Bioastronautics Research Group (2002-2019 archived) NOTE: As of January 2020, the content of this webpage has been migrated to: https://www.colorado.edu/bioastronautics/students …new building, new era!
This specialty area of Aerospace Engineering Sciences encompasses biological, behavioral and medical aspects governing humans and other living organisms in a space flight environment; and includes design of payloads, spacesuits, spacecraft habitats and life support systems. In short, Bioastronautics spans the study and support of life in space.

Current Bioastronautics Research Students (as of January 2020)

Mike Lotto, PhD candidate	In situ Resource Utilization for Spacecraft Atmosphere Revitalization Mike Lotto completed his concurrent Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado-Boulder in May of 2015. For his doctoral research, he is assessing the feasibility of using co-electrolysis with room temperature ionic liquids to produce methane and oxygen for Mars in-situ resource utilization. During his undergraduate career, Mike was a co-op at NASA Johnson Space Center, where he primarily worked in the Mission Operations Directorate in support of the International Space Station program. He also interned with the Dream Chaser development team at Sierra Nevada Corporation. Under the guidance of Dr. Klaus, he was lucky enough to propose and conduct research on NASA’s “Weightless Wonder,” characterizing free convection in reduced gravity environments. After his Master's, he worked for a year as a Graduate Research Assistant for BioServe Space Technologies, where he developed biotech payloads for research on the International Space Station. In his spare time, Mike enjoys backpacking, photography, and running. He is also a PADI-certified Rescue Diver, a B-licensed skydiver, and a licensed amateur radio operator. PhD Thesis Advisor:  Dr. David Klaus Funding: NASA STTR Freezable Heat Exchanger 2015;  BioServe Space Technologies, 2015-16; NSTRF 2016-20 last updated January 2018
Daniel Case, PhD candidate	Integrated Space Radiation Shielding for Extraterrestrial Habitats Daniel Case is a PhD student in aerospace engineering sciences at the University of Colorado - Boulder. At CU, he researches strategies for mitigating space radiation exposure, hoping to help enable long-term human spaceflight beyond low Earth orbit. In 2016, Daniel was awarded a NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship (NSTRF) to facilitate his research, titled Passive Radiation Shielding: Integrating Multilayer and Multipurpose Materials into Space Habitat Design. Daniel earned his M.S. in aerospace engineering sciences from CU –Boulder in May 2016, and he earned his B.A. in physics and philosophy from Northwestern University in June 2011. In the time between his undergraduate and graduate studies, Daniel worked as a business analyst for a financial firm in Chicago, Illinois. In his free time, Daniel likes to play sports, including basketball, bowling, and golf. He’s also an avid reader, although the list of books that he’d like to read grows more quickly than the list of books that he’s actually read. His philosophical interests include ethics, metaphysics, and existentialism, and he likes to muse about the ways in which philosophy influences public policy. Ph.D. Thesis Advisor:  Dr. James Nabity Funding:  College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Dean’s Fellowship (2014-2015), Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department (2014-2016), NSTRF (2016-Present) last updated August 2016
Christine Escobar (née Chamberlain), PhD student	Robust ECLSS Design for Deep Space Exploration Christine received her Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Sciences, with a focus in ecology, from the University of Virginia in 2000. She then received her Master’s Degree in Systems Engineering, also from the University of Virginia, in 2002. Christine has since held various positions specializing in statistical data analysis before joining the NASA Sounding Rocket Operations Contract (NSROC) as a Flight Performance Analyst in 2008.  From 2010 – 2014, she worked for Orbital Science Corporation, as a Systems Engineer and then Mission Manager, managing engineering teams and launch operations for several NASA sounding rocket missions. While with Orbital, Christine became a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).  She then left the Sounding Rocket Program in 2014 to return to graduate school at CU Boulder and pursue her PhD in bioastronautics. She served as Systems Engineer for design and fabrication of the Mars OASIS crop production system, as part of the 2014 eXploration Habitat (X-Hab) Academic Innovation Challenge.  She received an MS in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from CU Boulder with an emphasis in Bioastronautics in 2016.  Currently, her PhD research involves the robust design of environmental control and life support systems (ECLSS). Christine is also co-owner of a small aerospace engineering and technology development company, called Space Lab Technologies, LLC. In her spare time, she is an avid musician (flute, drums, and voice) and enjoys hiking and biking in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. PhD Advisor:  Dr. James Nabity Funding: CU Boulder Aerospace Engineering Sciences (AES) Graduate Fellowship, 2013; FAA Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation, 2014; NASA NextSTEP with Orbital ATK, 2015-16 last updated September 2017
Kipp Larson, PhD student	Spacesuit Thermal Control System Kipp earned a B.S. degree in Physics and Philosophy with a minor in Astrophysics from Renssellaer Polytechnic Institute. He later went on to earn a M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Hampshire where he developed the front-end electronics for a gamma-ray imaging spectrometer instrument prototype. After working as a professional ski instructor while at UNH, he went to work for Lockheed Martin at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston as the lead systems engineer and crew trainer for the Human Research Facility instrument rack on the International Space Station. After moving to Boulder to work at Ball Aerospace as the mission operations lead for the NPP and Worldview spacecraft, he earned an M.S. degree in Space Systems Operations Management from Webster University. He later served a brief stint as an adjunct professor at Webster University, where he taught a graduate class in satellite communication, and he also served as an assistant instructor for Johns Hopkins University’s M.S. program in Systems Engineering at Ball. He is currently the Mission Operations Manager (MOM) leading the team that runs NASA’s Kepler/K2 space telescope, which has discovered over 5,000 planets outside our solar system, including the first Earth-sized planets in the habitable zone of their stars. In 2015 he began pursuing a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder focusing in bioastronautics. His current area of research is the use of thermoelectric generators to create power using body heat as part of a space suit thermal control system. He is a senior member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and the Delta Mu Delta Academic Honor Society. In his spare time he enjoys hiking, skiing and wishing he could scuba dive more. A private pilot, he is also building an airplane in his garage. Ph.D. Thesis Advisor: Dr. James Nabity last updated December 2016
Young-Young Shen, PhD student	Spacesuit Wearer Joint Kinematics Estimation Young-Young's PhD research seeks to develop a magnetometer-free wearable inertial sensor system for observing human motion inside a spacesuit. His work is motivated by the need for in-suit measurements of wearer joint kinematics in order to inform the design of spacesuits. This enables the development of spacesuits that more adequately accommodate the wearer, which will be necessary for preventing astronaut musculoskeletal injuries during highly frequent EVAs on future crewed planetary missions. His research interests include mathematical modeling, state estimation, and dynamics and control. Separately, for an independent study, Young-Young worked to develop a particle filter model of human orientation perception under the influence of visual and vestibular cues. He previously held a research assistantship with the CU Integrated Remote and In-Situ Sensing initiative, for which he studied applications of unmanned aircraft systems in subalpine forest ecology. Young-Young received his Master of Applied Science in aerospace engineering from the University of Toronto in 2015, where he participated in the analysis, development, and testing of attitude determination and control systems for next-generation microsatellites. He completed his undergraduate studies in the Engineering Science program at the University of Toronto, where he majored in aerospace engineering, receiving his Bachelor of Applied Science in Engineering Science in 2013. In his spare time, Young-Young enjoys working on his personal software projects, playing the violin in the CU Campus Orchestra, and skiing. He is also a NAUI-certified Scuba Diver. PhD Thesis Advisor: Dr. Allison Anderson Funding: Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences (2017 to present), NASA Quantifying and Preventing EVA Injury in Exploration Environments Grant NNX17AB11G (2017), CU Integrated Remote and In-Situ Sensing (IRISS) initiative (2016) last updated August 2019
Kathrine Bretl, PhD student	Artificial Gravity Katie is a first year PhD student Aerospace Engineering Sciences with an emphasis in Bioastronautics.  She received her B.S. in Aerospace Engineering with a minor in Political Science from MIT in February of 2016. In her time at MIT, she completed several semesters of research in various areas including embryonic stem cells, concussion mitigation, supersonic aircraft pressure signature propagation, and most recently, spacesuit design.  She has interned at NASA Langley Research Center, NASA Johnson Space Center, and SpaceX.  Passionate about human space exploration, Katie plans to investigate artificial gravity and enabling technologies in her time here at CU. A Wisconsin native, Katie is an avid sports fan (go Buffs!) and loves flying, camping, drinking craft brews, and spending time with her friends and family. Ph.D. Thesis Advisor: Dr. Torin Clark Funding: NSTRF (2017-2021) last updated December 2016
Jordan Dixon, PhD student	Jordan Dixon received his Bachelor’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering (August 2016) from the University of Kansas including a final semester at Delft University of Technology. His undergrad research included design, manufacturing and assembly of composite structures to house radar systems and facilitate desirable radiation patterns, studying effects of bias-adaptive haptic feedback in the automotive domain, and determining efficacy of pilots with peripheral and/or physical motion cues during tracking tasks. He also completed an internship with the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) as part of the flight test team, where his work involved redesigning, modifying, and flight testing a medium-size UAV that recently sounded Greenland’s Russel Glacier. Jordan is now a first year PhD student in Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado with an emphasis in Bioastronautics. His current area of research is spaceflight-induced physiological adaptation and corresponding mitigation strategies. He plans to continue investigating this area with a focus in dynamic computational modeling of physiological systems. Outside of school, he enjoys playing sports including ultimate frisbee and hockey, playing music with friends, and exploring Boulder’s world of craft beer. Ph.D. Thesis Advisor: Dr. Torin Clark Funding: CU SEED grant (2017-2018) last updated January 2017
Katya Arquilla, PhD student	Wearable sensor systems Katya Arquilla earned her Bachelor of Science in Astrophysics at Rice University in Houston, TX in May 2014.  During her time at Rice, her research focused on the detection of exoplanets through the use of stellar spectroscopy working with Professor Christopher Johns-Krull.  After graduating in 2014, Katya taught math and physics to middle and high school students in Houston, earning her teaching certification during her first year.  In Fall 2016, Katya began a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering Sciences with a focus in Bioastronautics.  During the 2016-2017 academic year, she participated in the X-Hab graduate project titled Cabin Atmosphere Revitalization through Ionic Liquids (CARIL) as Project Manager.  She also worked as a teaching assistant for the undergraduate aerospace courses Thermodynamics/Aerodynamics and Attitude Dynamics/Orbital Mechanics.  Katya’s current research focus is in wearable sensor systems, working with Professor Allison Anderson and fellow PhD students Young-Young Shen and Abhishektha Boppana on a wearable pressure and motion sensing garment for use within the space suit to work toward injury prevention during extravehicular activity.  In May 2018, Katya received her Master’s degree, and this fall she will begin her PhD thesis research on the use of wearable sensor systems to discern physiological signals indicative of mental illnesses such as PTSD and depression. This research will be performed in conjunction with a group of researchers in the Biomedical Solutions capability at The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory (Cambridge, MA).  In her free time, Katya enjoys being outside hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding, playing ultimate frisbee and enjoying all the perks of life in Boulder. Ph.D. Thesis Advisor: Dr. Allison Anderson Funding: Draper Fellowship (2018-present) last updated August 2018
Abhishektha Boppana, PhD student	Abhishektha (Abhi) graduated from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in May 2017 with a BS in Biomedical Engineering. During his undergraduate career, he completed internships at both NASA’s Glenn Research Center (GRC) and NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC). His work at GRC focused on developing finite element-based bone models to study the effect of performing exercise in microgravity. At JSC, he worked on a variety of projects including: validating the use of photogrammetry in spacesuit sizing, parametrically modeling shoulder deformation, and studying spacesuit contact pressure during shoulder movements. Abhi is currently a PhD student in Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado, an emphasis in Bioastronautics. For his doctoral research, Abhi is exploring a new methodolgy to design spacesuit footwear using information about shape changes in the foot. This work is motivated by the need to have safer, more comfortable footwear for human spaceflight missions to the Moon and Mars where astronauts will need to walk for long distances to complete their missions. To design better fitting footwear, Abhi is collecting scans of the foot during walking trials, and using the data to predict changes in foot shape through the gait cycle. This data will then be used to design new spacesuit footwear that matches the dynamic shape of the foot. Outside of academics, Abhi enjoys travelling, eating, and photography. last updated September 2019 Ph.D. Advisor: Dr. Allison Anderson Funding: Smead Scholar (2017-present), NSF GRFP Fellowship (2018-present) last updated Nov 2019
Carlos Pinedo, PhD student	Carlos is a Major and a test pilot in the United States Air Force and current PhD student in Aerospace Engineering Sciences with a focus in Bioastronautics. He received his B.S and M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT in 2005. During his time at MIT he completed internships and fellowships at NASA Armstrong, NASA Langley, and Caltech. His undergraduate research culminated in a thesis studying the aerodynamic benefits of unmanned aerial vehicle formation flying. While his M.S. thesis focused on the effects of a combined 3D auditory/visual cueing system on visual target detection using a helmet-mounted display. Upon graduating from MIT, he commissioned into the Air Force and attended pilot training at Whiting Field, FL and Vance AFB, OK. Following pilot training Carlos was assigned to Dyess AFB, TX where he flew the B-1 in three deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. In 2013, Carlos was selected to attend USAF Test Pilot School completing a M.S. in Flight Test Engineering. His M.S. thesis included a comparison of flight control input methods for aerodynamic parameter estimation for hypersonic vehicles. As a test pilot, Carlos has over 2700 flight hours in 30 unique aircraft. Prior to arriving at CU Boulder, he taught multi-engine flight test techniques at the USAF Test Pilot School. As an avid flyer with a passion for manned spaceflight, his interests are in space human factors, cockpit design, and interfaces for pilots in complex tasks. A native of California, he enjoys all beach related activities, hiking, soccer, traveling, and spending time with his two dogs. Ph.D. Advisor: Dr. Torin Clark last updated January 2018
