Hands on, looking ahead
“It was the first time I was introduced to medical imaging as a discipline, and we learned how to convert CTs and MRIs into physical models,” he says. “That was the initial spark.”
Siddiqui now attends the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, where he continues to study radiology, regenerative medicine and other cutting-edge disciplines. And it’s all because of his experiences in the Millyard Scholars Program at UNH Manchester.
“I’ve always been interested in science and helping people. I knew that UNH Manchester was doing a lot in the biotechnology space, which is where the medical field is heading, and the Millyard Scholars Program is the primary reason why I chose to pursue my degree there,” he says.
The Millyard Scholars Program provides scholarships and research opportunities to students pursuing degrees in biotechnology, engineering technology, computer science and biological sciences programs. Since 2019, 85 students have received scholarships. Millyard Scholars attend unique seminar classes, help conduct research with scientists and engineers working in the field and participate in internships with local biotech companies.
“It’s a collaborative and supportive program,” says Mike Decelle, dean of UNH Manchester. UNH was one of the founding partners of the Manchester-based Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI), a federally sponsored program that fosters biomanufacturing development.
Established in 2016, ARMI’s work explores cost-effective methods for regenerative therapies — manufacturing cells, tissue, bones and eventually even organs that can be used for medical treatments. A century ago, companies in the Millyard manufactured shoes and textiles — now, start-ups in the Millyard are developing technology that could eventually manufacture new organs for transplant recipients.
The Millyard Scholars Program was a natural outgrowth of ARMI’s efforts to make southern New Hampshire into a biomanufacturing hub. “We made the observation that we didn’t have a scholarship program at UNH Manchester that was intentional about recruiting the best students in the state who could help grow our biofabrication industry,” Decelle explains.
Since then, the Millyard has become an integral site for the industry, a place where established companies and early-stage start-ups work side-by-side. Many Millyard Scholars receive internships with those companies, which Decelle says is a core part of the student experience.
“We’re seeing students thrive in this growing ecosystem,” he says. “They’re getting into the field and getting first-hand experience in the biofabrication industry — right here in the Millyard.” In 2024, the federal Economic Development Administration awarded ARMI a $44 million grant to bolster southern New Hampshire’s status as a technology hub.
The hands-on experiences with scientists and physicians at ARMI were a crucial foundation for his career path, says Siddiqui. As an intern at ARMI, he worked with doctors who “made me realize that with a medical degree, you can expand into so many other spaces beyond clinical medicine. … I was able to see what I could do with this degree to directly impact patient care.”
A mix of federal funding, grants and philanthropy make the Millyard Scholars Program possible. Selma Naccach-Hoff ’72, a donor to the program, is a member of the UNH Manchester Advisory Board and chair emerita of the Manchester Central High School English Department. She also previously served in the college’s STEM Discovery Lab Work Group, which showed her “the good that could happen in the field of technology.
“The idea of being a scholar is a distinction that these students appreciate — it motivates them to excel,” she says. “I’m very happy about anything I can do to support students in their pursuit of their life’s work.”