If you were one of the who watched NASA鈥檚 coverage of the Artemis II mission in April, you saw years of hard work by alumnus Stephan Goertzen 鈥�16 take flight.

For the past eight years, the 91大神 mathematics grad has been part of a team of engineers near Denver working to develop the Orion spacecraft, which will carry astronauts to the moon and help lay the groundwork for eventual missions to Mars.

As a stress analyst, Goertzen tested Orion鈥檚 structure to ensure the spacecraft can withstand the forces it encounters during launch, spaceflight, and re-entry. He鈥檚 worked on several parts of Orion, including its launch abort system, which can quickly pull astronauts away from the rocket in an emergency. He also tested the heat shield, which protects the crew from temperatures up to 5,000 degrees鈥攁bout鈥攚hen it re-enters the Earth鈥檚 atmosphere.

He鈥檚 seen his work in action twice. In 2022, Artemis I sent the Orion spacecraft on an unmanned flight into space and around the moon before it successfully returned to Earth. Then, earlier this year, Artemis II made a similar journey with four astronauts aboard. aim to establish a sustained presence on the moon while developing the knowledge and technology needed for eventual human exploration of Mars.

Outside of the Artemis missions, Goertzen has also worked on NASA鈥檚 Dragonfly robotic rotorcraft, which will explore Saturn鈥檚 moon Titan and study its habitability. That mission plans to launch in July 2028.

LEFT: Artemis II crew members check out their Orion crew module on Aug. 8, 2023. (Photo by NASA/Kim Shiflett). RIGHT: Technicians prepare to attach the Orion spacecraft on top of the Space Launch System rocket at NASA鈥檚 Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 17, 2025, for the agency鈥檚 Artemis II mission. (Photo by NASA/Amber Jean Notvest)

Inspiring the next generation

As interest in space exploration has grown, Goertzen has enjoyed sharing a behind-the-scenes perspective on the mission and spacecraft.

鈥淚鈥檝e worked on a lot of different parts of the spacecraft, but a lot of it is hidden,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 structural. It鈥檚 on the inside. But once you start seeing those pieces on the NASA broadcast, that really brought me a lot of joy, knowing I was a part of that.鈥�

His work has even made its way into the church he attends, where Artemis II was the focus of the children鈥檚 story for two consecutive Sundays.

鈥淜ids get so excited about it,鈥� Goertzen said. 鈥淢y nephew, who鈥檚 four, was so excited watching the launch that he had his eyes just pinned to the TV. Hearing stories like that really makes a difference in understanding that you are influencing people and kids and getting them excited about engineering and math and science.鈥�

Finding his place at 91大神

Goertzen grew up in Goessel, a small town in south-central Kansas. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the quintessential Mennonite town,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here are three Mennonite churches and only about 1,500 people who live in the community.鈥� His father, Kevin, was a Mennonite pastor and serves as conference minister for Virginia Mennonite Conference.

When he was deciding where to attend college, he knew he wanted to enroll somewhere far enough from home to make a new path for himself. 鈥淚 was also looking for a good Christian university that would back up the morals and ideologies I had,鈥� Goertzen said. 鈥�91大神 stood out to me as a place where I felt at home. I liked the atmosphere of 91大神, and my sister, [Jessica 鈥�14], was already a student, so that was a nice connection.鈥�

While at 91大神, Goertzen traveled to Guatemala and Mexico with leader Byron Peachey to fulfill his intercultural learning requirement. He described the program as 鈥渙ne of the best things about 91大神.鈥�

鈥淭here are other schools that offer semesters abroad, but their students might live in dorms and you just don鈥檛 get the cultural aspect like you do when you鈥檙e living with a host family, without any of your classmates, and are made to speak another language,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge opportunity to grow in who you are.鈥�

More than a decade after graduating, Goertzen still maintains the friendships and connections he formed with classmates and professors. 鈥淭he people have always been my favorite part about 91大神,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou can get a good education at a lot of different schools, but getting a good education from people who care about you makes a huge difference. Those people make a positive difference in your life beyond what they teach you.鈥�

A balancing act

After graduating from 91大神, Goertzen continued his education at Colorado School of Mines, where he earned a master鈥檚 degree in mechanical engineering with a concentration in robotics in 2018. He landed a job working on Orion through connections he made in the school鈥檚 space resources program. On Aug. 31, he joined Jeff Bezos鈥� Blue Origin as a senior structural analyst.