Kimia Seyedmadani, PhD student	Kimia earned her B.S. in Bioengineering (May 2010) and her M.S. in Biomedical Engineering (Aug 2013) from Arizona State University. Her undergraduate research focused on biomechanics and rehabilitation for upper limb grasping motion which led to a prototype low-cost, off-the-shelf prosthetic. In graduate school, she completed a study on neural recording and signal processing in rats. Her thesis was entitled “Feasibility of Investigating Mineralization Processes Under Simulated Microgravity Free Convectionless Conditions in Unit Gravity Environment with Implication on Bone Mineral Density.” After her M.S., she worked as a design coordinator in Bioengineering Product Design and Global Health Technology Innovation Center, designing more than 50 Class I and Class II medical devices. From 2014-2016, she worked at Boston Scientific as a consultant on development of revolutionary treatments for pancreatic cancer. Meanwhile, her interests in health and exploration led her to become an affiliate of the Man-Vehicle Laboratory at Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she conducted research on the effects of hypergravity on human physiology. Kimia left the biomedical industry in 2016 to return to graduate school at CU Boulder and pursue her Ph.D. She received an MS in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from CU Boulder with an emphasis in Bioastronautics in 2017 and is currently exploring thesis topics. In her spare time, she is involving in a variety of outreach and mentorship activities, such as being a technical advisor for Edge of Space and enjoys traveling, fencing, learning new sports and hiking in Colorado. MS Advisor: Dr. James Nabity (MS 2017) Funding: Aerospace Engineering Sciences (AES) Graduate Fellowship, 2016: NASA Innovative for Advance Concepts Phase I, 2017 (Clark), Teaching Assistant Spring, 2018; NASA VNSCOR, Fall 2019 last updated August 2019
Sage Sherman, BS/MS student	Sage Sherman is currently in his fifth year at the University of Colorado - Boulder, completing his BS/MS concurrent degree in Aerospace Engineering Sciences. His undergraduate research examined how the vestibular system could adapt to artificial gravity via a centrifuge. For his senior project, Sage helped design a test stand and analysis module for hybrid rocket engines, as well as, helped develop a hybrid rocket motor. He also participated in the Colorado Science and Engineering Policy Fellowship. Sage's current MS research explores how auditory perception may be enhanced by white noise due to a phenomenon called stochastic resonance. He also plans on working toward identifying the cochlear mechanism that may be responsible for this occurrence. Sage is a Colorado native that enjoys backpacking, climbing, exploring new locations, and long walks on the beach.  MS Thesis Advisor: Dr. Allison Anderson last updated August 2018
Eric Brighton, PhD student	Aircraft and Spacecraft Cockpit Design Evaluation Eric received his BS in Aerospace Engineering from St Louis University in 2004, and his MS in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from CU Boulder in 2011. During undergraduate studies, he supported the US Army Soldier Systems Center conducting research on parachute CFD modeling and flight performance. Following graduation from St Louis University, Eric commissioned in the US Air Force. Through active duty, reserve, and civil service, he worked as a Flight Test Engineer on the AC-130, C-17, and RQ-4, and completed foreign language training in St Petersburg, Russia. Eric transferred to the US Navy in 2016, where he continues to support flight testing on the C-130 and MQ-4C. He returned to CU in 2017 to pursue a PhD in Bioastronautics focusing on aircraft and spacecraft cockpit design evaluation techniques. In his free time Eric is an avid St Louis Cardinals baseball and auto racing fan, and a frequent endurance runner. PhD Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Funding:  Department of Defense last updated August 2018
MC Dorbecker, PhD student	Space Radiation MC received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Aerospace Engineering with a focus in Astronautics from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 2015. While there, she was a member of the CubeSat program and was responsible for assembling and testing Poly-Picosatellite Orbital Deployers. She was also the coordinator for the 2015 Annual CubeSat Developers’ Workshop, held on the Cal Poly campus every spring. Her Master’s thesis titled Development of Tools Needed for Radiation Analysis of a CubeSat Deployer Using OLTARIS created a ray-tracing code that reads in CAD files, performs a ray-tracing analysis, and outputs the results in an XML file for use in the radiation analysis tool, OLTARIS. After graduating from Cal Poly, MC worked at SSL in Palo Alto for two years as part of their Space Environments group, where she performed radiation analysis on electronic parts and satellites. She also performed radiation testing on electronic parts using both a Cobalt-60 source as well as the Berkeley 88-Inch Cyclotron. MC came to CU Boulder in the fall of 2017 to pursue a PhD in Bioastronautics. She was awarded a NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship (NSTRF) in the spring of 2018 for her research proposal titled Modeling Human Performance Degradation from Radiation Exposure and Physiological Responses to Spaceflight During Long-Duration Missions. As a native Californian, she spends her off time trying to find ways to visit the beach, which is only about 1000+ miles away. Not that she’s measuring or anything… She also likes to go running, hiking, and adventuring with her Siberian husky, Apollo. Ph.D. Advisor: Dr. James Nabity Funding: NSTRF (2018) last updated September 2018
Jamie Voros, PhD student	Jamie is an incoming graduate student working with Professor Torin Clark. She graduated from MIT with Bachelor's degrees in Aerospace Engineering and in Architecture. She went on to work in quantitative finance before coming to CU to pursue a PhD in the Bioastronautics focus area of Aerospace Engineering Sciences. Being British, Jamie enjoys tea, rowing, cycling, SCUBA and skydiving. PhD Advisor: Dr. Torin Clark last updated September 2018
Mike Van Akin, PhD student	Mike graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in May 2018 with a BS in Aerospace Engineering. Mike’s undergraduate research was focused on chemical and electric rocket propulsion. As a second year PhD student in Bioastronautics, Mike’s research focus is the Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS). Mike plans to investigate the pathophysiology of SANS as well as mitigation strategies for SANS using terrestrial analogues. Advisor: Dr. Allie Anderson Funding: NSF GRFP (2018-present) last updated January 2020
Neil Banerjee, PhD student	Neil is a second-year Ph.D. student with the University of Colorado at Boulder’s Bioastronautics group. Originally from Dayton, Ohio, Neil relocated to Los Angeles to pursue a double bachelor’s in computational neuroscience and cinematic arts from the University of Southern California, where completed an undergraduate thesis on human psychophysical visual thresholds in virtual reality. Upon arrival at CU Boulder, Neil worked on the development of immersive technologies for spacecraft habitat design evaluation, before accepting a Ph.D. position under Dr. Allison Anderson. His current research is funded by the NASA Habitats Optimized for Missions of Explorations (HOME) Space Technology Research Institute and focuses on issues of human trust in autonomous systems. Professionally, Neil has held positions at AFRL, the USC Performance Science Institute, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, and NASA’s Johnson Space Center. In his free time, he can be found with a soccer ball at his feet or a camera in his hands. Advisor: Dr. Allie Anderson Funding: NASA Habitats Optimized for Missions of Explorations (HOME) STRI, 2019-present last updated November 2019
Mitch Woolever, PhD student	Planetary In Situ Resource Utilization for Consumables Replenishment Mitch is a first year PhD student in Aerospace Engineering Sciences with an emphasis in Bioastronautics at CU Boulder. For his doctoral research he is leveraging ionic liquids (ILs) in the development of an electrochemical process to selectively extract high purity, single element metals and oxygen from regolith simulant. His research is motivated by the need to reduce the risk and cost of human planetary operations and seeks to do so by using in situ resources for onsite manufacturing and replacement of consumables on demand. Mitch graduated with his B.S. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University in 2017 and his M.S. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from CU Boulder in 2019. During his bachelor’s he investigated scramjet inlet flow control under Dr. Michael Grant. He was also involved in designing, building, and testing a methane/LOX rocket engine. During his master’s he engaged in research related to commercial human spaceflight occupant safety, supported ionic liquid membranes for Mars atmosphere in situ resource utilization applied to autonomous crop production systems, and test article design for a capillary flow, microgravity water lentil growth bed. He also led a team of graduates in a humidity management life support project. In addition to his studies, Mitch has spent four summers interning with Northrop Grumman where he worked on a variety of airbreathing and space systems. As a Colorado Native, Mitch loves the outdoors and spends his free time hiking, climbing, hunting, backpacking, and stomping pillows on the ski hill. He is also a Wilderness First Responder, a NAUI-certified Advanced SCUBA Diver, and an Eagle Scout. PhD Advisor: Dr. James Nabity Funding: FAA Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation (2018), NASA STTR MarsOasis (2018-2019), NASA STTR µG-LilyPond (2019), NSTRF (2019-present) last updated August 2019
Sophie Zaccarine, MS/PhD student	Sophia Zaccarine is a current first year PhD student in Aerospace Engineering with an emphasis in Bioastronautics, advised by Dr. David Klaus. Her research is a part of NASA’s Habitats Optimized for Missions of Exploration (HOME) institute, where she is specifically focusing on the integration of machine learning and artificial intelligence with human space habitats. She received her undergraduate degree in Engineering Physics with a minor in Applied Mathematics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in May 2019. During her undergraduate career she completed two internships and one co-op with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. She was employed as a Visiting Scientist at NASA Goddard the summer before beginning at CU Boulder. Her work encompassed mechanical, electrical, and systems engineering design and applied physics for the VISIONS Sounding Rockets (PI Douglas Rowland). She published a paper in the IEEE Journal as first author in the fall of 2018, and joined the launch team in the northernmost year-round civilian settlement in Ny-Alesund, Svalbard to launch the VISIONS-2 rockets in December 2018, which housed the CubeSat hardware she designed during her time at Goddard. In her free time, she enjoys playing music (flute, piano, guitar, and singing), painting, cooking, playing soccer and hiking. A native of Chicago, she is adapted to harsh cold and enjoys all the winter sports available in the mountains. Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Funding: CU TA (fall 2019); NASA HOME STRI (2020-present) last updated September 2019
Patrick Pischulti, MS/PhD student	Patrick is a first year PhD student in Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado - Boulder working with Dr. David Klaus in Bioastronautics. As part of NASA Habitats optimized for Missions of Exploration Space Technology Research Institute (HOME STRI) his research will focus on the feasible integration of artificial intelligence and smart technologies in space habitats for risk mitigation. Patrick was born and raised in Augsburg, Germany where he received his IHK certificate (equiv. associate degree) in computer engineering in 2010. After attending the University of Applied Sciences in Augsburg, he transferred to the University of Alabama and graduated with his B.S. in mechanical engineering in 2018. During his undergraduate career, he spent multiple semesters interning at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) working on the informatics subsystem for the next generation spacesuit developing the mechanical design for a new camera and lighting system as well as Human-in-the-Loop testing of augmented-reality Extravehicular Activity (EVA) systems. Additionally, Patrick interned one semester at NASA Langley Research Center conducting research on materials for inflatable habitats. Having lived for 26 years in Germany, Patrick loves playing soccer and basketball. Being a huge football fan, he is supporting the buffs ever since getting to Boulder, however he is still rooting full heartedly for the Crimson Tide. Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Funding: CU TA (fall 2019); NASA HOME STRI (2020 – present) last updated September 2019
Rachel Rise, PhD student	Rachel received her BS in Aerospace Engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2019 and is currently a first year PhD student at CU working under Torin Clark. As an undergraduate, she helped develop a new test cell that supported the first hot-fire test of a liquid rocket engine at Embry-Riddle. Now, her focus has shifted to bioastronautics and she is working on improving sensory perception and complex task performance using stochastic resonance. She was awarded an NSF-GRFP fellowship which she has deferred until she chooses her doctoral research topic.  Rachel has completed two internships at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). During her first internship, she improved a statistical model that predicts the amount of time a spacecraft spends in safe mode throughout a mission. She used this model to develop tools that overlay the model’s predictions with mission operations profiles to help inform propellant margins and optimize trajectories. During her second internship, she generated new requirements and a mechanical characterization test plan for a component of the Europa Clipper spacecraft and revised payload documentation to include fault protection information. Outside of school, Rachel enjoys staying active through hiking, biking, backpacking, skiing, rowing, and playing volleyball. When she isn’t on the move, she can be found making art and petting other people’s dogs. She holds her private glider rating and is excited to catch the lift over the front range, acknowledging that climbing isn’t the only way to conquer a 14’er. Advisor Dr. Torin Clark Funding: College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Dean's Graduate Fellowship (2019-2020), NSF GRFP (awarded 2019, deferred until further notice) last updated September 2019
Jacob Kintz, PhD student	Jacob is a first-year PhD student working with Dr. Torin Clark in the Bioastronautics group. Jacob’s PhD research currently focuses on interface design, autonomous monitoring of human operators, and human subject experiments for those areas. Jacob works alongside several other students and faculty in the group through the NASA Habitats Optimized for Missions of Exploration (HOME) Space Technology Research Institute. Jacob graduated with a B.S. in aerospace engineering and a minor in English from NC State University in 2019. He previously interned with TRU Simulation + Training, The Spaceship Company, and MIT Lincoln Laboratory. His technical interests include spacecraft operations, flight test, avionics, and policy. Jacob is looking forward to exploring the outdoors while in Boulder. He loves music, plans to complete his private pilot certificate, and hopes to continue an undergrad intramural basketball winning streak.  Advisor: Dr. Torin Clark Funding: NASA HOME STRI (2019-Present) last updated September 2019
Samuel Eshima, PhD student	Sam is a first-year Ph.D. student in Aerospace Engineering Sciences focused on Bioastronautics working with Dr. James Nabity. His research is on ECLSS automation, looking into how autonomous systems and Robotics can be leveraged for ECLSS operation as a part of the NASA’s Habitats Optimized for Missions of Exploration (HOME) Project. Sam was born and raised in Kobe, Japan. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Kanazawa University in 2018. During his undergraduate career, he interned at JAXA and was involved in the development of JAXA’s ECLSS CO2 removal system. He also conducted research for his undergraduate dissertation on the hydrothermal stability of sorbents used for the CO2 removal system for increasing ECLSS maintainability. To expand his knowledge on human spaceflight, Sam came to CU as an MS student in Fall 2018. In 2019, he interned at NASA and supported the research on noise measurement and mitigation technologies for the ISS. In addition, Sam is also a member of the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) and is the National Point of Contact for Japan, hoping to pursue human space exploration through international collaboration.  Being Japanese, Sam enjoys making sushi and playing Mario Cart. He also enjoys hiking, running, orienteering, playing the guitar, and most importantly, drinking beer. Advisor: Dr. James Nabity Funding: NASA HOME STRI (2019-present), Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO) - Graduate Scholarship last updated November 2019
Pamela Flores, PhD Student - Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology	Pamela Flores currently pursues a PhD degree in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at University of Colorado Boulder. She is a second-year graduate student doing her thesis project of space microbiology at Bioserve Space Technologies under the direction of Luis Zea. She has been involved in the Space Biofilm project, planned to launch to the International Space Station on October 2019. In this project she is leading the bacterial work, using Pseudomonas aeruginosa as bacterial strain in ground-based experiments to validate the spaceflight operational and post-flight data analysis protocols in preparation for flight. Before coming to Boulder, she obtained a BS in Biochemistry and Microbiology from Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG) in 2016. She worked at the Center of Biotechnology of UVG developing a molecular technique to sterilize male mosquitoes as a joint effort with Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to eradicate Malaria. She also worked at the Center of Health Studies of UVG developing and validating a strategy for rural areas to screen for Chagas disease in newborns. She did an internship at Institut des Sciences Moléculaires d'Orsay in Paris, to learn microscopy techniques and nanoparticle characterization. In her free time, Pamela loves to dance, paint in oleo, watch movies, and cook. In the time she has been in Boulder she discovered she likes hikes and skiing a lot. Advisor: Dr. Luis Zea Funding: NASA Space Biofilm Project last updated September 2019
