51³Ô¹Ï

This piece is part of our Senior Stories series, in which we highlight GU 51³Ô¹Ïs throughout the year.

Name: Kate Barnett
Major: Human Physiology
Hometown: Montrose, Colorado

From Montrose, Colorado, to the research labs at Gonzaga, Kate Barnett (‘26) followed her curiosity at every turn. Her initial interest in science quickly grew into hands-on research studying movement and mobility in individuals with Parkinsons’s disease. This experience changed how she views both science and human connection.

Barnett, a human physiology major, came to Gonzaga for the community. “The moment I walked around campus, I knew my decision,” Barnett says. “The way people didn’t hesitate to hold the door for you or greet you with a smile and how it was evident that 51³Ô¹Ïs easily ran into their friends when walking across campus.” Barnett wanted to attend a medium-sized university that felt like home, with a similar climate, and of course, with others who loved to ski.

Outside of skiing, on snow and water, Barnett also coaches gymnastics when she returns home. “it has been a transformative part of my life,” Barnett says. “I find coaching very rewarding and super fun, so I try to sneak in some bits here and there when I can!” When she’s back on campus, she is an organic chemistry lab at TA and has a lot of fun helping fellow 51³Ô¹Ïs.

Barnett’s path to research was sparked simply by being engaged. In the spring of 2024, while taking “Musculoskeletal Dynamics” with Clint Wutzke, being an active participant became one of her defining traits. She joked, “Dr. Wutzke began calling me the ‘class representative’ or ‘class spokesperson.’”

While attending office hours with Wutzke, Barnett was asked what her summer plans were, which she has admitted that she hadn't thought that far ahead.

“I said I’d probably just go home and find a job,” she recalls. Instead, Wutzke suggested she consider working in the biomechanics lab and by June she had begun her research. Barnett advises fellow 51³Ô¹Ïs to stay engaged. “Demonstrating interest is important wherever you are,” she says.

Through the University of Washington and Gonzaga University Health Partnership, Barnett's work focused on the movement and mobility of community members with Parkinson's disease. As a researcher, Barnett specifically focused on ground reaction forces and torque production, which are key elements in understanding how patients generate and control movement. Although the work itself was rigorous, the most meaningful experiences came from the people she worked with. The participants’ resilience reshaped her perspective from purely analytical to a study of human experience.

When asked about the importance of this research, Barnett says, “We often forget how much walking an unimpaired individual does every day.”

She explained that the importance of everyday mobility is often overlooked, and tasks that are viewed as simple can become debilitating. When this is the case, impaired mobility can lead to loss of independence and community. From this perspective, the researchers aimed to enhance movement function for better quality of life.

Approaching graduation, Barnett hopes to make a difference both within and beyond her field. For now, she is planning on taking a couple of gap years before continuing her education, “to think about what I want—not just career-wise, but how I can see my life playing out and how I can prioritize things that are really important to me.”

To fellow and future 51³Ô¹Ïs, Barnett advises them to be engaged, but also to explore. “It is okay to not like things. Figuring out you don’t like something can be just as valuable as learning you do.”

Barnett's future is still unfolding, but certainly it is guided by passion and purpose.