UNH Hamel Honors and Scholars College

Meet Carrie Hill ’25, a biology major and triple minor in biomedical science, genetics and psychology from South Orange, New Jersey! She loves UNH because of the research and internship opportunities! Check out her Q&A to learn more about her student experiences. 🔹 COLSA: Why did you choose UNH? 🔸 Carrie: I really liked how much UNH emphasized getting experience outside of the classroom for undergrads. Being at an R1 school has allowed me to get really cool research experiences and internships, which can't be said for a lot of other state schools. 🔹 COLSA: What is your major and what excites you about it? 🔸 Carrie: I’m a biology major, and I love that my degree allows me to explore all different topics in life sciences, but leaves plenty of room in my schedule for me to get minors so I can specialize in other subjects I'm interested in. As a bio major at UNH, I've done everything from working on the dairy farm to interning at Health & Wellness. 🔹 COLSA: What's the best academic experience you've had at UNH? 🔸 Carrie: I work in a phytoplankton lab with Dr. Elizabeth Harvey. I really enjoy working with a mix of undergraduate and graduate students who are all passionate about their research. Everyone is so welcoming and willing to talk to you about their work, so I've learned a lot just by chatting with people around the lab. Also, as a woman in STEM, it's nice to work with so many really smart and successful female scientists. 🔹 COLSA: What's the best experience you've had at UNH outside the classroom/lab? 🔸 Carrie: I studied abroad at the University of Edinburgh this spring, so I got to meet a bunch of new friends and travel around the UK and Europe. 🔹 COLSA: How is UNH preparing you to achieve your goals? 🔸 Carrie: At UNH, I know I can reach out for support if I need it, but I am still responsible for my own success. Being in an environment where my peers are hardworking, but supportive rather than competitive, has really helped me push myself out of my comfort zone and take on opportunities I otherwise wouldn't have (like farming or teaching cooking classes!) 🔹 COLSA: What should prospective students know about UNH? 🔸 Carrie: It is really admirable how much UNH students care about the campus community and improving student life. I believe that anyone can find a space where they belong here. https://unh.me/4cdyaIM

ATTN: Honors alums

Have you heard of New England contra dance? 💃 Emilie Carroll '27, a music liberal studies major, is spending her summer researching this New England tradition of social dancing stretching back to the early days of European settlement in North America. More specifically, she's studying "chestnuts," or dances that are matched with a specific tune. She's uncovering how these dances came into existence, where their melodies came from and what their relevance is to modern contra dance. Preserving this New England tradition is a major passion for Emilie. She explains, "Not many people my age are excited about contra dance. I think that social dancing in general is a great way to have fun, meet new people, and learn about folk traditions in our culture. I hope that my work will potentially get younger people excited about contra dance." Her studies also address a gap in the research of contra dance spanning from about 1997 to today, highlighting some ways in which the tradition has evolved from its beginnings in the 17th century. Over the course of her research, Emilie even attended a few fiddle camps (yes, she plays the fiddle!) to conduct ethnographic research on New England folk tradition. These experiences complement archival research she's carrying out at UNH's Library of Traditional Music and Dance housed at our very own Dimond Library. When asked what the highlight of the experience has been so far, Emilie recalls the support and encouragement on her very first day of research. Both her faculty mentor, senior lecturer Rose Pruiksma, and her fiddle instructor, Katie McNally, met her in the archives to kick off the research as a team, giving her the foundation she needed to take the reins on the project. Emilie is conducting this research with support from UNH's Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP), funded by the Hamel Center for Undergraduate Research. We're proud not only to offer our undergrads impactful learning experiences like this, but also of incredible students like Emilie that fully embrace the opportunity. UNH Library

We are looking for a part-time Community Assistant to support the Hamel Honors and Scholars College! https://lnkd.in/eqnVCmZ7

