Category: Q&A

From the ground up

UNH students send a biology experiment to space

A student team from University of New Hampshire Manchester is one of five student teams selected by NASA to send a project to the International Space Station in 2022. The NoMADS project — Novel Methods of Antibiotic Discovery in Space — will examine the mutation of soil bacteria in space and its potential for developing new antibiotics. Sydney Rollins ’20, ’22G and Raymond Miller ’21 co-lead the team, advised by Biology faculty member Suzanne Cooke.

What are your roles on the team?

Raymond: I head the science side of the project, so I’m in charge of developing the science background knowledge and leading the lab technicians and the overall laboratory execution of the process.

Sydney: I head the outreach part of it. As part of NASA’s requirements [for the program], we need to do a lot of outreach with our community and [include] involvement from schools, from kindergarten through high school.

How did you get involved in NoMADS?

S: We were both taking a class called “Small Microbial World” with Dr. Sue Cooke … and the aim of that class is to discover novel antibiotics from soil bacteria. … We both loved the class and asked Dr. Cooke if we could do research with her, and she agreed. Then, she saw this [NASA] opportunity in a science newsletter and thought it would be good experience for us to write a project proposal. We ended up getting accepted.

What kind of data are you looking to get from this experiment?

R: We want to look at how bacteria mutate in space. …We’ll be sending a soil sample and using a device called an AI chip to collect bacteria. … We’re hoping that, based on the microgravity effects and electromagnetic radiation effects [in space], we’ll be able to collect bacteria that can’t normally be collected in a laboratory [on Earth].

What is the ultimate goal?

S: Space travel is really growing right now, especially with commercial and civilian experiences and opportunities for space travel. … Inevitably, people going to space are going to get infections, and we need to know if we can treat them and how to treat them, because our current antibiotics don’t work very well in space. …There has been some research coming out recently about bacteria mutating at a different rate in space than on Earth, so we want to see if we can produce antibiotics through those mutations. … We could possibly find new antibiotic compounds that affect bacteria on Earth as well.

What are you working on right now, specifically?

R: We’re still in the beginning stages. Our launch window is tentatively [scheduled for] the spring of 2022, so we have some time. Right now we’re concentrating on background knowledge, figuring out what biological components we’re actually going to send up to space, and going through troubleshooting to make sure that our project will succeed once it’s on the ISS and out of our hands.

S: We’re also in the beginning stages of outreach. We’re developing a curriculum for … presentations that we’ll be [bringing to] schools starting in September, and we’re reaching out to schools now.

What do you expect will be the biggest challenge?

R: Figuring out how to get these bacteria back from space and keep them safe while we work through them on Earth.

What are you doing for the community engagement element?

S: We’ll visit schools, K through 12, and do an interactive presentation where students will learn about bacteria, antibiotic resistance and our experiment in space. There will also be a … competition [for] middle schoolers; they’ll assemble in teams … and submit proposals to us to select the location for [collecting] the soil that will go into space. … We’ll pick the winner, and [those students] will get to come with us to collect the soil and … come to our lab to do microbiology experiments on the soil sample with us. … After our experiment is over, the curriculum we’re developing will still be available [to schools], and [students] will be able to use it to meet their common core science standards.

What are you most excited about?

S: Involving the students and seeing them get excited about STEM.

R: Learning how to lead a team while developing science, and then teaching that science to my team.

Follow NoMADS
Visit nomads-teamcooke.com or email [email protected]. The NoMADS team will be documenting its progress on social media (@unhm.spocs on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and @unhm_spocs on Twitter).

Featured photo: The UNH Manchester NoMADS team. Left to right: Irma Vrevic, Ben Beane, Sydney Rollins, Dr. Sue Cooke, Raymond Miller, Nela Klonowski, Dianne Moschitta and Thomas Gerton. Courtesy photo.

