Meet the Team: Sylvianne Velasquez

The National Center for Earth and Environmental Nanotechnology Infrastructure (NanoEarth) continues the Meet the Team Series with NanoEarth Outreach and Communications Coordinator, Sylvianne Velasquez. 

Velasquez split her undergraduate academic career between the University of Notre Dame (ND) and Texas A&M University (TAMU). She was a student athlete on the ND Women’s Rowing team and a lead catechist at Sacred Heart Parish. At TAMU, she was a member of the Crew Club, president of the Zoological Society, and lead catechist at St. Thomas Aquinas. While pursuing her undergraduate degree, she worked full-time at Lowe’s Home Improvement, intermittent at Air Force Entertainment, completed a research study abroad in Costa Rica, and completed two internships, one at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) and the other at the San Antonio Zoo and Aquarium. 

After completing her Bachelor’s of Science in Poultry Science, she held a seasonal position at SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment in San Antonio, TX. As a stage manager, she worked with beluga whales, pacific white-sided dolphins, international divers, animal trainers, and teenage actors finding their first jobs! She then moved into management and sales in the College Station area. For a year, she led the nutrition education department at the Brazos Valley Food Bank (BVFB), teaching nutrition to children and adults in the six county area. 

Upon entering her graduate studies at Virginia Tech, Velasquez worked in Mike Persia Ph.D’s poultry lab in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science (APSC). She led two Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approved projects studying laying hens, completed all necessary field and lab work, managed undergraduate student workers, and assisted other labs with broilers, laying hens, and turkeys. She was accepted into the MANRRS Animal Health and Care Academy Fellowship, and travelled to two conferences while attending networking and leadership development events. She completed her Master’s of Natural Resources and obtained a graduate certificate in Global Sustainability.

Post graduation, Velasquez found a place as a wildlife technician in Carola Haas, Ph.D.’s lab. She assisted in conservation research studying the hydrology of Virginia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and New York wetlands, and the movements of the critically endangered bog turtles. 

These experiences led her to NanoEarth’s Outreach and Communications Coordinator position. She actively recruits new instrument users, leads outreach events and nanotechnology demonstrations, assists with continuing education workshops, manages NanoEarth’s social media, and organizes marketing and communications materials. She is part of the “Workforce Development and Community Colleges” National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) Working Group and frequently collaborates with other NNCI educators.

Velasquez enjoys hiking, baking, reading, all things Harry Potter, and hanging out with her husband, daughter, and two dogs. She would like young professionals to complete any experience possible, even if it might not seem completely in your career path. Network and keep in touch with professors, colleagues, and professionals. These connections could be the key to your next steps!