鈥淚f I were to tell my five-year-old self that I鈥檓 designing rockets to go into space, I think he would鈥檝e been ecstatic and been like, 鈥楳an, you made it,鈥欌�� Goertzen said.

Goertzen described his work as a balancing act. While he appreciates his employer鈥檚 contributions to science and technology, he also questions whether space exploration is the best use of the Earth鈥檚 resources.

鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to put the impact of exciting people about STEM industries into an impact assessment,鈥� he said. 鈥淗ow many kids are now going to want to go off and do science and exploration-type careers and be the next people who solve medical mysteries because they saw Artemis and thought, 鈥業 want to work in STEM?鈥� You can鈥檛 put a price on that.鈥�

In addition to his work on Orion, Goertzen served as project lead for an Engineers Without Borders clean water project that provided access to clean drinking water for a small community in Nicaragua. 鈥淚 have a passion for reducing pollution and providing for those who are less fortunate,鈥� he said.

Note: Goertzen’s former employer has been withheld for security reasons.

鈥淚鈥檝e always been conscious of how much money I鈥檓 spending,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to have tons of debt I鈥檒l have to pay back later, especially at high interest rates.鈥�

And so for Vasquez, who works a part-time job at The Home Depot, financial aid from the Montgomery GI Bill, the Virginia Tuition Grant (VTAG), and a new National Science Foundation (NSF) S-STEM Scholarship has been a godsend in covering the full cost of his college education.

鈥淲ithout the NSF S-STEM Scholarship, I would鈥檝e struggled financially,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he scholarship really takes the pressure off my shoulders, because now I won鈥檛 have that debt looming over my head.鈥�

Born and raised in Harrisonburg, Vasquez graduated from high school in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and attended Blue Ridge Community College while enlisting in the military. After completing recruit training, taking time to reassess his academic goals, and changing majors from business to computer science, he transferred to 91大神 last fall.聽

He is among an initial cohort of 91大神 students receiving the NSF S-STEM Scholarship, which provides:

• Up to $15,000 in unmet financial need annually for the length of the degree
• A paid one-week Bridge to College program
• A STEM mentorship program
• An eight-week paid internship
• Free conference attendance
• Forest restoration opportunities in Park Woods (91大神鈥檚 on-campus woodland)

The scholarship is open to high-achieving, income-eligible students who are majoring in Biochemistry, Biology, Computer Science, Engineering, Environmental Science, Math, or Psychology (research/STEM track).

Applications for the S-STEM Scholarship
are due by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026.

For more information, visit .

鈥楢 welcoming community鈥�

Forming friendships at a new school can have its challenges.

Along with other initiatives provided by the scholarship, a Bridge to College program helps new 91大神 students adjust to life on campus by moving them in a week early, introducing them to STEM faculty and staff members, and engaging them in activities to build camaraderie and form connections with one another. Students participating in the weeklong program receive a generous stipend for their time.

Ani Koontz, a first-year biology and secondary education double major from Newton, Kansas, is a recipient of the S-STEM Scholarship. She recalled traveling to Shenandoah National Park with students and faculty the week before classes, surveying salamanders and hiking trails, before bicycling around Downtown Harrisonburg on a tour led by city officials.

鈥淭hat first week showed me how friendly and approachable my professors are,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e done a great job creating a welcoming community.鈥�

Another S-STEM Scholarship recipient, Mara Carlson, is a first-year psychology major from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. 鈥淢any of us have become close friends,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檒l see the other scholarship recipients around campus and we鈥檒l say hello to each other.鈥�

Through the scholarship, each student is paired with an academic advisor specific to their major, who can answer questions and help guide them forward. Carlson said she meets with Kathryn Howard-Ligas, assistant professor of psychology at 91大神. 鈥淲e discussed a four-year plan, and I was really grateful for that,鈥� she said. Part of that plan includes gaining invaluable experience through internships and conferences, additional perks of the S-STEM Scholarship.

