When she was growing up, Liz (Redd) Goetchius '06 doesn't remember ever wanting to be an astronaut. Even as she got older, she never imagined herself working at NASA.
Now
in
her
12th
year
as
a
scientist
at
the
NASA
Johnson
Space
Center,
Goetchius
plays
an
integral
role
in
supporting
the
nation's
astronauts
from
Earth.
Her
journey
to
Houston
began
with
an
interest
sparked
during
her
years
at
BW.
A
stellar
athlete,
she
was
a
four-year
letterwinner
on
BW's
track
and
field
team.
She
capped
off
her
career
with
four
OAC
titles
during
her
senior
outdoor
season.
To
this
day,
there
are
still
two
school
records
with
her
maiden
name
on
them
-
the
indoor
4x200-meter
relay
and
the
indoor
sprint
medley
relay.
She transformed her passion for working with people and building healthy lifestyles into a community health promotion and physical education double major. As an undergrad, she envisioned herself teaching and coaching at the high school and college levels, hopefully with opportunities to work with underserved communities and students with disabilities.
After
graduation,
she
worked
as
a
teacher
and
a
varsity
coach
at
a
high
school
in
Arizona.
She
then
set
her
sights
on
teaching
and
coaching
at
the
college
level,
which
required
an
advanced
degree.
"The
exercise
physiology
and
kinesiology
courses
at
BW
piqued
my
interests
in
that
field.
When
it
was
time
to
explore
a
master's
program,
I
focused
my
search
on
that
area,"
she
said.
At Baylor University, Goetchius shifted her career goals from teaching and coaching to research. While studying as a grad student in Waco, Texas, she found herself in the "right place at the right time" when she met an exercise physiologist from the Air Force. He directed her to internship opportunities at NASA.
As
a
research
intern
in
exercise
physiology
and
countermeasures,
Goetchius
assisted
lab
members
with
data
collection
and
candidate
testing.
She
eventually
went
from
intern
to
full-time
employee.
She spent 11 years as an exercise scientist in NASA's Human Performance, Physiology, Protection and Operations Laboratory with a sole focus on exercise in space. Last April, she stepped into a new role in Research Operations and Integration as an experiment support scientist.
Now, Goetchius finds herself supporting human life space research projects on the International Space Station and working with various research teams to help scientists define, develop and implement their experiments in space.
"The best part of my job is that I am assigned to several different experiments from many different facets of life science - exercise, ocular health, monitoring vegetable growth and crew protection, to name a few," she noted. "It's fascinating to learn about so many different experiments and to serve as a liaison between the scientist and NASA to ensure the science is completed to the highest standards."
With a successful NASA career, Goetchius offers advice to the next generation, especially students interested in pursuing STEM areas.
"Gain
hands-on
experience
throughout
your
educational
journey
-
in
areas
you
love
and
in
things
you
have
never
done
before,"
Goetchius
said.
"Don't
be
afraid
to
try
something
you've
never
done
before
because
it
may
turn
into
a
true
passion.
I
never
imagined
working
for
NASA,
and
now
I'm
a
liaison
for
research
on
the
International
Space
Station."
