Students

Current Students:

Jacob Kintz

Jacob 2

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences (May 2024)

屹ǰ:Dr. Torin Clark

An Adaptive Autonomous System Informed by Unobtrusive Measures of Trust, Mental Workload, and Situation Awareness for Deep Space Exploration

Jacob was advised by Prof. Torin Clark in the Bioastronautics group. His PhD research focusedon human-autonomy teaming for performance-critical scenarios and predicting human cognitive constructs. Jacob workedalongside several other students and faculty in the group through the NASA Habitats Optimized for Missions of Exploration (HOME) Space Technology Research Institute.

Jacob grew up in Apex, North Carolina, and he graduated with a BS 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 spaceflight operations, flight test, avionics, and policy.

Jacob enjoys exploring the outdoors around Boulder, skiing and cycling when he can. He loves music, plans to complete his private pilot certificate, and hopes to continue an undergrad intramural basketball winning streak.last updated May 2024

ܲԻ徱Բ:NASA HOME STRI (2019-2024)

Samuel Kurtin

Sam Kurtin Picture

Originally from Georgetown, Texas, Samuel Kurtin is a lifetime human spaceflight enthusiast. After completing his undergraduate degree in Aerospace Engineering at UT Austin, he worked full-time for one year as a satellite operator at Lockheed Martin Space in Colorado. Samuel started his Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering with a focus in Bioastronautics at CU Boulder in the fall of 2021. During his time at CU, Samuel worked as a research assistant under Dr. Allie Hayman (née Anderson) and as a teaching fellow for Dr. Dave Klaus and Col. Jim Voss. Samuel's research focus was on understanding longitudinal trust for human autonomy teaming in operational environments. In addition to this, he created and deployed a grant-funded hands-on learning outreach activity about trust in teaching human autonomy for high school math students. Samuel graduated from CU in the spring of 2024.

Outside of school, Samuel has pursued his passion for human spaceflight through several internships including producing mockups for Orbital Reef at Sierra Space, researching Human System Interaction technologies for the Human Landing System (HLS) at NASA's Langley Research Center, developing vehicle-level test plans for the MK-1 lunar lander at Blue Origin, and creating display content for SpaceX Crew Dragon missions. He is a recipient of the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship as a member of the 2023 class. Samuel's career goals are to make human spaceflight safer and more routine for the benefit of Earth. In his free time on Earth, Samuel enjoys trail running, snowboarding, climbing, and playing drums.last updated May2024

Funding: National Science Foundation CAREER Grant GRA (Fall 2023 - Spring 2024), Teaching Fellowships

MS Aerospace Engineering Sciences (May 2024)

Advisor:Dr. Allie Hayman (née Anderson)

February 2024 - CU Bioastronautics faculty, students, and alumni at the 2024 NASA Human Research Program Investigators' Workshop (HRP IWS) held in Galveston, Texas.

Samuel Eshima

picture of sam

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences (December 2023)

Advisor:Dr. James Nabity

Sam was aPh.D. student in Aerospace Engineering Sciences focused on Bioastronautics working with Dr. James Nabity. His research was 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.last updated March2024

Funding: NASA Habitats Optimized for Missions of Explorations (HOME), Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO) - Graduate Scholarship

Esther Putman

Picture of Esther.

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences (December 2023)

Advisor: Dr. Allison Anderson

Esther Putman was a PhD student advised by Dr. Allison Anderson within the BioastronauticsDepartment at the University of Colorado Boulder. She graduated with a BS in Biology and a BS in Neuroscience from the University of Kentucky in 2019. She also received a MS in Aerospace Engineering and a ME in Engineering Management from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2021. With a diverse educational background, Esther works on bridging the gap between life sciences and engineering to enable human exploration of space.

Her previous experience includes designing research hardware for the International Space Station at Space Tango and investigating astronaut bone density loss in the Space Life Sciences Training Program at NASA Ames. As a 2018Brooke Owens Fellow, Esther worked at Vulcan Inc. using satellite earth observations to tackle global challenges like coral reef bleaching and elephant poaching. Her research interests include aerospace medicine, space physiology, astronaut training, and advocating for how access to space benefits life on Earth. Beyond the lab, she enjoys playing piano, taking ballet classes, and spending time outdoors with her dog Apollo. last updated March 2024

Funding: NSF GRFP (2020-2023)

Jamie Voros

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences (August 2023)

Advisor: Dr. Torin Clark

Jamie worked 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.

Funding:Office of Naval Research MURI on Multiloop Cybernetic Systems(2020-2023) last updated September 2023

Annika Rollock

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences (August 2023)

Advisor:Dr. David Klaus

Annika worked with Professor David Klaus on the Habitats Optimized for Missions of Exploration (HOME) project. Her PhD research focussed 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.last updated August 2023

ܲԻ徱Բ:NASA HOME STRI (2020 – 2023)

Sage Sherman

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences (July 2023)

Advisor: Dr. Allison Anderson

Sage Sherman completed 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 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. last updated August 2023

July 2023 - CU Bioastronautics faculty, students, and alums at the 52nd Annual International Conference on Environmental Systems (ICES) held in Calgary, Canada

MC Dorbecker

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences (May 2023)

Advisor: Dr. James Nabity

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. last updated June 2023

Funding: NSTRF (2018)

Kipp Larson

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences (May 2023)

Advisor: Dr. James Nabity

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. last updated June 2023

CU Bioastronautics faculty, students, and alums at the 2023 NASA Human Research ProgramInvestigators' Workshopheld in Galveston, TX.