Rylee Schauer, MS student	Rylee Schauer holds a B.S in Chemical and Biological Engineering from University of Colorado, Boulder with a minor in Biomedical Engineering.  She is currently pursuing a M.S. in Aerospace Engineering with a focus in Bioastronautics at CU Boulder. Rylee leads the fungal laboratory work of the NASA-funded "Space Biofilms" project, performing ground tests with Penicillium Rubens to determine the spaceflight experimental protocol and preparing for launch to the ISS. She is also working with BioServe to develop science payload hardware for various other science teams. In her free time Rylee enjoys knitting, snowboarding and playing increasingly elaborate board games with friends. Advisor: Dr. Luis Zea Funding: NASA Space Biofilm Project (2018-present) last updated September 2019
Annika Rollock, PhD student	Annika is a second-year PhD student working with Professor David Klaus on the Habitats Optimized for Missions of Exploration (HOME) project. Her PhD research will focus on optimizing the infusion of smart technology into habitat design and modeling those interactions. Annika graduated with a B.S. in aerospace engineering with a minor in creative writing from MIT in 2018, where she rowed at the division I level for four years. Her undergraduate research spanned multiple fields, including human factors, controls, and aerodynamics. For her MS research at CU, Annika worked with Professor Bobby Braun on the aerodynamics of aerocapture for entry, descent, and landing. During her undergraduate career, Annika spent two summers working at NASA JPL - first with their early concept development team and later on operations for the Juno spacecraft. She also spent one summer at Aurora Flight Sciences working on MDO scripts for flight vehicle optimization and other design tools. In the summer of 2019, Annika was part of the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship, where she interned at Blue Origin as part of their guidance, navigation, and control team for the New Glenn rocket.  In her free time, Annika loves taking in all that Colorado has to offer. She loves to hike, trail run, bike, snowboard, and rock climb, but she won’t say no to a cozy day for reading and baking. MS Advisor: Dr. Bobby Braun PhD Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Funding: NASA HOME STRI (2020 – present) last updated January 2020
Michael Zero, PhD student	Human Performance Characterization Michael obtained a BS in mechanical engineering with a focus in aerospace engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Prior to matriculating at CU, he worked in the Space Biosciences Division at NASA Ames Research Center developing ISS payloads. With Dr. David Klaus and Dr. Christine Fanchiang, Michael is investigating whether physiological data from non-invasive wearable sensors can be used as proxies for human performance to evaluate space habitat design and operational attributes. Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Funding: CU TA (2019-2020), NASA VNSCOR HCAAM (2020 – present) last updated January 2020
Heather Hava, PhD student	Improving Habitability, Mood & Diet through Bioregenerative Food Systems MS Advisor: Dr. David Klaus PhD Advisor: Dr. Nikolaus Correll, CU Computer Science Dept. Funding: NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship (NSTRF), 2012-present last updated September 2012
Prior Bioastronautics Research Students, Visitors & Project Teams (since 2002)
Emily Matula, PhD candidate	Characterizing Photobioreactor Technology for Simultaneous Thermal Control and Air Revitalization of Spacecraft and Surface Habitats Emily Matula earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering (May 2012) and her Master’s of Engineering in Space Engineering (May 2014) from the University of Michigan. Her undergrad research included designing and prototyping training devices for minimally invasive surgery in resource-limited settings. In graduate school, she completed thermal models of the lifecycle of a CubeSat and extendable boom system in ANSYS, and was an instructor for a robotics design and manufacturing course in the Mechanical Engineering department. Through her graduate and undergraduate career she has completed various internships with companies in the space field, including Ball Aerospace, the Boeing Company, and NASA. While with the Boeing Company, she was able to support the Space Launch System (SLS) by conducting risk analysis of their thermal protection system (TPS), and assist with the development of manufacturing process plans for all drilling on the vehicle. At NASA, she developed and prototyped hardware to conduct medical experiments on the International Space Station. She came to CU in the Fall 2014 to pursue her Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences with a focus in Bioastronautics. In the spring of 2015, Emily was awarded a NASA Space Technology Fellowship (NSTRF) to execute her research, titled Characterizing Biological Closed-Loop Life Support Systems for Thermal Control and Revitalization of Spacecraft Cabin Environments. Outside of school, her interests include boxing, camping, and completing her own auto repairs. PhD Advisor: Dr. James Nabity Funding:  College of Engineering Dean’s Assistantship (2014-2015), College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Dean’s Fellowship (2014-2015), NSTRF (2015-2019) PhD Aero 2019 Post Graduation: ISS Flight Controller, NASA JSC last updated August 2019
Arthur Barriault	New methods of non-invasive monitoring of Intracranial Pressure (ICP) Arthur Barriault graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, AZ with a BS in Space Physics in 2016. He is starting his second year as a PhD student in Aerospace Engineering Sciences, focusing in Bioastronautics. Working with Dr. Allie Anderson, he hopes to develop and validate new methods of non-invasive monitoring of Intracranial Pressure (ICP) to help NASA determine the cause of Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS) in astronauts. He currently works as a research assistant at BioServe Space Technologies, helping design, build, test, and integrate scientific payloads for research aboard the International Space Station (ISS). His primary focus is the development of “Kidney on a Chip”, a project launching in February 2019 to study the effects of microgravity on kidney cells. While an undergraduate, he focused on electromagnetism and its use in space propulsion. Before coming to Colorado, he spent a year at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) working on various projects supporting the development of a next generation Hall Effect Thruster, including: determination of Hall thruster erosion rates, vacuum facility testing, and the development of in-situ diagnostic tools. In his free time, Arthur enjoys hiking, skiing, travel, and astrophotography. Funding: BioServe Space Technologies (2017-Present), College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Dean’s Fellowship (2017-2018), Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department Fellowship (2017-2018) MS Aero 2018 Post Graduation: SpaceX last updated August 2019
	CU Bioastronautics faculty, students and alums at the 49^th Annual International Conference on Environmental Systems (ICES) held in Boston, MA taken July 2019
	ALEXSYS Grad Projects Team (Spring 2019) Advanced Lunar EXploration SYStem Project advisor: Jim Voss last updated May 2019
Roger Huerta	Feasibility and Analysis of a Hybrid Spacesuit Architecture for Planetary Surface Exploration Roger Huerta received a Bachelor’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering at the Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia, in July 2017. During his time in the UB, he did an internship in the Immunobiology department as well as in the Robotics & Automatization one. However, his main undergrad research was done in the Radiofrequencies & Microwaves department, where he was focused on designing, testing and characterizing optimized antennas for in and on body applications, so they could be integrated into Wireless Body Networks. There, using RFiD and PiFA technologies, he developed a new product that could help the hospitals and emergency rooms track all their patients and staff in a wireless and autonomous way. His final semester he joined the Erasmus+ program and went to the Politecnico di Torino, Italy, to finish his undergrad studies. Currently, Roger's research focus is in the study and development of Mechanical Counter-Pressure (MCP) technologies for spacesuits, working with Professor Allison Anderson. Among all spacesuit parts, he is focused on the development of a new MCP spacesuit glove, with the final intention of integrating it into a hybrid spacesuit. Outside of academics, he enjoys reading, traveling, climbing and hiking through the Flatirons, which reminds him of his beloved Pyrenees. MS Thesis Advisor: Dr. Allison Anderson MS Aero May 2019 last updated May 2019
	MLI Heat Leak Characterization Testing (Fall 2018) (Team Photo below, from L to R) Zachary Reynolds, Prof. Nabity (advisor), Ray Pitts, Andrew Mezich, Nicholas Wiemelt, Eric Bergman, Samuel Eshima, Joseph Schueller, Vikina Martinez Project advisor: Prof. Nabity last updated December 2018
	PEGASYS Graduate Projects Team (Fall 2018) Precision Entry to Ground Approach SYStem (Mars Lander) Project advisor: Jim Voss last updated December 2018
Thomas Ruck	Dynamic simulation of algal photobioreactors in spaceflight life support systems Thomas earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering from TU Munich in Germany and continued following his interests by enrolling in a Master’s program. For his final thesis he was a visiting researcher at CU Boulder from July to November 2018 in order to do research on the use of algae in photobioreactors as a part of a biological life support system. He collaborated with Dr. Tobias Niederwieser, who had been doing research on algal spaceflight applications for several years. Thomas developed a simulation model of algal growth that dynamically reacts to changing environmental influences in a spacecraft cabin. This model is integrated in the VHAB simulation framework, which has been developed at TU Munich since 2006, and is able to predict the ability of a photobioreactor to revitalize air and process urine in a spacecraft cabin. Thomas' previous research focused on the simulation of spaceflight life support systems and dynamically allocating crew tasks in a spacecraft. He helped develop a shape memory alloy based solar panel hold down and release mechanism for nano-satellites. He also co-founded and, for 1.5 years, co-led TU Munich’s Hyperloop student-team, which has so far won all three SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competitions. He gained work experience in the field of 3d printing and did an internship at the European Space Agency’s ISS Columbus Control Center. In his free time he loves to snowboard, explore the mountains while hiking and to go sailing. Project Advisor: Dr. Tobias Niederwieser, University of Colorado, Boulder Thesis Advisor: Daniel Pütz, M.Sc., Technical University of Munich last updated December 2018
Tobias Niederwieser, PhD	Analysis of Factors Affecting the Implementation of an Algal Photobioreactor into a Spacecraft Life Support System As part of his doctoral studies Tobias Niederwieser is evaluating bioregenerative life support system technologies using algae for air revitalization, as well as for waste water recycling and food production. In order to assess the feasibility of this technology he is specifically looking at novel photobioreactor designs using immobilized growth as well as the effect of altered pressure and gravity on algal cells. By combining biology and technology he hopes to contribute to self-sustaining life support systems on long term human spaceflight missions. Previously, Tobias earned his Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from TU Munich, Germany in 2013 and his Master’s degree from CU Boulder in 2015. In parallel, Tobias works as a research assistant at BioServe Space Technologies, where he helps to design, build and test payloads for scientific research onboard the International Space Station (ISS). Examples include a sensor module for recording the atmospheric conditions within a spacecraft (EDCB), a physicochemical life support system for the transport of rodents to and from the ISS (AEM-E) and an incubator capable of precisely controlling the temperature for bacterial growth (SABL). He also successfully participated multiple times in NASA's RASC-AL competition, designing futuristic concepts for manned habitats. In his free time he enjoys hiking, traveling, as well as skiing and takes use of his certifications as tennis trainer and private pilot. PhD Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Funding:  BioServe 2013-present; PhD Fellowship from the German Academic Scholarship Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes), 2016 PhD Aero December 2018 Post Graduation: Research Associate, BioServe Space Technologies last updated December 2018
Jan Junker	Parameteric Analysis of Internal Heat Paths for Variable Emissivity Spacesuits Jan Junker was a visiting scholar at CU Boulder from March to September 2018 to work on his M.S. thesis. His work continued the evaluation of a novel thermal control scheme for spacesuits using variable emissivity radiators. Previous studies by Jonathan Metts and Chris Massina had focused on the architecture's overall radiative capabilities and possible control schemes, while Jan's work has turned the focus inward to the analysis of the internal heat path capabilities within both gas pressure and mechanical counterpressure suits. Jan received his B.S. in Engineering Sciences from the Technical University of Munich, and has continued his studies of aerospace engineering in TUM's Mechanical Engineering & Management M.S. program. Focusing on the thermal and systems engineering aspects of spacecraft development for human spaceflight and exploration, Jan's research topics have ranged from parametric sensor analysis of visually aided lunar landings to the thermal design of ESA's LUVMI lunar rover. From 2016 to 2018, Jan was also a part-time working student in the thermal engineering department at OHB Systems, where he worked on the thermal design of the PLATO satellite. Outside of his studies and work, Jan likes to go snowboarding, hiking, camping, sailing, and motorcycling. Project Advisor: Prof. David Klaus, University of Colorado Boulder Thesis Advisor: Matthias Killian, Technical University of Munich MS TUM November 2018 last updated November 2018
Thomas Roselli	Thomas Roselli completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in 2016 and is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering, also at TUM. As part of his research for his Master’s Thesis, Thomas is working at BioServe characterizing the thermal gradients and developing a thermal model to predict the temperature of experiments incubated inside the Space Automated Bioproduct Lab (SABL), currently onboard the ISS. His previous research through his undergraduate and graduate career include creating a dynamic, virtual model of a spacesuit water cooling unit and designing a sensor board for logging of environmental factors during plant growth, as well as an internship at the German Aerospace Center researching communication architectures for a future manned mission to Mars. In his spare time, Thomas likes boxing, Sunday barbecues, and exploring the mountains with his newfound passion for hiking. MS Thesis Advisor: Prof. Ulrich Walter (TUM), Dr. Alex Hoehn (BioServe) last updated November 2018
	Bioastronautics Research Group (Fall 2018) taken September 2018
Philipp Hartmüller, MS student	As a part of his master’s thesis at Technical University in Munich Philipp is a research scholar at CU from April to October 2018. The subject of his studies is the development of a miniaturized freeze dryer for deep space applications to process water samples, for instance on board of a future lander mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa. Previously he earned his bachelor’s degree from Technical University in Munich and worked as an intern at SpaceTech, a spacecraft manufacturer at lake Constance, with the focus of thermal design and testing. He is interested in satellite design and human spaceflight. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, skiing and biking.  Project Adviser: Dr. Alexander Hoehn  MS Advisor: Prof Ulrich Walter  Funding: German Scholarship  last updated August 2018
