Bloom Boom
Last summer, a coffee-colored algal bloom — which, at its peak, spanned more than 100 miles from Massachusetts to the Gulf of Maine — captured the attention of scientists from across the region, who called it the highest concentration of brown microalgae they’ve ever seen in these waters at that time of year. Read more
Lobster Loss
Fishery regulators are worried about the recent lack of juvenile lobsters off the coast of New England, and they wonder if climate change-driven effects on our oceans, like higher water temperatures and ocean acidification, could be to blame. Assistant Professor Brittany Jellison is seeking to understand if these changes are impacting sea life. Read more
Course Spotlight: Introduction to Marine Biology
Each fall semester, the New Hampshire coast serves as a classroom for students enrolled in Introduction to Marine Biology as they learn about marine biological communities and the various environments they inhabit. Read more
UNH Researchers Study Tartary Buckwheat as Potential New Regional Crop
Iago Hale, associate professor of agriculture, nutrition, and food systems, and Noah Abasciano ’24G, master’s student in COLSA’s genetics program, are seeking to identify an ideal grain crop for the Northeast — an underutilized and lesser-known crop known as Tartary buckwheat. Read more
Biotech Skill Building: ÄKTA Chromatography Systems
Recently, COLSA acquired eight ÄKTA chromatography systems, considered by most biotech companies and academic research labs to be the gold standard for protein purification, which are used in the biochemistry teaching laboratory. Read more
Advancing Discovery with Two New Mass Spectrometers
Two new scientific instruments will let researchers measure the weight of molecules and advance our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease, addiction, soil microbes and contaminants like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, and more. Read more
COLSA Hosts Event for Manchester High School Students
COLSA hosted more than 60 students from three biology classes at Manchester West High School at a Day as a Scientist event last fall. Students chose from five different science experiment stations and spent the day creating and testing hypotheses, exploring scientific methods and analyzing results. Read more
Faculty Recognitions
Professors Serita Frey and Stuart Grandy were included in Clarivate’s 2023 Highly Cited Researchers list, while Assistant Professor Michelle Fournet was named a 2023 National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Kavli Frontiers of Science Fellow. Read more
Survival Sequence: The game-changing impact of the UNH Hubbard Center for Genome Studies
The UNH Hubbard Center for Genome Studies has become one of the leading genomics research centers in the U.S. The center leads research in genome sequencing and bioinformatics, provides training and education programs for students, researchers and healthcare professionals and works closely with industry partners to develop new genomics-based technologies and therapies. Read more
Stewardship Standouts: UNH Alumni Receive Prestigious Conservation Award
The Jones Family Farms and Winery was the 2023 recipient of the Sand County Foundation’s prestigious New England Leopold Conservation Award. Read more
Eye in the Sky
Russ Congalton and his team of researchers in the UNH Basic and Applied Spatial Analysis Lab are using UAS imagery in several projects, including studying the impacts of urban development on New Hampshire’s forests and forest ecosystems. Read more
Spotlight on COLSA Research in New Hampshire's North Country
New Hampshire’s North Country plays an important role in the state’s economy and culture. And it's also a place where COLSA researchers are investigating sustainable ways to manage the natural resources that support the prosperity of the region’s communities in the face of climatic uncertainties. Read more
Undergraduate Spotlight: Eleora McCay ’26
Eleora McCay ’26, a wildlife and conservation biology major, received a Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP) grant in 2023 from the Hamel Center for Undergraduate Research to support a project monitoring mammals across the Granite State. Read more
Deep Roots: Lorraine Stuart Merrill’s lifelong connection to UNH yields a bounty of rewards
Up a long, gently sloping dirt driveway lined by stately silver maples sits Stuart Farm, home of Lorraine Stuart Merrill ’73. Lorraine’s story is a narrative deeply interwoven with the land that she cherishes — and shaped in no small part by her time at the University of New Hampshire, just 8 miles up the road. Read more
One out of four Americans likely has Toxoplasmosis. What is it?
Most people haven’t heard of Toxoplasma gondii (“Toxo” for short), but nearly one out of four Americans likely carries this single-celled parasite, as do pets — especially cats — and domesticated agricultural animals. UNH Assistant Professor Vicki Jeffers has studied Toxo for more than a decade to unravel how it switches from dormant to active stages. Read more
CSA Project Puts Student-Grown Food on Community Tables
For years, students in COLSA’s Farm to You NH program have helped grow a variety of fruits and vegetables that are delivered year-round to UNH Dining, UNH Conferences and Catering and the UNH Dairy Bar. Thanks to a new initiative, in summer 2023 participants were also able to put food directly on tables outside the university. Read more
Reducing a Risk
New Hampshire prohibits the import of any oyster seed, no matter how tiny, from areas afflicted by a type of Vibrio bacteria. But does this policy effectively prevent illness, or does it mostly prevent farmers from sourcing varied oyster seed that could help the growing industry’s bottom line? Read more
THRIVE Spring 2024
Published in March 2024
THRIVE is published by the UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture. Our goal is to inspire and inform our alumni, friends, faculty, staff and partners by sharing college news and celebrating the achievements of our faculty, alumni and students as we work to continuously strengthen our commitment to teaching, research and public service.