taken February2023

Pamela Flores

PhDMolecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (December 2022)

屹ǰ:Dr. Luis Zea

Pamela Flores pursueda PhD degree in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at University of Colorado Boulder. She did 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, usingPseudomonas aeruginosaas 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. last updated September 2023

ܲԻ徱Բ:NASA

Jordan Dixon

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences (May 2022)

Advisor: Dr. Torin Clark

Detection and mitigation of pilot spatial disorientation

Jordan earned a B.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Kansas including a final semester at Delft University of Technology in the Aerospace and Biomechanical Engineering departments. His undergrad research included design, manufacturing and assembly of composite structures to house ice-mapping radar arrays, studying effects of bias-adaptive haptic feedback in the automotive domain, determining efficacy of pilots with multisensory cueing during tracking tasks, and performing flight test operations for the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets. He went on to earn a M.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder, completing research studies focused on human adaptation and performance in extreme environments, such as investigating neurovestibular reinterpretations to changing gravity environments.

After spending a summer with the Disorientation Research Device team at the Naval Medical Research Unit – Dayton developing washout strategies for their aerospace flight simulator, Jordan returned to the University of Colorado Boulder to pursue a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences under Dr. Torin Clark. He received a Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Fellowship to pursue his Ph.D. research aimed at developing methods of detecting spatial disorientation in pilots, in effort to mitigate aviation mishaps and fatalities. Jordan is a member of the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA), the Life Sciences & Biomedical Engineering Branch (LSBEB) of AsMA, the Aerospace Medicine Student Resident Organization (AMSRO), the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES), and and is a sub-committee member for National Ergonomics Month (NEM). In his free time, he enjoys playing hockey, snowboarding, hiking, and performing trail maintenance – through the Continental Divide Trail Coalition (CDTC), Jordan adopted Section 257 of the CDT near Winter Park, CO.last updated August 2021

Funding: CU SEED grant (2017-2018), The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc (2018-2022)

Young-Young Shen

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences (May 2022)

Advisor: Dr. Allison Anderson

Spacesuit Wearer Joint Kinematics Estimation

Young-Young's PhD researchseeks to develop a magnetometer-free wearable inertial sensorsystem for observing the detriment incurred by a spacesuit on the wearer's joint kinematics during extravehicular activity (EVA). His work is motivated by the need for in-suit measurements to inform the design of safer spacesuits, which are necessary for preventing astronaut musculoskeletal injuries during highly frequent EVAs on future crewed planetary missions. His research interests include mathematical modeling and simulation, state estimation, anddynamics and control.

Separately, foranindependent study, Young-Youngworked to develop a particle filter model of humanorientation perceptionunder the influence ofvisual and vestibular cues. Hepreviously helda research assistantship with the CU Integrated Remote and In-Situ Sensing initiative, for whichhe studied applicationsof unmannedaircraft systemsin 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 majoredin aerospace engineering,receiving hisBachelor of Applied Science in Engineering Science in 2013. In his spare time, Young-Young enjoysworking on his personalsoftware projects, playing the violin in the CU Campus Orchestra, and skiing. He is also a NAUI-certified Scuba Diver. last updated May 2017

Funding: Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences (2017 to 2022), NASA Quantifying and Preventing EVA Injury in Exploration Environments Grant NNX17AB11G (2017), CUIntegrated Remote and In-Situ Sensing (IRISS) initiative (2016)

Abhishektha Boppana

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences (May 2022)

Advisor: Dr. Allison Anderson

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.

Abhiis 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 methodolgyto 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, Abhienjoys travelling, eating, and photography. last updated September2019

Funding: Smead Scholar (2017-2022), NSF GRFP Fellowship (2018-2022)

Kaitlyn Hauber

MS Aerospace Engineering Sciences (May 2022)

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Kait began her Master’s degree at CU in Aerospace Engineering with a focus in Bioastronautics in Fall 2020, where she is currently supported on a grant with the FAA characterizing ECLSS configurations for commercial space flights. Previously, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Aerospace and Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University in May 2020. While at Purdue, Kait was heavily involved in the Society of Women Engineers as well as undergraduate research. Notably, a payload that she worked on in developing a thoracic suction device for microgravity applications flew aboard Blue Origin’s NS-11. Kait has had previous internship experience at Rolls-Royce, Skunkworks, and most recently, Lockheed Martin Space working on ELCSS for the Orion spacecraft. Outside of academics, she is involved in the CU Boulder Racing Team and CU Women’s Rugby. In her free time, she enjoys playing with her dog Laika, baking, photography, hiking, and working on her car. Kait is also currently working towards becoming a certified EMT. last updated May 2021

Funding: FAA Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation (2020/21)

Hunter Hatchell

MS Student

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Hunter is a first year Master's student starting Fall 2020 in AerospaceEngineering focusing in Bioastronautics from Charleston, SC. He graduated with an undergraduatedegree in Aerospace Engineering with a focus in Astronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-DB (ERAU). Hunter has two passions: Human Spaceflight and Leadership. He has gathered experience in both by leading NASA engineering design challengesand being a Resident advisor at his time at ERAU. Hunter has also had many tours as a NASA intern at both NASA Langley and NASA JSC. Currently he is a graduate pathways intern at JSC working with the Exploration Pressure Garment Subsystem (xPGS) team, assisting the design and Human in the Loop testing for the next generation spacesuit for The Moon, The xEMU.

Outsideof school and work, Hunter can be found enjoying coffee, hiking, gaming, beach going, playing Ultimate Frisbee and trying to survive the cold.

