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.

During a tour of the 91大神 campus last month, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, got a firsthand look of the university鈥檚 state-of-the-art nursing and engineering labs, took in the picturesque view of Massanutten Mountain from the Campus Center balcony, and explored the academic spaces and classrooms of the Suter Science Center.

But it was the 91大神 cadaver lab, used by undergraduate pre-medicine and nursing students in anatomy and physiology classes, that really got his attention.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the first one I鈥檝e seen that鈥檚 not at a medical school,鈥� Kaine said.

For good reason. 91大神 is one of only a handful of undergraduate programs in the United States that offers full cadaver dissection. The lab provides a 鈥渓eg up鈥� for students entering medical school, said Braydon Hoover 鈥�11, MAOL 鈥�21, vice president of enrollment and marketing. He added that roughly 1% of medical school students enter with experience in cadaver dissection, and 91大神鈥檚 medical school acceptance rate is 85%, more than double the national average.

鈥淥ur graduates are heads and tails above their colleagues in medical school because they鈥檝e already experienced this type of in-depth experiential learning,鈥� Hoover told Kaine as he led the tour.

A workforce win

Kaine visited 91大神 on July 7 to meet with students, faculty, staff, leaders, and other community members, and celebrate the $1.39 million in federal Community-Directed Spending (CDS) to upgrade and expand the laboratory equipment used by STEM and nursing majors at 91大神. The investment will enhance undergraduate education, expand research opportunities, and better prepare the STEM and healthcare workforce.

鈥淭his is an investment in our students and an investment in the future of Virginia,鈥� said President Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus. 鈥淲e鈥檒l measure our success not only by the equipment that is purchased but by the lives that are transformed, the discoveries that are made, and the communities that are strengthened.鈥�

Kaine said the CDS process allows Congress to direct funds in the budget to 鈥渧ery specific local projects.鈥� It offers a fair and transparent way, he said, for smaller institutions and rural communities to receive federal funding.

鈥淲e鈥檝e noticed over time that the Appropriations Committee has valued innovative workforce training programs and that鈥檚 what 91大神 put on the table in this proposal,鈥� he said, adding that it received bipartisan support. 鈥淚 want to thank everyone at 91大神 who had a hand in drafting the proposal. 鈥� This is a good group of folks to celebrate a real significant legislative win for 91大神 and for the region when it comes to the workforce.鈥�

Undergrad research 鈥榠mpressive鈥�

While walking across the Front Lawn, Kaine talked with rising sophomore biology major Davis Bert, who told the senator about his research project this summer studying bacteria in the gut biome.

鈥淚f we just change our habits in eating and how our guts are reacting, then maybe we can get to the point where we can reverse those disorders that are occurring,鈥� said Bert, who plans to pursue a PhD in public health with a specialization in epidemiology.

At a press conference later in the day, Kaine spoke about his conversation with Bert and described the opportunity for undergraduate students to engage in research as “impressive.”

鈥楢 global reach鈥�

As he entered the University Commons and saw the colorful array of flags displayed in the Hall of Nations, Kaine reminisced about the first time he had set foot on campus.

It had been in the 1980s, long before he entered politics, during a time of 鈥渁ll kinds of turmoil in Central America,鈥� said Kaine, who had served as a missionary in Honduras. He had attended a meeting of state leaders seeking to build stronger ties with Central American nations.

鈥淚 came up here for a conference, and I had this feeling from the beginning that 91大神, though a small school in Harrisonburg, was really trying to have a global reach,鈥� he told Hoover.

Offering access

Following his tour, Kaine participated in a roundtable discussion with President Dycus, Provost Dr. Tynisha Willingham, the presidents of Bridgewater College and Blue Ridge Community College, and other 91大神 leaders, higher education partners, faculty, and community members. The discussion focused on college affordability, STEM education, workforce development, and the impact of federal investments in higher education.

Seventy percent of 91大神鈥檚 undergraduate students are from Virginia, and two-thirds remain in the commonwealth after graduation. 91大神 offers an accessible and affordable college education, and that鈥檚 reflected in the students it serves.

This fall鈥檚 incoming class is 15% larger than last year鈥檚, which was itself 10% larger than the previous year鈥檚. Of the class entering 91大神 this fall, 80% are from Virginia, 58% identify as first-generation college students, 51% identify as students of color, and 60% are interested in STEM. The incoming class has an average GPA above 3.55.

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine flips through a copy of The Green Book during a tour of the Ida M. Francis Tourist Home, which is Harrisonburg鈥檚 only remaining property listed in the guide.

