The effects of space flight on physiological systems are profound and often detrimental to human health. Microgravity, the condition of near weightlessness that accompanies space flight, causes changes in cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems (e.g., bone density, cardiac output, muscle mass) as well as neural architecture and the central nervous system.
This program, sponsored by the SC Space Grant Consortium, provides for the training of five undergraduates in diverse fields pertaining to space-related life sciences. These fields all pertain to NASA's Bioastronautics Critical Path Roadmap and can be grouped in one or more of the following general categories:
- Muscle alterations and atrophy
- Transcriptomics and bioinformatics
- Cardiovascular tissue engineering
- Bone loss
- Behavior and cognitive performance
This project is supported by a grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.