Rhode Island

Next Stop: Medical School

Published

8 months ago

April 8, 2025

URI Interdisciplary Neuroscience Program students, siblings Lohith and Bhavya Chatragadda, have both been accepted to the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University. Photo by Nora Lewis

Siblings Bhavya and Lohith Chatragadda graduated from Lincoln High School in consecutive years—both as valedictorian. Their success led them to URI and to the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program. The result: both students have been accepted to Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School.

“My brother and I have been going to the same school since pre-school,” said Bhavya, who is 10 months older than her brother. “I’m grateful that we’ve experienced this journey together, which will continue in medical school. The odds of that happening are crazy.”

Exemplary students, the siblings each received a URI Presidential Scholarship, while Lohith received a Think Big RI Scholarship and Bhavya earned a Rhode Island Science and Engineering Fair Scholarship.

Different interests, parallel paths

“I’ve wanted to be a doctor for as long as I can remember,” said Bhavya. “When I was applying to colleges, I was drawn to microbiology in URI’s Cell and Molecular Biology program, which would allow me to explore the human body from a cellular level and gain a strong understanding of microorganisms, many of which cause human disease.”

Lohith’s interest in learning about the human body, especially the brain, stemmed from a middle school biology class. “I was fascinated with how the human body is composed of tiny machines called cells that nearly autonomously perform precise operations,” he said. “The human body is the ultimate machine that cannot be emulated by artificial engineering–at least not yet. This led to my interest in how the brain works. Our entire body, and even our perception of ourselves, is controlled by a soft mass in our heads. It seems impossible.”

Lisa Weyandt, URI professor of psychology and director of the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, is grateful to have both siblings in the program.“Bhavya and Lohith are highly successful students and great representatives of the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program,” said Weyandt. “I’m proud that they chose to pursue their neuroscience degrees at URI.”

The Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, launched in 2020, brings together a wide range of disciplines and offers three tracks enabling students to reach their professional goals: molecular neuroscience, offered through the College of the Environment and Life Sciences; clinical neuroscience, offered through the College of Health Sciences; an neuropharmacology, offered through the College of Pharmacy. Students work with an interdisciplinary neuroscience adviser and have access to faculty expertise from across five colleges at URI, as well as researchers at the George & Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience.

Lohith and Bhavya selected the molecular neuroscience track and also enrolled in URI’s Honors Program. The siblings also study microbiology as a second major.

“The classes in the neuroscience department are the best I’ve taken at URI,” said Lohith. “The professors make a point of connecting the material to clinical applications. That has taught me to view everything through a clinical lens, which will be important in med school. I believe that perspective shined through in my medical school interviews and helped me get accepted.”

Developing strong research skills

One of the most important aspects of the program is the opportunity to participate in hands-on research.

“We value the research component of our program,” said Weyandt. “All neuroscience students are required to complete NEU 410: Experimental Neuroscience, which helps them gain research skills and achieve personal, professional, and academic competencies. Students engage in a wide variety of research labs within the program, ranging from bench work to studies involving human participants.”

With an interest in aging and neurodegenerative diseases, Bhavya joined Assistant Professor Claudia Fallini’s laboratory as a freshman, which enabled her to study the relationship between cytoskeletal changes and neurodegenerative disease in cellular models. After shadowing a graduate student in Fallini’s lab in her first semester, Bhavya quickly developed her confidence and research skills.

“Bhavya has learned several advanced techniques, including stem cell culture and differentiation, microscopy, and image analysis, and can work mostly independently with the supervision of a graduate student,” said Fallini. “She is very dedicated to her research and not afraid to take on new challenges.”

For the past couple of semesters, Bhavya has worked on a project in Fallini’s lab in which she has explored the neuroprotective effects of cannabinoids on stroke induced human cortical neurons in a cellular model. Funded through two URI^2 Undergraduate Research Grants, Bhavya presented her research at the 2024 NEURON Conference.

“My time in the lab has been foundational to my experience at URI,” said Bhavya. “I’ve familiarized myself with common cell culture practices, cell maintenance, and other lab protocols, as well as more general skills, such as grant writing and data presentation, designing my own protocols, interpreting novel data, and sharing my results at national and international conferences.”