Steve Zyck

Steve Zyck of Mont Vernon is the owner and founder of Wood Stove Kitchen (woodstovekitchen.com, and on Facebook and Instagram @woodstovekitchen), a producer of all-natural drink mixes, including a mulling syrup and a hot toddy mix, as well as cocktail and mocktail mixers in a variety of flavors, like blueberry and lavender, strawberry and basil, and grapefruit and rosemary. Originally from Chicago, Zyck first came to New Hampshire as a student of Dartmouth College, later going on to hold multiple positions at humanitarian aid agencies and governments across Europe and the Middle East. He started Wood Stove Kitchen in 2017, making small-batch mixers for mulled wine, one of his favorite drinks, out of his own home. Today you can find his products at nearly every New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlet statewide as well as at a number of small country stores and a few national retailers.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

For me, it’s a mason jar, hands down. I use my mason jars for pickling, as cocktail shakers, as measuring cups, as a glass. … There’s no single thing that is more useful in the kitchen.

What would you have for your last meal?

Gummy peaches and a white wine spritzer. Honestly, I’m still a kid at heart. I basically still have the core tastes that I did when I was 15 years old.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Al Basha Mediterranean Grill in Manchester. It’s a small place and they do a lot of takeout, especially over the past year, but they have absolutely wonderful baba ganoush, falafel and shawarma.

What celebrity would you like to see trying one of your products?

Steve Carell. I’m a big fan of The Office and his movies.

What is your favorite product that you offer?

My personal favorite is my blueberry and lavender mixer. For me it’s just the perfect flavor combination of being fruity and tart. … I would say 99 percent of my products are used for drinks, but people always find other creative ways. I once had an email from a customer who said she uses the mulling syrup in her kids’ pancake batter. Then there was a time when my local general store here in Mont Vernon made holiday-spiced cupcakes with it.

What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?

A lot of barbecue and a lot of smoking, not only in terms of meats but in other things. … I know so many people who bought high-end smokers and grills during the pandemic. I think this is going to be a great season for butchers.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

My favorite thing to make is a beet salad, usually with boiled or steamed beets. Then beyond that, all of the other ingredients can change a little, based on what I have. Usually I’ll add cucumber, or sometimes sweet onion or shallots. … It’s an amazingly versatile salad that you can whip up with whatever you have around the house.

Blueberry and lavender gin fizz
Courtesy of Steve Zyck of Wood Stove Kitchen, woodstovekitchen.com

2 ounces Wood Stove Kitchen blueberry and lavender cocktail/mocktail mixer
2 ounces Barr Hill gin
4 to 6 ounces seltzer or club soda
Lemon wedge, fresh lavender or herbs to garnish (optional)

Mix the gin and blueberry and lavender mixer together, then top off with as much seltzer or club soda as you like. The honey, lemon and lavender in the mixer gives the drink a perfect balance between sweet, tart and floral and herbal.

Food & Drink

Farmers markets

• Cole Gardens Farmers Market is Saturdays, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Cole Gardens (430 Loudon Road, Concord), now through Oct. 30. Visit colegardens.com.

• Concord Farmers Market is Saturdays, from 8:30 a.m. to noon, on Capitol Street in Concord (near the Statehouse), now through Oct. 30. Visit concordfarmersmarket.com.

• Contoocook Farmers Market is Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to noon, at 896 Main Street in Contoocook (by the gazebo behind the train depot), now through October. Find them on Facebook @contoocookfarmersmarket.

• Exeter Farmers Market is Thursdays, from 2:15 to 5:30 p.m., at Swasey Park in Exeter, beginning May 6 and through Oct. 28. Visit seacoastgrowers.org.

• Francestown Community Market is Fridays, from 4 to 7 p.m., at the horse sheds near the Francestown Police Station (15 New Boston Road). Find them on Facebook @francestowncommunitymarket.

• Milford Farmers Market is Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 300 Elm Street in Milford (across the street from the New Hampshire Antique Co-op), beginning May 8 and through Oct. 9. Visit milfordnhfarmersmarket.com.

• Peterborough Farmers Market is Wednesdays, from 3 to 6 p.m., on the lawn of the Peterborough Community Center (25 Elm St.), now through October. Find them on Facebook @peterboroughnhfarmersmarket.

• Portsmouth Farmers Market is Saturdays, from 8 a.m. to noon, at Little Harbour Elementary School (50 Clough Drive, Portsmouth), now through Nov. 6. Visit seacoastgrowers.org.

• Salem Farmers Market is Sundays, from 10 a.m. to noon, inside the former Rockler Woodworking building (369 S. Broadway, Salem). Visit salemnhfarmersmarket.org.

