UNH Today

DURHAM, N.H.— The shea tree is a vital social and economic crop that is best known for the popular product shea butter—a multimillion-dollar ingredient used in cosmetics, personal care products, pharmaceuticals and chocolate. For hundreds of thousands of African families living in the “shea belt” it is also a crucial source of nutrition and income. Despite its increasing demand, the slow-growing shea tree is being threatened by other cash crops and its preservation most likely lies in its genetic improvement.

DURHAM, N.H.— After a summer of high heat, steady sea level rise and devastating hurricanes like Hurricane Ida, which produced record amounts of rainfall causing destructive and deadly flooding in the Northeast and the Gulf Coast, coastal roads have continued to take a severe beating resulting in endless wear and tear.

DURHAM, N.H.—The University of New Hampshire’s franchising sector-focused RIFC 50 Index™ gained another 3.3% in market value in the second quarter of 2021, signaling a strengthening of the franchise sector amidst a strong recovery of the U.S. economy. The faster rate of vaccinations against COVID-19 and increased hiring and business re-openings boosted the economy, with GDP growing a strong 6.6%.

DURHAM, N.H.— The U.S. Department of Education awarded the University of New Hampshire’s Educational Talent Search (ETS) a five-year grant totaling more than $3.2 million to provide support to more than 1,160 low-income and first-generation students in Granite State middle and high schools.

DURHAM, N.H.— A new funding award for the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability (IOD) aims to improve mental health outcomes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who can have limited cognitive functioning and skills, such as communication, social and self-care skills. The $4.86 million award, from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), will fund a study to evaluate telehealth as a method of delivering preventive mental health treatments.

DURHAM, N.H.—Weekend backpack food programs result in improvements to end-of-grade reading and math scores for economically disadvantaged primary school students, according to new research released by the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire.

The research found impacts on reading and math scores were strongest for the youngest and lowest performing students.

DURHAM, N.H.—The University of New Hampshire will induct five alumni into its Alumni Entrepreneur Hall of Fame in a joint ceremony with the Class of 2020 Friday, Oct. 1, 2021, during Homecoming Weekend. “Each selection process becomes more competitive as we continue the tradition of the hall of fame,” said Ian Grant, executive director of UNH’s Entrepreneurship Center (ECenter) and chair of the selection committee. “It is exciting to see the range of companies and experiences UNH alumni have in their entrepreneurial journeys.

DURHAM, N.H.—Researchers at the University of New Hampshire will start genomic testing of positive cases of the COVID-19 virus to help monitor for any variants of concern that may be found in New Hampshire. UNH received a grant of $757,000 from the National Institutes of Health to perform the testing in UNH’s state-of-the-art lab, specifically designed to handle COVID-19 testing, and the Hubbard Center for Genome Studies.

DURHAM, N.H.— The colorful island garden of beloved writer Celia Thaxter will be blooming at Prescott Park in Portsmouth again this summer giving aficionados another rare chance to take in the sights and sounds of this cherished historic garden.

DURHAM, N.H.—Half of Granite Staters report buying food from local farms at least a few times a month but only 15% do so weekly, according to new research released by the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire.