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Header: Stodieck and a group of students under Space Shuttle Endeavour prior to the STS-118 launch.
Above: Stodieck loading Fluid Processing Apparati for an orbital experiment.

Louis Stodieck is stepping back from bioastronautics after nearly five decades at the leading edge of research.

A three-time graduate of the ������ý����, Stodieck (AeroEngr BS’79, MS’81, PhD’85)�� has spent almost his entire career on the Front Range, but his work is literally out of this world. He has been part of BioServe Space Technologies on campus since it was founded in 1987. The center recently celebrated its 100th orbital payload launch to space.

“The launches never become ordinary,” said Stodieck, a professor emeritus in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences. “Our first launch was an extreme learning curve; you can’t even imagine getting to it, having something on the space shuttle and getting launched.”

Stodieck grew up on a ranch in northern Nevada. His two older brothers would become electrical engineers. Stodieck was drawn to space.

“Aerospace was very much my priority. Back then there was no online. You had to go to the library to pick up catalogs to figure out which schools had aerospace programs,” Stodieck said.

He applied to CU ������ý���� in part for the quality of the engineering program and also for Colorado’s outdoor opportunities.

After finishing his undergraduate degree, he considered going into industry, but the allure of research was strong, and an aerospace faculty member, Marvin Luttges, had funding to take him on as a graduate student.

“The work was more biomedical engineering related. I loved physiology and biology. They complemented my more traditional engineering training,” he said.

At that time, space payloads were almost exclusively the domain of NASA, but in 1987, that changed.

“Congress required NASA to create centers for the commercial development of space and to accept commercial payloads. There was almost no one in the agency that supported it. Commercial payloads were a four-letter word,” he said.

Luttges submitted a proposal to start a center at CU ������ý����, which would become BioServe. Stodieck, who had been completing a postdoc at the University of British Columbia, was drawn back to Colorado to join the team.

It was rough going at first.

“We were trying to promote industry getting involved in the space program, and the first question from companies was always, ‘Well, why would I want to do that?’ Today, there’s much more interest,” he said.

In those early years, BioServe was sending up one or two payloads annually. Today they launch nearly 15 payloads each year, ranging from studies of cell cultures and bacteria to pharmaceutical research. BioServe has also developed permanent hardware used on the International Space Station, including incubators, microscopes��and refrigerators to store astronaut food and medications.

Stodieck at Cape Canaveral for a shuttle launch.

Their budget is approximately $5 million each year, funding generated from work with universities and businesses worldwide. If an organization wants to do life science research in space, BioServe can make it happen. and the have all worked with them to develop experiments.

As years passed, Stodieck’s responsibilities at BioServe increased; in 1995 he was promoted from research associate to assistant research professor. In 1999, he was asked to lead the entire center, a position he would hold for 20 years.

He faced particular challenges in 2006 when NASA ended funding for the commercial space program. It was no longer an issue of the agency not trusting commercial providers, they had proven their worth; it was simply a change in leadership priorities.

“At that time, there were 16 centers like ours. After 2006, almost all of them closed. That transition was extremely difficult. We navigated it because we were determined to do so. We strongly felt our program should continue, along with key champions inside NASA,” he said.

In 2019, Stodieck stepped back from the director role to become BioServe’s chief scientist, a role that focused entirely on research. It was an attempt at a phased retirement. Stodieck anticipated he would continue working for another two to three years. It has now been six.

“The last few years all of the work has been with human cells, tissues and lab on a chip systems. This is an area that has potential to treat cancer, blood disorders, autoimmune issues. That’s all really exciting and it’s hard to step away,” Stodieck said.

Although he is now retired, Stodieck is not slowing down. Both he and his wife enjoy traveling and the Colorado lifestyle, including hiking and climbing. They recently went rafting in the Grand Canyon with their two adult daughters.

“I don’t ever see sitting around very long,” he said. “It’s time to see what’s next.”