Jordan Holquist, PhD	Direct Generation of Oxygen via Electrocatalytic Reduction of Carbon Dioxide in an Ionic Liquid Jordan Holquist received his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in May of 2012, and his M.S. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) in May of 2014. He was awarded a NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship (NSTRF) in the Fall of 2014 to focus his Ph.D. research at CU Boulder on the “Direct Generation of Oxygen via Electrocatalytic Reduction of Carbon Dioxide in an Ionic Liquid.” With a keen interest in environmental control and life support system (ECLSS) technology, Jordan’s previous research at CU Boulder has been in the areas of thermal management (a self-regulating freezable heat exchanger for spacecraft thermal control) and air revitalization technologies (a potassium superoxide-based, passively regulated air revitalization system). He has been involved in NASA’s X-Hab project at CU Boulder, focusing on robotic gardening and space-based greenhouses in previous years; currently acting as a student advisor in the project’s third year. He also consults for an on-going project to develop an ECLSS technology test facility at CU Boulder. Jordan has held internships at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (Propulsion Academy), NASA Johnson Space Center (Career Exploration Program), and Oceaneering Space Systems. He was a founding member of Illinois Robotics in Space at UIUC and led the club to compete in two years of NASA’s Robotic Mining Competition at Kennedy Space Center. He has had personal experience in microgravity, having flown aboard a reduced gravity aircraft to conduct human factors tests with tablet computers. Jordan has also participated on teams for multiple space system and mission design competitions (AIAA 2012, RASC-AL 2013), receiving awards in both. In his free time, Jordan is an avid climber and hiker; he is also certified as a wilderness first responder and as a SCUBA diver. PhD Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Funding: NASA JSC CEP 2013; NASA STTR 2013-2014, NSTRF 2014-18 PhD Aero (ABD August 2018), Graduation December 2018 Post Graduation: Fulbright Scholarship, Technical University of Munich, Germany last updated August 2018
Jose Maria Mabres	Jose Maria Mabres (Visiting Scholar, Spring 2018) received his BS in Industrial Engineering from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, in Barcelona and is currently pursuing his MS in Mechanical Engineering at the same university. As part of his master studies, he developed his Master's thesis with the Bioastronautics group in the Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department of CU Boulder. His research is focused on the computational modeling and the experimental study of a self-regulating freezable heat exchanger for use in human spacecraft thermal control. As an undergraduate student, Jose worked as an intern calculating and designing heat exchangers for a company in Barcelona. He also worked as an intern in a yogurt factory. In his spare time, Jose enjoys traveling, hiking, skiing, and other outdoor activities. Project advisor: Professor James Nabity last updated August 2018
	CU Bioastronautics faculty, students and alums at the 48^th Annual International Conference on Environmental Systems (ICES) held in Albuquerque, NM taken July 2018
	PEGASYS Graduate Projects Team (Spring 2018) Precision Entry to Ground Approach SYStem (Mars Lander) Project advisor: Jim Voss last updated May 2018
	HYbrid Dehumidification and Reclamation Apparatus (HYDRA) (Fall 2017 and Spring 2018) Project advisor: Jim Nabity Project Funding: NASA eXploration Habitat (X-Hab) Academic Innovation Challenge last updated July 2018
	PEGASYS Graduate Projects Team (Fall 2017) Precision Entry to Ground Approach SYStem (Mars Lander) Project advisor: Jim Voss Abhishektha Boppana, Ariel Gebhardt, Amanda Turk, Roger Huerta, CJ Patel, Aaron Ashley, Trevor Mangelson, Melinda Zavala, David Emmert, Grant Vincent, Mike Blascoe, and Arthur Barriault. last updated January 2018
	CU Bioastronautics students and faculty at the 47^th Annual International Conference on Environmental Systems (ICES) held in Charleston, SC taken July 2017
Christine Fanchiang, PhD	Human Spacecraft Operability Christine founded and currently works full time for The Space Research Company (TSRCo), an aerospace firm primarily focused on developing technologies for advancing human spaceflight. She works on developing small satellites for biology research as well as conducting basic human performance modeling research for spaceflight systems. Christine worked on several space projects starting as an undergrad at MIT, where she helped design and build the power system for a walking Mars rover for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). At Northrop Grumman, she worked alongside the program manager on a national weather satellite system (NPOESS), coordinating the management, engineering and customer teams. During her time at the University of Colorado, she helped establish a graduate project team building remotely-operated robotic gardens for future lunar and Martian greenhouses. Additionally, she worked at BioServe Space Technologies to design, build, and launch payload hardware for various space life science experiments on STS-131, STS-132, STS-133, and STS-135 and later as a Research Assistant with the FAA Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation in analyzing human-rating considerations for future commercial human spaceflight. Her PhD thesis work centered around spacecraft design impacts on astronaut performance and was funded by the NASA Harriet Jenkins Graduate Fellowship. Dr. Jessica Marquez at NASA Ames Research Center served as her technical mentor. Her goal in life is to step foot on the moon. PhD Thesis Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Research Funding: BioServe Space Technologies, 2009-11; FAA Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation (COE for CST), 2011-2013, NASA Harriett G. Jenkins Graduate Fellowship, 2013-2016 PhD Aero May 2017 Post Graduation: Founder, The Space Research Company (TSRCo) last updated June 2017
	CHAMP Graduate Projects Team (Spring 2017) Cis-Lunar Orbital Habitat Project advisor: Jim Voss Project Funding: Orbital ATK last updated May 2017
	X-Hab / CARIL Graduate Projects Team (Spring 2017) Cabin Atmosphere Revitalization through Ionic Liquids (CARIL) Project advisor: Jim Nabity Project Funding: NASA eXploration Habitat (X-Hab) Academic Innovation Challenge last updated May 2017
	Bioastronautics Research Group (Spring 2017) taken February 2017
	CHAMP Graduate Projects Team (Fall 2016) Cis-Lunar Orbital Habitat Project advisor: Jim Voss Project Funding: Orbital ATK last updated Dec 2016
Kyle Borg	Spacecraft Life Support System Test Facility Development Kyle Borg received his undergraduate degrees from Austin College, majoring in Physics with a minor in Mathematics. He then obtained a Masters in Atmospheric Sciences from Texas A&M University studying statistical methods for climate research before joining the Navy for three years. Kyle started attending the University of Colorado Boulder as an M.S. student in Aerospace Engineering Sciences with emphasis in Bioastronautics in the Fall of 2014. He participated in the CU Boulder Our Space Our Future kick-off event; working with an interdisciplinary team of students to create an Augmented Reality demonstration. In July 2015, he took part in the Space Station Design Workshop at the University of Stuttgart in Germany as part of the ECLSS team. He was a member of the LifeLAB graduate project as a Test and Safety Engineer, a Research Assistant and Project Manager. He also helped set up the new Bioastronautics website. MS Advisor: Dr. James Nabity MS Aero May 2016 Post Graduation: ISS Flight Controller, NASA JSC last updated May 2016
	LifeLAB Graduate Projects Team (Spring 2016) Project advisors: Professors Nabity and Klaus Project Funding: William F. Marlar Memorial Trust and CU Engineering Excellence Fund (EEF) last updated May 2016
	CHAMP Graduate Projects Team (Spring 2016) Cis-Lunar Orbital Habitat Project advisor: Jim Voss, with Joe Tanner and Professors Klaus and Nabity Project Funding: Orbital ATK last updated May 2016
	X-Hab / OASIS Graduate Projects Team (Spring 2016) Project advisor: Joe Tanner Project Funding: NASA eXploration Habitat (X-Hab) Academic Innovation Challenge last updated May 2016
Robert Ocampo, PhD	Human Spacecraft Safety Robert Ocampo began his research career at Haverford College, where he studied leech physiology and swim behavior as a Biology and Psychology double major. While at Haverford, Robert trained as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), participated in division III cross country and track & field, and served as an intern with NASA’s Spaceflight and Life Sciences Training Program (SLSTP). After graduating with honors, Robert began work as a Research Technologist at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI). There he studied the effects of motion experience on human vestibular function while developing a human-rated tilt device. This area of research later became the focus of his master’s thesis in Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT. After completion of his master’s degree in 2008, Robert began training as a private pilot and Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) mechanic, earning all three FAA ratings by 2010. During this time period, Robert also advanced his education in emergency medicine, certifying as a Wilderness EMT, Emergency First Response Instructor, and Rescue SCUBA diver. He also began diving and teaching professionally as a PADI Divemaster at Scuba Fusion dive shop. In his free time, Robert finds great joy in exploring the world. He has walked, bicycled, and paddled across the United States (thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2004, riding his bicycle from Boston to San Francisco in 2008, and stand-up paddling the entire 700+ mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail in 2016). He has also summited over 600 peaks, including all 50 U.S. state highpoints, all 58 peaks above 14,000’ in Colorado, and all 115 peaks above 4,000’ in the northeastern United States. In addition, Robert has participated in over 250 search and rescue missions as a member of Boulder's Rocky Mountain Rescue Group (RMRG). In 2015, He was awarded Support Member of the year. In 2011, Robert began his doctoral studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. His Ph.D. thesis, which drew upon work performed at the Sierra Nevada Corporation and with the FAA Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation (COE CST), focused on defining, characterizing, and establishing “safe enough” risk thresholds for human space flight. Between 2014-2017, Robert published several articles related to his Ph.D. research, and successfully defended his thesis in April of 2016. PhD Thesis Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Funding: Sierra Nevada Corporation under NASA CCDev2, 2011-12, CCiCap 2012-2014, FAA COE CST 2015-16 PhD Aero April 2016 last updated March 2017
Chris Massina, PhD	Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Electrochromic Thermal Control Technology Development Chris Massina received a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Iowa State University and a Bachelor's Degree in Applied Physics from the University of Northern Iowa. Chris completed his Master's Degree in Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado - Boulder while working as a Graduate Research Assistant at BioServe Space Technologies. His research focuses on reducing the impact of extravehicular activity on spacecraft life support systems. His interests include extravehicular activity and life support system technology development.   PhD Thesis Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Funding: BioServe Space Technologies, 2011-2012; NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship (NSTRF), 2012-2016 PhD Aero January 2016 Post Graduation: Thermal Systems Branch, NASA JSC last updated January 2016
Sina Kaufmann	Spacecraft Closed Loop Life Support System Testbed Sina Kaufmann received her Bachelor of Science in Aviation and Aeronautics from the Technical University of Munich. During her Bachelor’s Program she developed an interest in space science where the topic of her Bachelor Thesis was related to the design and analysis of wheels for extra-planetary rovers. This thesis was carried out at DLR, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt in Oberpfaffenhofen, near Munich. Sina continued studying Aviation and Aeronautics at TU Munich while working both at the Institute of Carbon Composites and at the Institute of Aeronautics. Concurrently, she developed an interest in light-weight structures and held an internship where she learned to fabricate carbon composite materials at BMW in Munich. Sina plans to complete her Master studies by conducting her thesis with the Bioastronautics group in the Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department of CU Boulder. Outside of school her interests are hiking, skiing and other outdoor activities. Practicum Supervisor: Prof. David Klaus with Tobias Niederwieser MS Advisor: Dr. Alexander Höhn, TUM Funding: PROMOS scholarship last updated April 2016
	CHAMP Graduate Projects Team (Fall 2015) Cis-Lunar Orbital Habitat Project advisor: Jim Voss, with Professors Klaus and Nabity Project Funding: Orbital ATK last updated December 2015
	LifeLAB Graduate Projects Team (Fall 2015) Project advisors: Professors Nabity and Klaus Project Funding: William F. Marlar Memorial Trust and CU Engineering Excellence Fund (EEF) last updated December 2015
	Bioastronautics Research Group (Spring 2015) taken May 2015
	LifeLAB Graduate Projects Team (Spring 2015) Project advisors: Professors Klaus and Nabity Project Funding: William F. Marlar Memorial Trust and CU Engineering Excellence Fund (EEF) last updated May 2015
	HL-20 Spacecraft Cockpit Graduate Projects Team (Spring 2015) Project advisor: Jim Voss Project Funding: William F. Marlar Memorial Trust last updated May 2015
	X-Hab / OASIS Graduate Projects Team (Spring 2015) Project advisor: Joe Tanner Project Funding: NASA eXploration Habitat (X-Hab) Academic Innovation Challenge last updated May 2015
Matthew Milanese	ECLSS Technology and Testing Infrastructure Development Matthew Milanese received his undergraduate degrees from West Virginia University (WVU), majoring in both Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. While at WVU he worked in the Flight Control Systems Laboratory on construction of a mobile pilot and research station, as well as new research aircraft. He spent some time after graduation as an intern at Applied Defense Solutions, primarily interfacing custom satellite simulation software with a telemetry and command server. In the Spring 2014 semester, Matthew began attending the University of Colorado Boulder as an M.S. student in Aerospace Engineering Sciences with emphasis in Bioastronautics. As a research assistant, he has conducted experiments of a greywater reclamation system via ozone oxidation reaction, and a passive thermal management system with a self-regulating freezable heat exchanger. Matthew has been part of the LifeLAB graduate projects team, filling the roles of Software Engineer, Chief Financial Officer, and most recently Project Manager. He was also a member on the CU team participating in NASA’s RASC-AL student competition that won 1st place at the 2014 forum in Cocoa Beach, FL. MS Advisor: Dr. James Nabity Research Funding: NASA STTR 2014-15 MS Aero May 2015 Post Graduation: ISS Flight Controller, NASA JSC last updated May 2015
Luis Zea, PhD	Bacterial Susceptibility to Antibiotics in Microgravity Luis Zea began pursuing his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering with emphasis in Bioastronautics at CU Boulder in the Fall of 2010. His doctoral thesis focuses on bacterial susceptibility to antibiotics and utilizing microgravity as a novel environment to investigate it. He invests time on STEM outreach but also enjoys talking to the public on the benefits of human space exploration. Luis started his career with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala. He then worked at ExxonMobil for two years. He studied German in Munich in 2006 and later that year started a M.S. in Aerospace Engineering – Thermofluids Track – at the University of Central Florida. There, Luis was involved with the design and manufacture of a cubesat that won 1st place in the Florida University Satellite program as well as with the Mars Desert Research Station, where he was an engineer for Crew 65. He also conducted research at the Florida Space Institute on gas kinetics on multi-phase flow. After graduation, he continued working for UCF as a Research Project Manager on a CO2 Removal Project. He then worked at Siemens Energy Inc. as a Heat Transfer Engineer, leading a multinational team of engineers in the design and construction of a new heat exchanger. Luis is a certified lifeguard, scuba diver and aside of English, is fluent in German, Spanish and Portuguese and has a basic knowledge of French. PhD Thesis Co-advisors: Dr. David Klaus and Dr. Louis Stodieck Research Funding: Petrobras 2006-08, BioServe Space Technologies, 2010-present, DAAD Fellowship to Germany (Feb-Aug 2014), CASIS AES-1, 2014-15 PhD Aero May 2015 Post Graduation: Research Associate, BioServe (2015-18), Assistant Research Professor, CU AES last updated December 2018
	LifeLAB Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Test Bed Graduate Projects Team (Fall 2014) The LifeLAB team is designing, building, and validating a modular test facility within the CU Bioastronautics Lab, which provides infrastructure to enable research on Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) technologies with two vacuum chambers (RALPHEE and JANA), a water chiller loop and an air revitalization test rig (AETHER). The emphasis of the Fall 2014 group is on completion of AETHER in prep for verification and validation testing and outfitting RALFHEE in prep for vacuum and thermal operations. Project advisors: Professors Klaus and Nabity Project Funding: William F. Marlar Memorial Trust and CU Engineering Excellence Fund (EEF) last updated Dec 2014
