state to bring students into these opportunities so they can directly see the impact of their education.”
In the future, Sartini hopes to keep an administrative role that allows her to support students’ success, oversee academic programs and assist first-year students and first-generation college students, according to Sartini. Whether in a dean’s position or another role, she hopes to continue helping students be successful.
“I really enjoy helping students figure out what they want, what their values are, where they want to go for a career, and what experiences they could have that would help them get to their goals,” Sartini said.
Sartini is originally from Tiverton, Rhode Island, but has studied all over the country. She began her higher education at Hampshire College where she graduated in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in biology. From there, she spent six months in Africa working for the Cheetah Conservation Fund, which helped grow her passion for research, according to Sartini.
Shortly after, Sartini attended the University of California at Davis where she received her master’s degree in animal science and doctorate in physiology, with a research area in reproductive physiology.
“I actually studied the molecules on the sperm and the egg that find and attach to one another for fertilization to occur, which was pretty cool,” Sartini said.
Between 2002 and 2006, Sartini completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Cornell University in their animal science department and a post doctorate at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester.
“What was really neat about those experiences was that at Cornell, I was working on more livestock reproduction,” Sartini said. “When I went to UMass, I was studying human reproduction, so it gave me this background and experience to see the similarities with human and animal reproduction.”
At this time, Sartini applied for the tenured track position at URI as a faculty member in the Fisheries Animal and Veterinary Science Program. She was hired to teach reproductive biology and also started working with faculty in nutrition and on a grad course in sustainable food systems.
In 2019, Sartini stepped into the role of associate dean for academic programs in CELS. Stepping into this role allowed her to work with all the departments in the college and with other colleges to create more interdisciplinary experiences for students, according to Sartini.
“As a faculty member, I started learning about best practices in college teaching and began transforming my courses from being strictly lecture-based into using teaching methods in the classroom where I was able to help the students apply what we were learning in the classroom to their lives,” Sartini said.
After working in the dean’s office for five years and closely with former dean, John Kirby, said Sartini, she finds herself very excited and well-prepared for what lies ahead in her role as interim dean.
“I’m very familiar with how everything works and the responsibilities,” Sartini said. “I feel very comfortable and excited to continue our mission here in the college with student experiential learning and getting more research opportunities for students.”
Outside URI, Sartini enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons. She also weight lifts and delights in the company of her two dogs, Hank and Maisie. When she retires, she hopes to own a dog rescue.
