Central to the mission of NH CREATES is establishing a learning ecosystem to facilitate cross-sector collaboration among middle and high schools, New Hampshire colleges and universities and industry partners. Members of this ecosystem will work together to develop and strengthen connections within the fields of regenerative medicine and biotechnology and facilitate entry for students interested in forging a career in these emerging industries. The initiative places a high priority on improving STEM literacy and developing new talent among students from the region’s most culturally and economically diverse communities.
Higher Education Partners
BioFabUSA / Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute
The BioFabUSA program is a public-private partnership between the Department of Defense and the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI), a member-driven non-profit organization whose mission is to make practical the scalable, consistent, cost-effective manufacturing of engineered tissues and tissue-related technologies, to benefit existing industries and grow new ones. The organization is comprised of more than 150 companies and joins an existing cadre of biotechnology companies in New Hampshire, including Medtronics, Lonza, Resonetics, DEKA and ThermoFisher Scientific, in forming a nucleus to attract additional companies from around the country and beyond.
Higher Education Partners
Partner School Districts
NH CREATES will engage with teachers, students, administrators and parents from partner school districts in Manchester, Nashua, Portsmouth, Dover, Barrington and Lawrence, Massachusetts, to improve overall STEM literacy with a focus on the areas of regenerative medicine and biotechnology. On-going support, educational opportunities and access to content experts will be provided as schools implement new curriculum focused on these subject areas and associated careers.
We are conducting a research study to understand how well NH CREATES works to improve STEM teaching and get students interested in STEM topics through project-based learning (UNH IRB-FY2021-70). Some of our partner school districts are cooperating with us to administer a brief (~5-10 minute) student survey focused on STEM activities and interest. Parents/guardians are notified a minimum of ten days prior to survey administration and have the opportunity to opt their children out if they choose. Study materials may be viewed below:
Higher Education Partners
New Hampshire IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (NH-INBRE)
NH-INBRE is a program funded by the National Institutes of Health to develop a coordinated network of biomedical research and research training in New Hampshire. The program is part of the larger NIH IDeA program. The primary activity of NH-INBRE is identifying and funding outstanding biomedical researchers among faculty members of the partner institutions so they can lead research programs that contribute to biomedical research and expose their students to top level biomedical research. NH-INBRE also supports facility renovation, sponsoring employment in research labs for undergraduates and supporting a bioinformatics shared resource for bioinformatics utilization and training.
NH BioMade is a program funded by the National Science Foundation to advance New Hampshire's growing biomaterials industry through educational, research and workforce development projects. One aspect of this program, the NH BioMade Education Seed Grant Opportunity, is used to support the development of curriculum or training for educators in order to better prepare students to enter a career or academic pathway in biomaterials or advanced biomanufacturing. An award from NH BioMade has been used to support both the Tech for Teacher's Institute and summer youth programs focused on regenerative medicine and biomanufacturing.