Anika Mehlis

Analog Astronaut, Public Health Professional, Biologist


Main focus: Analog Astronautin

Twitter handle: @Astro_Anika

Websites/blogs: http://www.linkedin.com/in/anika-mehlis , https://www.instagram.com/analogastro_ani/

Languages: English, German

City: Plauen

State: Saxony

Country: Germany

Topics: health literacy, female empowerment, mars, space exploration, public health

Services: Talk, Moderation, Workshop management, Consulting, Coaching, Interview

  Willing to travel for an event.

Personal note:

As an analog astronaut with the Austrian Space Forum I´m part of an international team conducting analog research with missions in Mars-like areas on Earth. As a scientist at Bielefeld University I work in Public Health, researching how public health departments can raise their organizational health literacy.
During eight years of work as a team lead for infectious diseases control and environmental medicine at a local health department I gained a lot of practical experience in these areas.
I´m also interested in how the sustainable development goals (SDGs) provide a link for and can be furthered by joining space science, public health and environmental technology.
My university education in biology, engineering, my work at an environmental lab and as a lecturer and last but not least my experiences as mother of three daughters provided me with a diverse skill-set.
I am happy to pass on this specialist knowledge, my practical and personal experience and my insights beyond subject boundaries. In doing so, I can adapt myself to the knowledge level and the wishes of the audience, from talks at children's universities, to specialist lectures up to motivational company events. I am enthusiastic about many topics from the fields of science, technology and space travel and I am passionate about sharing this enthusiasm with others.

Bio:

WORK EXPERIENCE

Mar 2021 - Present Higher Education Research Assistant
Akademie für Öffentliches Gesundheitswesen Düsseldorf
implementation studies in the SORMAS@DEMIS project supporting public health departments in contact person tracement during the Covid-19 pandemic

July 2020 - Present Self-employed
Trainer, Consultant, Keynote speaker, Lecturer

Apr. 2020 – Dec. 2020 Trainer
Code4Space Education Project
project in collaboration with Fraunhofer Institute for Intelligent Analysis and Information Systems, funded by Google.org and Google Zukunftswerkstatt

Apr. 2020 – Present Trainer
Talents4Space Education Project
project in collaboration with European Space Agency (ESA)/Austrian Space Forum (OeWF)/European Space Education Resource Office (ESERO Austria)

July 2012 – Mar. 2020 Team Leader "infection protection and environmental medicine"
Health Department, District Office Vogtlandkreis, Germany
team management (11 members of staff), prevention and management of infectious diseases, drinking water monitoring, communal hygiene, hospital hygiene, press and public relations, networking, task forces on local, regional and federal state level

Oct. 2011 – July 2014 Lecturer (Biology)
BA Plauen - University of Cooperative Education Plauen, Sachsen, Germany
teaching, supervision of diploma thesis

Oct. 2008 – May 2012 CTA (chemical-technical assistant)
A.W.V. - Dr. Busse GmbH, Plauen, Sachsen, Germany
team and quality management, chemical analysis (CFA, photometry, titration, ICP, ASS)

VOLUNTARY WORK

Jan. 2020 – present Storyteller and Translator
Scheherazade Speaks Science

Aug. 2019 – present Analog Astronaut
Austrian Space Forum (ÖWF), Innsbruck, Austria
- participation in the AMADEE-20 Mission in the Negev Desert, Israel

Apr. 2018 – present Active Member
German Network of Young Professionals in Public Health

Oct. 2015 – Jan. 2016 German Teacher
Integration statt Isolation e.V., Plauen, Germany
teaching German for migrants/asylum seekers

other networks - Membership
German Public Health Association (DGPH)
Health Literacy Network Germany (DNGK)
European Public Health Association (EUPHA)
Deutsche Raumfahrtausstellung Morgenröthe-Rautenkranz e. V. (German Space Travel Exhibition)
Mensa in Deutschland e. V. (MinD)

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Oct. 2017 – present PhD-program in Public Health (Dr.PH)
Bielefeld School of Public Health, Bielefeld University, Germany
- Thesis: "Environmental Health Literacy"

Apr. 2019 – Aug. 2019 Analog Astronaut Training
Austrian Space Forum (ÖWF), Innsbruck, Austria

2010 – Feb. 2014 Diploma in Engineering for Environmental Technology & Recycling
University of Applied Sciences Zwickau, Germany
- Thesis: "Development of a quality management system for phytoplankton analysis";
- passed with distinction
- recipient of the German National Scholarship

Oct. 2001 – Nov. 2006 Diploma in Biology
(Ms. equiv.), focus on microbiology
Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
- Thesis: "Cyclo-di-GMP-coordinated gene-regulation in Escherichia coli“;
- Grade: 1.2; passed with distinction

Sept. 2000 – Oct. 2001 Au Pair, Washington, D.C./USA
Northern Virginia Community College: Advanced Plus Conversational English; Accent Improvement

Sept. 1992 – June 2000 School education
Lessing-Gymnasium Plauen, Germany
- 2000 German High School Diploma, Abitur
- Grade: 1.4

PERSONAL SKILLS

Communication skills

Team work/Leadership: I have worked in various projects in which I gained valuable experience concerning international cooperation as well as building, moderating and maintaining interdisciplinary and multi-stakeholder networks. I´m an experienced team-leader with more than ten years of leadership in middle management positions.

Intercultural skills: My career environment (school and professional) and private life has always consisted of people from different cultures and with different nationalities.