Funding: FAA Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation, (Fall 2020), NASA JSC Internship, (Spring 2021)

July 2022 - CU Bioastronautics faculty, students, and alums at the 51st Annual International Conference on Environmental Systems (ICES) held in St. Paul, MN

VOLT= Vehicles Optimized for Lunar Transport
VOLT Graduate Projects Team
(Spring 2022)

Advisor: Colonel Jim Voss

Team Members:Jessica Knoblock, Nathan Smith, Suood Alnaqbi, Nick Armanino, Denise Buciuman-Coman, Joseph Buescher, Kaitlyn Hauber, Sam Kurtin, Naoki Matsui, Steven Priddy, Jacob Carter, Tanya Mittal, Shivarth Popat, Dean Widhalmlast updated October 2022

Matthew Hardy

PhD Student

Advisor: Dr. James Nabity

Matthew earned a Bachelor’s degree in ME at the University of Kentucky in 2017 and has since earned Master’s degrees from Duke University and Sweden’s KTH Institute of Technology. He has worked at multiple NASA centers, including Langley, MSFC, and KSC. For these centers, he participated in hypersonic ablator experiments, turbopump computational work, and acoustic materials testing. Out of everything he was exposed to, he was most intrigued by KSC’s plant lab. To pursue his interest, Matt went on to work at Utah State University’s research greenhouse. After witnessing the large power demand for plant lighting, Matt pitched an idea to NASA for a more efficient lighting solution in controlled environment agriculture. He was awarded the NSTGRO fellowship and subsequently started his PhD in CU’s bioastronautics program. Matt sees the irony of traveling so far from Kentucky to be a farmer after all. Matt likes furry pets, contact sports, and weightlifting. When the season’s right, he also enjoys boating, hiking, grilling, and chilling. last updated October 2020

Funding: NSTGRO (2020-present)

Kathrine Bretl

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences (ABD May 2021) July 2021

Advisor: Dr. Torin Clark

The development of a conceptual design for short-radius, intermittent centrifugation for spaceflight artificial gravity

Katiereceived her B.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics 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, NASA Ames Research Center, and SpaceX. In May 2019, Katie received her dual-Masters’ in Aerospace Engineering Sciences and Engineering Management at CU. Passionate about human space exploration, Katie is seeking to improve the feasibility of using artificial gravity as a comprehensive spaceflight countermeasure by investigating the tolerability of fast-spin-rate, short-radius centrifugation. A Wisconsin native, Katie is an avid sports fan (Sko Buffs!) and loves hiking, flying, camping, drinking craft brews, and spending time with her friends and family. last updated August 2021

Funding: NSTRF (2017-2021)

Mike Van Akin

MS Aerospace Engineering Sciences (May 2020)

Advisor: Dr. Allie Anderson

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. 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. last updated August 2021

Funding: NSF GRFP (2018-2021)

Neil Banerjee

MS Aerospace Engineering Sciences (May 2020)

屹ǰ:Dr. Allie Anderson

Post-Graduation:Human Factors, SpaceX

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 he 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 research was 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. last updated August 2021

ܲԻ徱Բ:NASA Habitats Optimized for Missions of Explorations (HOME)

Rachel Rise

MS Aerospace Engineering Sciences (May 2021)

屹ǰ:Dr. Torin Clark

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. last updated August 2021

Funding: College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Dean's Graduate Fellowship (2019-2020), NSF GRFP (awarded 2019, deferred until further notice)

Carlos Pinedo

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences (May 2021)

Advisor: Dr. Torin Clark

Carlos is a Major and a test pilot in the United States Air Force. 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. 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. last updated August 2021

Katya Arquilla

PhDAerospace Engineering Sciences (May 2021)

屹ǰ:Dr. Allie Anderson

Post-Graduation:Postdoctoral Associate in MIT AeroAstro

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 research focus was 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 in fall 2018 she began 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 wasperformed in conjunction with a group of researchers in the Biomedical Solutionscapability at The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory (Cambridge, MA). In her free time, Katya enjoys being outside hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding, playing ultimatefrisbeeand enjoying all the perks of life in Boulder. last updated August 2021

Funding: The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc(2018-2021)

Daniel Case

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences (ABD December 2020)

Advisor:Dr. James Nabity

Integrated Space Radiation Shielding for Extraterrestrial Habitats

At CU, he researched 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. last updated August 2021

Funding:College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Dean’s Fellowship (2014-2015), Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department (2014-2016), NSTRF (2016-2020)

Mike Lotto

PhDAerospace Engineering Sciences (December 2020)

屹ǰ:Dr. David Klaus

Post-Graduation:Paragon Space Development Corporation

In Sutu Resource Utilization for Spacecraft Atmosphere Revitilization

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 wasassessing 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 forBioServeSpace 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. last updated August2021

ܲԻ徱Բ: NASA STTR Freezable Heat Exchanger 2015, BioServeSpace Technologies (2015-2016),NSTRF (2016-2020)

Feb 2020 - CU Bioastronautics faculty, students, and alums at the 2020 NASA Human Research ProgramInvestigators' Workshopheld in Galveston, TX.

Rylee Schauer

Masters Student

屹ǰ:Dr. Luis Zea

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 inBioastronauticsat CU Boulder. Rylee leads the fungal laboratory work of the NASA-funded "Space Biofilms" project, performing ground tests withPenicillium Rubensto 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. last updated September 2019

Funding: NASA 2018-Present

Heather Hava

PhD Student

Advisor: Dr. Nikolaus Correll, CU Computer Science Dept.

