MONMOUTH, ILLINOIS (October 14, 2025) — Audra Goach is in the news.
The chemistry professor was recently named to chair one of Monmouth College's six new academic schools, the School of Health and Natural Sciences. That, alone, would be the highlight of any given academic year for a professor.
But on October 22, Goach will host the Illinois-Iowa American Chemical Society meeting on Monmouth's campus. She and English professor David Wright will give a pedagogy talk entitled "Forensic Science and the Mystery of Making Mysteries: Creating an Escape Room," which is based on their joint SOFIA project in 2024. In other ACS news, she recently accompanied Monmouth chemistry students to the University of Iowa for a conference.
And, in the midst of all that, Goach will receive Monmouth's prestigious Hatch Academic Excellence Award for Distinguished Teaching when the college hosts its annual Alumni Impact Awards on October 17 as part of Homecoming festivities on campus.
Hatch Award recipient
"After almost twenty years here, I think I know what I mean to the students in terms of their education and growth," said Goach, who joined the faculty in 2006. "But when you hear it from them directly, it's different — telling about the confidence I gave them, or how they wouldn't be in the job they're in without the support they received. I know that what I am trying to accomplish as an educator is happening."
Goach is referring to the nomination process for the Hatch Award, and the committee was surely swayed by the following testimonial:
"I believe my chemistry professor truly deserves a teaching award for the unwavering support and guidance she provided me throughout my time at Monmouth College. . . She believed in me when I couldn't believe in myself. . . She took me under her wing, involving me in her research and opening doors I never thought possible. Her mentorship extended beyond academics, helping me build the resilience I needed to succeed. Thanks to her, I'm now working in a pharmaceutical manufacturing job, six months after graduating, where I continue to pursue my love for science. Her belief in me was pivotal to my success, and I am forever grateful for her guidance and care throughout my journey."
Goach knows how that student feels, as her self-belief has been bolstered at various points of her career, including when she joined Monmouth's faculty, fresh off doing post-doctoral research in biophysical chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania's Institute for Medicine and Engineering, where she used small-scale imaging to analyze collagen fibers for pediatric heart valves.
A perfect mentor
"I did a two-year post-doc, and I was fortunate to get a faculty position as quickly as I did," she said. "I was weighing four or five offers, but I came to Monmouth and met 'Doc,' and he cinched the decision."
Goach is referring to the late, beloved chemistry professor Richard "Doc" Kieft, who taught at Monmouth from 1975 to 2006.
"Doc said, 'I'll mentor you.' His office was right next door," said Goach, who has a photo of Kieft on her office bulletin board. "He explained concepts to me in a way that no one had taught me before."
Goach admitted that she's left Kieft out of the body of her Hatch Award acceptance speech — he'll be mentioned in her introduction — simply because she'll get too emotional talking about him and his impact on her career.
"Doc was a huge proponent of undergraduate research," said Goach. "Students can learn in the classroom, but learning it and showing it are two different things. Doing research is how you prove you know it. Our program started with the support of Doc, and it continues today because of him and the endowment he created."
Goach has developed an active undergraduate research group that utilizes model cellular membrane systems for the investigation of drug delivery and drug effectiveness. She has published many research and pedagogical papers with undergraduates, as well as with her collaborator at Colorado State University.
The Doc Kieft Summer Research Program — started with an endowment gift Kieft left to the college upon his death in 2009 — is a key part of that undergraduate research. The aforementioned trip to Iowa City is another, and the endowment allows Goach and her colleagues to take students to national ACS meetings, as well.
Goach often refers to her department's teachings as a team effort.
"We work together, and we each have our own part, making those relationships with students, learning who they are and what they do," she said. "We enjoy helping them with their future employment and with benefitting from our alumni network."
Pennsylvania roots
In addition to Goach being hired to replace the retiring Kieft, another connection between the two is that both came to Monmouth from Pennsylvania. Goach studied at both Muhlenberg College and The Pennsylvania State University, where she utilized imaging mass spectrometry and model cell membranes to investigate the relationship between cholesterol and Alzheimer's disease.
As a high-school student, her passion for science and chemistry was fueled by a special invitation to participate in the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science, which was designed to stimulate and promote interest in science among its members through the development of research projects and investigations.
Her relationship with the field has had its up and downs, but she realized early on that teaching was something she enjoyed and could envision as a career. To do so, she'd need a PhD.
"If you want the end-goal, you'll work for it," she said. "You'll find your way through things that you don't necessarily prefer, and that's a message I pass on to my students, as well."
Goach said her teaching style and philosophy has developed during her two decades on campus, but it has some guiding principles.
"I want every student to realize that they are capable of success and that success is not the same for everyone. . . I continue to learn to value what each student has to offer. . . Many say that this job is one where we forever learn about our discipline. That's true, but more importantly, we forever learn about ourselves from those we educate, past, and present."
On another trip to Iowa, Goach did just that, watching one of her first research students, Lindsay Ditzler ('07), in action as a professor at Simpson College.
In short, the Hatch Award may be an individual honor, but it takes a team effort to get there. Be it the mentorship of Doc Kieft, or learning from current and former students, or sharing thoughts and ideas with her talented chemistry colleagues, Goach fully acknowledges and appreciates the assistance she's received on her journey to becoming one of Monmouth's most accomplished professors.