Organizational / managerial skills
During my work in a public health department I initiated and coordinated several projects including a scheme for better air quality in classrooms. Through my current self-employed job, I have gained further insights into managing skills. Since I have been working, studying, raising children and doing volunteer work contemporaneously for many years I have excellent time-management as well as self-motivation skills.

Computer skills
In everyday life I work in a Windows environment. I have previously worked with Octware TN.

Other skills
In my free time I enjoy being outdoors, learning new things (e.g. geology field trip with Jena University 07/2019) and spending time with my three kids. Since 2019, I am an Analog Astronaut and attend trainings, missions and other specific activities for the Austrian Space Forum. Apart from that, I enjoy diving, running and reading.

Driving licence B
Diving licence PADI Open Water

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

2020 Mehlis, A., Locher, V., Hornberg, C., 2020. Identifying barriers: interviewing experts about organizational health literacy in public health departments in Germany, IJPH, submitted.

2019 Mehlis, A., Hornberg, C., 2019. Gesundheitskompetenz von Organisationen: Barrieren und Synergien im ÖGD und der Umweltverwaltung. In: 18. Deutscher Kongress für Versorgungsforschung. Berlin, 09.10.2019, online verfügbar https://events.mcon-mannheim.de/frontend/index.php?page_id=4691&v=List&do=15&day=244&ses=6423#, zuletzt abgerufen: 21.01.2020

2017 Mehlis A, 2017. Einsatz von Lüftungsampeln zur Verbesserung der Luftqualität in Kindertageseinrichtungen und Schulen, Epid Bull, 42, pp. 477 – 481, doi: 10.17886/EpiBull-2017-055

2016 Renner, P., Hummel, A., Feuerpfeil, I., Mehlis, A., 2016. Hygienisch-mikrobiologische Untersuchungen eines Fließgewässers (Weiße Elster) im Einzugsgebiet eines Badegewässers (Talsperre Pirk), KW Korrespondenz Wasserwirtschaft, 5, pp. S.287-300. ISSN: 1865-9926

2008 Pesavento, C., Becker, G., Sommerfeldt, N., Possling, A., Tschowri, N., Mehlis, A. and R. Hengge, 2008. Inverse regulatory coordination of motility and adhesion in E.coli, Genes Dev., 22, pp. 2434-2446, doi: 10.1101/gad.475808

Examples of previous talks / appearances:

Cambridge Wolfson College Science Society: Martian deserts on Earth

What is analog research? What do analog astronauts do and why is it important for humankind´s plans to travel to Mars and beyond?

This talk is in: English
One hour with Analog Astronaut Anika Mehlis @ TUtheTOP alumni club Wien

Vortrag in Deutsch über die Auswahl, das Training und die Arbeit als Analog Astronautin beim Östereichischen Weltraum Forum, meinen Lebens- und Karriereweg und die Balance zwischen Muttersein und Beruf sowie die Erfahrungen als Frau in Männer-dominierten Teams.

This talk is in: German
Family and Career in Tech and Science - we can have it all!

Women Techmakers Nuremberg are building an inclusive community to embrace diversity mainly around Tech and Science. I was invited to speak about successfully mixing family and a career in STEM. I also talked about being an analog astronaut with the Austrian Space Forum.

This talk is in: English
Shespeaksscience - Martian deserts on Earth with analog astronaut Anika Mehlis

What is an analog astronaut? What do we do? Interview with www.shespeaksscience.com in London from 2019.
Subtitles available in German.

This talk is in: English
Kongressvortrag Gesundheitskompetenz

Vortrag zu "Gesundheitskompetenz von Organisationen: Barrieren und Synergien im ÖGD und der Umweltverwaltung" beim 18. Deutschen Kongress für Versorgungsforschung (DKVF) des Deutschen Netzwerkes Versorgungsforschung in der Urania in Berlin.

This talk is in: German
Radio Interview

Radio Interview on station "RSA" in German about becoming an Analog Astronaut from 2019.

This talk is in: German
Inspire Women in STEM by Storytelling - Martian deserts on Earth - Part I

"Every idea starts with a problem." Shespeaksscience says "Our´s is simple: the world needs science and science needs more women. We tackle this problem using the power of story.

We are an award-winning social enterprise on a mission. We aim to make STEM inclusive, reach under-served audiences, increase active engagement with science, inspire young people into STEM and promote women and minority scientists with a thousand and one stories about science."

I was honored to be invited to share my story.

This talk is in: English
Inspire Women in STEM by Storytelling - Martian deserts on Earth - Part II

"Every idea starts with a problem." Shespeaksscience says "Our´s is simple: the world needs science and science needs more women. We tackle this problem using the power of story.

We are an award-winning social enterprise on a mission. We aim to make STEM inclusive, reach under-served audiences, increase active engagement with science, inspire young people into STEM and promote women and minority scientists with a thousand and one stories about science."

I was honored to be invited to share my story.

This talk is in: English
Full interview on becoming an Analog Astronaut

Video by OeWF September 2019
Meet analog astronaut Anika Mehlis (DE) from our new graduated class of 2019.

This talk is in: English
Meet our class of 2019 OeWF Analog Astronauts

https://www.youtube.com/user/OEWF

The Austrian Space Forum released this video of the new analog astronauts class of 2019on 20May2019. 8 highly motivated individuals from Austria, Germany, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, United Kingdom & Israel were undergoing the specialized training to wear the OeWF´s spacesuit simulators. I was and am among them.

This talk is in: English