Project 6:
Astronauts aboard the international space station (ISS) are allotted 2 hours everyday for exercise. Without this regular exercise, they experience rapid declines in heart, muscle and bone health, owing to the absence of gravitational stress. Despite these efforts to maintain astronaut health, recent research indicates that 6 months aboard the ISS is equivalent to ~30 years of aging in terms of blood vessel and metabolic health. Studies are now ongoing to track astronaut health after returning to earth to determine whether or not this accelerated aging can be reversed. Regular heat exposure, whether passive or active, has been shown to improve both blood vessel function and metabolic health. This undergraduate student project aims to determine if adding heat stress to exercise confers further benefits to blood vessel and metabolic health.
The students (ideally 2), will recruit healthy participants in Flagstaff, supervise testing sessions (up to 5 hours) and analyze the data. As their mentor, I will catheterize (venous blood sampling) the participants and supervise testing session. This project will require 10-15 hours per week for each semester.
This study is a fun and simple design with practical relevance for astronaut health. I foresee the data being publishable in reputable environmental physiology journals since life in space simulates extreme inactivity here on earth. Therefore, the findings from this study extend beyond astronauts and are relevant for individuals on earth interested in improving vascular and metabolic health.