Colby-Sawyer College had a strong showing at this year’s NH-INBRE (IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence) annual meeting, with 10 students, two recent graduates, three professors and the academic vice president attending the two-day conference held Aug. 17-18 at the Mount Washington Resort in Breton Woods, New Hampshire.

Funded by the National Institutes of Health, NH-INBRE identifies and funds outstanding biomedical researchers among faculty members of the partner institutions — of which Colby-Sawyer is one — so they can lead research programs and involve students in top-level biomedical research. Four Colby-Sawyer faculty members have NH-INBRE-funded projects that were featured at the annual meeting. 

Assistant Professor Kell Grandjean da Costa’s research looks at how exercise affects cognition — specifically in regard to switching tasks — in the college-aged population and in older adults. The research incorporates the use of functional near infrared spectroscopy to identify the parts of the brain that are activated. Each of the students working with Grandjean da Costa presented a poster on different aspects of the research: Amanda Parrotto ’27, Bibechana Khanal ’28, Christopher Weeden ’26, as well as Annika Lackstrom and Molly Ellison, who are enrolled at other institutions but participated in research at Colby-Sawyer.

Grandjean da Costa presented one of two invited faculty presentations at the meeting, titled “Acute Effects of Moderate Exercise Intensity on Prefrontal Cortex Oxygenation and Cognitive Flexibility.” His talk highlighted the work done by his students.

Five students presented posters on two projects they worked on with Professors Jamie Jukosky and Chery Whipple: Ella Lique ’27, Mallory Blackwell ’29, Madison Weldon ’29, Harley Plasz ’29 and Annaliese Rowell ’28. Their research involved one study on ticks and tick-borne diseases in different habitats and one studying the way exposure to PFOS “forever chemicals” affects gene expression.  

Rowell, who was fishing her second summer with POWERED — Program for Oncology Workforce Education and Research Experience at Dartmouth — also presented a poster on her research at the Dartmouth lab.

Alumni Sophie Nadeau ’26 and Alicia Ashby ’24 also participated in the annual meeting. Nadeau, currently pursuing a Master of Science in healthcare research at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, gave one of six student presentations, titled “Climatic, Ecological and Geographical Predictors of Hospital-Diagnosed Lyme Disease in New Hampshire,” based on research she did under the direction of Associate Professor David Lutz. Ashby, now a science teacher at John Stark Regional High School in Weare, New Hampshire, participated in a panel advising current students on careers. 

The students and alumni were joined at the conference by Grandjean da Costa, Whipple, Lutz, Professor Emerit Ben Steele and Academic Vice President and Dean of Faculty Hilary Williams.