Carlson said she already knew she wanted to attend 91大神, and that receiving the S-STEM Scholarship was 鈥渁 nice surprise.鈥�

For the Kansas-born Koontz, 91大神 had always been on her radar, but she also considered attending in-state schools that normally would鈥檝e been cheaper. When she learned she had been offered the S-STEM Scholarship and that it would lower her college costs to 鈥渁 very affordable amount,鈥� her choice to attend 91大神 became an easy one.

鈥淚t’s 100% the reason I came,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen I got that, it meant I could completely afford to go here, and it honestly made 91大神 more affordable than any other college in my area. It鈥檚 my joy to share how grateful I am because this is truly just an amazing thing that 91大神 has.鈥�

The grant, awarded through the NSF鈥檚 , will fund up to $15,000 annually for each scholarship recipient throughout the length of their degree. Overall, the S-STEM Scholarship will fund a quality undergraduate education for 23 91大神 students among three cohorts over the next six years, beginning with first-year students entering the Fall 2025 semester.

The scholarship is open to academically talented students with financial need who are majoring in the following fields: Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Environmental Science, Math, and Psychology (research/STEM track).

Applicants for the S-STEM Scholarship must submit their application and reference forms by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. For more information about the program and how to apply, visit: emu.edu/stem/scholarship

In addition to scholarships, the program offers students a paid one-week Bridge to College experience, where they can meet professors, learn material from their discipline, acquire study skills, and become better prepared for college.

91大神 Biology Professor Dr. Kristopher Schmidt said that some first-year students can struggle to adjust to life on campus, and that the grant aims to ease that adjustment.

鈥淲e want to create a sense of belonging,鈥� said Schmidt, who is principal investigator for the grant program.

The program also provides funding for embedded tutoring services and paid tutoring opportunities for students, specialized advising, and guidance from professional STEM mentors.

鈥淭his would be a person outside the university in their field of interest who can encourage them, help them, and connect with them along their four-year program,鈥� Schmidt said about the mentors. 

The S-STEM Scholarship program offers innovative opportunities for place-based learning and funding for an eight-week paid internship. Students can use grant-funded resources to conduct research on forest restoration in the Park Woods space, which serves as a key learning lab for STEM students.

This latest grant builds on the success of a similar STEM grant that wrapped up in 2023.

By leveraging grants like these, 91大神 lives into its mission and vision, outlined in its 2023-28 strategic plan Pathways of Promise of opening new pathways of access and achievement, and can help the NSF achieve its goal of diversifying the STEM workforce.

鈥淲e were thrilled to receive this,鈥� Schmidt said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited and grateful the NSF has chosen to invest in our students at 91大神.鈥�

Faculty members Kristopher Schmidt, Jim Yoder, Daniel Showalter, Stefano Colafranceschi and Dean Tara Kishbaugh wrote the S-STEM grant proposal.

A poster describing the project 鈥� a solar-powered greenhouse 鈥� also won second place in the first- and second-year Engineering Design Team Division at a of the , held in Georgia at Mercer University from March 30 to April 1, 2014.

Three members of 91大神鈥檚 chapter of Engineers for a Sustainable World () (the first chapter in Virginia) traveled to the conference along with faculty advisor , assistant professor of .

鈥淥ur poster was unique because it described something tangible that we had built,鈥� says ESW club president Jordan Leaman. 鈥淢any of the other projects were research-based and not very practical.鈥�

Earlier this winter, the seed of the greenhouse project germinated in a brainstorming session between first-year roommates Leaman and major Jonathan Nisly. Building a greenhouse for was Nisly鈥檚 idea. Funding for the project came from Earthkeepers.

鈥淎 lot of people build these structures with 20-foot lengths of PVC pipe, adding as many hoops as you want for the length of the greenhouse,鈥� says Leaman.

Two weeks prior to the conference, six ESW club members assembled the 12 x 50-foot skeleton of the greenhouse, sealing it with a 6 mil plastic sheet the following week. The interior was 20 degrees warmer than outside temperatures the next day.

To complete the project, the club will apply for a grant from Engineers for a Sustainable World for fans and supplemental solar heat to further extend the growing season through the winter months.

