Rivier biology major becomes first University student to present at NH-LIFT Annual Summit

Savannah Dunne ’28 presenting her research at the NH-LIFT Annual Summit.

Savannah Dunne ’28, a Biology major, became the first student from Rivier University to participate in the SURE (Summer Undergraduate Research Experience) internship program through New Hampshire Long-Term Investment to Fuel Transformative Research (NH-LIFT).

The paid research opportunity allowed Dunne to work alongside faculty mentors from Rivier’s Department of Science while gaining in-depth laboratory experience. She also became the first Rivier student to present research at the NH-LIFT Annual Summit, held August 12-13, in Manchester.

NH-LIFT is a four-year initiative supported by the National Science Foundation through its Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), bringing together colleges and universities across New Hampshire to expand research opportunities and collaboration.

“I decided to do the SURE internship because I thought it would be a great opportunity to use my experience to prepare me for a future career in scientific research, as well as work closely with my professors,” Dunne says.

Dr. Juhee Park, Assistant Professor of Biology at Rivier, attended the summit as the University’s institutional co-principal investigator (co-PI) for NH-LIFT and served as Dunne’s faculty mentor through the SURE internship program.

“Presenting at a professional conference is not a common experience for undergraduate students,” says Dr. Park. “Being the first student from Rivier to present at the NH-LIFT summit was not an easy thing to do, but Savannah did a great job sharing her research with attendees.”

Dunne presented her research project, Isolation of Mesic Biocrust Microbial Communities at Rivier University, Nashua, New Hampshire, which involved collecting soil samples on campus and conducting laboratory research in Rivier’s Science and Innovation Center. The project served as a pilot study for a larger initiative led by Dr. Park and Professor Shanna Demers, Assistant Professor of Biology at Rivier and a Ph.D. candidate at Antioch University New England.

The first recipient of NH-LIFT’s Catalyst Seed Grant, Dr. Park is leading a multi-institutional project with Demers to explore biological soil crusts, or biocrusts. Because most previous studies have focused on dry environments such as deserts, the team is investigating these microbial communities in wetter, temperate ecosystems throughout the Northeast, especially after disturbances like wildfires.

Left to right: Savannah Dunne ’28, Professor Shanna Demers, and Dr. Juhee Park at the NH-LIFT Annual Summit.

As part of the larger project, Dunne’s summer research helped refine laboratory methods and generate preliminary data that will inform future studies in the region. Working with soil samples collected on Rivier’s campus, Dunne investigated whether microbial communities within these biocrusts could be isolated and characterized using laboratory techniques, putting classroom knowledge into practice through active research.

“Through this research experience, I gained a much stronger understanding of molecular biology, microbiology, and the techniques we used in the lab,” says Dunne.

While Demers collected samples for her dissertation research at a 2018 wildfire site in upstate New York, Dr. Park and Dunne worked on campus, refining laboratory protocols and analyzing soil samples. By extracting DNA and identifying microbial communities in samples, they helped develop methods that will support the larger research project moving forward.

“This partnership essentially leveled up my dissertation research,” Demers says. “One of the coolest things from this whole experience was watching Savannah teach me how to do a protocol in the lab. All of a sudden, the student became the teacher.”

The summer culminated with Dunne presenting her findings at the NH-LIFT Annual Summit, where more than 125 students, faculty, administrators, and researchers from across the state gathered to share their work.

“It was an amazing experience representing Rivier at the summit,” Dunne says. “I initially wasn’t sure what to expect, but I quickly connected with other students and researchers and enjoyed sharing my research with everyone.”

Both faculty members said that research experiences provided by NH-LIFT’s SURE internship program help undergraduate students build confidence as they apply classroom knowledge to real-world scientific questions.

“When undergraduate students have the chance to do research, it takes what they learn in lectures and labs to another level,” Demers says. “They’re applying those concepts in the real world and working to answer questions that haven’t been answered before.”

Savannah Dunne ’28 doing lab work in Rivier’s Science and Innovation Center.

As Rivier continues its participation in NH-LIFT, Dr. Park hopes more students and faculty will take advantage of research opportunities through the SURE internship program and other initiatives.

“We are completing the first iteration of the NH-LIFT experience at Rivier,” Dr. Park says. “The next students and faculty mentors will have an even stronger foundation to build on.”

Beyond student presentations, the University was also represented by Paula Williams, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Nursing and Health Professions, who attended the first day of the summit as a member of the Partner Institution Advisory Board.

Dr. Park believes this level of involvement elevates Rivier’s reputation across New Hampshire’s higher education and research communities.

For Dunne, the experience also helped shape her future career goals.

“I’m interested in pursuing a career related to medical treatments or vaccines because I want to make a difference in people’s lives,” Dunne says. “This experience strengthened my interest in microbiology and the research that happens before new treatments and vaccines are developed.”

For students interested in participating in NH-LIFT’s SURE internship program, they are encouraged to contact Dr. Juhee Park for more information at jpark2@rivier.edu.