UNH Today

UNH’s incoming cohort of Hamel Scholars rubbed elbows with the governor and got to interact with a robotic arm and shoulder during a visit to Concord and Manchester on Aug. 22 as part of a five-day, early-arrival retreat.

The retreat took the newest members of the Hamel Scholars program – UNH’s most prestigious scholarship award, offered to exceptional students from New Hampshire who have demonstrated academic excellence, leadership and community service – to several areas of the Granite State throughout the week, beginning with visits to the State House and DEKA and including a trip to Portsmouth and an overnight stay on Appledore Island.

It was an expansion and reimagining of a Class of 2026 retreat held last year for incoming Hamel Scholars that was fully on-campus.

“The retreat fostered such a great sense of community before the start of classes,” says Yazan Alhamdan ’27. “Most people are usually on their own on the first day of classes, but the retreat introduced me to other students who share my interests and passions.”

The trip to Concord and Manchester was the first of the retreat’s off-campus excursions. The day started with a tour of the State House and visits with the governor and state senators James Gray (R-Rochester) and Rebecca Whitley (D-Hopkinton) before the group headed to Manchester to visit DEKA Research and Development Corp., where they learned about some of the advanced medical innovations created on-site.

Following the tour of the State House led by Virginia Drew, director of the State House visitor center, Gov. Chris Sununu spent some extended time with the students, fielding a handful of their questions and discussing a range of topics that included the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the bipartisan cooperation required to pass the state budget, student and adult mental health and New Hampshire’s initiatives to combat the opioid crisis.

The students also had a chance to spend time in both the house and senate chambers – the oldest continually used legislative chambers in the United States – during the tour, and senators Gray and Whitley similarly welcomed questions, giving the students an up-close look at some of the people who represent them and their families.

Katie Martel ’26, a resident of Whitley’s district, was grateful for the opportunity to engage with several members of state leadership.

“I was inspired by Senator Whitley's background, specifically about how she saw problems within our district and decided to take action by stepping up herself. And I enjoyed meeting with the governor and learning about what he has worked on and what he plans to do,” Martel says. “Both the governor and Sen. Whitley showed that most movements start with someone recognizing an issue and being brave enough to make some waves.”

Alhamdan, a political science student, was equally enthused to have the opportunity to learn a little bit about the inner workings of New Hampshire’s governmental system.

“I most enjoyed meeting the state senators, who were very humble and personable,” he says. “I loved hearing about their everyday work and their long-term goals for our state.”

From the State House the students headed to Manchester to visit DEKA, where they saw several devices the company has designed to assist people with specific medical needs, including the LUKE Arm, the only commercially-available prosthesis with a powered shoulder, and the iBOT, a personal mobility device that can traverse difficult terrain, ascend and descend stairs and allow users to rise up on two wheels in order to see others at eye level.

The devices are manufactured at Mobius Bionics and Mobius Mobility, respectively, both DEKA companies.

The Hamel Scholars witnessed a demonstration of the LUKE Arm, which can be manipulated by wireless controls worn on a user’s shoes and allows for a variety of grip strengths and dynamic arm movements, before taking part in a demonstration of the iBOT. Aimee Bousquet ’27 volunteered to practice operating the iBOT, driving on and off a curb and taking it up a flight of stairs in the office’s testing environment. Both demonstrations were led by Jennifer Nutter, product manager at Mobius Mobility.

Seeing life-altering medical technology in action left something of an impression on the students, particularly those with an interest in the field in which DEKA is making such an impact.

“While we were watching the LUKE Arm demonstration, one of the students next to me exclaimed that this was exactly the kind of work she hoped to be doing once graduated with her bioengineering degree,” Martel says.

“As a biomedical science student, the trip to DEKA was fascinating,” says Sophie Kingston ’27. “Being able to see the newest innovations in the medical field, and more specifically the bioengineering field, was very inspirational.”

In the days that followed the Concord and Manchester trip, the Hamel Scholars had a chance to experience some cultural education by walking the Black Heritage Trail in Portsmouth and viewing the People of the Dawn Land exhibit at Strawbery Banke, an interactive exhibit exploring Abenaki culture, arts, foodways and storytelling traditions.

The retreat as a whole served as a great introduction to both UNH and the Hamel Scholars program, introducing the students to a variety of topics and cultures and easing the transition into a new environment.

“Coming into a school this size can be very overwhelming. The retreat allowed us to get settled into campus early, as well as introduce us to many fellow freshmen with similar interests, and in the same situation” Kingston says. “I was able to make 30 new friends almost instantly, and we continued to bond throughout the week. I can’t wait to spend the next four years getting to collaborate and become closer with them.”