	HL-20 Spacecraft Cockpit Graduate Projects Team (Fall 2014) Previous semesters of the HL-20 graduate project were funded by the Sierra Nevada Corporation in support of their Dream Chaser crew transportation vehicle, which was originally based on the HL-20 concept. Earlier work included several design iterations of the cockpit console and panels, human factors testing to validate design decisions, and traditional and alternative seat designs. The Spring 2014 team worked to modify the original cockpit mockup and cradle so that human factors ingress and egress testing could be carried out with the mockup in rotated into a vertical orientation as it would be at launch atop an Atlas V rocket. The team designed and built a steel frame structure and winch system to support and rotate the cockpit mockup between horizontal and vertical. The fiberglass shell was reinforced with internal ring frames and external fiberglass sheets to support the interfaces between the internal structure and the external steel structure. A new floor designed to hold the rigid pilots' seats and the console was installed. The fall 2014 team completed design modifications to the external frame and winch system, and the secondary internal structure including flight console and four seats, needed to enable operation of the HL-20 cockpit mockup in a vertical orientation for human factors evaluations, which were carried out later in this semester. Project advisor: Jim Voss Project Funding: William F. Marlar Memorial Trust last updated Dec 2014
	X-Hab / OASIS Graduate Projects Team (Fall 2014) Building upon the CU X-Hab 2013 project “Remote Plant Production Capability,” and the CU X-Hab 2014 project “Plants Anywhere: Plants Growing in Free Habitat Spaces,” the goals for the 2014-2015 academic year are to develop and analyze a conceptual mission design for a deployable greenhouse on the surface of Mars using realistic technological capabilities; and to design, build, and test a prototype of a teleoperated, mini-deployable greenhouse that provides remote food production capability as a precursor to human planetary missions. Project advisor: Joe Tanner Project Funding: NASA Exploration Habit (X-Hab) Academic Innovation Challenge last updated Dec 2014
Griffin Hale	Mathematical Modeling of Microorganisms in Microgravity and ECLSS Technology Development Robert (Griffin) Hale is currently pursuing his BS/MS in Aerospace Engineering with an emphasis in Bioastronautics and has completed a minor in Biochemistry at the University of Colorado. His applied math project focused on modeling the effects of flocculation on non-motile bacteria in microgravity. He volunteered for the outreach portion of the 2012 graduate winning NIA/NASA Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts Academic Linkage  (RASC_AL) competition, where a lunar base mockup was built in his garage.  In 2013, he was a member of the Bioregenerative Life Support Systems, (BLSS) team. The BLSS team incorporated plants to supplement the life support capabilities in a detailed mission design to Mars. The team received the award for best graduate project as well as the award for best advanced concept in the 2013 RASC-AL competition. Griffin is currently the systems lead for the atmospheric portion of a graduate project team dedicated to designing, building, and validating an Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) test facility at the University of Colorado at Boulder. MS Advisor: Dr. David Klaus MS Aero May 2014 Post Graduation: Sierra Nevada Corp., 2014; Bigelow Aerospace, 2015 last updated Jan 2015
Stefanie Gonzalez	Disuse osteopenia Stefanie Gonzalez graduated with a Master of Science (MS) in Aerospace Engineering Sciences and is now working on the Thermal Protection System of the Orion Spacecraft with Analytical Mechanics and Associates (AMA). She earned her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering from Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) in 2011. While pursuing her MS degree Stefanie focused her research on evaluating the role of phosphate dysregulation on disuse osteopenia to provide fundamental mechanistic knowledge that would enable future studies more appropriate for studying clinical and translational research. Additionally, Stefanie participated in the Caltech Space Challenge, an intensive 5-day mission design competition and was a member of the MIT/Skoltech Space Exploration Strategy Research Group. She also contributed to the design of the Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC) Dream Chaser spacecraft through the graduate projects program at CU. Prior to the University of Colorado, Boulder, Stefanie participated in two internships at NASA Johnson Space center in the Space Life Sciences Department. She also spent a summer patterning fibroblast cells on microstructures at Johns Hopkins University (JHU), Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. During the final two years of pursuing her B.S., Stefanie worked at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Department of Neurosurgery. Research that Stefanie conducted was presented at a platform session at the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR), Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS), Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) conference, Great Lakes Biomedical Engineering Conference, and at the Lumbar Spine Annual Meeting. Stefanie enjoys traveling the world, has backpacked through Scandinavia and southern Europe, has run several marathons, is scuba diving certified and is currently training for an ultra-marathon. Co-advisors: Dr. Louis Stodieck and Dr. Virginia Ferguson Research Funding: BioServe Space Technologies, 2012, NSF Fellowship 2013-2014 MS Aero May 2014 Post Graduation: Analytical Mechanics and Associates, 2014 last updated May 2014
Geoffrey King	Mechanical and Thermal Design of the Space Automated Bio Lab for ISS Geoffrey King earned a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Aeronautical Engineering from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, in 2010. During his degree, Geoff completed several internships including one summer at the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and another at the McGill Aerospace Mechatronics Laboratory. At CSA, Geoff implemented a microgravity drop tower to educate teachers about microgravity; Geoff also prepared a fluid configuration experiment to fly in microgravity on CSA's parabolic flight aircraft. Between undergrad and grad school, Geoff worked abroad as an Application Engineer for SolidWorks in Australia. At CU Boulder, Geoff studies Aerospace Engineering and is specializing in Bioastronautics. Geoff works as a research assistant at BioServe Space Technologies, where he is continuing development of the Space Automated Bio Lab (SABL), a next-generation biological incubator to replace BioServe's Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (CGBA). Geoff is working on the mechanical/thermal design and systems engineering for SABL, which uses thermoelectric modules to heat and cool a science volume containing biological experiments such as cell cultures. MS Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Research Funding: BioServe 2012-2014 MS Aero May 2014 last updated may 2014
Stuart Tozer	Spacecraft Atmosphere Revitalization System Test and Development Stuart Tozer received his Bachelor of Biomedical and Electrical Engineering degree from Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, in 2011. While at Carleton, he spent co-operative work terms at the Communications Research Centre Canada and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). At the CSA, Stuart worked with the Operational Space Medicine group to develop medical procedures and technologies for Moon and Mars analogue site projects, including integration of commercial off-the-shelf telemedicine equipment. Stuart also spent a summer term working with the Medical Information-Technology Research Group at Carleton, where his research focused on computer interfaces of a clinical decision-support system for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario. At Carleton, Stuart's senior engineering design project used memristors (resistors with hysteresis properties) to model synaptic plasticity in neurons, which forms the basis of pattern recognition in the visual system. This work earned his project group the IEEE Canada Student Paper Competition Life Member Award and was published in the IEEE Canadian Review Spring 2012 edition. Stuart obtained his Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering Sciences, focusing on Bioastronautics, and a Master's degree in Engineering Management at the University of Colorado Boulder. His graduate project work has been on the Hybrid Sounding Rocket (HySoR) program and he served as Project Manager for the Fall 2012 semester. Additionally, Stuart was a member of the CU Boulder Extraterrestrial Outpost (ExO) project group that was awarded 1st-Place at the Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts - Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) design competition in June 2012. In the summer of 2012, Stuart worked on a CO2 removal testbed project for Lockheed Martin, which included a feasibility study of the sensor technologies required to measure CO2 filter performance. Stuart's current research at BioServe Space Technologies is an atmospheric regeneration system (pressurized oxygen, CO2 and humidity removal) being developed for the SpaceX Dragon and Orbital Cygnus cargo spacecraft in order to support transport of live rodents to the ISS. MS Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Research Funding: Lockheed Martin, summer 2012; BioServe Space Technologies, 2012-2014 MS Aero May 2014 Post Graduation: BioServe last updated May 2014
	LifeLAB Graduate Projects Team (Spring 2014) The LifeLAB team is designing, building, and validating a modular test facility within the CU Bioastronautics Lab, which provides infrastructure to enable research on Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) technologies with two vacuum chambers (RALPHEE and JANA), a water chiller loop and an air revitalization test rig (AETHER). The emphasis of the fall 2013/spring 2014 group is on enabling thermal and atmosphere testing. Photo from left to right: Dr. James Nabity, Asa Darnell, Tobias Niederwieser, Jonathan Anthony, Roger Huang, Robert Griffin Hale, Elise Kowalski, Tyson Sparks, Karla Rosario, Katie Brissenden, Dr. David Klaus Project advisors: Professors Klaus and Nabity Project Funding: William F. Marlar Memorial Trust last updated May 2014
Professor Hiroyuki Miyajima	Visiting Professor (Fall 2013) Hiroyuki Miyajima is a professor at Tokyo Jogakkan College. He conducted research on space habitation and space craft design as a visiting professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences during the fall semester of 2013. He majored in aeronautics at Nihon University in Tokyo and has been doing research on space habitation design for over twenty years. One of his primary works concerns life support material circulation analysis and design to support habitation experiments for the Closed Ecology Experiment Facilities (CEEF), used in Japan’s Biosphere. He received a Ph.D. in this field in 2005. He participated on Crew 132 at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) as an engineer and on Crew 137 as the commander of Team Nippon (Japan) in the 2013-2014 field season (see photo). He is currently engaged in research about logistics and life support systems analysis for high-mobility exploration. He is interested in space habitation technology, logistics and excursions using vehicles on planetary surfaces. last updated January 2014
	LifeLAB Graduate Projects Team (Fall 2013) Beginning in the Fall of 2013, the LifeLAB team began developing an ECLSS test bed facility for use by CU students and faculty interested in developing technology to support life in space. The facility will eventually consist of four major test rigs: atmosphere, water, waste, and thermal. The focus for the 2013/2014 academic year is to design and build the atmosphere and thermal test systems, and to begin the validation process for both of these rigs. The thermal system consists of a small, bell-jar thermal vacuum chamber (donated by Sierra Nevada Corp.), a cylindrical thermal vacuum chamber (being designed and fabricated by the LifeLAB team), and a water/glycol chiller loop (being utilized by a separate NASA-funded research project). The atmosphere rig will provide controlled input streams of oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, trace gasses, and humidity at a range of concentrations. Validation testing is anticipated to begin in April 2014. Project advisors: Professors Klaus and Nabity Project Funding: William F. Marlar Memorial Trust last updated December 2013
	Dream Chaser Graduate Projects Team (Fall 2013) The fall 2013 project focused on the development of a high-fidelity cockpit console for use in a vertical mockup and assessment of pilot seats and controls in tandem with cockpit egress human factor evaluations. The cockpit was subjected to test loads of 1200 lbf to simulate expected loads on the structure that would be generated by fully suited crewmembers during ingress/egress operations. The human factor evaluations included analysis of anthropometric data ensure the design could accommodate a range of crewmembers from 5^th percentile Japanese female to 95^th percentile American male. In addition to use of test subjects, the team also developed a human model for CAD analysis. Project advisor: Jim Voss Project Funding: Sierra Nevada Corporation last updated December 2013
Jake Gamsky	ECLSS Technology Development Jake Gamsky received his B.S. in Physics from the University of Kentucky in May of 2011 after spending 2 ½ years at Georgetown College on a baseball scholarship. He received his M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado-Boulder in May of 2013 and spent the subsequent year exploring potential PhD thesis topics before deciding to move on to a professional career. As an undergraduate student, Jake worked as an intern at the Kennedy Space Center and as a research associate in the NASA Academy at Ames Research Center. He also held positions at the Kentucky Space Engineering Lab, Students for the Exploration and Development of Space and the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. After graduating from Kentucky, Jake spent the summer in Graz, Austria participating in the International Space University’s Space Studies Program. Jake began working on his PhD while interning at the Sierra Nevada Corporation in the design and development of the Dream Chaser spacecraft. With his PhD work, Jake hopes to advance an air revitalization technology for future use in long duration human spaceflight missions. In his spare time Jake enjoys traveling, sports, entrepreneurship, camping, snowboarding, SCUBA diving and exercising. MS Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Research Funding: NSF Fellowship 2011-2014 MS Aero May 2013 Post Graduation: Sierra Nevada, 2013-14; ULA, 2015 last updated Jan 2015
	X-Hab Graduate Projects Team (Fall 2012 / Spring 2013) At the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, students from University of Colorado are working with NASA mentors in developing a robotic capability for growing a variety of plants, both for consumption as well as the benefit of oxygen-carbon dioxide cycling. Considerations range from monitoring and nutrient supply to selection of plants and autonomy. The activity is part of the eXploration Habitat, or X-Hab, Academic Innovation Challenge. Standing, left to right, are Gioia Massa of the NASA ISS Ground Processing and Research Project Office, Daniel Zukowski, Morgan Simpson of the NASA Ground Processing Directorate, Heather Hava, Keira Havens, Matthew Carton, Christine Fanchiang, Jordan Holquist and Kennedy Director Bob Cabana. Kneeling, left to right, are Ray Wheeler of the NASA Engineering and Technology Directorate, Tracy Gill of the NASA Center Planning and Development Directorate, Scott Mishra and Robert Griffin Hale. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann (Not pictured from the CU X-Hab team are Karuna Raja Reddy, Rohit Dewani, Pileun Kim, Tim Villabona, Emily Howard, and Huy Le) Supported by http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/technology/deep_space_habitat/xhab/ KSC-2013-2867 (06/21/2013) Project Advisors: Joe Tanner and Nikolaus Correll last updated June 2013
	Dream Chaser Graduate Projects Team (Spring 2013) For Spring 2013, the team was tasked with providing preliminary design recommendations for cockpit and seating to SNC, including structural load and human interface analyses. The cockpit design team modified the engineering design unit (EDU) to provide a realistic representation of the Dream Chaser interior. The work included; reconstruction of the mounting structure and panels to incorporate the previous semester’s recommendations; installed space rated switches, display screens, hand controls; added ELCSS volumetric insert; mounted ring frame mockups and integrated new seats into the cockpit. The seating team completed designs for a rigid traditional pilot seat with a cloth seat for non-flight crew members to minimize mass and volume. The work included an in-depth structural analysis on both designs; seat fabrication; installation of fore/aft and up/down actuation for the pilot seat; test structure development and load testing; and ingress/egress evaluations. Pictured left to right, standing: Joe Tanner, Jeffrey Oxenbury, Mark Robinson, Brandon Wilk, Matthew Lawry, Daniel Green and Jim Voss; front row: Emily Logan, Ashley Williams, Ashley Gleaves, and Stefanie Gonzalez Project Advisors: Ken Stroud (not pictured), Joe Tanner and Jim Voss Project Funding: Sierra Nevada Corporation last updated May 2013