• Wolfeboro Area Farmers Market is Thursdays, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., at Clark Park (233 S. Main St., Wolfeboro), beginning May 6 and through Oct. 28. Visit wolfeborofarmersmarket.com.

Featured photo: Steve Zyck

On The Job – JC Haze

JC Haze

Voice-over actor, JC Haze Voice Over

JC Haze is an independent voiceover actor and producer based in Manchester and a voiceover instructor at NH Tunes in Manchester.

Explain your job and what it entails.

On a day-to-day basis, I could be auditioning for clients [based] locally or around the country and around the world. … Seldom do [clients] hire you right away. You could be auditioning with a dozen or so other voice talents. … They send me a little script … and I sit here in my in-home studio and produce a demo and send it to them and hope they call me back and tell me I got the gig. … Once they’ve hired you for the gig, the client will tell you what they’re looking for, and you just need to deliver the goods. … If I’m recording at home, I’ll send them a bunch of takes. … If you’re recording in a professional recording studio, the client will be there with you, directing you.

How long have you had this job?

I launched JC Haze Voice Over about 14 years ago, in 2007 … but I had been doing a lot of voice recordings since I first got into the radio and broadcast business in 1979.

What led you to this career field?

I always wanted to do something with my voice. … Listening to radio commercials, I’d think, ‘I could do that. … I could use my voice to make clients happy, and to make myself happy, and to pay the mortgage.’ … When I was let go of a programming job in radio, I decided that it was time to be more of a business person for myself … so I created my own voiceover business.

What kind of … training did you need?

You don’t need a college education to be a voiceover actor. What you do need to have is thick skin. You have to be ready for a lot of people saying ‘no’ before you get the occasional ‘yes.’

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

Since I’m working in my own studio, I don’t have to worry about that, outside of the occasional Skype or Zoom call. I can wear whatever I want, whatever is comfortable.

How has your job changed over the last year?

During these days of Covid, a lot of work has been on the shoulders of the voiceover talent to do in their own studio. They record [at home] and email the to the agency or client so that no one has to go into a studio. Once Covid restrictions are lifted, we’ll probably go back to some [in-studio recording], but I think a lot of companies have realized, ‘Hey, we don’t need to have the voiceover talent drive 40 miles to come to our studio. They can do it in their own studio … and we can direct them over the phone or a Zoom call if we want to.’

What do you wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?

It’s really important to back up your audio files. I knew that, but you always think, ‘[A computer crash] isn’t going to happen to me.’ Then, you have a computer crash and you lose everything.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

We’re not making tons of money. It’s like any other industry, where there’s a top 5 percent making 70 percent of the money. You have to really want it … and you have to work really hard to make money doing it.

What was the first job you ever had?

I worked at Brooks Brothers clothing store, down in the shipping department.

What’s the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?

Don’t give up, and don’t stop believing in yourself; just keep plugging away.

Five favorites
Favorite book: The Art of Voice Acting by James R. Alburger
Favorite movie: Blazing Saddles
Favorite music: The Beatles and ELO
Favorite food: A good salmon and a good ravioli
Favorite thing about NH: Coming from New York, I like the slower and more relaxed pace here, and the friendly vibe.

Featured photo: JC Haze

Positive change

Plymouth State student recognized for civic service

Alyssa Griffin of Londonderry is a second-year student at Plymouth State University, where she’s studying meteorology. She was recently honored with Campus Compact for New Hampshire’s Presidents’ Leadership Award and a spot in the Newman Civic Fellowship for her service work on campus and in the community.

What is the Student Support Foundation, and what has your involvement been?

The Student Support Foundation … awards emergency financial grants to students in need, and we manage an on-campus food pantry, as well as some other satellite miniature pantries across campus. In the fall semester I was elected food pantry manager. … I noticed that the food pantry didn’t really have any type of inventory system or donation system … so I created an inventory tracking system on Google Sheets … which was highly successful. We continued that system this semester, and I’m hoping we can continue it going forward. … This semester, our previous president didn’t return, and in our first meeting I was elected SSF president. I was kind of sad in a way because I loved my food pantry manager position, but I was also happy for all these new opportunities and connections that I can make as president.

How does the pantry inventory system work, and why was it needed?

