Christina Koch to be honored with North Carolina Award for Science

Christina Koch, a three-time NC State University alumna, will receive the highest civilian honor awarded by the state that once took her breath away when she saw its coastline for the first time from outer space.

The North Carolina Award is given annually by the state to up to six individuals who have made significant contributions to the state and nation in the fields of fine art, literature, public service and science. Koch, who is being recognized for science, will receive the award from North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper at a ceremony on Nov. 14.

Koch grew up in Jacksonville, North Carolina, and graduated from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. She earned her B.S. in electrical engineering and B.S. in physics from NC State in 2001, followed by an M.S. in electrical engineering in 2002. 

Since being named to the NASA astronaut class of 2013, she has returned several times to NC State and reflected on the impact her time at the university has had on her life and career. She is a passionate advocate for STEM education who has engaged in educational outreach, technical instruction and volunteer tutoring.

She explained during a 2023 talk with Chancellor Randy Woodson that she wanted to attend a school where she could combine her love of the theoretical and hands-on, which led her to NC State.

“I could be close to home,” she said. “I could be at a public university, which is meant to support the people that are local, that are North Carolinians and that have so much pride in this state. And NC State just represented doers, places where entrepreneurship was valued, places where learning that theoretical side, but also building upon it and contributing back to the world, was important.”

At NC State, she discovered her love of rock climbing, which she said she talked about during her NASA interview as much as electrical engineering and physics. She studied abroad in Ghana, an experience she said was the most perspective-gaining and life-changing of her life, up there with going to space.

Koch has also talked about the many school counselors and professors who supported her throughout her education and career. 

“There were counselors and professors that really believed in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself,” she said. “And knowing that I owed it to them to give it my all and to go in the direction of those dreams was something that definitely compelled me.”

Koch will return to space in 2025 as a mission specialist for Artemis II, the first crewed mission to orbit the moon in more than 50 years. She will be the first woman to participate in a lunar mission. She spent 328 days in space, setting the record for the longest time a woman has spent in space. She also participated in the first all-female spacewalk.

The North Carolina Award was established by the General Assembly in 1961 and has been presented annually since 1964. Past recipients include William Friday, James Taylor, Etta Baker, Charles Kuralt, Maya Angelou, Lee Smith, Eric Church, Selma Burke and Branford Marsalis.

The five other individuals recognized in 2024 are The Avett Brothers, Frank A. Bruni Jr., William Henry Curry, Thomas W. Earnhardt and Harold L. Martin Sr.

Correction: An earlier version of this article stated Christina Koch is a two-time NC State University alumna. She is a three-time alumna, having earned a B.S. in electrical engineering, a B.S. in physics and an M.S. in electrical engineering.