LEFT: U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine speaks during a press conference at 91大神 on July 7. RIGHT: Kaine meets with Harrisonburg resident William Reed, the father of Mayor Deanna Reed and owner of the Green Book house.

Getting the word out

Public colleges might seem more likely to serve as access institutions. But it’s actually small, private schools that lead the way in providing access to a college education, Kaine said, pointing to 91大神鈥檚 high percentage of first-generation students, Pell-eligible students, students of color, and international students.

鈥淧rivate higher ed doesn鈥檛 necessarily mean more expensive; it鈥檚 often more accessible,鈥� he told a gathering of media and community members. 鈥溾�hese are institutions that can provide great value for families, and we need to put the word out there so families understand that.鈥�

Looking ahead, Kaine said he hopes to return to campus and continue learning about the ways 91大神 is expanding opportunities for students.

鈥淚 look forward to coming back and interacting with you again,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a real pleasure to be able to do this together with a great institution.鈥�

This was Kaine鈥檚 first visit to 91大神 since 2007, when he was governor, and one of several stops he made in Harrisonburg that day. He started off the morning touring the historic Ida M. Francis Tourist Home, which is Harrisonburg鈥檚 only remaining property listed in the Green Book. He also visited the United Way of Central Shenandoah Valley.

The summit will be held at 91大神’s Suter Science Center (1194 Park Road, Harrisonburg, Virginia) with events starting at 9 a.m. It aims to bring together students, educators, and community members to explore undergraduate research, innovative initiatives, and real-world solutions.

Students will attend from Sustainable Shenandoah Valley’s five member institutions: Blue Ridge Community College, Bridgewater College, 91大神, James Madison University, and Mary Baldwin University.

鈥淏y celebrating the impactful work already happening across the region, this event seeks to inspire new ideas, partnerships, and pathways toward a more just and sustainable future,鈥� the summit鈥檚 website says.

A schedule on the website lists presentations by local students and officials, posters and networking opportunities, and a keynote speech by John C. Jones.

Jones is an assistant professor in the School of Life Sciences and Sustainability at Virginia Commonwealth University. His main research interests surround the intersection of urban food system development, urban food insecurity, local governance, and the challenges facing America鈥檚 cities. In recent years, he has begun to research interventions to mitigate college student food insecurity. 

91大神 students Ciela Acosta, Kate Stutzman, Jenna Oostland, and Tara Cahill are among those who will deliver presentations at the summit.

Acosta will present on examples of campus organizing and advocacy that have taken place on 91大神鈥檚 campus, including bell ringing for Palestine and direct action for sustainability, according to the summit’s website. Her presentation will include an empowerment discussion for students to be able to notice where inequity is present on their own campuses and be able to effectively and peacefully call for change.

Stutzman, Oostland, and Cahill will lead a comprehensive analysis of 91大神’s carbon emissions for the 2024-25 academic year in accordance to the university’s climate goals. Emissions from a number of sources are considered including, but not limited to, food production and waste, purchased electricity, natural gas, fertilizer and pesticide use, student and faculty travel, and 91大神’s solar grid.

Register for the summit .

For more information, visit the event鈥檚 website .

鈥淚 got to practice incisions and suturing, and we had some frogs that needed postoperative care,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat was a really valuable experience, and I don鈥檛 think I would鈥檝e gotten that at a lot of other schools.鈥�

These days, Prock doesn鈥檛 operate on frogs. His patients are mostly dogs and cats. The vet is the co-founder of Furgent Care, a veterinary urgent care in Virginia Beach that offers evening and weekend services for pet owners when their primary care veterinarian is unavailable.

Identifying a need

In 2018, following four tough years at veterinary school (Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech), Prock earned his doctor of veterinary medicine degree. After working as a general practice vet at a clinic in South Florida for three years, he returned to his hometown of Virginia Beach with his wife, Katie (Landis) Prock 鈥�12鈥攖hey met at 91大神鈥攁nd worked as a locum, filling in for understaffed hospitals that needed help.

鈥淭hink of it like substitute teaching, but for veterinarians,鈥� Prock said.

That experience opened his eyes to the growing need for after-hours veterinary services.

鈥淚t shocked me the amount of clients who would call in with sick pets and say, 鈥楳y dog is vomiting or has diarrhea or has an ear infection,鈥欌�� said Prock. 鈥淎nd the answer was, 鈥極ur first available appointment is in two weeks.鈥� That鈥檚 just how the system works. But it felt wrong to say no to so many sick pets.鈥�

That motivated him to reach out to his roommate from vet school, Jonah Williams, and together they opened Furgent Care in 2024. The clinic is staffed by 16 total employees, including four doctors. It has 164 reviews and a 4.9-out-of-5 rating.

