As the Plant Systematics Research Program manager, Marlene Hahn manages systematics research at the Arboretum with a special focus on oaks (Quercus) and supports the Arboretum’s Herbarium.
After studying in microbiology as an undergraduate, Hahn spent three years in a microbiology lab researching Bacillus subtilis spore coat proteins. While working, she got her MEd in curriculum and instruction, after which she taught biology for several years to high school students.
Hahn spent her initial years at The Morton Arboretum as an herbarium and special project assistant. In the Arboretum’s Herbarium she helped streamline tasks, coordinated volunteer activities, and managed protocols as The Herbarium migrated its records through two databases.
In the Plant Systematics Research Group, Hahn has acted as a project coordinator for portions of the National Science Foundation (NSF) grant “Oaks of the Americas” and another NSF grant on the genus Carex, known as sedges. From 2013–2015, she supported the Carex Morphology Project and educational outreach projects training the next generation of sedge taxonomists. As part of these efforts, she prepared materials, trained and mentored high school interns and students in the Arboretum’s Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, and participated in many middle school and high school classroom visits where students collected data on Carex herbarium specimens.
In her current role as the Plant Systematics Research Program manager, she focuses on oak phylogenomics, lab management, and supporting others in the lab and the Arboretum’s Herbarium.
In her work in the Plant Systematics Research Group and The Herbarium, she enjoys the opportunity to train and mentor new scientists to feel comfortable with lab work, combining her molecular research skills with her background in teaching. Hahn has given lab tours and tours of The Herbarium to summer camp students, school groups, garden clubs, Arboretum members, donors, visitors, and colleagues..
Her research interests include oak phylogenomics, troubleshooting lab issues, clarifying lab protocols, data management, and outreach efforts related to plant systematics and herbaria.