	Bioastronautics Research Group (Fall 2012) This group photo includes graduate students participating in research areas ranging from the development of biomedical countermeasures against bone and muscle atrophy experienced by astronauts, to how reduced gravity affects microorganism behavior, to the design of space suit and life support system technologies and spacecraft habitats, and dynamic thermal modeling of systems on the lunar surface. The students are supported by a number of contracts and grants from government and private industry including the FAA, Sierra Nevada Corporation, NASA NSTRF, NASA STTR, German DAAD, the William F. Marlar Memorial Trust and BioServe Space Technologies. 2012 marks the 10^th year of establishing a formalized Bioastronautics program at CU and the 25^th anniversary of the founding of BioServe Space Technologies. taken December 2012
Joshua Hecht	Feasibility and Effectiveness of a Water-Based Self-Regulating Freezable Heat Exchanger Joshua Hecht received his BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado, Boulder and is currently pursuing his MS with an emphasis in Bioastronautics. His research focuses on modeling, testing, and implementation analysis of a self-regulating freezable heat exchanger intended for use within a human-rated spacecraft. His other academic interests include Spanish, psychology, and physiology. Joshua worked as a satellite operator for four years at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), and spent half a year in satellite design with Broadreach Engineering. Outside of school, Joshua enjoys mid distance running, rock climbing, skydiving, yoga, home brewing beer, and spending time with family. MS Thesis Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Research Funding: NASA STTR with TDA Research, Inc., 2012 MS Aero December 2012 Post Graduation: Paragon Space Development Corp., 2013 last updated January 2014
	Dream Chaser Graduate Projects Team (Fall 2012) Project Focus: Spacecraft cockpit Displays and Controls and Seat Design Project Advisors: Ken Stroud and Merri Sanchez from SNC, and former NASA Astronauts Jim Voss and Joe Tanner Project Funding: Sierra Nevada Corporation last updated December 2012
Philipp Hager, PhD	Dynamic thermal modeling for moving objects on atmosphere-less celestial bodies Philipp studied at the Technische Universität Karlsruhe (now KIT- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) where he received his pre-diploma in mechanical engineering in 2005. He received a Diploma (MS thesis: Development of a dynamic human water balance model for verification and optimization of life support systems in space flight applications) in Aerospace Engineering in 2008 from the Technische Universität München (TUM). His main focus and interest is exploration of the solar system. He participated in an internship at Thales Alenia Space, SPA in Turin, Italy in 2007, working in the ESA Aurora program. In 2008 he participated in the ESA Alpbach Summer School, designing a mission to an M-type asteroid. In his master thesis he developed a simulation of the human water and electrolyte balance system in conjunction with ECLSS simulations. In 2009 he joined the LRT as a research assistant and, amongst other projects, has since been working on the thermal and dust environment on the lunar surface and its impact on spacecraft. Philipp likes to travel, see and explore not only the solar system but also different parts of the world. In his free time Philipp likes to run, hike, snowboard, do Aikido, soccer, and play guitar. His Ph.D. work on the thermal modeling for moving objects on atmosphere-less celestial bodies is connected to electronically controlled electrochromic radiators, which are under investigation at the CU bioastronautics group for their application with spacesuits. Practicum Supervisor: Dr. David Klaus Research Funding (while at CU Fall 2012): German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) PhD Adviser: Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Ulrich Walter, Institute of Astronautics, Technische Universität München (TUM) PhD TUM, 2013 last updated August 2013
	Microgravity Convective Heat Transfer Flight Research (Summer 2012) A group of six CU undergraduate students were selected to participate in NASA’s 2012 Reduced-Gravity Education Flight Program to conduct their experiment titled ‘Validating the Gravity Dependence of the Churchill-Chu Correlation for Free Convective Heat Transfer from a Finite, Flat Plate: A Study of the Effects of Gravity on Free Convective Heat Transfer during Parabolic Flights’ Team Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Funding: William F. Marlar Memorial Trust, UCEC, CU Aerospace Department, CU Dean’s Office See video summary of the flight - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSnrFg_j_vI last updated August 2012
Jennifer Mindock, PhD	Development and Application of Spaceflight Performance Shaping Factors for Human Reliability Analysis Jennifer Mindock received a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado, Boulder, within the Department’s Bioastronautics focus area. She holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Florida and an M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University. Jennifer began her doctoral studies in January of 2009. Her thesis involved developing a function-based, Probabilistic Risk Assessment methodology for characterizing spacecraft conceptual design trade space. The research is based on analysis of system-level risk factors to define mitigation design strategies. Until December 2008, her primary industry experience was as a Senior System Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). In her 8 years with JPL, she led teams spanning multiple NASA centers and various disciplines on projects ranging from high-level customer requirements and capability definition to low-level, detailed hardware testing and vehicle performance analysis. In these roles, she contributed to projects including the Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology (ALHAT) evaluating various sensors and algorithms for landing humans and equipment on the moon, the Mars Phoenix Lander, the Mars Exploration Rovers, and the Space Interferometry Mission. Jennifer has now extended her professional career into human space flight applications. PhD Thesis Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Research Funding: NASA GSRP Fellowship, 2009-present, ARCS Scholar, Zonta Amelia Earhart Fellowship Additional Info: NASA Astronaut Candidate Finalist, 2009 PhD Aero August 2012 Post Graduation: Wyle, NASA JSC last updated Aug 2012
	Dream Chaser Graduate Projects Team (Spring 2012) Project Focus: Spacecraft cockpit Displays and Controls design and layout Team photo with SNC advisor Jim Voss Project Advisors: Ken Stroud, Merri Sanchez, and NASA Astronauts Jim Voss (far right), Joe Tanner and Steve Lindsey Project Funding: Sierra Nevada Corporation last updated June 2012
Sarah Over	Spacecraft Cockpit Design and Human-Vehicle Interactions Sarah Over completed her undergraduate studies in Aerospace Engineering from Virginia Tech and is currently pursuing her M.S. in Aerospace Engineering with a Bioastronautics emphasis at CU Boulder.  Her research focuses on cockpit development for air and space vehicles, defining research needs driven by vehicle design and human-vehicle interaction.  She also has research interests in aerospace medicine, specifically human factors, accident prevention, and radiation effects and mitigation.  She has held internships with NASA Glenn Research Center focusing on digital modeling of human physiology and applying sun sensors to manned lunar exploration.  Sarah's goal is to continue her studies working toward a professional career in academia, teaching and conducting research in aerospace medicine. MS Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Research Funding: William F. Marlar Memorial Trust Summer 2011, AAUW Selected Professions Fellowship 2011/12 MS Aero May 2012 Post Graduation: PhD program at Texas A&M, Nuclear Engineering, Space Life Sciences emphasis last updated June 2012
Kevin Higdon, PhD	A Systematic Process for Assessing Human Spacecraft Designs in Terms of Relative Safety and Operational Characteristics Kevin received his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Auburn University (1996) and his Master’s of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville (2005). His graduate-level research involved the development of a numerical analysis program for NASA Marshall Space Flight Center which predicted the thrust and side loads of differentially throttled liquid plug nozzle engines in a very quick timeframe when compared to conventional CFD programs. While pursuing his Master’s degree, he also supported the US Army’s Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) program as a Propulsion Systems Engineer. He developed and continues to support the Boost Motor Analysis Program (BMAP) which is used by the US Army for reduction of solid rocket motor flight test data from White Sands Missile Range. Although his graduate research and work experience has been in the field of missile and space propulsion, his primary focus at CU is in human spacecraft design. Kevin is currently completing his PhD thesis research combining various applications of systems engineering, computational modeling and human factors analysis for conceptual human spacecraft design. PhD Thesis Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Research Funding: NASA GSRP Fellowship, 2006/07, William F. Marlar Memorial Trust PhD Aero May 2012 Post Graduation: Sierra Nevada Corporation last updated June 2012
	Dream Chaser Graduate Projects Team (Fall 2011) Project Focus: To develop a cockpit design architecture focusing on displays, controls, and layout for the SNC Dream Chaser space system based on advances in cockpit technology balanced with NASA heritage systems. The Fall 2011 semester produced an improved architecture and a functional cockpit mockup, which included a computer system that allowed for control of up to six electronic displays in the cockpit by the operator. This facility was then used for conducting a second round of human factors evaluations. Students, from left to right: Jason Carpenter, Brian Curtis, Dan Anderson, Luis Zea, Ian Aber, Jenae Lestishen, Becca Mitchell, Sarah Over, Heather Hava, Brian Roth, Matt Ducheck, Chris Massina. Project Advisors: Merri Sanchez (left), and NASA Astronauts Jim Voss (right), Joe Tanner (back row) and Steve Lindsey (center) Project Funding: William F. Marlar Memorial Trust and Sierra Nevada Corporation last updated December 2011
Jonas Schnaitmann	Verification and enhancement of an environmentally sensitive human physiological model Jonas Schnaitmann is studying aerospace engineering at the Technical University in Munich (TUM). He worked on his diploma (Master’s) thesis at CU in Boulder during the fall 2011 term, where he further integrated the different sub-models of a human physiological model used within a life support system simulation project called "Virtual Habitat" (V-HAB) at TUM, and subsequently verified and further enhanced the model. His overall interest lies in life support system simulations with focus on the human physiology, physical/chemical subsystems and control strategies. In 2010, he spent four months in Japan as an intern at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in Tokyo, working on the modeling and simulation of air revitalization systems, particularly a two bed molecular sieve. Practicum Supervisor: Dr. David Klaus MS Advisor: Dr. Ulrich Walter Research Funding: German Fellowship Dipl Ing Aerospace, TUM 2012 PhD Student, TUM last updated June 2012
	Dream Chaser Graduate Projects Team (Spring 2011) Project Focus: To develop a cockpit design architecture focusing on displays, controls, and layout for the SNC Dream Chaser space system based on advances in cockpit technology balanced with NASA heritage systems. The Spring 2011 semester produced the baseline cockpit architecture and a form/fit cockpit mockup that was utilized for a first round of human factors evaluations. Students from left to right: Jason Carpenter, Dustin Martin, Dan Anderson, Heather Hava, Matt Ducheck, Luis Zea, Sarah Over, Chris Massina, Drew Gottula, Weston Edwards Project Advisors: Jim Voss (far left), Joe Tanner (not pictured), Merri Sanchez and Prof Klaus (far right) Project Funding: William F. Marlar Memorial Trust and Sierra Nevada Corporation last updated May 2011
Ben Kemper	Human Spacecraft Safety and Operability Ben received his Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado and his commission into the Air Force in 2010. While waiting to go to pilot training, he completed initial coursework for his Master’s of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering also at the University of Colorado and plans to continue through CAETE. Ben's graduate research revolved around different facets of the Dream Chaser human spacecraft beginning with the development of a software tool to determine and evaluate the placement of components internal to the vehicle's pressurized volume. In 2010, he was part of a research team to develop a human rating plan for the Dream Chaser and the systems engineer on a separate effort to design a cockpit architecture for the vehicle. As an undergraduate, Ben was a project manager or a team lead for half a dozen diverse student projects and spent 2 summers interning for Lockheed Martin. Ben's goal is to attend test pilot school and extend his professional career toward human space flight applications after retiring from the Air Force. MS Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Research Funding: Sierra Nevada Corp, under NASA CCDev Contract BS Aero December 2010 Post Graduation: US Air Force last updated December 2010
Chad Healy	Human Spacecraft Safety and Operability Chad Healy is an Ensign in the United States Navy working towards his Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado at Boulder. His studies are focused in the field of Bioastronautics, revolving around the development and design of Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser Spacecraft. He helped to draft a Human Rating Plan for the vehicle, and was project manager for a team designing its displays and controls layout.  In addition, Chad has worked on developing a methodology for evaluating internal configurations of human-rated spacecraft, specifically tailored to the Dream Chaser, and was a Research Assistant for BioServe Space Technologies.  Prior to his time in Boulder, Chad graduated from the United States Naval Academy (USNA) in May 2009 with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering.  He conducted research as the lead systems engineer and attitude control systems engineer for three CubeSat missions in various stages of development. Chad also worked on the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna at Goddard Space Flight Center, where he developed lock acquisition algorithms for laser stabilization cavities. MS Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Research Funding: BioServe Space Technologies; Sierra Nevada Corp, under NASA CCDev Contract MS Aero December 2010 last updated December 2010
Jonathan Metts, PhD	Assessing Feasibility of Electrochromic Space Suit Radiators for Reducing Extravehicular Activity Water Consumption Jonathan received his B.S. (2004) and M.S. (2006) in Aerospace Engineering from Auburn University.  During this time, he managed a team of undergraduate students in a research project funded by Transformational Space Corporation (t/Space), in which students designed, prototyped, and tested a flexible, lightweight spacecraft seat.  He also studied the Russian language at Auburn University and received a scholarship to study the language and culture in St. Petersburg, Russia in the summer of 2003.  Jonathan's M.S. research background is in optimization of missile systems via genetic algorithms, but returned to his primary interest, human space flight, upon entering the PhD program at CU-Boulder.  His thesis topic defines and evaluates the application of variable-emissivity materials for a flexible, integrated radiator-based thermal control system in space suits. During his time at CU, Jonathan also helped build the Lunar Lander mock-up and was part of a team developing a human-rating plan for the Dream Chaser commercial space vehicle. He served as a Research Assistant for BioServe, a Teaching Assistant for ASEN 2004, Lead Graduate Teacher for the AES department, and on judication panels for the CU Honor Code. Jonathan graduated with his PhD in December 2010 and plans to continue research on human spaceflight in government or industry, with an eventual return to academia later in his career. PhD Thesis Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Research Funding: NASA GSRP Fellowship, 2007-2010; ARCS Scholar, 2008; Conference Travel by the William F. Marlar Memorial Trust; 2010, Sierra Nevada Corp, under NASA CCDev Contract, 2010 PhD Aero December 2010 Post Graduation: Sierra Nevada Corporation, 2011-14; Bigelow Aerospace, 2015 last updated Jan 2015
	Dream Chaser Graduate Projects Team (Fall 2010) Project Focus: The emphasis for this semester was narrowed down to spacecraft cockpit design and ergonomics evaluation. A rapid engineering prototype was configured based on definition of functional requirements and was used to conduct initial field-of-view and reach envelope evaluations from both the left and right seats. Team photo with SNC and CU project advisors. Project Advisors: Merri Sanchez (left), Jim Voss (center) and Joe Tanner (front) Project Funding: William F. Marlar Memorial Trust and Sierra Nevada Corporation last updated December 2010