Lohith has been conducting research in the College of Engineering’s Wearable Biosensing Laboratory since 2022. Under the tutelage of biomedical engineering professors Kunal Mankodiya and Dhaval Solanki, and kinesiology professor Matthew Delmonico, Lohith has led an interdisciplinary team of computer science students and peers from the College of Health Sciences in the development of a smart textile-based wristband for in-home grip rehabilitation.

“We built an e-textile forearm band that can detect hand gestures to control a custom computer game,” Lohith said. “We’re developing technological solutions to medical problems, which I think is the future.”

“Lohith has a bright future in the healthcare domain,” said Solanki. “He has successfully translated research into real-world healthcare solutions. His ability to bridge technology and medicine, along with his leadership and innovation, make him well-prepared for medical school.”

Study buddies

But among the many benefits of attending URI that have helped prepare them, the siblings count the ability to lean on one another.

“Taking classes with my brother has been like having a built-in study buddy 24/7,” said Bhavya. “We’ve always been close, so it’s been great seeing him on campus and experiencing URI together.”

“Having my sister with me at URI has been a huge source of support,” added Lohith.

—Neil Nachbar

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Rhode Island

The top returning girls wrestlers? Here are 10 to watch this season

Published

7 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

The top returning girls wrestlers? Here are 10 to watch this season

Girls wrestling took off last winter in its second year of state championships.

Exactly 50 participants, across a dozen weight classes, competed in the March extravaganza at the Providence Career and Technical Academy. Each weight class was contested, unlike the first year of the tournaments, and new title winners were crowned.

Pilgrim’s Allison Patten was named Most Outstanding Wrestler for her win at 107. The Patriots’ star also finished runner-up at the New England Championships and is among this year’s returnees. But who else should we be keeping an eye on this winter?

Here are 10 standouts who we think might shine this year.

Enjoy!

Athletes listed in alphabetical order.

Yasmin Bido, Hope

Senior

Bido snagged her first individual crown with a 16-0 decision at 152 pounds. The Blue Wave grappler also finished runner-up at 165 in Year 1 of the tournament.

Irie Byers, North Kingstown

Sophomore

Byers stormed onto the scene with a title in her first year on the mat. She captured the 120-pound championship with an 11-1 win in the finals. The Skipper returnee is one of a few wrestlers who could repeat.

Jolene Cole, Scituate

Sophomore

Cole helped Scituate to the team title in the first year that the award was handed out. Scituate is a bit of a girls wrestling factory, and Cole added to that lineage with her pin at 114 pounds.

Alei Fautua, North Providence

Sophomore

Fautua breezed to the title at 235 pounds with a pin in just 25 seconds. She led the Cougars to a runner-up finish as a team as Scituate edged the Cougars by just seven points. Fautua then finished fourth at the New England championships.

Kamie Hawkins, Exeter-West Greenwich

Junior

This year is all about redemption for Hawkins. She was one of the first state champions and came back last year looking to defend her 120-pound title. It wasn’t meant to be, but make no mistake, Hawkins is one of the state’s best.

Abigail Otte, Exeter-West Greenwich

Junior

Otte was a repeat champion at 138 pounds as she seized the title with a pin in 24 seconds. It’s likely a safe bet that Otte might capture her third crown in three years.

Allison Patten, Pilgrim

Junior

A repeat season isn’t out of the question for Patten. She won the 107 pound title with a pin in 49 seconds. What’s next for the junior? End the season with a New England title, too.

Chloe Ross, Scituate

Sophomore

It was quite the debut for Ross. The state crown was a breeze as the freshman won via pin in 1:16. But then came the New England tournament where the Spartan star snagged second place. Might there be a different ending to her season this year?

Meili Shao, La Salle

Senior

Shao was one of the first wrestling champions when she captured the 132 title two seasons ago. A repeat crown wasn’t in the cards as she finished runner-up in the class. But the Ram has returned and could be out to avenge last year’s finish.

Emily Youboty, Hope

Senior

The Blue Wave wrestler is the returning 100-pound winner after she captured the crown with a 19-3 technical fall victory in last season’s title meet.

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Rhode Island

Thieves steal $470K worth of electrical wire from Rhode Island highways

Published

19 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Thieves steal 0K worth of electrical wire from Rhode Island highways

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — The Rhode Island Department of Transportation is facing a costly and dangerous problem after thieves stole roughly 11 miles of electrical wire from highways across the state, leaving long stretches of road without lighting and drivers at risk.