Improving Habitability, Mood & Diet through Bioregenerative Food Systems

Funding: NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship (NSTRF), 2012-present last updated September 2012

Emily Matula

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences (ABD May 2019) July 2019

Advisor: Dr. James Nabity

Post-Graduation: ISS Flight Controller, NASA JSC

Biologically-based Spacecraft Thermal Control and Atmosphere Revitalization

EmilyMatulaearned her Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering (May 2012) and herMaster’sof 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 the 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. last updated November 2016

Funding:College of Engineering Dean’s Assistantship (2014-2015), College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Dean’s Fellowship (2014-2015), NSTRF (2015-2019)

Arthur Barriault

MS Aerospace Engineering Sciences (May 2019)

Advisor: Dr. Allison Anderson

Post-Graduation:Space Operations Engineer, SpaceX

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.Working with Dr. Allie Anderson, he worked 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 worked 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 was 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. last updated August 2021

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)

CU SHEDS - Crewed and Uncrewed Semi-Autonomous Habitat for the Exploration of Deep Space
CU SHEDSGraduate Projects Team
(Fall 2021)

Advisor: Colonel Jim Voss

Team Members:Marta Stepanyuk, Aaron Stirk, Suood Alnaqbi, Nick Armanino, Denise Buciuman-Coman, Joseph Buescher, Kaitlyn Hauber, Jessica Knoblock, Sam Kurtin, Naoki Matsui, Steven Priddy, Nathan Smithlast updated October 2022

CU SHEDS Graduate Projects Team
(Spring 2021)

Advisor: Colonel Jim Voss

Team Members:Rydell Stottlemyer, Colin Claytor, Kaitlyn Olson, Conner McLeod, Sam Schrup, Alex Liem, Marta Stepanyuk, Aaron Stirk, Neil Banerjeelast updated October 2022

TALOS= The Artemis Lunar Operations System
TALOS Graduate Projects Team
(Fall 2020)

Advisor: Colonel Jim Voss

Team Members:Sid Bhilare, Colin Claytor, Samuel Eshima, Alex Liem, Connor McLeod, Kaitlyn Olson, Samuel Schrup, Josh Segall, Rydell Stottlemyer, Benjamin Wexlerlast updated October 2022

TALOS Graduate Projects Team
(Spring 2020)

Advisor: Colonel Jim Voss

Team Members:Sid Bhilare, Anahid Blaisdell, Brendon Bourgea, Brian Claytor, Greg Frank, Luisa Gomes, Dylan Martin, Sam Piper,Rylee Schauer, Logan Thompson, Bailey Topplast updated October 2022

TALOS Graduate Projects Team
(Fall 2019)

Advisor: Colonel Jim Voss

Team Members:Brendon Bourgea, Mike Van Akin, Dylan Martin, Greg Frank, Eric Bergman, Logan Thompson, Rylee Schauer, Anahid Blaisdell, Luisa Gomes, Jonathan Hamilton, Bailey Topp,Sam Piperlast updated October 2022

CU Bioastronautics faculty, students and alums at the 49thAnnual International Conference on Environmental Systems (ICES) held in Boston, MA

taken July 2019

ALEXSYS Graduate Projects Team
(Spring 2019)

Advisor: Colonel Jim Voss

Advanced Lunar EXploration SYStem

Team Members:Tyler Kilambi, Darren Bruner, Mike Van Akin, Christopher Brown, Jonathan Hamilton, Matt Bair, Amber Bishop, Ted Zuzula, Nick Fansler, Michael Zero, Sarah Hickenlast updated October 2022

Roger Huerta

MS Aerospace Engineering Sciences (May 2019)

Advisor: Dr. Allison Anderson

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. last updated August 2018

MLI Heat Leak Characterization Testing
(Fall 2018)

Advisor: Dr. Jim Nabity

Team Members:(from L to R) Zachary Reynolds, Prof. Nabity (advisor), Ray Pitts, AndrewMezich, NicholasWiemelt, Eric Bergman, Samuel Eshima, Joseph Schueller, Vikina Martinezlast updated December 2018

PEGASYS Graduate Projects Team
(Fall 2018)

Project 屹ǰ:Col. Jim Voss

Precision Entry to Ground Approach SYStem (Mars Lander)

Team Members:Amber Bishop, Nick Fansler, Tyler Kilambi, Ted Zuzula, Darren Bruner, Thomas Pearson, Sarosh Hussain, Zach Fester, Akileswaran Chinnasamy, Michael Zero, Mario Maggio, Matt Bair, Christopher Brown, Jake Tarnoff, Sarah Hickenlast updated October 2022

Thomas Ruck

Visiting Student

Project Advisor: Dr. Tobias Niederwieser, University of Colorado, Boulder

Thesis Advisor: Daniel Pütz, M.Sc., Technical University of Munich

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. last updated December 2018

Tobias Niederwieser

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences (December 2018)

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Post-Graduation: Research Associate, BioServe Space Technologies

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. last updated December 2018

Funding: BioServe (2013-present), PhD Fellowship from the German Academic Scholarship Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes) (2016)

Jan Junker

Visiting Student

MS TUM November 2018

Project Advisor: Prof. David Klaus, University of Colorado Boulder

Thesis Advisor: Matthias Killian, Technical University of Munich

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. last updated November 2018

Thomas Roselli

Visiting Student

Project Advisor: Dr. Alex Hoehn (BioServe)

MS Thesis Advisor: Prof. Ulrich Walter (TUM)

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. last updated November 2018

