Laura Hart
Program Coordinator
lhart@em.fsu.edu
850.644.9961
643 Bellamy
Laura Hart is a Program Coordinator and Instructor in the Emergency Management and Homeland Security (EMHS) Program. She is originally from Rogers, Arkansas but considers the Florida Panhandle home. She holds a B.A. in International Affairs and an M.P.A., both from Florida State University.
Laura is a member of the Disaster Incident Research Team (DIRT) and is one of the primary members of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) program. As a member of the team, she has been activated for or deployed to hurricanes including Hermine, Matthew, Irma, Michael, Dorian, Sally, Laura, Ian, and Idalia, as well as other incidents including searches for missing persons, flooding events, the 2018 eruption of Kilauea, and the 2021 Surfside condominium collapse. Laura conducts in-team research, handles permitting and paperwork related to UAS operations, and deploys as an unmanned pilot within the UAS team. She serves as both an instructor and facilitator of UAS training courses geared towards public safety professionals.
Within the field of emergency management (EM), Laura is especially interested in the policies surrounding the implementation and utilization of unmanned aircraft systems. She holds dedicated interests in administrative and legislative policy, technological policy-making, remote sensing, aerial thermography, emotional labor, disaster media, and the history of EM. Laura enjoys technical writing, field work, and constructing research.
Laura is currently a Ph.D. Candidate in the Askew School of Public Administration and Policy, and is expected to defend her doctoral dissertation in early 2025.
Courses Taught
Foundations of Emergency Management
Unmanned Aircraft Systems in Emergency Management
Mayhem Media