鈥淥ur core values are compassion and collaboration, and that鈥檚 been echoed in our reviews,鈥� Prock said. 鈥淧eople get what we鈥檙e doing and they appreciate it.鈥�

Seeking a balance

From a young age, Prock had a love for animals. He said he鈥檚 always known he wanted to become a veterinarian.

鈥淢y parents let us keep weird pets,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 had all sorts of reptiles growing up, hedgehogs, guinea pigs, and bunnies. You name it, we took care of it.鈥�

That taught him the responsibility of pet ownership and fostered in him a connection to animals. He added that he鈥檚 also always been fascinated with the subject of biology, the natural sciences, and the 鈥渉uge, complex system that makes all living things, living things.鈥� 

Those interests coincided with a passion for volleyball. A skilled player in high school, he started attracting attention from college recruiters across the country.

His older sister played volleyball at a Division I school, and he saw the commitment required to compete at that level. 鈥淚 got to see firsthand what having, essentially, a full-time job on top of college looked like,鈥� Prock said. 鈥淭hat helped steer me toward Division III and 91大神.鈥�

鈥淔rom my visit to 91大神, I felt like I could achieve a balance: smaller class sizes and professors who were involved and cared for their students more than they could in a thousand-student lecture hall,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s an athlete, I was given some flexibility with my assignments. They understood I had more than just school going on and helped me outside of class when I missed it.鈥�

鈥淚 think that balance made a huge impact on my ability to eventually get into vet school,鈥� he added.

At 91大神, Prock excelled as a student-athlete. He was named to the first-ever Continental Volleyball Conference All-East Division Team during the inaugural season of the conference. His name still ranks No. 2 on the all-time digs list for 91大神.

Although no amount of work can truly prepare someone for the rigors and stressors of vet school, he said, 91大神鈥檚 coursework and degree equipped him as best it could. 鈥淚t was absolutely difficult and was a new level of challenging, but as far as fundamentals go, I had everything I needed,鈥� he said.

It鈥檚 also incredibly difficult to get accepted into vet school, he added. After graduating from 91大神 with a biology degree, he stayed in Harrisonburg for a couple years, working as an assistant at Heartland Veterinary Clinic and serving as an assistant coach for the men鈥檚 volleyball team at 91大神. At the same time, he applied to a flurry of veterinary schools across the country.

鈥淚 tell people I took one year off on purpose and one year off by accident, because I didn鈥檛 get into veterinary school,鈥� said Prock. He was eventually accepted during a second round of applications. 

When he started vet school, he had three goals. One was to graduate. Another was to stay married. And a third goal was to get as much sleep as he could. 鈥淢y priorities looked different than most people鈥檚,鈥� Prock said, noting the hypercompetitive nature of vet school students. 鈥淚t was never my goal to become the world鈥檚 best veterinarian or the world鈥檚 best clinician. I always wanted to help people and I knew I could do that by helping pets and working with animals.鈥�

Keeping his passion going

One of his most meaningful experiences from his time at 91大神 occurred during a senior seminar class taught by Professor Emeritus Roman Miller. Prock recalled an assignment to shadow a large-animal veterinarian at cattle farms around Harrisonburg for several weeks. They performed everything from routine pregnancy checks to emergency calls and surgery.

鈥淭hat was wonderful preparation,鈥� Prock said. 鈥淚 gained an immense amount of respect for farmers and for large-animal vets who work incredibly long and hard hours. To have that kind of foresight in making me do that was really wise and paid off in keeping my passion going.鈥�

As Prock鈥檚 responsibilities at the clinic have shifted, he鈥檚 spent more time on the business side, building teams and systems, and less time on the floor seeing patients.

For those like him, seeking a career in veterinary medicine, he said the role requires a 鈥渟pecific type of brain.鈥� 

鈥淚t鈥檚 common to find people who have a passion for animals,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 less common to find those who have a passion for helping people, solving problems, and working with teams.鈥�

Learn more about the clinic at .

Become an advocate 鈥� voice your support with community and business leaders; encourage others to join the conversation; offer your prayerful support for this project and for 91大神 students, faculty and staff.

Pledge your support 鈥� consider a multi-year commitment to achieve a gift of significance; consider a gift of appreciated securities to leverage your impact for this campaign. Make a one-time gift 鈥� contact us at 540-432-4203 or visit our giving page at .

A variety of naming opportunities are available, and can be used to honor a loved one, a family, or a beloved professor. For more information, contact Kirk Shisler, vice president for advancement at 540-432-4203.