Bioastronautics Research Group
(Fall 2018)

taken September 2018

Phillip Hartmüller

Visiting Student

Project Advisor: Dr. Alexander Hoehn

MS Advisor: Prof Ulrich Walter

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. last updated August 2018

Jordan Holquist

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences
(ABD August 2018) December 2018

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Post-Graduation: Fulbright Scholarship, Technical University of Munich, Germany

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. last updated August 2018

Funding: NASA JSC CEP (2013), NASA STTR (2013-2014), NSTRF (2014-2018)

Jose Maria Mabres

Visiting Student

Advisor: Dr. James Nabity

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. last updated August 2018

CU Bioastronautics faculty, students and alums at the 48thAnnual International Conference on Environmental Systems (ICES) held in Albuquerque, NM

taken July 2018

PEGASYS Graduate Projects Team
(Spring 2018)

Advisor: Colonel Jim Voss

Team Members: Abhishektha Boppana, Ariel Gebhardt, Amanda Turk, Roger Huerta, CJ Patel, Jacob Tarnoff, Akileswaran Chinnasamy, Melinda Zavala, David Emmert, Grant Vincent, Mike Blascoe, and Arthur Barriault. last updated May 2018

Kimia Seyedmadani

MS Aerospace Engineering Sciences (2017)

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. She received an MS in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from CU Boulder with an emphasis in Bioastronautics in 2017. 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. last updated January 2018

Funding: CU Boulder Aerospace Engineering Sciences (AES) Graduate Fellowship (2016), NASA Innovative for Advance Concepts Phase I (2017)

HYbrid Dehumidification and Reclamation Apparatus (HYDRA)
(Fall 2017 and Spring 2018)

Advisor: Dr. Jim Nabity

Project Funding: NASA eXploration Habitat (X-Hab) Academic Innovation Challenge last updated July 2018

PEGASYS Graduate Projects Team
(Fall 2017)

Advisor: Colonel Jim Voss

Team Members: 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 47thAnnual International Conference on Environmental Systems (ICES) held in Charleston, SC

taken July 2017

Christine Fanchiang

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences (May 2017)

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Post-Graduation: Founder, The Space Research Company (TSRCo)

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. last updated June 2017

Funding: BioServe Space Technologies (2009-2011), FAA Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation (COE for CST) (2011-2013), NASA Harriett G. Jenkins Graduate Fellowship (2013-2016)

CHAMP Graduate Projects Team
(Spring 2017)

Project 屹ǰ:Col. Jim Voss

Cis-Lunar Orbital Habitat

Project Funding: Orbital ATK

last updated May 2017

X-Hab/ CARIL Graduate Projects Team
(Spring 2017)

Project 屹ǰ:Dr. Jim Nabity

Cabin Atmosphere Revitalization through Ionic Liquids (CARIL)

Project Funding: NASAeXplorationHabitat (X-Hab) Academic Innovation Challenge

last updated May 2017

Bioastronautics Research Group
(Spring 2017)

taken February 2017

CHAMP Graduate Projects Team
(Fall 2016)

Project 屹ǰ:Col. Jim Voss

Cis-Lunar Orbital Habitat

Project Funding: Orbital ATK

last updated Dec 2016

Kyle Borg

MS Aerospace Engineering Sciences May 2016

Project Advisor: Dr. James Nabity

Post-Graduation: ISS Flight Controller, NASA JSC

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. last updated May 2016

LifeLABGraduate Projects Team
(Spring 2016)

Project Advisors:Dr. Jim Nabity and Dr. Dave Klaus

Project Funding: William F.MarlarMemorial Trust and CU Engineering Excellence Fund (EEF)

last updated May 2016

CHAMP Graduate Projects Team
(Spring 2016)

Project Advisors: Col. Jim Voss, with Joe Tanner and Professors Klaus and Nabity

Cis-Lunar Orbital Habitat

Project Funding: Orbital ATK

last updated May 2016

X-Hab/ OASIS Graduate Projects Team
(Spring 2016)

Project Advisor: Joe Tanner

Project Funding: NASAeXplorationHabitat (X-Hab) Academic Innovation Challenge

last updated May 2016

Robert Ocampo

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences (April 2016)

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

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. last updated March 2017

ܲԻ徱Բ: Sierra Nevada Corporation under NASA CCDev2 (2011-12), CCiCap (2012-2014), FAA COE CST (2015-2016)

Chris Massina

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences (January 2016)

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Post-Graduation: Thermal Systems Branch, NASA JSC

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. last updated January 2016

Funding: BioServe Space Technologies (2011-2012), NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship (NSTRF) (2012-2016)

Sina Kaufmann

Visiting Student

Practicum Supervisor: Dr. David Klaus with Tobias Niederwieser

Advisor: Dr. Alexander Höhn, TUM

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. last updated April 2016

Funding: PROMOS scholarship

CHAMP Graduate Projects Team
(Fall 2015)

Project Advisors:Col. Jim Voss, with Professors Klaus and Nabity

Cis-Lunar Orbital Habitat

Project Funding: Orbital ATK

last updated December 2015

LifeLABGraduate Projects Team
(Fall 2015)

Project Advisors:Dr. Jim Nabity and Dr. Dave Klaus

Project Funding: William F.MarlarMemorial Trust and CU Engineering Excellence Fund (EEF)

last updated December 2015

Bioastronautics Research Group
(Spring 2015)

taken May 2015

LifeLABGraduate Projects Team
(Spring 2015)