Ryan Kobrick, PhD	Characterization and Measurement Standardization of Lunar Dust Abrasion for Spacecraft Design and Operations Dr. Ryan L. Kobrick received his BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario (2002), his Master's of Space Studies degree from the International Space University in Strasbourg, France (2003), his Master's of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University (2005) in University Park, PA, and his PhD in Aerospace Engineering Sciences (focus: Bioastronautics) from the University of Colorado at Boulder in Boulder, CO. He worked with the X PRIZE Foundation (2003, 2004 & 2006) developing the follow-on event to the $10 million ANSARI X PRIZE called the X PRIZE Cup. Ryan participated as a crewmember in The Mars Society's Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) four times of crews 25 (2004), 44 / ExBeta (2006), 56 / ExGamma (2007) and 58 / FMARS Training (2007). From his MDRS experiences, he was selected for a 100-day Mars mission simulation in the High Canadian Arctic on Devon Island, Nunavut at the Mars Society's Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS). On the FMARS Crew 11 Long Duration Mission (F-XI LDM), he facilitated the Human Factors studies for the crew of 7 as well as being a crew engineer. His CU-Boulder start was in the summer of 2005 researching space suit portable life support systems with Dr. Klaus on a NASA-funded project. Ryan was awarded a 2007 NASA Graduate Student Researchers Program (GSRP) award. He was the recipient of the 2006 AIAA Orville and Wilbur Wright Graduate Award, a three-time Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Scholar 2006-2009, and was the Department’s 2009 John A. Vise Memorial Scholarship recipient. Ryan participated in space outreach as an alumni of the Advisory Committee for the CU-Boulder chapter of the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (CUSEDS), and as an advisor for both SEDS Canada and Mars Society Canada's Exploration Mars (ExMars) Program. In July 2010, Ryan was named Executive Director of Yuri's Night. Homepage: www.RyInSpace.com PhD Thesis Advisor / Committee Chair: Dr. David Klaus Research Funding: NASA CRAVE DO1 (2005); BioServe Space Technologies; AIAA Orville and Wilbur Wright Graduate Award (2006); ARCS Scholar (2006), CU EEF Grant (2007), NASA GSRP Fellowship (2007-2010), Conference Travel by the William F. Marlar Memorial Trust, 2010 PhD Aero August 2010 Post Graduation: Postdoc at MIT, 2010-12; Space Florida 2012-16, Assistant Prof., Embry Riddle, 2016 last updated August 2016
	Dream Chaser Graduate Projects Team (Spring 2010) Project Focus: Definition and development of a volumetric mockup for layout analysis correlated to a mass and CG computational model. Louisville Company Supports CU Aerospace Students and Faculty in Dream Chaser Development Astronauts Trade in Spaceflight for Student Contact Project Advisors: Jim Voss and Joe Tanner Project Funding: William F. Marlar Memorial Trust last updated June 2010
	Dream Chaser Graduate Projects Team (Fall 2009) Project Focus: Habitable volume layout definition with mass and CG computational model. Astronaut Jim Voss Joins CU-Boulder Aerospace Faculty Project Advisors: Jim Voss and Joe Tanner Project Funding: William F. Marlar Memorial Trust last updated December 2009
Evan Thomas, PhD	Sustainable Fouling Management for Spacecraft Fluid Handling Systems Evan completed his BS/MS Aerospace Engineering at CU-Boulder in May 2006. As a cooperative education employee at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Evan worked in the Life Support and Habitability Systems Branch in the Crew and Thermal Systems Division. His MS research at CU and at NASA was in Microgravity Fire Detection, analyzing the feasibility of a Modulated Laser Analyzer for Combustion Products (MLA-CP) for the crewed spacecraft environment. Evan was also Editor-in-Chief of the Colorado Engineer Magazine, and is involved with Engineers Without Borders (EWB), leading sustainable development projects in Rwanda and Nepal. Evan founded the EWB-JSC chapter with other NASA engineers in 2004. Evan has received multiple awards from NASA and EWB for engineering development. PhD Thesis Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Research Funding: NASA JSC Fellowship, CU EEF PhD Aero Aug 2009 Post Graduation: NASA Civil Servant, Johnson Space Center, Crew and Thermal Systems 2004-10; Assistant Professor, Portland State University, 2010 last updated September 2010
Brock Kowalchuk	Prototyping the Next Generation Lunar Lander Vehicle Habitat (Spring 2009) Brock is currently pursuing a BS in Aerospace Engineering and a certificate in Engineering Entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado at Boulder, expecting to graduate in May 2011. He was involved with prototyping the Lunar Ascent Module during his sophomore year in the program. His work included developing volumetric and CAD models of subsystem hardware components for a proposed “Minimum Functionality” Lunar Ascent Module design. Currently, he works as a Command Controller at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), operating several spacecraft, including Kepler. After completing his BS, Brock is planning to pursue an advanced engineering degree in either Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering. His interests include entrepreneurship and learning how people can better interface with technology. Project Supervisor: Dr. David Klaus and Kevin Higdon (PhD student) Funding: Dean’s Discovery Learning Apprentice 2008/09 and the William F. Marlar Memorial Trust BS Aero May 2011 last updated June 2011
Andrea Hanson, PhD	Tissue Engineering to Assess Bone and Muscle Atrophy and Radiation Exposure During Space Flight Andrea received a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of North Dakota in 2002. Her interests lie in the area of assessing bone and muscle atrophy during long duration space flight and looking at the effects of radiation exposure during space flight. She has worked with BioServe Space Technologies for the past year looking at protein inhibitors that may help atrophying muscles and has worked on an osteoprotegrin bone study. She is also working with cell cultures to study the effects of radiation on mammalian cells. PhD Thesis Advisor: Dr. Virginia Ferguson (CU Mech Eng) Research Funding: BioServe Space Technologies PhD Aero Dec 2008 Post Graduation: Postdoc at University of Washington, NASA JSC last updated December 2014
	Bioastronautics Research Group (Fall 2008) This group photo represents student and faculty researchers with interests ranging from the development of biomedical countermeasures against bone and muscle atrophy experienced by astronauts to design of space suit and spacecraft habitats, spanning the study and support of life in space. The team is supported by a wide range of contracts and grants from NASA and private industry. BioServe Space Technologies, a Research Center housed in the Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department since 1987, largely anchors this program. NASA Astronaut Joe Tanner (back center),who recently joined our faculty, brings a wealth of firsthand experience to the Bioastronautics Program with four shuttle flights and seven space walks to his credit. He is now helping to educate the next generation of space engineers. taken December 2008
Ralf Purschke	Human anthropometric modeling for spacecraft design Ralf received his Diploma / MS in Aerospace Engineering from the Technische Universität München (TUM) in the Human Spaceflight Research Group. He is interested in Human Spaceflight and Satellite Design. For his MS he studied neutral body posture of astronauts in weightlessness and developed a model for predicting body posture in space. He conducted his Practicum as an International Exchange student at CU from fall 2008 through spring 2009, before returning to the TUM Institute of Astronautics under Prof. Walter. There he is working on a project which is funded by the German Space Administration in the field of Space Mechanism Design. Practicum Supervisor: Dr. David Klaus MS Advisor: Dr. Ulrich Walter Research Funding: German Fellowship MS Aerospace, TUM 2009 Post Graduation: PhD Student, TUM last updated September 2010
Kennda Lynch	Quantitative Habitability Assessment of Planetary Environments Kennda’s research interests involve elucidating environments on a planetary surface that are most likely to be habitable through an integrated predication technology that is aimed at detecting biosignatures in the local environment. This work will have the most immediate impact on future Martian in-situ investigations; however this system can be utilized in mission platforms for other astrobiology targets such as Europa, Enceladus and Titan as well. Kennda completed her MS degree from CU in the Spring of 2008 and is now continuing toward a PhD at the Colorado School of Mines. MS Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Recipient of a 2008 NASA Harriet Jenkins Predoctoral Fellowship MS Aero May 2008 Post Graduation: PhD Student, CSM last updated 8/22/08
Matthias Pfeiffer	Human metabolic model for integrated ECLSS robustness analysis Matthias received his Diplom/MS in Aerospace Engineering from Technische Universität München (TUM) in the Human Spaceflight Research Group. His interests lie in the field of human spaceflight and In-situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). For his MS thesis he developed a simulation of human metabolism for an integrated evaluation of ECLSS robustness. He conducted his Practicum as an International Exchange student at CU during the fall of 2007 and spring 2008, before returning to the TUM Institute of Astronautics under Prof. Walter. There Matthias worked on the design and development of a compact antenna pointing mechanism for small satellite. He was later offered the opportunity to conduct research for future lunar ISRU technologies and is currently funded by a German Space Administration grant to investigate possible extraction of solar wind implanted particles on the moon. Practicum Supervisor: Dr. David Klaus MS Advisor: Dr. Ulrich Walter Research Funding: German Fellowship MS Aerospace, TUM, 2008 Post Graduation: PhD Student, TUM last updated September 2010
Jan Harder	Human respiratory system model to support the design of a space habitat Jan received his Diploma / MS in Aerospace Engineering from the Technische Universität München (TUM) in the Human Spaceflight Research Group. He is interested in Human Spaceflight and Satellite Design. For his MS thesis, he developed a simulation for the human respiratory system for an integrated evaluation of ECLSS robustness.  He conducted his Practicum as an International Exchange student at CU from fall 2007 through spring 2008, before returning to the TUM Institute of Astronautics under Prof. Walter. Together with Matthias Pfeiffer and Ralf Purschke he worked on a technology development project for small satellite antenna systems for Real-Time Teleoperation in Space. Jan is also engaged in the CubeSat project MOVE which is the first Nano-Satellite of TUM. Practicum Supervisor: Dr. David Klaus MS Advisor: Dr. Ulrich Walter Research Funding: German Fellowship MS Aerospace, TUM, 2008 Post Graduation: PhD Student, TUM last updated November 2010
	Lunar Habitat Design Team (Spring and Fall 2007) This pilot MS Grad Project course, first offered in the Spring of 2007, was aimed at the following design goals and objectives: 1) analyze anticipated crew tasks (internal and extravehicular activities) to define operational requirements for the lunar surface sortie missions, 2) construct a rapidly-reconfigurable, full-scale prototype of the Lunar Habitat to assess vehicle configuration trade spaces, 3) conduct a computational mass analysis (CAD model of structure and subsystems) coupled to the mockup dimensions aimed at minimizing ascent stage mass, and 4) host local K-12 and public outreach events showcasing the ‘life size’ spacecraft mockup, complete with spacesuit demonstrations. Ten students participated in the inaugural project, 7 of whom took jobs working on the development of NASA’s new Crew Exploration Vehicle, Orion, and next generation spacesuit for lunar exploration. Project Advisor: Dr. David Klaus (left) Project Funding: CU Engineering Excellence Fund and the William F. Marlar Memorial Trust last updated 11/2/07
Farres Ahmed	Assessing the Role of Gravity on Biological-Physical Interface Phenomena Governing Bacterial Growth Farres’ research as an undergraduate at the University of Colorado at Boulder in MCD Biology focused on the temperature dependent growth and sedimentation characteristics of E. coli. In the future, he hopes to use this research to help better define E. coli growth patterns in simulated microgravity. Research Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Project Funding: SURE, 2004; BURST, 2005/06, UROP Summer 2006 BS MCD Biology May 2007 Post Graduation: Medical School, CU Health Sciences last updated 8/22/08
Dan Baca	Lunar Surface Access Module: Design Analysis and Mockup Development (Fall 2006) Dan completed his BA in Physics and Astronomy at the University of Montana, Missoula in May 2003. He simultaneously completed another BA in Mathematics with a minor in Computer Science. He continued working in his management position for CRS Hardware Corporation until he enrolled in the Aerospace Engineering Master's program at the University of Colorado in 2005. As a Research Assistant in the NASA Academy, Dan worked in the optics branch of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center on modeling the far field phase patterns of the future Laser Interferometer Space Antenna. He is currently serving as Vice President for the CU chapter of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (CUSEDS). Dan is also with working Dr. Klaus on a new project involving the construction and analysis of a Lunar Surface Access Module (LSAM) prototype. This will help better define the requirements of the future spacecraft and create a laboratory component for the graduate Bioastronautics courses offered at CU. MS Aero May 2007 Funding: William F. Marlar Memorial Trust Post Graduation: Lockheed Martin last updated 5/30/07
Anna Stanczyk	Evaluating the Effects of Antibiotics on Bacterial Motility Anna is an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan campus in Flint who spent the summer of 2006 at CU Boulder as a research intern. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, with a concentration in Biochemistry through the Honors Scholar Program at U of M Flint. Her research is focusing on validating a protocol for assessing E. coli motility, as well as testing motility in the presence of antibiotics to attempt to resolve data that conflicts with the hypothesized model of how microorganisms respond to a microgravity environment. In the future, Anna will use this research as the basis of her Senior Honors Thesis, and she is continuing the motility studies at her home campus. Research and Honors Thesis Advisor:  Dr. David Klaus Project Funding: University of Michigan-Flint Honors Scholar Program last updated 9/6/06
Vanessa Aponte, PhD	MEMS Biosensor Technology for Monitoring Astronaut Immune Response Vanessa obtained her BS and MS Degrees in Chemical Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (12/96 & 6/00). As an undergraduate she participated in a variety of research projects ranging from analysis of chemical engineering processes using computer modeling at Carnegie Mellon University to studying electrophoretic aggregation of latex particles as an intern at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She first had the opportunity to work with the space program through her graduate studies, as her research was sponsored by NASA Kennedy Space Center in the area of Advanced Life Support. She has obtained multiple research awards, published her work and is affiliated with several professional organizations including AIAA, AIChE, Tau Beta Pi and NSS. Her academic and research achievements allowed her to obtain a GEM fellowship sponsored by NASA Dryden Flight Research Center to begin pursuing doctoral studies in Aerospace Engineering Sciences at CU. Her research interests lie in the area of MEMS biosensors with a focus in Bioastronautics applications, more specifically, detection of immune system response in astronauts. PhD Thesis Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Funding: NASA GSRP, 2004 -2006 (HQ); NASA Co-op, 2003, Biological Systems Office, NASA Johnson Space Center; GEM Fellowship, 2001 Additional info: NASA Astronaut Candidate Finalist, 2009 and 2012 PhD Aero August 2006 Thesis Title: Development and Analysis of a Novel Cytokine Biosensor Concept for Astronaut Immune System Monitoring Post Graduation: Lockheed Martin last updated April 2010
Steve Chappell, PhD	Planetary EVA Design and Operations Steve achieved a BS in Aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan.  He worked for several years for FAAC, Inc. and moved on to Lockheed Martin as a systems engineer and architect of ground systems for classified programs.  He then returned to graduate school, obtaining a Master’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the University of Colorado, concentrating on coursework in Bioastronautics.  Presently, Steve works part-time at the Laboratory for Atmospheric & Space Physics as the Deputy Mission Systems Engineer on the AIM Program.  As a PhD student, Steve is conducting research that will support NASA's new human exploration focus.  His thesis emphasis is on the physiological impacts and workload of human exploration in partial gravity environments, working with the locomotion laboratory of the Department of Integrative Physiology.  Specifically, his research is focused on measuring the energy expenditure associated with inertial mass in simulated partial gravity locomotion. The specific goal of this research is to better quantify life support resource needs for EVA operations and to improve guidelines for EVA system design that will help to optimize astronaut performance. Associated interests include development of novel operations concepts and equipment for planetary EVA in challenging terrain, with the overall goal of providing future human explorers a means to access scientifically significant terrain on the Moon and Mars, such as steep sedimentary slopes, while mitigating risk and dealing with contingencies.  In addition to his professional and academic pursuits, Steve has been an active member of Rocky Mountain Rescue for the last 10 years. PhD Thesis Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Research Funding: AIAA Foundation Graduate Award, 2005 Additional Info: NASA Astronaut Candidate Finalist, 2009, Member of NASA NEEMO 14 Mission, 2010 PhD Aero August 2006 Thesis Title: Analysis of Planetary Exploration Spacesuit Systems and Evaluation of a Modified Partial-Gravity Simulation Technique Post Graduation: Wyle, NASA JSC - EVA Physiology, Systems, & Performance Project (EPSP), Human Adaptation & Countermeasures last updated August 2010