We didn’t really know what was moving in and out of the pantry or what the items that students really needed were. If people reached out to us about organizing a food drive and asked us, ‘What do you guys need?’ we would have to physically go into the space and look and figure that out. … [With the new system] we do inventory once a month, and every time we get donations, we log those, so we’re very easily able to [assess the need] every month. … For example, if we were getting a lot of donations of chicken noodle soup and the inventory of chicken noodle soup was continuously going down, [that indicated that] chicken noodle soup was a hot, popular item, so we’d ask for donations of chicken noodle soup. Similarly, on the opposite side, if we were getting a lot of donations of toothbrushes and the toothbrush inventory kept going up, we [knew we] didn’t have to ask for toothbrushes for our next drive.

What have you and SSF accomplished during your time as SSF president?

[We accomplished] opening a couple of those satellite miniature pantries across campus, as well as organizing a partnership with Hannaford in Plymouth, New Hampshire. [Hannaford] donated over 100 boxes of pasta, bags of rice and canned products to us, and they featured us as their charity for a couple months.

What does the Newman Civic Fellowship entail?

The purpose is to connect me with other students and like-minded individuals across the nation — I think there are over 200 other colleges and universities [involved with the program] — who are doing amazing things on their campuses, to kind of inspire us and give us a support system and network to continue our work. There are going to be workshops on leadership and entrepreneurship, connecting us with professionals in different disciplines who are working with social justice issues, environmental issues, food insecurity, all of that stuff. They hold a big conference for all of us in the spring in Boston … where we’ll get to meet all these people and do some workshops and just get inspired by other people’s energies and aspirations.

What about the fellowship are you looking forward to most?

I’m definitely very excited to branch out. Being a STEM major, I haven’t had the opportunity yet to take a lot of classes in the social sciences, so [with the fellowship] I’ll be able to get involved in that way and also meet students who are a little more knowledgeable about some of the social injustices and things that are happening in the world. I have a feeling it’s really going to open my eyes to the struggles that other students are facing across the campus and the unique ways that [my] peers are tackling these issues.

How would you like to continue serving the campus over the next two years?

We want to make sure that we’re reaching the students who need our help … [with] whatever issue they’re facing right now, whether it’s a financial hardship or not being able to have a meal for the evening, so my goal is to make sure that our services are widespread and very easily accessible. … [Plymouth State] serves a lot of first-generation college students and low-income students and minorities in that aspect, so I’d love to talk to students who are comfortable talking about those challenges to see what else SSF can do to better support them.

How would you like to serve the wider community after you graduate?

In whatever line of work I end up in, whether it’s research or being a forecaster or a consultant or something completely different, I hope that I can find ways to continue to connect with the public. … I am extremely interested in educating the public on climate change and the science [behind it] and … making sure people have the tools and the knowledge at their disposal … to understand and prepare for it.

Featured photo: Alyssa Griffin

Jamie Mandra

Jamie Mandra and her husband Randy are the owners of JRM Catering (509-9080, jrmcateringllc.com, and on Facebook @jrmcateringllc), also known as The Traveling Foodie, a mobile food cart based in Nashua. Their menu changes all the time but will often include comfort or Southern-inspired options — the Love in a Cup, for instance, is a layered barbecue meal featuring pulled pork, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, collard greens and cornbread all in one cup. Other featured items have been gourmet hot dogs and burgers, pulled pork sliders, macaroni and cheese and miniature doughnuts. The Traveling Foodie has several local public events booked for the month of May, including at the Hampstead Eats food truck festival on Saturday, May 1, from noon to 5 p.m., as well as Springlook Farm (112 Island Pond Road, Derry) on Saturday, May 15, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The cart is also available to hire for private functions.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

A really good quality chef’s knife. I could go without a lot of other things, but I have to have a good chef’s knife.

What would you have for your last meal?

A spicy tuna roll from Fuji Asian Bistro in Naples, Florida. We used to live down there. The sushi is so fresh and authentic. It’s out of this world!

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Bistro 603 [in Nashua]. The duck hash Benny with truffle fries is the way to go.

What celebrity would you like to see ordering something that you’ve made?

Julia Child. She is by far my biggest influence in the kitchen. I remember sitting in front of the TV as a child and it was like she was talking to me.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

The Love in a Cup. It’s by far the most popular … [and] it’s definitely a topic of conversation with people.

What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?

