(The following was adapted, with permission, from an 8/31/98 article by R. Renteria in the El Paso Times. Ms. Kerrick's contact info: (256) 961-6814, Fax: (256) 961-6807, email: ginger.kerrick1@jsc.nasa.gov)

Much work on the part of Ginger Kerrick, a Physics alumna (BS, 1991; MS, 1993), will come to fruition when the International Space station starts being assembled later this year. Ms. Kerrick works at NASA's training division at Johnson Space Center in Houston. She recently has been shuttling back and forth between the US and Russia, helping to train astronaut William Shepherd and cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko, the first station crew. She is responsible for integrating the training of cosmonauts and astronauts before the 144-day flight. In Russia, she lives at Star City, about 35 miles from Moscow.

That Ms. Kerrick is working on such a significant assignment so early in her career is consistent with her reputation, well remembered in the department, of being persistent about her goals. Her goal had always been to work for NASA and she kept applying, without success, for summer internships throughout her undergraduate years. NASA accepted her as an intern after her senior year. She returned to NASA in a co-op program as a graduate student She finished an MS (under the direction of David Lamp) in December of 1993, just when a hiring freeze had been imposed at NASA. Her persistence finally paid off. In the Spring of 1994, four days after she began work at Texas Instruments, NASA called. Her name had come to the top of their list. She started working for them in May of 1994.

In 1995, Ms. Kerrick made the cut of 120 applicants interviewed for that year for the astronaut training program. NASA receives about 3,000 applicants per year for this program. Of the 120 who make the final cut, only 15 to 35 are selected. She did well on all interviews, physical endurance tests, and psychological screenings. Unfortunately, medical tests found that she had kidney stones, a lifetime disqualification from the program. True to her persistent nature, she is now trying to convince NASA to do research on kidney stone formation in space! Her success in a still male-dominated profession should serve as an inspiration to other women who are majoring in or thinking of majoring in physics. It should also serve as an indication that persistence towards one's goals in life pays off. Her job at NASA is also clearly another example of the versatility of a physics education!

This page was last modified on December 21, 1999