Project Advisors: Dr. Dave Klaus and Dr. Jim Nabity

Project Funding: William F.MarlarMemorial Trust and CU Engineering Excellence Fund (EEF)

last updated May 2015

HL-20 Spacecraft Cockpit Graduate Projects Team
(Spring 2015)

Project Advisor: Col.Jim Voss

Project Funding: William F.MarlarMemorial Trust

last updated May 2015

X-Hab/ OASIS Graduate Projects Team
(Spring 2015)

Project Advisor:Joe Tanner

Project Funding: NASAeXplorationHabitat (X-Hab) Academic Innovation Challenge

last updated May 2015

Matthew Milanese

MS Aerospace Engineering Sciences (May 2015)

Advisor: Dr. James Nabity

Post-Graduation: ISS Flight Controller, NASA JSC

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. last updated May 2015

Funding: NASA STTR 2014-15

Luis Zea

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences (May 2015)

Advisors: Dr. David Klaus and Dr. Louis Stodieck

Post-Graduation: Research Associate, BioServe (2015-18), Assistant Research Professor, CU AES

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. last updated December 2018

Funding: Petrobras (2006-2008), BioServe Space Technologies (2010-present), DAAD Fellowship to Germany (Feb-Aug 2014), CASIS AES-1 (2014-15)

LifeLABEnvironmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Test Bed Graduate Projects Team
(Fall 2014)

Project Advisors:Dr. Dave Klaus and Dr. Jim Nabity

TheLifeLABteam 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 Funding: William F.MarlarMemorial Trust and CU Engineering Excellence Fund (EEF)

last updated Dec 2014

HL-20 Spacecraft Cockpit Graduate Projects Team
(Fall 2014)

Project 屹ǰ:Jim Voss

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 Funding: William F.MarlarMemorial Trust

last updated Dec 2014

X-Hab/ OASIS Graduate Projects Team
(Fall 2014)

Project 屹ǰ:Joe Tanner

Building upon the CU X-Hab2013 project “Remote Plant Production Capability,” and the CU X-Hab2014 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 ateleoperated, mini-deployable greenhouse that provides remote food production capability as a precursor to human planetary missions.

Project Funding: NASA Exploration Habit (X-Hab) Academic Innovation Challenge

last updated Dec 2014

Griffin Hale

MS Aerospace Engineering Sciences (May 2014)

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Post-Graduation: Sierra Nevada Corp. (2014), Bigelow Aerospace (2015)

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. last updated Jan 2015

Stephanie Gonzalez

MS Aerospace Engineering Sciences (May 2014)

Advisors: Dr. Louis Stodieck and Dr. Virginia Ferguson

Post-Graduation: Analytical Mechanics and Associates (2014)

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. last updated May 2014

Research Funding: BioServe Space Technologies (2012), NSF Fellowship (2013-2014)

Geoffrey King

MS Aerospace Engineering Sciences (May 2014)

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

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. last updated May 2014

Funding: BioServe (2012-2014)

Stuart Tozer

MS Aerospace Engineering Sciences (May 2014)

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Post-Graduation: Bioserve Space Technologies

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. last updated May 2014

Funding: Lockheed Martin (Summer 2012), BioServe Space Technologies (2012-2014)

LifeLABGraduate Projects Team
(Spring 2014)

Project Advisors:Dr. Dave Klaus and Dr. Jim Nabity

TheLifeLABteam 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, KatieBrissenden, Dr. David Klaus

Project Funding: William F.MarlarMemorial Trust

last updated May 2014

Professor Hiroyuki Miyajima

Visting Professor

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

LifeLABGraduate Projects Team
(Fall 2013)

Project Advisors:Dr. Dave Klaus and Dr. Jim Nabity

Beginning in the Fall of 2013, theLifeLABteam 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 theLifeLABteam), 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 Funding: William F.MarlarMemorial Trust

last updated December 2013

Dream Chaser Graduate Projects Team
(Fall 2013)

Project 屹ǰ:Col. Jim Voss

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 1200lbfto 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 5thpercentile Japanese female to 95thpercentile American male.In addition to use of test subjects, the team also developed a human model for CAD analysis.

Project Funding:Sierra Nevada Corporation

last updated December 2013

Jake Gamsky

MS Aerospace Engineering Sciences (May 2013)

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Post-Graduation: Sierra Nevada (2013-2014), ULA (2015)

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. last updated Jan 2015

Funding: NSF Fellowship (2011-2014)

X-HabGraduate Projects Team
(Fall 2012 / Spring 2013)

Project Advisors:Joe Tanner and Nikolaus Correll

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 theeXplorationHabitat, or X-Hab, Academic Innovation Challenge. Standing, left to right, are Gioia Massa of the NASA ISS Ground Processing and Research Project Office, DanielZukowski, 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-Habteam areKarunaRaja Reddy,RohitDewani,PileunKim, TimVillabona, Emily Howard, andHuyLe)

Supported byKSC-2013-2867 (06/21/2013)

last updated June 2013

Dream Chaser Graduate Projects Team
(Spring 2013)

Project Advisors:Ken Stroud, Joe Tanner, and Col. Jim Voss

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, JeffreyOxenbury, Mark Robinson, Brandon Wilk, Matthew Lawry, Daniel Green and Jim Voss; front row: Emily Logan, Ashley Williams, AshleyGleaves, and Stefanie Gonzalez

Project Funding:Sierra Nevada Corporation

last updated May 2013

Bioastronautics Research Group
(Fall 2012)

Joshua Hecht

MS Aerospace Engineering Sciences (December 2012)

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Post-Graduation: Paragon Space Development Corp. (2013)

