Brushstrokes and breakthroughs

Graduate student and science communicator Emily Hanson looks with hope to the future after a year of transformation.
January 15, 2025

When she was about five years old, Emily Hanson made an off-hand comment to her parents that she wanted to be a biologist. “I was the kind of kid that was making dirt potions and stuff outside. I had a very obvious fascination with how the world worked,” says Hanson. “My parents just ran with it.” As the years went by, her love of science only grew. She wasn’t easily dissuaded from the career, even when those around her encouraged her obvious talent as a visual artist. “My art professor [in community college] was devastated to hear that I wanted to study science,” she laughs. “She really thought I could make it a career.”

Nearly a decade later, Hanson is deeply invested in her research studying niche microbes called methanogens in the Plant and Microbial Biology graduate program. She pairs this with creative pursuits to communicate science through art as well. Her enthusiasm for her work, combined with her masterful illustration skills, equipped her to win first place in the CBS Science in Seconds competition last fall. The annual contest challenges graduate students to condense their graduate theses into a three-minute, compelling presentation for a general audience. 

Encouraged to participate by her graduate program coordinator, Sara Eliason, Hanson decided to embrace the opportunity. “I was like, I'm gonna do this for Sara. And I was doing it for myself too,” says Hanson. “It just made putting myself out there a lot more rewarding.” She also credits her participation to a new lease on life – something she fought hard for after a year of unprecedented personal loss, growth, and change.

A graduate student draws in an art journal
Hanson draws in her art journal.

“[Understanding grief] makes the things I do that much more important to me,” says Hanson. She takes special care to remember and commemorate her partner’s sister Dr. Noelle Olson, who graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2022 and passed away suddenly earlier this year. A a memorial scholarship for young girls in STEM was recently set up in her honor. Hansen had known Noelle since high school, and later, Noelle became one of Hanson’s biggest inspirations for pursuing a graduate degree. After Noelle’s passing, Hanson felt compelled to treasure new opportunities, especially ones that connect her with the people in her support system.

Hanson is still reaping the rewards of taking a step forward into the world of science communication. It was years in the making. “It's really important for me to exercise my creative muscle,” says Hanson. “So I always incorporate creating things into everything I can.” In her years as a student, Hanson used doodles as a study tool — even going so far as to make “microbe trading cards,” something she turned into coloring pages for friends and family. She also keeps a personal journal for doodles of dinosaurs, anatomy, animals, and more. 

And now that Hanson is over half-way to defending her thesis, she’s especially thrilled that people resonate with her artwork in a way that allows her to share her graduate research. Hanson is one of few scientists in the world investigating methanogens. These tiny microbes live in cows’ digestive systems and contribute methane to the atmosphere as a major source of greenhouse gas. They also live in oil pipes and are common perpetrators of oil spills due to their propensity to corrode metal for cellular resources.

“They’re really hard to work with,” says Hanson, who conducts her research in both Katie Fixen's and Daniel Bond's labs. “They’d die if you put them in tap water. But they’re really integral to understanding if we want to take on today’s global environmental challenges.” Hanson recognizes the importance of her research and is finding that she loves talking about what makes methanogens “tick.”

“Spreading knowledge and inspiring people with knowledge is something that I really want to be the focus of my career,” says Hanson. Science will always have her heart — she doesn’t plan to give it up. But for her, a research career could mean a lot of things. “Mostly, I’d really like the things that I do to matter, and to mean things to people beyond just myself.” –Adara Taylor

Emily Hanson participates at the University-wide 3 Minute Thesis competition. She stands on a stage with a science illustration in the background.
After winning Science in Seconds, Hanson went on to participate in the University-wide 3 Minute Thesis competition. In the background is an illustration she made of the methanogens she studies.