Stuff-New Hampshire

F a l l 2 0 1 9 • S T U F F 2 5 STUFFMadeInN H .com "It's been a lot of fun. [Panah] is a good influence. He always questions me when he wants me to be the most successful - and then it looks like we're going back to the drawing board!" she said. Her internship is supported by the National Science Foundation under the INCLUDES initiative (Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science), aimed at broadening participation in STEM fields. The project comes through the NH Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP), which sets up work-based learning internships for students transitioning from Community Colleges into UNH. She has been working with NH BioMade, a $20-million, five-year National Science Foundation-funded biomaterials manufacturing research grant, whose goal is to accelerate the biomedical industry in New Hampshire. "I'm not trying to plan too far ahead, just taking it one day at a time," she said of her career path. Kennish's caution is well-founded: she already has culinary and management degrees from Lakes Region Community College as well as experience in the service industry. She said the pace of research is better for her than a bustling restaurant. "At the Olson Center, you come in with a list of problems that you want to solve, but something always comes up and forces you to slow down as you find new problems to solve," said Kennish. Diversifying skills Luciana Custer is a biotechnology and bioengineering student who wanted to try something different for her internship experience. "I've mostly been involved in biomedical projects, but this summer I accepted an internship at Mentis Sciences through the AMP program," said Custer. Like Kennish, she's also transferring from GBCC to UNH this fall. She said this internship isn't typical for someone in her field. "I believe in diversifying my skill set as much as possible," saod Custer. "My main goal is to take advantage of these opportunities so I can apply an interdisciplinary approach to my ultimate desire, researching mental illness." At Mentis she performed technician-level work like machining composites on CNC or manual mills, and helped support the shop with projects like making angle gauges. Custer connected well with Jon Diaz, a former Community College intern who's now a senior engineer. "He was eager to teach and show me how to use any machine we had," said Custer. "Jon Dignam, the CEO, had a good point he made to the interns: We can't see a path from ourselves to CEO, but Jon Diaz is young enough that we can see how he got where he is and take inspiration." Also like Kennish, Custer's career goals are fluid. "I'd love to do research into the biochemical/ neuropsychological root of mental illness," Custer said. "I've considered applying for MD-PhD programs to become a physician-scientist, but I've been offered a lot more support to go into engineering." Marguerite Kennish, 24 POSITION: "The Intern" COMPANY: UNH John Olson Advanced Manufacturing Center, Durham HOMETOWN: Brentwood SALARY: $15/hr RPG: She loves to play role-playing games, and her current favorite is called "Monster of the Week." Luciana Custer, 21 (on Left) POSITION: Intern COMPANY: Mentis Sciences, Manchester HOMETOWN: Jacksonville, NC SALARY: $15/hr ($7.50/hr from Mentis, $7.50/hr from NH Advanced Manufacturing Partnership) RENAISSANCE WOMAN: "I'm an artist, amateur programmer, website designer, wanna- be polyglot, blacksmith, crocheter, and more. I've always jumped between hobbies and fields with enthusiasm."

• Cover