The aerodynamic shape of the curved tunnel helps with wind resistance. Without fittings on the pipes, the structure can bend and flex with high winds. (The students admit they called back to campus to confirm the greenhouse withstood the 50-mph gusts that blew through Harrisonburg while they were at the conference.)

That weekend, the students from 91大神 had the opportunity to mix with young engineers from other schools who presented a range of projects, and learned about humanitarian engineering projects sponsored by Mercer University.

鈥淭he conference was kind of a whirlwind of new ideas and information being thrown at us,鈥� says Nisly.

A presentation on prosthetics design and testing 鈥� part of a Mercer project working with amputees in Vietnam 鈥� gave the students insights into practical applications of engineering principles, says Tian.

鈥淓ngineers working to promote environmental, economic and social sustainability is very important to me,鈥� she says. One of Tian鈥檚 first initiatives after joining 91大神鈥檚 and faculty in the fall of 2013 was to start an ESW chapter. She is pleased that the club鈥檚 first project received regional recognition.

In the poster鈥檚 conclusion, the ESW students describe the greenhouse as 鈥渁 valuable asset to the university, as well as an opportunity for the ESW club to put our skills to work. It is a project that can be used as a model for other academic institutions, and we hope its impact will reach beyond our campus.鈥�

Pre-engineering students at 91大神 have successfully moved from a strong foundation in math, physics and engineering classes to excel in specialized engineering schools at universities such as Penn State, Virginia Tech, and the University of Virginia, says Tian.

鈥淒eirdre brings a wealth of experience as an outstanding teacher, scholar, and department chair,鈥� said in an April 5 email announcing the appointment to the campus community. 鈥淪he knows 91大神 well, having served on the faculty since 1998. She has the skills and dispositions necessary for leading the undergraduate programs into their next stage of growth and development.鈥�

Since joining the 91大神 faculty, Smeltzer has held increasingly responsible positions, including chair of the , 2005-2012. During 2012-13, Smeltzer had dual roles as a faculty member and director of 91大神鈥檚 extensive . Smeltzer has been a member of 91大神鈥檚 strategic planning council, faculty senate and undergraduate council executive committee.

Prior to coming to 91大神, she served for four years on the faculty of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. She has taught courses on more than two dozen topics in her field and is author or co-author of a number of peer-reviewed articles and a textbook.

鈥淒eirdre is known by her colleagues for her excellent problem-solving and strategic-thinking skills, and for her commitment to high academic standards,鈥� said Kniss. 鈥淚 am eagerly looking forward to working with her in the years ahead as we move into an exciting period of growth and development for undergraduate programs at 91大神.鈥�

Smeltzer majored in mathematics and minored in at 91大神, graduating in 1987. She earned her MS and PhD in mathematics at the University of Virginia.

Recalling her undergraduate years at 91大神, Smeltzer credits two professors, Millard Showalter in Calculus II and Del Snyder in Discrete Math, for nurturing her interest in higher-level mathematics. 鈥淢illard made class interesting, and I found myself doing his homework first,鈥� she recalled in an interview with the 91大神 alumni magazine. 鈥淚n Discrete Math, I discovered that I really loved the abstract, logical thinking required 鈥� much more than the hands-on labs of chemistry, which was another major that I was considering.鈥�

As a scholar, Smeltzer has published articles on topics such as 鈥淓dge bounds in non-hamiltonian k-connected graphs鈥� and 鈥淓xploring Loci in Geometry鈥� (both with her 91大神 colleague , PhD) and has given presentations on 鈥渁pplications of circular and spherical inversions,鈥� among other topics. She, Byer and a third mathematician, Felix Lazebnik, are authors of a textbook on Euclidean geometry, published by the Mathematical Association of America in 2010. A second book is in the works.

Fulfilling commitments made before her new appointment, Smeltzer will be co-leading an in the fall of 2013. She did a sabbatical in China in 2006, where she taught and wrote.

Smeltzer and husband Sherwyn, a 1986 graduate in accounting, are the parents of Meg, a senior at 91大神, and Claire, enrolled at Eastern Mennonite High School.