MSAL Alumni Received PAESMEM Award from President Biden
On Jan 13th, 2025, President Biden announced 336 teachers and mentors from around the nation as recipients of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) and the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM). These awards honor the vital role that America’s teachers and mentors play in shaping the next generation of technical leaders, including scientists, engineers, explorers, and innovators. MSAL Alumni Dr. Brendan Hanrahan has received such a prestigious award.
Dr. Hanrahan is a senior materials engineer, renowned for his expertise in ferroelectrics and energy applications. He earned his B.S. from Clemson University in 2006. At the University of Maryland, College Park he obtained an M.S. (’09) and a Ph.D. in 2013 in Materials Science and Engineering, focusing his doctoral research on advancing microscale power generation technologies.
Since joining the Army Research Lab in 2007, Brendan has won several awards for mentoring and community activities including the Federal Gold Award (National Capital Region) for Community Service in 2016, a Civilian Meritorious Service Medal for diversity, equity, and inclusion work in 2021, and the Army Lab’s highest award for mentoring in 2022. As President of the not-for-profit Mid-Atlantic Micro/Nano Alliance, Brendan improved access to technical mentorship for students from community colleges. His mentees have been decorated with awards for public speaking, pitch competitions, and featured articles in peer-reviewed publications. Over the last 12 years, Brendan has been at the lead of a culture change at the Army Lab, working to improve diversity and inclusion at the lab through mentoring. His mentoring cohort of 86% underrepresented groups in STEM stands in stark contrast to the 68% white male workforce. He is most proud of where his mentees continue to grow at some of the top STEM organizations around the country including DARPA, Space X, Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and more. Brendan continues his lab-intensive, small group mentoring among undergraduate students, graduate students, and visiting K-12 STEM teachers. At the organizational level, he tirelessly works to make the Laboratory look more like the country and inspire the next generation of STEM patriots.
More information can be found on the PAESMEM News Page. (13 - January / 2025)