Each year at 91大神, dozens of expert scientists visit campus to share their insights. Some focus on their cutting-edge research and work in the field, and some share perspectives on social reform and sustainability in the context of science. See more at: .

Joseph Gascho is a cardiologist, Professor of Humanities and Medicine, at the Penn State Milton S Hershey College of Medicine. He is a photographer and poet. He has several permanent photography displays on exhibit at Penn State Hershey Medical Center and his photography and poetry have been published in numerous venues. Dr. Gascho is a Karuko (number game) addict; visiting London is a passion.

Each year at 91大神, dozens of expert scientists visit campus to share their insights. Some focus on their cutting-edge research and work in the field, and some share perspectives on social reform and sustainability in the context of science. See more at:

Each year at 91大神, dozens of expert scientists visit campus to share their insights. Some focus on their cutting edge research and work in the field, and some share perspectives on social reform and sustainability in the context of science. See more at: http://www.emu.edu/science-seminars

Each year at 91大神, dozens of expert scientists visit campus to share their insights. Some focus on their cutting edge research and work in the field, and some share perspectives on social reform and sustainability in the context of science. See more at:

A research scientist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Md., will discuss the ways that voltage sensors and electrical signaling happen in animal and human nervous systems at the next Suter Science Seminar.

Kenton Swartz, a senior member of the molecular physiology and biophysics section at NIH, will give his presentation 4 p.m. Monday, Mar. 30, in room 104 of the Suter Science Center at 91大神.

"Kenton Swartz is a leader in his field who will speak about how brain cells called neurons create (bio)electricity," said Greta Ann Herin, assistant professor of biology at 91大神. "Cells such as these control simple diffusion of charged atoms into and out of the cell using specialized gates called ion channels. Kenton will show us how ion channels’ construction makes them responsive to signals, controllable and very fast. It’s very exciting to have him come to speak," Dr. Herin added.

Dr. Swartz joined NIH as an investigator in 1997 and was promoted to senior investigator in 2003. His laboratory uses biochemical, molecular biological and biophysical techniques to investigate the structure of voltage-activated ion channels and to explore the molecular mechanics by which these channels gate.

Swartz received a BS degree in chemistry and biology in 1986 from 91大神. In 1992, he received a PhD in neurobiology from Harvard University, studying the regulation of voltage-gated calcium channels. He did postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School, where he began isolating and studying toxins that interact with voltage-activated potassium channels.

Refreshments will be served 15 minutes prior to the presentation, which is open to everyone free of charge.

For more information, contact Dr. Roman J. Miller, Suter Endowed Professor of Biology, at 540-432-4412; email: millerrj@emu.edu.

John L. Horst, professor emeritus of physics at 91大神, recently salvaged from storage a large chart depicting "principles of electromagnetic radiations," dated 1938. Horst taught at 91大神 from 1967 until retiring in 2004.

John L. Horst examines the framed principles of electromagnetic radiations chart that now hangs in the Suter Science Center. A photo from 1943 of students in M.T. Brackbill’s physics lab is displayed to the left of the chart. (Photo by Jim Bishop)

According to Horst, the 3 1/2-foot by 5-foot "elegantly complex" poster originally hung on the wall behind the lecture deck of the late M.T. Brackbill’s "creative, quirky" physics classroom in the basement of the old administration building.

Brackbill taught science and many other courses at 91大神 from 1919 to 1956. He died in 1963.

Edited by Nobel Prize Winner

The chart was edited by Arthur H. Compton, who shared the Nobel prize in physics in 1927 for the Compton Effect, a scattering experiment that demonstrated that x-rays are photons that have quantum particle properties. He later showed that cosmic rays are photons from deep outer space.

A sidenote: Compton’s mother was a Mennonite from Ohio. He attended Bluffton (Ohio) College (now University) for a year in the early part of the 20th century.

The chart moves the observer from top to bottom with "a flurry of ideas, depicting how various parts of the spectrum are generated," Horst noted.

"Many applications – from astronomy, chemistry, engineering, medicine and physics – are part of the spectrum, with everything related to existing technologies of 1938," he said.

Physicist James Maxwell first described the wave theory of electromagnetic spectrum in the late 19th century. The particle theory of the spectrum emerged with the development of quantum mechanics in the early 20th century.

Modern Look, Striking Colors

"The color scheme is striking and excellent for its day," Horst said. The graphic arrangement is amazing considering the creators had no computer assistance back then."

Horst noted that the chart "wasn’t carefully stored, and the bottom portion had some broken or missing pieces." He credited local craftsman Raymond Shank for his "excellent restoration and framing work." The chart is now displayed on the wall adjacent to the current physics laboratory in 91大神’s Suter Science Center.