Jessica Woolston Joins the Fray!
Scientist in the making and dog mother of two, Jessica Woolston joined ABNEL in the Fall semester of 2023. While living in Europe, Jess reached out to Dr. Abigail Koppes after reading her work. Showing both an interest in the gut-microbiome and the initiative to advance the field, she was readily welcomed aboard.
While still pending, Jess’ project is headed towards studying the relationship between bacteria and the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Our lab eagerly awaits to see what she will accomplish!

ABNEL Welcomes New PhD Students Kyla and Kirstie
ABNEL welcomes Kyla Nichols and Kirstie Belanger as new PhD students. Kyla comes from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (B.S. Biomedical Engineering) and Kirstie is joining on rotation from the University of Maine (B.S. Biomedical Engineering).
Dr. Abby Koppes, Dr. Ryan Koppes, and Dr. Guohao Dai win the AHA Innovative Project Award!
Dr. Koppes was the co-I on the winning $200,000 American Heart Association (AHA) Innovative Project Award entitled “Bioengineer an autonomic neurovascular system to explore the innervation of arterial grafts.”