Emily Hanson sees the importance of connections and the impact of mentorship

As an associate manager with ORISE STEM Workforce Development, Emily Hanson, Ph.D., sees the potential in making connections—both for a participant’s career and for the future of the STEM workforce.

“It is rewarding to contribute to STEM workforce development in such a meaningful way by connecting students and recent graduates to the unique opportunities available at federal laboratories and research centers,” she said. “It is also enjoyable to learn about the impactful research being conducted by our sponsoring agencies and to understand more about the future workforce needs of our country through interactions with mentors, applicants, current participants, and ORISE alumni.”

Hanson’s own background, in both STEM and in seeing the effects of mentor-led research, inspires her work. She graduated from Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota, with a bachelor’s degree in composite materials engineering and earned a Ph.D. from Florida State University in industrial and manufacturing engineering. While a graduate student at Florida State, she assisted in the coordination of two summer research internship programs hosted at the High-Performance Materials Institute in Tallahassee, Florida.

“It was amazing to interact with students who are just getting started in research and see how much they grow and learn through an internship experience within a short amount of time,” she said. “The impact that a mentor has on a young scientist is very apparent and I would encourage all students to seek out a mentor, if at all possible.”

Hanson came to ORISE in 2019 as a project management specialist and transitioned to her current role in 2020. She currently administers internship and fellowship programs sponsored by several U.S. Department of Defense agencies, including the Air Force Research Laboratory, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, and the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) – Soldier Center, and the DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center.

In addition, Hanson serves on the ORISE Participant Experience Team, organizing events, resources, and competitions for participants. She is involved in the ORISE Ignite Off! competition and in coordinating Ignite Talks on professional development projects.

“These events are a fun way to network with our participants and to provide unique best-in-class experiences that supplement and enhance their training and skill development as a student or a recent graduate,” she said.

In her spare time, Hanson said she enjoys spending time with her family and visiting national parks. “I’m also trying my hand at DIY projects such as refurbishing furniture and other arts and crafts projects,” she said.