Two University of Akron College of Engineering students are experiencing close-up views of the human spaceflight program this summer. Tina Sulkowski of Valley City and Brian George of Medina are among the handful of college students selected to work with scientists at NASA through National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) internships.

University of Akron students Brian George and Tina Sulkowski (left and middle) and Virginia Tech student Sarah Over check out the patient simulator, a life-like mannequin that breathes, has a heartbeat and other life-like functions. The trio is participating in the National Space Biomedical Research Institute’s Summer Internship Program.

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Sulkowski, a third-year chemical and biomolecular engineering undergraduate student, is assigned to the Bone Laboratory at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland. She is working with scientists on a project seeking to determine the hip-fracture risk for astronauts who fall on lunar and Martian surfaces. George, who is pursuing a master's degree in biomedical engineering, is assigned to the Ultrasound Laboratory at NASA. He is working with scientists to develop a noninvasive (needle-free) method to measure red blood cell count with ultrasound technology.
           
"The summer internship program allows talented students such as Tina and Brian to learn about research for human spaceflight and how these efforts benefit health care on Earth," says Dr. Jeffrey Sutton, NSBRI director.

More than 200 students applied for NSBRI internships, making the selection of the UA students even more notable since only 18 were chosen to participate. In addition to UA's George and Sulkowki, the 16 other students in the program represent such institutions as Baylor College of Medicine, Cornell, Duke, Harvard, Michigan State, Texas A&M and the University of California, Berkeley.

"The selection of our students to participate in this prestigious program characterizes the level of excellence for which UA College of Engineering students have become known nationally," says Dr. George K. Haritos, dean of the UA College of Engineering, which is the fourth fastest growing college of engineering in the nation and the fastest growing in Ohio (among the 150 largest; data source: American Society for Engineering Education).

NSBRI projects address space health concerns, which include bone and muscle loss, cardiovascular changes, radiation exposure, neurobehavioral and psychosocial factors, remote medical-care and research capabilities, and habitability and performance issues, such as sleep cycles and lunar dust exposure. Research findings also impact the understanding and treatment of similar medical conditions experienced on Earth.