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| Michael Fullerton, a 2012 graduate of Great Bay Community
College explains to fellow students last Fall his iSURF summer research project
made possible in part by NH INBRE (courtesy photo)
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PORTSMOUTH & CLAREMONT –
Biomanufacturing processes, phytoplankton populations in
coastal waterways, bioinformatics and molecular genetics were the collective
focus of research presented by selected community college students at a
conference held July 30-31, sponsored by the New Hampshire IDeA Network of
Biological Research Excellence (NH INBRE). For the past year, community college
students have been conducting research alongside community college faculty, as
well as students and faculty from other institutions as part of a program
designed to enhance the science training of New Hampshire’s future workforce.
NH INBRE is a National Institutes of Health sponsored program that directs
biomedical research funding to New Hampshire, with the goal of building
institutional capacity for colleges and universities within the state to pursue
externally funded research.
The student presentations are part of NH INBRE’s annual
meeting, which took place on July 30-31 at the Mountain View Grand Hotel.
Community college students are among those presenting the results of their
work. Other participating institutions include Colby Sawyer College, Franklin
Pierce University, Keene State College, New England College, Plymouth State
University and Saint Anselm College. Dartmouth College and the University of
New Hampshire are the lead institutions for NH INBRE. Collaboration between
participating institutions is facilitated by the Dartmouth Leadership Team, and
by the NH-INBRE Steering Committee, which includes members from all
participating institutions. Dr. Leslie Barber, professor of biology and chair
of the Department of Life Science and Chemistry at Great Bay, and Andrea
Gordon, vice president of Academic Affairs at River Valley are the community
college representatives on the Steering Committee.
“NH INBRE has allowed us to provide a talented group of
students with the opportunity to participate in scientific research experiences
directly related to their areas of study” said Barber. “Conducting these
projects, and presenting their work to students and faculty from other NH-INBRE
institutions, provide a window into the world of professional science that can
be extremely helpful, as these students work on developing their own
educational and professional paths. The Community Colleges are full partners in
this program, and we are thrilled to be able to offer our students the
opportunity to participate in the annual meeting and present the results of
their hard work from the past year.”
At Great Bay Community College, NH INBRE funding resources
were dedicated to providing research opportunities while at River Valley
Community College students work was focused on the development of new and
cutting-edge curriculum. The work to be presented at the conference includes:
- Information on the development of a course in molecular
genetics for students at River Valley Community College, facilitated by
postdoctoral fellows from Dartmouth. RVCC students Emily Bernard and Brittani
Owen, both from Claremont with an interest in consumer safety, will present the
results of their project where they investigated the best washing methods to
decrease bacteria count on vegetables. Martha Tarbell from Chester, Vermont
will present her research project on the examination of live bacterial cultures
in various commercial probiotic yogurts. Both investigations took place in the
course Nutrition: the Science of Sustenance that they took at RVCC in the
spring of 2012. Each investigation was guided by RVCC faculty member, Jo Ann
Clifford along with two Dartmouth adjunct faculty, Laura Barre and Bonnie
Akerman who were funded by the NH –INBRE grant.
- Protein biomanufacturing research conducted by Great Bay
biotechnology students Dale Zajac of Dover, Jackie Lemaire of Rochester and
David Ireland of Salem, NH, all working with Professor Deb Audino, Professor of
Biotechnology at Great Bay and Professor Karl Griswold from Dartmouth’s Thayer
School of Engineering.
- Research on phytoplankton populations including an
analysis of coastal water samples to look for evidence of the species of
phytoplankton responsible for producing red tide events was conducted by Great
Bay biotechnology students Vallarie Hartford of Rochester, Tim Mayville of
Dover and Melanie Faria of Portsmouth and Chris Blackington of Portsmouth, a
student in the Liberal Arts Biology University Transfer program, working with
both Candace Dolan, Coordinator of the Coastal Monitoring Program, and Dr. Kim
Williams, Professor of Biology at Great Bay.
- The results of research done by Great Bay Community
College biotechnology student Chrissy Taylor of Newburyport, MA highlighting
her efforts to institute a HPLC-based monitoring of the photoplankton
population dynamics within coastal waters, Great Bay and the rivers feeding
into the bay, working under the guidance of Linda Coe, Adjunct Professor of
Biology at Great Bay.
- The extension of the Bioinformatics research conducted by
Mike Fullerton of Newmarket, a 2012 graduate of Great Bay’s Biotechnology
program, that he began last year as a participant in the Dartmouth Summer
Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program. In Fullerton’s case, the
NH-INBRE grant has enabled him to continue his research and pursue his goal of
bringing the project to publication. “Mike’s work is a good example of the value
of NH-INBRE as a network,” said Barber, “Mike has graduated from Great Bay
Community College, but through continued INBRE support we are able to mentor
him as he plans his own next steps, including assistance with continued
research opportunities and transfer to a participating four-year institution.”
“NH-INBRE had given me an opportunity to study at Dartmouth, one of the world’s
leading research institutions, along with students from across the country. It
was a great experience and I enjoyed the collaborations with other faculty and
students doing bioinformatics-based research,” said Fullerton.
“Participating in research brings students a greater
understanding for science; how it is done, why it is done,” said Jo-Ann
Clifford, a participating instructor from River Valley Community College. “The
experience showed students what a future in science-based careers can be like,
and helped them hone key critical thinking skills and provided an understanding
of how science impacts the world around us.”
In addition to student presentations, the conference
featured an address on the state of the NH-INBRE program as well as a keynote
presentation from Tillman Gerngross, Ph.D. on the New Hampshire Biomedical
Industry. Breakout sessions included a workshop for students on life after
graduation, facilitated by Great Bay’s Dr. Leslie Barber.
In May, the Community College System of NH made a joint
commitment along with the University System of NH to double the number of
students graduating from science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)
programs in order to fill the “skills gap” in the state and prepare more NH
student for STEM-based careers. The NH INBRE program aligns with the systems’
commitment and leverages relationships with other educational partners like Dartmouth
College and the participating NH INBRE institutions.
For more information on Great Bay Community College, visit
www.greatbay.edu.