RIDOT spokesperson Charles St. Martin said there have been at least 16 thefts in recent weeks, mostly in Providence, but also in Cranston, Johnston and Warwick. The agency first realized something was wrong after drivers began calling to report unusually dark sections of highway.

“Right now, about 16 sites or so around the Providence Metro area down into Cranston and Warwick and Johnston that we have different lengths of highway where the lights are out,” St. Martin said in an interview with NBC10.

Cars driving on the highway with no overhead lights. (WJAR)

St. Martin says thieves accessed underground electrical systems through manholes, cutting and removing large quantities of wire.

RIDOT Director Peter Alviti, speaking on WPRO Radio with NBC10’s Gene Valicenti, said the scale of the problem is staggering and growing.

“You would not believe how many locations throughout the state that we are experiencing the theft of our underground electric cables,” Alviti said. “They’re pulling it out and then selling it for scrap to make money.”

The thefts pose serious safety risks. St. Martin said the suspects are cutting into live electrical wires leaving drivers to navigate dark highways and roads.

The cost to taxpayers is also significant. According to RIDOT, the stolen wire alone carries a material cost of about $470,000, not including labor to reinstall it.

“When you just look at the amount of wire that we are talking about that we are missing now, it is about 11 miles worth of wire,” St. Martin said. “Just the material cost about $470,000.”

RIDOT says it will likely take several weeks to fully restore lighting along impacted highways, including I-195, I-295, Route 37, Route 10 and Route 6. The agency plans to install heavier, anti-theft manhole covers in the coming months and is working with state and local police to identify those responsible.

Drivers like Perry Cornell say the outages make already challenging roads even more dangerous.

“Dangerous,” Cornell said when asked how it feels driving through dark stretches of highway. “It’s unsafe.”

Lights off on the highway. (WJAR)

Cornell said the situation raises questions about whether more could have been done to prevent the thefts.

“Why wasn’t this stopped and why wasn’t there a preventative action taken by RIDOT to stop this from continuing to happen?” he asked.

RIDOT is asking the public to remain vigilant. Anyone who sees suspicious activity near highway manholes is urged to contact local police immediately.

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Rhode Island

Former Pawtucket police officer pleads no contest to DUI, disorderly conduct – The Boston Globe

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Former Pawtucket police officer pleads no contest to DUI, disorderly conduct – The Boston Globe

Dolan was also ordered to pay a $100 fine, and has completed community service and a driving while impaired course, the records show. Dolan previously lost his license for three months.

“This plea was the culmination of two years of hard work and negotiations by both sides, resulting in a reasonable, fair, and equitable resolution which allows all concerned to move forward,” Michael J. Colucci, an attorney representing Dolan, said in a statement.

Dolan was arrested and charged in September 2023 in Coventry, where he also allegedly threatened to shoot police officers.

A felony charge of threatening public officials was downgraded to the misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge on Wednesday, according to court records. A third charge of reckless driving and other offenses against public safety was dismissed.

Dolan resigned from the police department in November 2023 while the City of Pawtucket was attempting to fire him. He was acquitted by a jury earlier that year after he shot a teenager in 2021 while off-duty that summer outside a pizza restaurant in West Greenwich.

Dolan, who had an open container of beer in his truck at the time, had argued he pursued the teen and his friends after seeing them speeding on Route 95. The group of teens saw him coming at them in the parking lot of Wicked Good Pizza and tried to drive away, while Dolan claimed he wanted to have a “fatherly chat” and shot at them fearing he was going to be hit by their car.

The teen driver, Dominic Vincent, of West Greenwich, was shot in the upper arm.

In 2022, Dolan was also charged with domestic disorderly conduct and domestic vandalism after he allegedly grabbed his 10-year-old son by the neck and threw him outside, according to an affidavit by Coventry police supporting an arrest warrant.

Then, while the children were in the car with his wife, Dolan was accused of throwing a toy truck at the vehicle and breaking the windshield, according to the affidavit. The domestic case against Dolan was dismissed about a week after it was filed, per court records.

Material from previous Globe stories was used in this report. This story has been updated to include comment from Michael Colucci.

Christopher Gavin can be reached at christopher.gavin@globe.com.

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