James Clawson, PhD	Durability and design approaches in the use of flexible transparent polymer films for a Mars greenhouse application Jim received his Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Cincinnati. He worked as a systems engineer for the Department of Defense at GE Aircraft Engines monitoring the production of engines for the B-1, F-14, and F-16 and the development of engine components for the F/A-18E/F. He transferred to Lockheed Martin Astronautics to monitor the development of the RD-180 rocket engine for the Atlas V launch vehicle family. Concurrently, he began working on a Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Colorado. After completing his Master’s, he resigned from the DoD and continued towards a PhD with BioServe, where his work has included investigating the use of laser tweezers to study plant gravitropism, studying the antifungal response of mung bean sprouts aboard the Mir space station, and the design, construction, and operation of BioServe’s Plant Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (PGBA) payload. His doctoral research is addressing some of the engineering challenges associated with the design of transparent inflatable structures for a Mars greenhouse application. He mentored the winning design team for the 2002 NASA Marsport Mars Deployable Greenhouse design competition. He also founded the Bioastronautical Systems Development Company, which was awarded an SBIR grant. PhD Thesis Advisor: Dr. Alex Hoehn Research Funding: NASA GSRP Fellowship, 2000-2003 (KSC); BioServe Space Technologies PhD Aero May 2006 Thesis Title: Feasibility of a Mars Surface Inflatable Greenhouse: Availability of Photosynthetic Irradiance and the Durability of Transparent Polymer Films Post Graduation: Stellar Solutions, Inc. last updated 7/10/06
Heather Howard	Antibiotic Effectiveness in Altered Gravitational Environments Heather earned her BA in Biochemistry and Managerial Studies from Rice University in 1999. After graduation, she was employed as a software developer for a few years before returning to graduate school at the University of Colorado. She completed her MS in Aerospace Engineering and began working toward doctoral studies investigating how microgravity alters antibiotic effectiveness against bacteria before deciding to move on to a professional career. MS Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Research Funding: NASA GSRP Fellowship, 2004-2006 (JSC) MS Aero December 2004 Post Graduation: The Aerospace Corporation last updated 6/2/06
James Russell, PhD	Advanced Life Support System Optimization Jim’s research interests are in Human Space Mission Metrics for the selection of Advanced Life Support Technologies as an alternative to the current metric Equivalent System Mass. He participated in the Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station as a crewmember (MDRS Crew 27) from March 27 to April 11, 2004. In addition to his PhD research, he worked as a Research Assistant for BioServe Space Technologies on space flight payloads and on the development of a long term air treatment system for mouse space habitat. He has also supported an undergraduate research project involving biosensor applications of Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). Jim is currently a Post Doctoral Research Associate at Purdue University at the ALS NSCORT. PhD Thesis Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Research Funding: AIAA Foundation Graduate Award, 2002 and 2005; Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society ‘Grant-in-Aid of Research’ Award, 2003 PhD Aero December 2005 Thesis Title: Expanded Life-Cycle Analysis to Optimize Spacecraft Life Support System Design Post Graduation: Postdoc at Purdue University 2005-06, Lockheed Martin 2006 last updated 10/9/06
Matt Bamsey	Foundations of Mars Colonization Matt Bamsey graduated with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. He has spent a number of work terms at the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), including a sixteen-month internship, three summers with the CSA Space Science department on Devon Island with the Arthur Clarke Mars Greenhouse project, as well as working for the RADARSAT-2 program. Matt has been active in various space advocacy groups for many years and was president of Mars Society, Canada between 2003 and 2005. He is also the current student advisor to the Mars Institute Board of Advisors. Other interests of Matt's include space history with a focus on Soviet/Russian aspects and space-related political lobbying. His research interests are focused on Mars colonization and the integration of the numerous disparate disciplines that are required to establish a sustainable colony. MS Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Research Funding: NASA CRAVE DO6 Additional Info: CSA Astronaut Candidate (Final 16) 2009 and 2017 MS Aero December 2005 Post Graduation: Canadian Space Agency and PhD Student at the University of Guelph last updated September 2010
Mike Benoit, PhD	Characterization of Gravity-Dependent Extracellular Mass Transport Phenomena Mike received his Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from the University of New Hampshire and his Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the University of Colorado. From 1999 through 2002, he worked at BioServe Space Technologies, a NASA Research Partnership Center, as a test engineer and also as the lead microbiologist for an experiment that flew onboard the International Space Station during increment 8A. His PhD work was funded by a Graduate Student Researchers Program (GSRP) fellowship from NASA Glenn Research Center, where he collaborated with Dr. Emily Nelson in the Computational Microgravity Laboratory to develop numerical model techniques for characterizing the effects of weightlessness on extracellular mass transport phenomena. PhD Thesis Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Research Funding: NASA GSRP Fellowship, 2002 - 2005 (GRC NGT3-52386); CU Aerospace Department John A. Vise Award, 2003; AIAA Foundation Graduate Award, 2003 PhD Aero August 2005 Thesis Title: Responses, Applications, and Analysis of Microgravity Effects on Bacteria Post Graduation: Postdoc at Stanford University 2006-10, Codexis 2010 last updated May 2010
Hans Seelig, PhD	Non-Contact Techniques for Detection of Water Stress in Plants for Space Flight Growth Chamber Application Hans received his Bachelor’s degree in Automation Technologies at the Hochschule TuW (FH) in Dresden/Germany (06/97), concentrating on biomedical engineering. He worked for several years for the University Hospital in Dresden and for the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Systems in Dresden, participating in various research projects involving non-contact measurement methods. In 1999 Hans came to the University of Colorado for graduate studies, obtaining his Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering Sciences in May 2001. From 1999 to 2005 Hans worked for BioServe Space Technologies as Research Assistant. He participated in the upgrade of BioServe’s space plant growth chamber (PGBA) for long term missions in controller optimization and launch preparations for an experiment that flew on the International Space Station in 2002 for about 8 weeks. Hans’ research. involved utilizing plants for advanced life support, in particular using remote sensing techniques for monitoring plant health. His dissertation focused on the development of non-contact techniques for detecting water deficit stress in plants. PhD Thesis Advisor: Dr. Alex Hoehn Research Funding: BioServe Space Technologies PhD Aero August 2005 Thesis Title: The Assessment of Water Deficit Stress in Plants using Optical Measurement Methods Post Graduation: Postdoc at NIST 2006-09, Professor at University of Dresden, Germany 2009 last updated July 2009
James Manley	Assessing the Effect of Simulated Weightlessness on a Neutrally Buoyant Strain of E. coli James received his Bachelor’s in EPO Biology and is now pursuing a career in Aerospace Medicine. His research focused on non-invasively monitoring lag phase of E. coli in simulated weightless conditions through the use of a clinostat. He also developed an optical density monitoring apparatus for use during clinorotation to aid in data collection for his research. Research Advisor: Dr. David Klaus (with Mike Benoit) Project Funding: URAP, 2003/04; UROP, 2004/05 BS EPO Biology May 2005 Post Graduation: Medical School, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD last updated May 2005
Galina Dvorkina	Characterizing the Influence of Gravity on Bacterial Sedimentation and Motility Galina is double majoring in Aerospace Engineering and EPO Biology. Her research objectives for this project are focused on measuring bacterial sedimentation rates in order to empirically determine cell density as a function of velocity, cell size and known fluid properties. Galina successfully designed and assembled a vertical video microscopy system and validated its general performance. Research Advisor: Dr. David Klaus (with Heather Howard) Project Funding: UROP, 2004/05 last updated May 2005
Ken Stroud, PhD	Mitigation of Vestibular Disturbances in Piloted Spacecraft Ken received his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1997. Upon graduation, he began working for Wyle Laboratories at the NASA Johnson Space Center in the Systems Development group, and later as a Biomedical Flight Controller (BME) working in the Mission Control Center. In August of 2000, Ken returned to the University of Colorado at Boulder, and in December of 2001 received his M.S. in Aerospace Engineering, with an emphasis on Bioastronautics. During 2002 and 2003, he worked in the Mission Operations group at BioServe Space Technologies, providing console support on the ISS 9A and 11A increments, and the STS-107 mission. Ken’s Ph.D. thesis entails the effects of weightlessness on the vestibular system. Specifically, his dissertation involved the development of countermeasures against vestibular disturbances during space flight using virtual reality and defining spacecraft design requirements. He completed a study on the prediction and prevention of motion sickness and disorientation in a microgravity-like virtual environment using 40 human test subjects at the NASA Johnson Space Center, and investigated the effect of spacecraft and cockpit design factors on the ability to safely land a piloted reentry vehicle. PhD Thesis Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Research Funding: NASA GSRP Fellowship, 2002-2005 (JSC NAG9-1438); AIAA Willy Z. Sadeh Award, 2002 PhD Aero December 2004 Thesis Title: Mitigating Vestibular Disturbances During Spaceflight Using Virtual Reality Training and Reentry Vehicle Design Guidelines Post Graduation: NASA Johnson Space Center, Sierra Nevada Corp. last updated June 2012
Tom Hatfield, PhD	Quantitative Ultrasound Technology Development for Space Flight Biomedical Applications Tom obtained his BS in Aerospace Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1992 and his Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering at the University of Houston in 1998. From 1992 to 1996 he also worked in various engineering roles for IBM, Loral, and Lockheed Martin supporting the shuttle and station programs, as well as the Mission Control Center in Houston. His MS research involved computer modeling for the Advanced Life Support program at the Johnson Space Center. These experiences led Tom to move to Colorado to pursue graduate studies at CU in 1999. In the summer of 2002, he began to work full-time on his PhD thesis under a NASA GSRP fellowship. As doctoral candidate, Tom's research focused on using ultrasound to determine cross-sectional area of limb muscle and bone, and included demonstrating the potential of ultrasound for measurements during spaceflight. PhD Thesis Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Research Funding: NASA GSRP Fellowship, 2002-2004 (JSC NAG9-1468); AIAA Foundation Graduate Award, 2003 PhD Aero December 2004 Thesis Title: Development of Novel Ultrasonic Physiological Measurement Methodologies Appropriate for Space Flight Post Graduation: Wyle Life Sciences, NASA Johnson Space Center last updated Jan 2005
Juniper Jairala	Effects of Space Flight on Sleep Juniper graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. She then worked for Universal Studios and Warner Brothers building theme parks in Japan and Spain. Her passion for space exploration returned her the U.S., where she worked at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center as a Flight Operations Engineer. Finally, realizing that her true quest was to help improve spaceflight for humans, and that she needed a graduate degree to do this, Juniper came to the CU Boulder Aerospace Engineering Sciences Bioastronautics Research Group. Her primary research interests are astronaut physiology and space medicine/countermeasures. She worked in the Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory in CU's Integrative Physiology department, putting electrodes on people's heads and watching their brainwaves while they sleep. She hopes to figure out, through the use of microgravity analogs, ways to improve how astronauts sleep in space. Research Funding: GEM Fellowship; National Institute of Health (NIH) Initiative for Minority Student Development (IMSD), 2003; NIH Fellowship, 2005 MS Aero December 2004 Post Graduation: co-op at NASA JSC spring 05; internship at Blue Origin summer 05; beginning PhD program at UCLA Fall 05, X-Prize Foundation, SpaceX, Andrews Space, Jacobs Engineering at NASA JSC last updated October 2008
Jackson Lee	Hydrogen Recovery from Spacecraft Biomass Waste Jackson received a BSME in mechanical engineering from Rice University in 2002. His interests are in the area of Advanced Life Support (ALS) for manned spacecraft, in particular, the applications of environmental microbiology and biotechnology in ALS. He has worked previously with BioServe Space Technologies and Lockheed-Martin in manned spaceflight and ALS activities. His thesis involved an experiment examining the use of photoheterotrophic bacteria in a photofermentation hydrogen production scheme for a mars/ lunar base for his MS thesis. This project was jointly supported by researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. MS Thesis Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Research Funding: NASA GSRP Fellowship, 2003-2004 (JSC NAG9-1555); Beverly Sears Graduate Student Grant, 2004; NSF EAPSI Fellowship to Japan, 2004 MS Aero August 2004 Thesis Title: Characterization of the Effect of Butyrate on Hydrogen Production in Biophotolysis for use in Martian Resource Recovery Post Graduation: Served as a member of the Peace Corps in the Philippines, PhD student at CSM last updated August 2007
Markus Czupalla, PhD	Spacecraft Advanced Life Support Systems Markus received his Diplom (FH)/BS in Aerospace Engineering from the Aachen University of Applied Sciences (AcUAS). As an undergraduate he dealt mainly with the mechanical design, analyses and optimization of lightweight structures. Being interested in human spaceflight Markus continued his education in 2002 in the Bioastonautics program at CU, where he completed his MS in 2003 (see Funnel Article, p.30). At CU Markus developed an interest in Life Support Systems (LSS) being part of the ASEN 5116 Spacecraft Life Support Systems focusing on the conceptual design of physio/chemical LSS. Markus continued his research investigating bioregenerative LSS from 2003 to 2004 at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Cologne. He conducted further LSS research as member of the Project Boreas team where he was responsible for the conceptual design of a Mars North Pole LSS. The Project Boreas report was shortlisted for the 2007 Sir Arthur Clarke Award in the category of "Best Written Presentation". Having explored the state of the art static LSS design approaches, Markus decided to pursue a PhD at the Technische Universität München (TUM) Human Spaceflight Research Group. His PhD research topic is the integrated and dynamic LSS design. For this purpose he is developing a simulation called the Virtual Habitat (V-HAB) which aims at the depiction of transient LSS parameters to allow increased robustness in the early studies of static LSS designs. MS Advisor: Dr. David Klaus Research Funding (while at CU): Fulbright Scholarship MS Aero CU, 2003 Dipl.Ing (FH) AcUAS - August 2004 - Advisor: Dr. Gerda Horneck PhD Advisor: Dr. Ulrich Walter, TUM PhD TUM, 2011 Additional info: Aachen University of Applied Sciences Highest Honors - Best of Class, 2004; Finalist in the 2009 ESA Astronaut Selection Post Graduation: Employed since 2004 with Kayser-Threde, structural and thermal systems engineer for space applications; Professor, Aachen University of Applied Sciences 2016 last updated September 2016

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