\Homeroom\

Homeroom

Lauren Goodwin has never fit the mold. Not as a first-generation college student from rural Pennsylvania who went on to earn advanced degrees at Columbia and Penn. Not as the only female in engineering, cybersecurity, and technology roles in high-hazard environments in the energy and space industries. Not even as a member of her cohort in Penn GSE’s Executive Doctorate in Higher Education Management program, where, as the chief information officer for NASA, she stood out in a room full of longtime educators and administrators.

But that’s OK. It means she can identify issues and opportunities that other people more comfortably ensconced in those worlds might overlook. Plus, she likes to rise to a challenge.

“I always say to people, ‘Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do something,’” said Goodwin. “That has been the ethos of my career.”

She started out at NASA, straight out of American University, working as a systems engineer. It was part of her job to integrate systems on the International Space Station (ISS).

“I was able to use the role of technology and data to serve our astronauts better,” she said. “A cornerstone of my work was, ‘What could we do with the data to help the crew breathe and perform their spacewalks more efficiently?’ And then, ‘How could we launch the payload—the high-pressure gas systems—on the shuttle program?’ Technology was an enabler of the mission, and my purpose was using it to discover how we can serve people.”

Though she would later return to NASA as its CIO, in between she worked in the energy and healthcare industries, using her STEM background to undertake pioneering work with data analytics, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. But once she started graduate school, she became fascinated by a new frontier: the neuroscience of learning.

She developed research—which is still ongoing—that maps the neural patterns of the brain to best understand how to deliver the most engrossing models of learning. Now, in her current roles as both affiliated faculty at Columbia University and the founder of two startups, she leverages that work to help educators better serve students.

Her home office in Houston, Texas, is full of the souvenirs of a career spent working across the spectrum in science and technology, helping plot space exploration, data security, and even the human brain. We were lucky enough to get a tour.

Photo credit: Ben Sassani

Our Alums in Their Spaces

Lauren Goodwin, GRD’22
Professor • Researcher • Entrepreneur

Our Alums in Their Spaces

Lauren Goodwin, GRD’22
Professor • Researcher • Entrepreneur
Photo credit: Ben Sassani
Lauren Goodwin has never fit the mold. Not as a first-generation college student from rural Pennsylvania who went on to earn advanced degrees at Columbia and Penn. Not as the only female in engineering, cybersecurity, and technology roles in high-hazard environments in the energy and space industries. Not even as a member of her cohort in Penn GSE’s Executive Doctorate in Higher Education Management program, where, as the chief information officer for NASA, she stood out in a room full of longtime educators and administrators.

But that’s OK. It means she can identify issues and opportunities that other people more comfortably ensconced in those worlds might overlook. Plus, she likes to rise to a challenge.

“I always say to people, ‘Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do something,’” said Goodwin. “That has been the ethos of my career.”

She started out at NASA, straight out of American University, working as a systems engineer. It was part of her job to integrate systems on the International Space Station (ISS).

“I was able to use the role of technology and data to serve our astronauts better,” she said. “A cornerstone of my work was, ‘What could we do with the data to help the crew breathe and perform their spacewalks more efficiently?’ And then, ‘How could we launch the payload—the high-pressure gas systems—on the shuttle program?’ Technology was an enabler of the mission, and my purpose was using it to discover how we can serve people.”

Though she would later return to NASA as its CIO, in between she worked in the energy and healthcare industries, using her STEM background to undertake pioneering work with data analytics, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. But once she started graduate school, she became fascinated by a new frontier: the neuroscience of learning.

She developed research—which is still ongoing—that maps the neural patterns of the brain to best understand how to deliver the most engrossing models of learning. Now, in her current roles as both affiliated faculty at Columbia University and the founder of two startups, she leverages that work to help educators better serve students.

Her home office in Houston, Texas, is full of the souvenirs of a career spent working across the spectrum in science and technology, helping plot space exploration, data security, and even the human brain. We were lucky enough to get a tour.

1. Launch photos My children have always been a part of my career. These pictures represent two of the launch vehicles we have seen together: one at SpaceX, where we saw a Falcon 9 launch at Vandenberg Air Force Base, and the other, NASA’s [Space Launch System rocket] from our Artemis program.
2. South African mask When I was 15, I left home by myself to live abroad as a youth ambassador for the US for Rotary International. I spent a transformative year living and traveling throughout Botswana and South Africa. . . . I came to understand that true growth comes from immersing oneself in new experiences and connecting with others on a deeper level. This realization became the cornerstone of my belief that learning and experience are essential components of understanding our own life’s purpose. Masks traditionally serve to conceal identities, but for me, this mask represents the transformative power of travel and exposure as catalysts for human connection and understanding. It serves as a reminder of the incredible journey that brought me to where I am today, and the boundless possibilities of life.
frame holding photograph of Lauren Goodwin with astronaut Eileen Collins
3. Book by astronaut Eileen Collins and
4. photo with her Eileen Collins has left an indelible mark on my life. Hailing from the same Northeastern region as myself, she served as a beacon of possibility, fostering a geographical connection that resonated deeply with me as I set out on my own feat of firsts. My first encounter with her occurred during my college years, when I interned at NASA Headquarters and had the privilege of meeting her in person. It was a moment that filled me with awe, witnessing the groundbreaking achievements she had accomplished as both a pilot and commander of the International Space Station. . . . In a pivotal moment of my own journey at NASA, as captured in the photo, Eileen presented me with an award at the NASA Stellar Awards ceremony for my contributions to enhancing the high-pressure oxygen and nitrogen systems on the ISS. . . . There was a poignant irony in being honored by someone I had admired since childhood. However, it was not the award itself but rather a moment during her speech that profoundly impacted me. She said the simple yet powerful statement: “Yes, I am an astronaut, but I am a mom first.” I did not have children at the time, but her message has stayed with me ever since. Every decision I have made has always been for my two sons. I have been so fortunate to have the career I’ve had, but I am most proud to be their mom.
5. Neuro-tech device This is the basis of my research and the essence of my second company, which is focused on the neuroscience of learning. We believe the research proves we can and should have a shift towards experiential learning in education to align our pedagogy to the biological way the brain is designed to learn. . . . The field of neuroscience can actually help reshape curriculum design and student-focused learning because we can use this to map the neural patterns in our brain. It’s also reshaping how I design future classes to be more interactive and more in line with the cognitive load in which the students can optimally learn best.