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. last updated January 2014

Funding: NASA STTR with TDA Research, Inc. (2012)

Dream Chaser Graduate Projects Team
(Fall 2012)

Project Advisors:Ken Stroud and Merri Sanchez from SNC, and former NASA Astronauts Jim Voss and Joe Tanner

Project Focus:Spacecraft cockpit Displays and Controls and Seat Design

Project ܲԻ徱Բ:Sierra Nevada Corporation

last updated December 2012

Philipp Hager

Visiting Student

Practicum Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Advisor: Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Ulrich Walter, Institute of Astronautics, Technische Universität München (TUM)

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. He earned his Ph.D. from TUM in 2013. last updated August 2013

Funding: (while at CU Fall 2012): German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

Microgravity Convective Heat Transfer Flight Research
(Summer 2012)

Project 屹ǰ:Dr. David Klaus

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’

Project Funding:William F.MarlarMemorial Trust, UCEC, CU Aerospace Department, CU Dean’s Office

See video summary of the flight -

last updated August 2012

Jennifer Mindock

PhD Aeropace Engineering Sciences (August 2012)

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Post-Graduation: Wyle, NASA JSC

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.

Funding: NASA GSRP Fellowship (2009-2012), ARCS Scholar, Zonta Amelia Earhart Fellowship

Additional Info: , 2009

Dream Chaser Graduate Projects Team
(Spring 2012)

Project Advisors:Ken Stroud, Merri Sanchez, and NASA Astronauts Jim Voss (far right), Joe Tanner and Steve Lindsey

Project Focus:Spacecraft cockpit Displays and Controls design and layout

Team photo with SNC advisor Jim Voss

Project Funding:Sierra Nevada Corporation

last updated June 2012

Sarah Over

MS Aerospace Engineering Sciences (May 2012)

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Post-Graduation: PhD program at Texas A&M, Nuclear Engineering, Space Life Sciences emphasis

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. last updated June 2012

Funding: William F. Marlar Memorial Trust Summer (2011), AAUW Selected Professions Fellowship (2011-2012)

Kevin Higdon

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences (May 2012)

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Post-Graduation: Sierra Nevada Corporation

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. last updated June 2012

Funding: NASA GSRP Fellowship (2006-2007), William F. Marlar Memorial Trust

Dream Chaser Graduate Projects Team
(Fall 2011)

Project Advisors:Merri Sanchez (left), and NASA Astronauts Jim Voss (right), Joe Tanner (back row) and Steve Lindsey (center)

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,JenaeLestishen, Becca Mitchell, Sarah Over, Heather Hava, Brian Roth, MattDucheck, ChrisMassina.

Project Funding:William F.MarlarMemorial Trust and Sierra Nevada Corporation

last updated December 2011

Jonas Schnaitmann

Visiting Student

Practicum Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Advisor: Dr. Ulrich Walter

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 systemsimulation project called "Virtual Habitat" (V-HAB) at TUM, and subsequently verified and further enhanced the model. His overall interest lies in life supportsystem simulations with focus on the human physiology, physical/chemical subsystems and control strategies. In 2010, he spent four months inJapan 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. He earned his Dipl Ing Aerospace from TUM in 2012. last updated June 2012

Funding: German Fellowship

Dream Chaser Graduate Projects Team
(Spring 2011)

Project Advisors:Jim Voss (far left), Joe Tanner (not pictured), Merri Sanchez and Prof Klaus (far right)

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, HeatherHava, MattDucheck, Luis Zea, Sarah Over, Chris Massina, Drew Gottula, Weston Edwards

Project Funding:William F.MarlarMemorial Trust and Sierra Nevada Corporation

last updated May 2011

Ben Kemper

BS Aerospace Engineering Sciences (2010)

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Post-Graduation: US Air Force

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. last updated December 2010

Funding: Sierra Nevada Corp, under NASA CCDev Contract

Chad Healy

MS Aerospace Engineering Sciences (December 2010)

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

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. last updated December 2010

Funding: BioServe Space Technologies; Sierra Nevada Corp, under NASA CCDev Contract

Jonathan Metts

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences (December 2010)

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Post-Graduation: Sierra Nevada Corporation (2011-2014), Bigelow Aerospace (2015)

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. last updated Jan 2015

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)

Dream Chaser Graduate Projects Team
(Fall 2010)

Project Advisors:Merri Sanchez (left), Jim Voss (center) and Joe Tanner (front)

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 ܲԻ徱Բ:William F.MarlarMemorial Trust and Sierra Nevada Corporation

last updated December 2010

Ryan Kobrick

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences (August 2010)

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Post Graduation: Postdoc at MIT (2010-2012), Space Florida (2012-2016), Assistant Prof., Embry Riddle (2016)

Characterization and Measurement Standardization of Lunar Dust Abrasion for Spacecraft Design and Operations

Dr. Ryan L. Kobrick received his BS degree in Mechanical Engineering fromQueen's Universityin Kingston, Ontario (2002), his Master's of Space Studies degree from theInternational Space Universityin Strasbourg, France (2003), his Master's of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering fromThe Pennsylvania State University(2005) in University Park, PA, and his PhD in Aerospace Engineering Sciences (focus: Bioastronautics) from theUniversity of Colorado at Boulderin Boulder, CO.

He worked with theX PRIZE Foundation(2003, 2004 & 2006) developing the follow-on event to the $10 million ANSARI X PRIZE called theX PRIZE Cup. Ryan participated as a crewmember inThe Mars Society'sMars Desert Research Station(MDRS) four times of crews25(2004), 44/ExBeta(2006), 56/ExGamma(2007) and58 / FMARSTraining (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'sFlashline 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 aNASA-funded project.

