NASA现代历史缔造者：玛丽塞拉·利兹卡诺
Maricela Lizcano poses inside NASA Glenn Research Center’s Aerospace Communications Facility.
Credit: NASA/Bridget Caswell
Maricela Lizcano never dreamed of working for NASA.
In fact, she wasn’t planning on furthering her education until she had a revelation in her late twenties.
“I was watching one of those forensic shows, and I loved the way they caught the criminals with science,” said Lizcano, research materials engineer at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. “I wanted to be able to do that. I realized I should be studying science and engineering.”
It took Lizcano about ten years to prepare mentally and financially to go back to school, and during that time, she received some startling news.
“I found out that I was losing my sight, and it was very scary,” Lizcano said. “I think that was one of the things that tossed me off the rails. I had so many questions: ‘What am I going to do? How am I going to work or go to school? How quickly am I losing my vision?’ There were no answers.”
Lizcano was diagnosed with Stargardt disease, a rare genetic eye disease that occurs when fatty material builds up on the macula — the small part of the retina needed for sharp, central vision.
“My Stargardt disease started on the outer edges of my macula, and over time, it grew to the center,” Lizcano said. “By the time I was 45 years old, it had pretty much taken all of my central vision, and now I rely on my peripheral vision to see.”
Eventually, Lizcano viewed this as another obstacle to hurdle, no different from any others she had experienced in her life. She attended the University of Texas–Pan American, now called the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She started during a second summer session, easing her way to full-time attendance while also holding a job.
Because of her new disability, she couldn’t see what professors were writing on the board. She taught herself to listen intently to the topics being discussed in the lecture, then after class, she read the textbook and rewrote the lecture notes using special magnification tools.
“It took that much longer, but you learn to adapt,” Lizcano said. “There are certain skills you develop because of the changes you have to make when you have a disability. I learned that I really have to listen.”
After five years, Lizcano completed her mechanical engineering degree. She didn’t get a job right away after graduation, so she continued her education and earned master’s and doctorate degrees.
“I can’t just look at my disability as some great thing that I really had to overcome,” Lizcano said. “I think a lot of people overcome many obstacles because we are driven by the desire to achieve things. You don’t see the challenges as challenges, you just see them as something to conquer to get to your goal.”
In 2010, former President Barack Obama signed an executive order to increase federal employment of individuals with disabilities. The executive order directed executive departments and agencies to improve their efforts to employ workers with disabilities through increased recruitment, hiring, and retention of these individuals.
“Through the Workforce Recruitment Program, I had the opportunity to interview with representatives from federal agencies,” Lizcano said. “I heard nothing for a long time, but then suddenly I got an email from NASA Glenn asking if I’d present my research.”
She accepted a job as a research materials engineer and now leads a team working on high-voltage materials for electrified aircraft. She collaborates with various universities to develop composite insulation materials and lightweight conductors.
Even now working at NASA, Lizcano faces challenges that she finds ways to overcome. She depends on her fellow colleagues to carpool to work and accessibility tools — like the magnifier app — to use her computer.
“Understanding my needs allowed me to get over the fact that I lost my independence,” Lizcano said. “It was a mind shift to be all right with asking for help.”
Lizcano’s recommends a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics career to anyone looking for a challenge or excitement.
“We’re always solving problems. If you’re one of those people who really wants to make a difference in the world, STEM careers are a good place to start,” Lizcano said. “Any challenge that you may have in result of a disability is no different than the challenge you’re trying to solve, and it will give you the motivation and unique skills you need to be successful.”
NASA is in a Golden Era of aeronautics and space exploration. In partnership with commercial and private businesses, NASA is currently making history with significant missions such as Artemis, Quesst, and electrified aviation. The NASA’s Modern History Makers series highlights members of NASA Glenn’s workforce who make these remarkable missions possible.
