Eleven students are spending the summer at NASA Johnson Space Center, working alongside space life scientists and space medicine researchers as part of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute’s Summer Internship Program.
As NASA prepares for the launch of space shuttle Discovery and plans longer space missions, these young scientists are getting a taste of health and medical research related to sending humans on lunar and Mars missions. The 10-to-15 week program provides the opportunity for undergraduate, graduate and medical students to join ongoing research activities at NASA Johnson Space Center. The 2006 NSBRI Summer Interns and their home institutions are:
- Huda Abdul-Razzak, University of Texas
- Tileli Amimeur, University of Texas
- Christopher Arellano, University of Houston
- Rena Burbey, University of Virginia
- David Heaton, University of Rochester
- Elizabeth Hurley, University of Notre Dame
- Stephen Park, Cornell University
- Melissa Scott-Pandorf, University of Houston
- Cynthia Simmons, Texas A&M University
- Reid Simpson, Duke University
- Carly Toder, University of Minnesota
"The summer internship program is a remarkable opportunity for students to learn about the space program by working on real space biomedical research projects," said Dr. Jeffrey Sutton, NSBRI director. "The students gain exposure to research for exploration, and we are able to help inspire the next generation of scientists."
NSBRI interns work on research activities under the supervision of NASA scientists and physicians. The students are paired with mentors working on projects assessing lunar dust toxicity, cardiovascular regulation, balance and mobility after space flight, and new techniques for biomedical research data analysis. Interns are also installing hardware on the Crew Exploration Vehicle Mockup.
NSBRI, funded by NASA, is a consortium of institutions studying the health risks related to long-duration space flight. The Institute’s research and education projects take place at more than 70 institutions across the United States.
NSBRI projects address space health concerns such as bone and muscle loss, cardiovascular changes, immunology, infection, balance problems, sleep disturbances, radiation exposure effects, nutrition, physical fitness, rehabilitation, remote-treatment medical technologies, and neurobehavioral and psychosocial factors. Research findings will also impact the understanding and treatment of similar medical conditions experienced on Earth.