It’s hard with Covid, but I think people are looking for fun, over-the-top, picture-worthy food. People look for that experience of being wowed when they’re going out.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

Any type of soup. I love creating new flavors [and] using fresh local ingredients.

Tomato bisque with cheese tortellini
From the kitchen of Jamie Mandra

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup diced onions
Pinch of salt
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 32-ounce container chicken broth
1 28-ounce can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
½ teaspoon paprika
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese to taste|
Pinch of cayenne pepper to taste
Cheese tortellini
½ cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil leaves, divided
2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream, divided

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir onion with a pinch of salt until translucent (about 5 to 8 minutes). Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute). Pour chicken broth and tomatoes into onion mixture. Bring to a simmer and season with paprika, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Blend soup with an immersion blender in the pot until smooth. Whisk ½ cup of cream into soup and adjust levels of salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper and sugar. If the soup is too thick, add more broth; if it’s too thin, cook, stirring often, until reduced and slightly thickened (about 10 minutes). Add pre-cooked cheese tortellini. Ladle into warmed bowls, garnishing each bowl with a drizzle of cream and topping with about 1 teaspoon of chopped basil.

Featured photo: Jamie Mandra

On The Job – Felix Alvarado, Jr.

Felix Alvarado, Jr.

Founder/director, Straight “A” Academy

Felix Alvarado Jr., better known on the job as Mr. “A,” is a professional educator and director of Straight “A” Academy, a college preparation education service in southern New Hampshire.

Explain your job and what it entails.

January through April, my job is all about working directly with students, helping them improve their SAT and ACT prep scores. … Then there’s a period of time where I’m able to focus more on business and professional development, staying on top of the latest trends and what’s new with the testing and college admissions process. … Late summer through October is another big testing season, so I’m back to primarily working with students.

How long have you had this job?

I’ve been a professional educator for 35 years, but I started focusing on test prep and college admissions and launched Straight “A” Academy in 2008.

What led you to this career field and your current job?

I started out in pre-med. … After a couple of years at [college], I was doing a lot of soul-searching, and I took one of those skills tests, and it told me, ‘teacher.’ I looked at it and said, ‘That resonates. … That’s what I’ve known all along.’ … I transitioned out of pre-med into education. … I had been a classroom teacher for 20-some years when I decided to launch a tutoring center in Bedford. I … started specializing in SAT and ACT test preparation, because there was a strong demand. … I ended up getting enough business after that first year that I had to leave the classroom.

What kind of training did you need?

In terms of being a test prep or college admissions coach, there’s not a specific certification out there. The training that I found was most important to me as a test prep coach was … my professional training in education in college, but beyond that, just experience [teaching] … and learning how to … read my students to find the best way to help them understand.

What is your typical at-work attire?

Business-casual to casual. I try not to be too formal with my students because one of my objectives is to make them feel comfortable.

How has your job changed over the last year?

Believe it or not, all the Covid [changes] have been seamless for me. I’ve been using platforms like Zoom to work with students around the world … for many years. The biggest change for me is that I had to totally close down my physical office in Merrimack last year, and now all my work is done in cyberspace. … I’m waiting to find the right time and place to reopen a physical office, but honestly, I don’t know that I really need to, because … I’m as effective in my Zoom room as I am in my office.

What do you wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?

I wish I had known about all of the opportunities in education other than just [being a] classroom teacher. … I would have specialized [in college prep coaching] sooner.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

I think some people have this feeling that tutors are [educators who] weren’t good enough to be a classroom teacher, and that’s obviously not fair or true. I wish people knew that tutoring is, in many ways, much more challenging. You have to be very skilled to do it well … and you feel more pressure to help your student succeed when it’s just you [one-on-one with] your student.

What was the first job you ever had?

The summer after seventh grade, I worked in a restaurant, busing tables, cleaning bathrooms and sometimes helping in the kitchen.

What’s the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?

Specialize in one thing, and be the best you can be at that one thing

Five favorites
Favorite book: The Bible and A Tale of Two Cities.
Favorite movie: The Man Who Knew Too Little.
Favorite music: Handel’s Water Music and, being Latino, I have to give a nod to salsa, merengue and bachata.
Favorite food: Mexican food.
Favorite thing about NH: The proximity to a wide array of activities.

Featured photo: Felix Alvarado, Jr.

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