Exploring Beyond Earth
Elizabeth Howell, ’12, ’19, has spent two decades telling the story of space — with Canada always at the heart of her mission.
For Elizabeth Howell, ’12, ’19, space exploration is more than a career – it’s a connection to her country’s role in the cosmos.
A veteran Canadian journalist, she has covered space for nearly 20 years – writing thousands of articles, authoring five books, and watching eight launches. Her most meaningful moments have come from watching Canadian astronauts make history.
In 2023, she stood in the crowd in Houston as Jeremy Hansen was named to the Artemis II crew, set to return humans to the Moon later in the 2020s. Nearly five years earlier, she traveled to Kazakhstan to witness David Saint-Jacques’ launch to the International Space Station.
“Seeing a fellow Canadian go into space was one of the most extraordinary moments of my life,” she said.
Elizabeth has recently explored new hobbies, earning a degree in history, and studying Latin and early Greek and Roman history. “Some people do art; some watch TV; some go out in nature. I unwind by reading Latin books,” she said.
Apollo 13 Lights a Spark
Elizabeth’s path to UND’s Space Studies program began in high school after she watched Apollo 13.
Before pursuing an international space education, she earned a journalism degree from
Carleton University in Ottawa.
“I’ve been writing since I was 2 years old; that’s my way of communicating,” she said.
“I decided I’d write about space.”
After graduating in 2007, she entered a precarious job market, writing for many newspapers and websites “simply to stay employed.” A few years later, she decided to “level up” and enrolled in UND’s Space Studies master’s program. She valued the program’s cross-disciplinary approach, including courses in astronomy, space law, and an early introduction to SpaceX, then a small company.
Elizabeth later pursued a Ph.D., researching the psychological and physical effects of isolation in space — timely preparation for the global challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her insights proved useful as she supported her community by sharing strategies for coping with isolation.
From Space to the Internet
After her time as a writer and editor at Space.com, Elizabeth continues to freelance in space journalism, drawing on the skills she honed at UND to tell complex stories with clarity.
“Critical thinking and research have been essential to my career. I developed a lot of those skills at UND. I’ve also relied on the sense of community I built during my time there and as a freelancer,” she said.
