An inspiring collection of stories about the students, teachers, & mentors who have participated in NH BioMade's Education & Workforce Development (EWD) program:

NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENTS CHART NEW CAREERS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY

At UNH Manchester under the mentorship of Dr. Won Hyuk Suh, Darrell Caudill and Trixie Vazquez learned the language and culture of a research lab while investigating the use of bioprinted and crosslinked protein-based hydrogels to engineer human neural stem cells as part of the summer 2023 Undergraduate Research Training with NH BioMade. Caudill and Vazquez co-authored a research poster with Graduate Assistant Jacob Brown, and their advisor, Dr. Suh. They presented “Bioprinting GelMA Hydrogels with Functionalized Silica Nanoparticles” at two August conferences: the UNH Summer STEM Symposium and the Annual Meeting of NH-INBRE (IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence) Annual Meeting. Read More

FUTURE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IN REGENERATIVE MEDICINE AT UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

Matt Young, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at New England College, taught The Molecular Dynamics Project at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Tech Camp for students in grades 9-12. The summer camp experience showed students, all young women, how molecules connect and how they interact with a focus on regenerative medicine. Students learned molecular geometry, bonding, structure and dynamics through multiple modes of hands-on activities including virtual reality using Oculus Quest 2 VR headsets, to develop visual special identity skills. The instructor will use the experience to collaborate and develop the curriculum for high school and college students. Read More

NH BIOMADE'S ASPIRING RESEARCHER AT DARTMOUTH COLLEGE

Lois Szulc applied to the NH BioMade Undergraduate Research Training program after completion of a two-year Mechanical Engineering Technology program at NHTI – Concord's Community College. In addition to learning manufacturing and testing processes such as metalworking, tensile testing, metallography and 3-D printing at NHTI, Szulc also utilized her scientific knowledge in her hobby as a chicken owner. At home she designed a brace for a chicken with a broken leg, created a prototype of a unique egg incubator, and built a watering design to keep her birds clean in winter. Read More

BIOINK DEVELOPMENT COMPETITION 

Dr. Won Hyuk Suh at UNH Manchester received funding for a NH BioMade education and workforce development seed grant to attract and train future advanced biomanufacturing and bioscience professionals through engagement with the UNH BioMakers Club and a Bioink Development Competition that the club hosted. The Summer 2023 UNH Biomakers Club Bioink Development Competition Workshop concluded on Friday, July 21, 2023. Read More

UNH MANCHESTER STUDENTS TOUR UNIVERSITY INSTRUMENTATION CENTER 

Four undergraduate research trainees in the NH BioMade summer internship program in Dr. Won Hyuk Suh’s lab made the trip from UNH Manchester to visit the University Instrumentation Center at the UNH Durham campus. The 2023 summer Suh Lab projects involve researching the use of bioprinted and crosslinked protein-based hydrogels to engineer human neural stem cells. Darrell Caudill, Trixie Vasquez, Trinity Minard and Monique Gingras learned to use the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) with guidance from graduate student Jacob Brown. Read More

NH CREATES

NH CREATES used NH BioMade education seed funds and an NIH (National Institutes of Health) grant to expand 2021 and 2022 summer youth and educator programs into regenerative medicine and biomanufacturing to support workforce development through education. NH CREATES will be sustained with additional $4 million funding as part of a larger $44 million grant awarded to the City of Manchester, NH, and the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute by the U.S. Economic Development Administration Build Back Better Regional Challenge. Read More.

NH CLIMBS UP

The NH Collaborative Learning through Industry Internships and Academic Mentorship in Biotech for Students Upscaling the Workforce (NH CLIMBS UP), funded by a NH BioMade seed grant, supported workforce development in biomanufacturing. The week-long course provided cell culture skills training through integrated interactions with industry representatives, career and education counselors, and mentors. NH CLIMBS UP cross-trained engineers to understand cell culture and needs of living cells and tissues, a skills gap identified by local industry. Read More

KEENE UNDERGRADUATES SHINE IN COLLABORATIVE BIOMATERIALS RESEARCH STUDY

With support from both the National Science Foundation’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) and the National Institutes of Health’s IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) programs, undergraduate students at Keene State College are gaining valuable research opportunities not typically available to students at this Primarily Undergraduate Institution (PUI). Read More

NEW BIOTECHNOLOGY COURSE SUPPORTS NEW HAMPSHIRE’S BIOMANUFACTURING ECOSYSTEM

A new high school course in introductory biotechnology was developed with support from a seed funding grant from NH BioMade, an NSF EPSCoR Track-1 project led by the University of New Hampshire. Such grants to K-12 teachers and community college faculty for course development are one component of the NH BioMade seed funding program. Read More

NH BIOMADE HELPS COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS TRANSFER TO FOUR-YEAR PROGRAMS

To improve the recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups in biomaterials and advanced manufacturing in New Hampshire, the NH BioMade Transfer Scholars program was created to support community college students interested in attaining a four-year degree in a NH BioMade-related discipline. Six students were supported in the 2019 – 2020 academic year. Read More