Research and Scholarship Day at Husson University

Plenary speech to focus on tissue regeneration

BANGOR, MAINE – April 19, 2023 – Husson University has 50 undergraduate and 19 graduate programs. Many of these programs require students to develop scholarship skills including an extensive knowledge of scientific theories and methods.

In tribute to the scientific exploration that takes place at the University each year, Husson University will be celebrating students’ and faculty members’ research as part of its annual Research and Scholarship Day on Thursday, April 20, 2023 from 8:30 a.m. – 2:15 p.m. in the Gracie Theatre and the adjacent Darling Atrium. During the event, undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty members from all of the university’s colleges and schools will share the results of their many capstone research projects, graduate theses and other activities devoted to understanding our world. For the first time this year, the event will include projects produced by students from the New England School of Communications (NESCom).

“The work conducted here at Husson by our students and faculty members have important implications for both members of the academic community and consumers,” said Dr. Lynne Coy-Ogan, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at Husson University. “Anyone who attends this event will be impressed by the quantity and quality of research that takes place here at Husson. It spans all sorts of disciplines including healthcare, communications, the social sciences, biology, and pharmacology, to name a few. This event is an opportunity for our community to recognize and celebrate our scholars’ efforts to better understand our world.”

Students are required to demonstrate the independent critical thinking skills they’ve developed here at Husson University at this event. Each student stands by a visual summary of their research findings and helps explain them to curious event attendees. These interactions give students the opportunity to enhance their oral and written communication skills.

Research and Scholarship Day kicks off at 8:30 a.m. in the Darling Atrium at the Beardsley Meeting House (also known as the lobby of the Gracie Theatre) with a display of posters that summarize many of the scholarly activities undertaken during the past year. From 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., research authors will be standing by their posters and answering questions about their findings.

This year’s plenary session begins at 1 p.m. in the Gracie Theatre. At the opening of the session, Sam Caito, PhD, an assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences in Husson’s College of Health and Pharmacy will be recognized as this year’s Distinguished Faculty Research Award recipient. Each year, this award is presented to a faculty member who has engaged in scholarly work that’s been recognized or reviewed by his, her or their peers.

Immediately following the award presentation will be a plenary speech by Iain Drummond, PhD, a professor and director of the Kathryn W. Davis Center for Regenerative Biology and Aging at the MDI Biological Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine. His hour-long presentation will focus on his research into zebrafish organ regeneration.

More about this year’s plenary speaker:

Dr. Iain Drummond studies kidney development, genetic disease and regeneration using zebrafish. His lab works to understand whether or not it is possible to stimulate our own natural repair and regenerative mechanisms. He also conducts research that seeks to find new ways to engineer and promote new tissue formation to replace damaged cells.

He received his PhD from the University of California Berkeley in cell signaling and genetic responses to stress. Dr. Drummond’s postdoctoral work with Rex Chisholm at the Northwestern University Medical School and Vikas Sukhatme at University of Chicago led to his interest in studying kidney organogenesis. Organogenesis is the development and production of an animal’s or plant’s organs. From 1993 to 2018 he was a faculty member in the Department of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. In 2019, Dr. Drummond joined the MDI Biological Laboratory as a professor and the scientific director of the Kathryn W. Davis Center for Regenerative Biology and Aging.

His lab studies zebrafish in order to model human disease. As part of his research Dr. Drummond examines how zebrafish kidneys develop, genetic mutations, and the fishes’ developmental and regenerative abilities.

For nearly 125 years, Husson University has shown its adaptability and strength in delivering educational programs that prepare future leaders to handle the challenges of tomorrow through innovative undergraduate and graduate degrees. With a commitment to delivering affordable classroom, online and experiential learning opportunities, Husson University has come to represent a superior value in higher education. The hallmarks of a Husson education include advanced knowledge delivered through quality educational programs in business; health and education; pharmacy studies; science and humanities; as well as communication. According to an analysis of tuition and fees by U.S. News & World Report, Husson University is one of the most affordable private colleges in New England. For more information about educational opportunities that can lead to personal and professional success, visit Husson.edu.