Meet mechanical engineering major Will Callery '25, who invited us behind the scenes of his summer internship at the iconic Mount Washington Cog Railway! 🚂 This historic train has been in operation for over 150 years, marking its first journey to the 6,288-foot summit of Mount Washington in 1869. Beyond the dramatic views of wind-swept peaks offered to the tens-of-thousands of visitors each year, the railway represents a monumental feat of engineering. It's the world's first mountain-climbing cog railway and the second-steepest rack railway in the world. For a mechanical engineering major, this is a dream internship. All parts used for the railway are made on-site, with interns like Will being guided through every part of the process by experienced engineers. It's an immersive, hands-on experience that lets interns learn by doing. And being greeted by a majestic view of the White Mountains upon arriving at work each morning doesn't hurt either. Thanks for showing us around and best of luck with the remainder of your internship, Will! Mount Washington Cog Railway

Meet Emeri Jacobs '25, a political science major from Hampton, NH spending her summer in Washington, D.C. as a legislative intern in the Office of US Senator Jeanne Shaheen! 🇺🇸 According to Emeri, although she knew she wanted to be a political science major, she swore she'd never work for the government. "It's kind of funny," she admits, adding, "I always wanted to do something more government-adjacent. Then in the 2022 midterm elections, I worked on a local campaign for state Senator Debra Altschiller. I just enjoyed it so much, and it got me interested." So when the opportunity arose to apply for a legislative internship this summer, she decided to go for it. And she's thrilled she did. On top of having a fantastic time, this internship is allowing her to grab the baton of her classroom studies and run. Through immersion in the day-to-day workings of the U.S. Senate, she's applying what she's learned while pursuing her degree. She's also gaining invaluable insight into future career options. Watching world leaders and decision-makers speak at the NATO Summit this July has been a highlight of her experience so far. Check out the photos above to see her in the thick of it all! 🌎 We're wishing you the best of luck on the remainder of your internship experience, Emeri!

Seniors in the sciences, take a look!

Behind the scenes from the Huddleston Ballroom, which will be a beautiful Honors student lounge and event space in just a month. The alcove behind the pillars will hold “huddle spaces” where students can plug in their laptops to wall-mounted screens for collaborative work. The rest of the Ballroom will be filled with tables, chairs, and cozy seating areas. We can’t wait to welcome the community into this space!

Our Wildcats continually inspire us with their drive to play an active role improving the world around them. Alexandra Papadakis ’21, who has been working to fight food insecurity since she was an undergrad at UNH, is no exception. Although she had long been interested in food, when she started at UNH, Papadakis thought that interest would take her in the direction of how it’s grown, harvested, marketed, consumed. So she majored in sustainable agriculture and food systems, adding the dual major ecogastronomy. Then she started thinking more about hunger. During the summer following her freshman year, Papadakis participated in the Hamel Center’s Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP), designed for first-year honors students. Her goal was to get a better handle on food systems through research. The following spring, Papadakis signed on with the UNH Sustainability Institute’s Changemaker Collaborative Semester in the City program to do an internship in Boston, working in the public policy department at the anti-hunger organization Project Bread. It was after those experiences that Papadakis changed her major to nutrition and dietetics and ecogastronomy, with a minor in sustainable agriculture. After graduating, she came back to campus as part of a panel in Professor Jesse Stabile Morrell’s professional perspectives on nutrition course. She shared with students the profound impact her internship had on her career path, saying it allowed her to “try a career on for size.” She also shared how her hands-on experience became a positive focal point in her job interviews after college. During her internship, she shared that working at Project Bread “reinforced my drive to want to make positive change toward making sure hunger isn’t a problem that persists in our communities long-term.” She’s still driven: After training with Simmons University in community nutrition and health promotion and a job as an inpatient dietitian at Mass General Hospital, she’s back at Project Bread as a coordinator on the healthcare partnerships team. Read more stories like this in the latest issue of UNH Magazine: https://unh.me/4cY2h7K UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture

This will be shared officially next week, but I'll start here with my own network: North Light AI is hiring university students for Fall 2024 for our inaugural Gen AI Innovation Lab group. Here's what we're looking for: - Undergrad or Grad university students in the U.S. (International Students: Check your visa/internship requirements and eligibility). Based in NH, but not limited to NH universities. - Strong interest in learning and experimenting with AI, particularly these 7 foundational tools: Perplexity, beehiiv, Pictory, Synthesia, HeyGen, Buzzy, and Dante AI. -Interest in working with real clients on real projects Feel free to share with your networks/students/universities. raymond pettit Dan Silverman Daniel Gannon Kimberly Clark