Motivation to pursue a graduate degree

Erin Harrell is a McKnight Doctoral Fellow pursuing a PhD in Cognitive Psychology in the Department of Psychology. She also recently participated in the Department of Homeland Security's HS-STEM Summer Internship Program. Erin is pursuing a graduate degree because she wants to help others fight for their future the same way she is fighting for hers. Erin returned to school after being out for ten years and was given something she was raised to believe didn’t exist: a second chance.

Importance and impact of research

Erin's research focuses on human factors and aging, specifically on combining technology and psychology to improve older adults’ interactions with the systems and equipment they must rely upon daily. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by the year 2050, the number of adults fifty-five years of age or older will exceed 120 million. Erin wants to use the knowledge she gains from her PhD to help improve processes and products in the healthcare industry that allow older adults to remain independent longer.

In additional to being a McKnight Fellow and participating in the DHS internship, Erin has secured an NIH/NIA Aging Research Dissertation Award (2018) and The United Methodist Church General Board of Higher Education and Ministry Scholarship (2016, 2017).