UNH Innovation Scholars talk about their experiences in the program.
As an Innovation Scholar, You'll be in the center of world-class facilities and research programs
Top organizations in the world turn to UNH when they seek research expertise or to test their products. Apple, Dell and other top technology companies that test their data and network product at the UNH InterOperability Laboratory. The John Olson Advanced Manufacturing Center, Space Science Center, Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering Labs, Geochemistry and Sustainability Labs, and the Jere A. Chase Ocean Engineering Laboratory are the center of high-impact research programs and industry partnerships. Innovation Scholars puts you in the center of UNH’s reputation on the global stage, and gives you the opportunity to make an impact on that stage.
What is the Innovation Scholars Program?
Innovation Scholars is a research driven introduction to the university for first-year students. Students will be part of a cohort of students under the direction of a faculty member that guides them through a year-long research experience culminating in a presentation of research results at the Undergraduate Research Conference or equivalent activity. Participants will develop skills that will open doors of opportunity at UNH and more broadly, and experience the interconnectedness of UNH scholarly activity with UNH Innovation and UNH Career and Professional Success.
Who can participate in the Innovation Scholars Program?
If you are an incoming CEPS student who is creative, inquisitive, and driven you should join the program. This program is hands-on, project-based, and complementary to your first-year curriculum: designed to set you up to develop skills that open doors of opportunity at UNH and beyond.
What will I be doing in the Innovation Scholars Program?
You will be part of an interdisciplinary cohort of students under the direction of a faculty mentor with research or innovation expertise. Your cohort will meet as a class on Friday afternoons, and your instructor will guide you through a year-long research or innovation experience culminating in a presentation of results at the Undergraduate Research Conference. Cross-cohort activities and plenaries will expose you to the interconnectedness of UNH scholarly activity with UNH Innovation and UNH Career and Professional Success.
How do I join the Innovation Scholars Program?
There will be an opportunity to sign up for the Innovation Scholars Program at June Orientation. When you sign up, you will be asked to make a brief statement about why you are interested in the program and to prioritize the cohorts you are interested in joining (descriptions below). The cohorts are interdisciplinary and no cohort is aligned to a specific major. Because seats are limited, interested students will be selected to participate based on a random lottery.
What are the research cohorts in the Innovation Scholars Program?
There are currently five research cohorts in the program, listed below.
Research Cohorts
The John Olson Advanced Manufacturing Center recognizes that modern manufacturing requires an interdisciplinary group of scientists and engineers. In this cohort, you will be exposed to state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques including Industrial Internet of Things, cyber security, data analytics, factory automation/robotics, and environmentally benign manufacturing. You will also learn discrete processes such as 3D printing, machining, forming, electronics fabrication, molecular self-assembly, and casting. You will then work on a team with other cohort members to innovate and fabricate a final product of your own design using multiple coordinated manufacturing processes, integrated electronics, Computer-Aided Design, Computer-Integrated manufacturing, and metrology.
The UNH InterOperability Lab (IOL) is one of industry's premier independent proving grounds for new technologies in the interconnected world. In this cohort, you will explore software and hardware design and development with a focus on the IOL’s core competency of network technologies. You will gain hands-on experience in modern development practices such as Agile, linux, computer network protocols and signals, python, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, hardware design, PCB layout, and 3d printing. Using these skills, you will be prepared to move from your own idea to deploying an Internet of Things system—demonstrating a strong foundation in research idea generation and entrepreneurship.
Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering is a research strength at UNH, with connections to biomedical industry leaders. In this cohort you will explore the preparation, characterization and application of biomaterials, including polymers, hydrogels, biofilms, and nanoparticles in a cross-disciplinary environment. You will learn field-specific materials processing technologies and characterization through hands-on activities using research-grade tools in the bioengineering labs and at the University Instrumentation Center. You will then leverage these skills to pursue a team research project that will explore biomaterial engineering and characterization.
The Jere A. Chase Ocean Engineering Laboratory features state-of-the-art instrumentation and testing facilities for underwater sensing and ocean engineering. In this cohort, you will learn methodologies that include optical, acoustical, and resistive techniques to probe a wide range of phenomena in water systems. You will learn how to design and build new measurement systems that can be deployed in both natural and laboratory systems including the open ocean, estuaries, rivers, wetlands, wave tanks, and open channel flumes. You will then work on a team alongside research mentors to collect new measurements relevant to these water systems.
The UNH Space Science Center has worked on more than 100 NASA missions over its 60-year history, building and launching scientific instruments into space. In this cohort, you will learn how space weather affects our daily lives by designing experiments and instrumentation and then observing and analyzing results. Class time will include field trips, labs, and mini-lectures led by nationally recognized space scientists. You will get a cross-disciplinary introduction to the entire scientific instrumentation life-cycle: design, fabrication, integration, and testing. Through the lifecycle, you will learn instrument communications via command and telemetry; instrument deployment and monitoring; and data curation via archiving, dissemination, and analysis. Then you will apply this knowledge to work on a research project with a group of peers alongside research mentors.
Sustainability is an important strength in all aspects of work at UNH, and critical to the future of society. In this cohort, you will dive into the concepts of sustainability in the context of energy and water systems through hands-on projects, lab work, and field visits to real-world technology systems on and around the UNH campus. Each week, we’ll kick things off with a quick take on current events in sustainability. Explore hydropower, energy storage, water supply systems, and sourcing of critical minerals to support modern tech. You’ll learn skills like circuit design, data collection, system analysis, and mineral ID—then apply them in your own research, which you and your team will plan and pursue through this program.
The John Olson Advanced Manufacturing Center immerses students in manufacturing technologies and provides them with hands-on experience, skills and knowledge for success in future manufacturing projects.
The Jere A. Chase Ocean Engineering Laboratory features large wave and engineering tanks that let students conduct research in ocean engineering, ocean mapping, ocean acoustics, marine robotics and hydrographic surveying. It recently underwent a $3 million expansion.
Courses
TECH 411 - Innovation Scholars I
Credits: 2
A cohort-based research experience for first year students. Students, acting as a cohort, will undertake research projects under the direction of faculty members in CEPS. The two-semester research project will be supplemented by a weekly cohort meeting/seminar program, which will be used to organize research activity and present topics relevant to professional development of scientists and engineers. Activities will conclude with a research presentation at the completion of the second semester.
TECH 412 - Innovation Scholars II
Credits: 2
A cohort-based research experience for first year students. Students, acting as a cohort, will undertake research projects under the direction of faculty members in CEPS. The two semester research project will be supplemented by a weekly cohort meeting/seminar program, which will be used to organize research activity and present topics relevant to professional development of scientists and engineers. Activities will conclude with a research presentation at the completion of the second semester.
*Students completing both semesters (TECH 411 and 412) will satisfy their Inquiry Discovery Program requirement
