Sargent College debuts industry collaboration opportunities

On the edge of Brighton, heralding the eruption of industry in the area, is the sleek, new building that houses some of New Balance’s many labs. The state-of-the-art space is large and varied, with telltale signs of innovation tucked neatly into corners, militantly organized. Some signs, however, are too large to conceal.

At the far end of the room is a small office, cluttered with busy desks and ergonomic chairs. Its long window looks out onto the street, lively even on a dark, misty day. Inside, at a spotless, white table sit two graduate research assistants.

Shannon Nagle and Sami Rickheim are students at Sargent College, studying human physiology under the supervision of BU faculty and two mentors from the New Balance team. Though the details of their work are confidential, they were happy to talk about their experiences at New Balance, and their respective journeys to BU’s human physiology program, which has allowed them to blend industry innovation with academia.

Both Shannon and Sami learned about Sargent College’s collaboration with New Balance before they applied, and for both, that knowledge was instrumental in their decision to attend BU.

Shannon states, “[Dr. Dustin Allen, Program Director] said that if you do the two-year research program, you have the ability to do your thesis with one of these local companies. I [thought], that sounds right up my alley…so I guess I’m doing this.”

Sami agrees, adding, “I ended up meeting Dr. Allen in…his office. I told him I was interested in physiology and biomechanics, and [he gave me] the same [information]. After I left that meeting, I was like, this is where I’m going to go.”

Both women are lifelong athletes. Both are passionate about the science of human performance, but it was only after earning their undergraduate degrees that either realized the extent to which they enjoyed it. Originally, Shannon had planned to go to medical school.

She explains, “[After I graduated], I got a job as a clinical research assistant at [a hospital]. It was there that I realized…I’m more interested in the science and the physiology behind things than rehab.”

Once Shannon identified that what she loved about medicine was research, she was eager to pursue it, leading her to seek out Sargent College, and to speak with Dr. Allen.

Sami had a similar experience. Her background is science- and research-heavy, but due to the nature of her undergraduate program, she focused on engineering rather than the human body. She recalls, “I always had, in the back of my mind, human performance. I did biomedical engineering because I was always interested in how the body moved.”

It is clear that Sami values the skills that studying biomedical engineering provided, and her undergraduate program gave her a rich foundation upon which she could build. She continues, “Ultimately, when I was doing research on different grad programs…I was looking at human movement.”

For both women, Sargent College’s MS in Human Physiology, combined with the opportunity to do research with the New Balance team, was exactly what they were looking for. Unlike many master’s programs, they were able to start their research in their first year of the program, which spans two years. Both stress that the early start was important, because it gave them time to acclimate to New Balance as a whole.

Shannon says, “We’ve spent this semester getting up to speed with where they’re at with their research, what everything means, and fully immersing ourselves in the space.”

Sami adds, “If we were supposed to hit the ground running, we would be graduating late. It’s been super helpful to be involved in a couple of the recent studies…[and to] get first-hand experience of what’s going to be happening when we are performing our own projects.”

Though they were very humble about the work they’ve done thus far, it seems like they’ve been very involved, even as graduate research assistants.

“I feel like we’ve learned a lot…just being in the space,” Shannon says. “Our mentors, Dr. Sam Cheuvront and Dr. Jamie Ferris are fantastic. We’re very well supported by the two of them, especially in their respective fields: biomechanics and physiology.”

“They really care about our well-being and our success, which is great,” Sami adds. “We don’t feel like we’re just their side project, we feel like part of their team—they’re very invested in us and our success.”

Something that Shannon and Sami also stressed was how privileged they felt to work at New Balance’s state-of-the-art facility. “We look forward to coming here every single day,” Shannon says. “It’s just a great collaborative place to be.”

Sami agrees, saying, “The fact that we’re students and we get the opportunity to be here, use this equipment, and [that we have] access to the people we have access to…we’re lucky.”

Both women plan to pursue work in industry research after their graduation in the summer of 2027.

Shannon tells us, “I would say my post-career goals are to continue to work in industry research, at a company such as New Balance, whether it’s in footwear, wearable tech, or anything human performance specific.”

Sami also plans to pursue a similar career path. “The stuff that we’ve been doing—industry research—is definitely where I would be leaning [toward] after we finish our thesis.”

Sargent College’s new industry collaborations provide students with a way to study their interests in a real-world setting, which for these students, has been essential. Students are not limited to working with New Balance, though both Shannon and Sami would recommend it. Sargent is developing collaborations with a variety of industry partners, all of whom are dedicated to research-driven products that help humans perform optimally.

From shoes and apparel; to wearable devices and fitness trackers; to sleep and recovery; to supplement evaluation, Sargent College wants to give its students the opportunities they need to explore their passions.

You can find information about other collaborations on the Sargent College website.