Jacqueline Minerd
NASA’s Glenn Research Center
玛丽塞拉·利兹卡诺做梦也没想到能为NASA工作。
事实上，她一直没有继续深造的打算，直到她快30岁的时候才有了一个新发现。
“我当时正在看一个法医节目，我喜欢他们用科学手段抓住罪犯的方式。”利兹卡诺是克利夫兰NASA格伦研究中心的研究材料工程师，他说。“我希望能够做到这一点。我意识到我应该学习科学和工程。”
利兹卡诺花了大约十年的时间在心理和经济上为重返学校做准备，在那段时间里，她收到了一些令人震惊的消息。
“我发现我正在失去视力，这非常可怕。”利兹卡诺说。“我认为这是让我偏离轨道的事情之一。我有很多问题：‘我该怎么办？我该怎么工作或上学？我视力丧失的速度有多快？’没有答案。”
利兹卡诺被诊断患有Stargardt病，这是一种罕见的遗传性眼病，当脂肪物质在黄斑上积聚时就会发生，黄斑是视网膜上敏锐的中央视觉所需的一小部分。
“我的Stargardt病始于我黄斑的外边缘，随着时间的推移，它发展到了中心。”利兹卡诺说。“到我45岁的时候，它几乎夺走了我所有的中央视力，现在我只能依靠周边视力来看东西。”
最终，利兹卡诺认为这是另一个障碍，与她生命中经历过的其他障碍没有什么不同。她就读于德克萨斯大学泛美分校，现名为德克萨斯大学里奥格兰德山谷分校。她从第二个暑期班开始，这让她在全职上课的同时也有一份工作。
由于她的新残疾，她看不清教授们在黑板上写什么。她学会了专注地听课堂上讨论的话题，然后在课后，她阅读课本，并用特殊的放大工具重写课堂笔记。
“这需要更长的时间，但你要学会适应。”利兹卡诺说。“当你有残疾时，你必须做出改变，从而发展某些技能。我学会了倾听。”
五年后，利兹卡诺完成了她的机械工程学位。她毕业后没有马上找到工作，所以她继续深造，获得了硕士和博士学位。
“我不能只把自己的残疾看作是我必须克服的一件大事。”利兹卡诺说。“我认为许多人克服了许多障碍，因为我们被实现目标的愿望所驱动。你不会把挑战视为挑战，你只会把它们视为实现目标所需要克服的东西。”
2010年，前总统奥巴马签署了一项行政命令，增加联邦政府对残疾人的就业。该行政命令指示各行政部门和机构通过增加对残疾人的招聘、雇用和留用来改善雇用残疾工人的工作。
“通过劳动力招聘计划，我有机会与联邦机构的代表面谈。”利兹卡诺说。“我很长一段时间都没有听到任何消息，但突然我收到了NASA格伦的一封电子邮件，询问我是否愿意介绍我的研究。”
她接受了一份研究材料工程师的工作，现在领导一个团队，研究电动飞机的高压材料。她与多所大学合作开发复合绝缘材料和轻质导体。
即使现在在NASA工作，莉兹卡诺也面临着挑战，她想办法克服这些挑战。她依靠同事拼车上班，依靠放大镜应用等辅助工具使用电脑。
“了解自己的需求让我克服了失去独立性的事实。”利兹卡诺说。“这是一种心态的转变，可以坦然地寻求帮助。”
利兹卡诺向任何寻求挑战或刺激的人推荐科学、技术、工程和数学职业。
“我们总是在解决问题。如果你是那些真正想改变世界的人之一，STEM职业是一个很好的起点，”利兹卡诺说。“你可能因残疾而面临的任何挑战与你试图解决的挑战没有什么不同，它会给你成功所需的动力和独特技能。”
NASA正处于航空和太空探索的黄金时代。在与商业和私营企业的合作中，NASA目前正在通过诸如阿尔忒弥斯、Quesst和电气化航空等重大任务创造历史。NASA的现代历史创造者系列突出了美国宇航局格伦的工作人员，他们使这些非凡的任务成为可能。
杰奎琳·迈纳德
美国宇航局格伦研究中心