What happens to our Kinesiology graduates after they leave Cooke Hall? Recently we spoke with Kinesiology PhD graduate Hannah Walter to tell us about life after school and share her words of advice and wisdom.
Hannah Walter, PhD, is from Carey, OH, and was the first person in her family to get a bachelor’s degree. Walter received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Miami University of Ohio and went on to receive her PhD in kinesiology from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.
Could you describe your current position in detail?
I was recently hired as a human factors engineer at Medtronic and started this position midway through last semester. In this position I look at how people interact with medical devices. An engineer is good at building the device, but it’s my job to understand how the person will actually use it. Have you ever thought you were using something the correct way and felt dumb when you realized you weren’t? Well, you’re not dumb. It wasn’t designed well! A well-designed device will make the right interactions clear. It’s my job to help prevent instances like that from happening.
What sparked your decision to get a PhD in kinesiology?
While studying as an undergraduate, I felt like there was so much discussion of theory. I wanted to apply it, but not in a clinical sense. I didn’t want to be a therapist or psychiatrist. However, I still wanted to understand why people made decisions to do basic things. While pursuing this understanding, I fell in love with a theory known as the ecological theory. This theory ecompasses the idea that our behaviors, decisions, and actions are emergent from the properties of the human and the environment. I found a professor at Miami of Ohio, James Smart, PhD, to guide me in conducting research using this theory. When I graduated, Dr. Smart told me that if I wanted to continue studying this theory I should study under the person that trained him at the University of Minnesota, Thomas Stoffregen, PhD. The rest is history.
How do you think your experience at the School of Kinesiology helped you in your career and personal goals?
I found that there was a very heavy focus in our lab to collaborate with other departments. While researching in the Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory (APAL) I spoke frequently with individuals from the Computer Science and Engineering departments. It was these intersectional interactions that really helped me in my current position. At MedTronic, I work with different types of people with different academic and professional backgrounds. So knowing how to work alongside different kinds of people and being able to “speak their language” has been really beneficial.
What advice would you give to recent graduates?
I would say to disregard gatekeepers. There will always be people who feel like it’s their job to keep others in check. My biggest advice is that if you have an idea and get shot down, don’t immediately throw it away. There is always a place for new and innovative ideas. Something I see again and again in this industry—especially with individuals who may be a minority in their field—is that people deny themselves opportunities out of fear of being too aggressive. To that I say, hold your ground. Let them deny you; don’t deny yourself.
The School of Kinesiology wishes all the best to Dr. Hannah Walter and can’t wait to see where her career takes her next!
