NASHUA – The awarding recently of research grants to three Rivier University biology professors have the professors, and their student researchers, looking forward to embarking on summer projects that may not have happened without the grants.

The grants will “foster faculty-student research in the sciences” by “supporting several paid positions for Rivier student researchers,” according to a statement provided by the university.

They also pave the way for students to participate in “authentic scientific research” through the faculty-student projects, all of which are scheduled to get underway this summer.

The New Hampshire IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence grants were received through an Institutional Development Award (IDeA), from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, according to the statement.

The professors awarded the grants and a description of their projects follow.

Dr. Michelle Beck

Project: Examine element concentrations in song sparrows across urban and rural habitats to determine if element concentrations have effects on stress and immune responses. Using songbirds as a model will allow Dr. Beck to determine if the elevated element levels could negatively impact human health as well.

Dr. Tatiana Jones

Project: Explore how extracellular ribonucleic acid (RNA) can influence the activities of macrophages, white blood cells responsible for primary immune defenses. Student-researchers will learn how these cells are involved in responses of our immune system to different pathogens, including viruses.

Dr. William Schmidt

Project: Investigate the targeted modification of muscle proteins in hopes of identifying potential biological mechanisms that can be modulated to alleviate or prevent disease. The project will determine if modification of a key muscle protein influences specific molecular interactions that determine muscle function, thus identifying the protein as a potential target for consideration in future drug discovery and design studies.

According to Jones, “the primary goal of our research is to provide undergraduate biology students the opportunity to conduct clinically relevant biomedical research working alongside full-time faculty members.

“Being actively involved in these research projects,” Jones added, “will allow students to develop experimental and analytical skills to advance their academic progress and to expand their career opportunities.”

Dr. Brian Ernsting, Rivier’s vice president for academic affairs, said the faculty’s three grant awards “reflect our faculty’s dedication to academic excellence and the university’s commitment to innovation in the sciences.”

Rivier’s new 36,000 square foot Science and Innovation Center, which just opened last fall, “was designed to advance faculty-student research … the vision that built the center is realized in these projects,” Ernsting said.

According to the university, the awarding of the grants “also establishes a multi-disciplinary research collaboration for Rivier University with the New Hampshire IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (NH-INBRE) lead institution, Dartmouth College’s Geisel School of Medicine, along with the University of New Hampshire and several other institutions.

“NH-INBRE research projects also provide student researchers with opportunities to present their work at conferences, interact and network with fellow scientists, and co-author scientific papers for possible publication,” according to the statement.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.