Ryan was awarded a 2007NASA Graduate Student Researchers Program(GSRP) award. He was the recipient of the 2006AIAA Orville and Wilbur Wright Graduate Award, a three-timeAchievement Rewards for College Scientists(ARCS) Scholar 2006-2009, and was the Department’s 2009John A. Vise Memorial Scholarshiprecipient. Ryan participated in space outreach as an alumni of the Advisory Committee for theCU-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'sExploration Mars (ExMars) Program. In July 2010, Ryan was named Executive Director ofYuri's Night. last updated August 2016

Homepage:

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)

Dream Chaser Graduate Projects Team
(Spring 2010)

Project Advisors:Jim Voss and Joe Tanner

Project Focus:Definition and development of a volumetric mockup for layout analysis correlated to a mass and CG computational model.

Project Funding:William F.MarlarMemorial Trust

last updated June 2010

Dream Chaser Graduate Projects Team
(Fall 2009)

Project Advisors:Jim Voss and Joe Tanner

Project Focus:Habitable volume layout definition with mass and CG computational model.

Project Funding:William F.MarlarMemorial Trust

last updated December 2009

Evan Thomas

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences (August 2009)

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Post-Graduation: NASA Civil Servant, Johnson Space Center, Crew and Thermal Systems (2004-2010), Assistant Professor, Portland State University (2010)

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. last updated September 2010

Funding: NASA JSC Fellowship, CU EEF

Brock Kowalchuk

BS Aerospace Engineering Sciences (May 2011)

Project Supervisor: Dr. David Klaus and Kevin Higdon (PhD student)

Prototyping the Next Generation Lunar Lander Vehicle Habitat

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. last updated June 2011

Funding: Dean’s Discovery Learning Apprentice (2008-2009) and the William F. Marlar Memorial Trust

Andrea Hanson

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences (December 2008)

Advisor: Dr. Virginia Ferguson (CU Mech Eng)

Post-Graduation: Postdoc at University of Washington, NASA JSC

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. last updated December 2014

Funding: BioServe Space Technologies

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 thestudyandsupportof life in space.The team is supported by a wide range of contracts and grants from NASA and private industry.

, a Research Center housed in the Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department since 1987, largely anchors this program.

NASA Astronaut(back center),, 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

Visiting Student, MS TUM 2009

Practicum Supervisor: Dr. David Klaus

Advisor: Dr. Ulrich Walter

Post-Graduation: PhD Student, TUM

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. last updated September 2010

Funding: German Fellowship

Kennda Lynch

MS Aerospace Engineering Sciences May 2008

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Post-Graduation: PhD Student, CSM

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. last updated August 2008

Recipient of a 2008 NASA Harriet Jenkins Predoctoral Fellowship

Matthias Pfeiffer

Visiting Student, MS Aerospace Eng TUM 2008

Practicum Supervisor: Dr. David Klaus

Advisor: Dr. Ulrich Walter

Post-Graduation: PhD Student, TUM

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. last updated September 2010

Funding: German Fellowship

Jan Harder

Visiting Student, MS Aerospace Eng. TUM 2008

Practicum Supervisor: Dr. David Klaus

Advisor: Dr. Ulrich Walter

Post-Graduation: PhD Student, TUM

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. last updated November 2010

Funding: German Fellowship

Lunar Habitat Design Team

(Spring and Fall 2007)

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus (left)

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. last updated 11/2/07

Project ܲԻ徱Բ: CU Engineering Excellence Fund and the William F. Marlar Memorial Trust

Farres Ahmed

BS MCD Biology May 2007

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Post-Graduation: Medical School, CU Health Sciences

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. last updated August 2008

Funding: SURE (2004), BURST (2005-2006), UROP (Summer 2006)

Dan Baca

MS Aerospace Engineering Sciences May 2007

Post-Graduation: Lockheed Martin

Lunar Surface Access Module: Design Analysis and Mockup Development

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. last updated May 2007

Funding: William F. Marlar Memorial Trust

Anna Stanczyk

Visiting Student

Project Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

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. last updated September 2006

Funding: University of Michigan-Flint Honors Scholar Program

Vanessa Aponte

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences
August 2006

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Post-Graduation: Lockheed Martin

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. last updated April 2010

Funding: NASA GSRP (2004 -2006) (HQ), (2003)-Biological Systems Office-NASA Johnson Space Center, GEM Fellowship (2001)

Additional Info: , 2009 and 2012

Steve Chappell

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences
August 2006

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Post-Graduation: Wyle, NASA JSC - EVA Physiology, Systems, & Performance Project (EPSP), Human Adaptation & Countermeasures

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. last updated August 2010

Funding: AIAA Foundation Graduate Award, 2005

Additional Info: (2009), (2010)

James Clawson

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences
May 2006

Advisor: Dr. Alex Hoehn

Post-Graduation: Stellar Solutions, Inc.

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 for the 2002 NASA Marsport Mars Deployable Greenhouse design competition. He also founded the Bioastronautical Systems Development Company, which was awarded an SBIR grant. last updated July 2006

Funding: NASA GSRP Fellowship-JSC (2000-2003) BioServe Space Technologies

Heather Howard

MS Aerospace Engineering Sciences May 2004

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Post-Graduation: The Aerospace Corporation

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. last updated June 2006

Funding: NASA GSRP Fellowship-JSC (2004-2006)

James Russell

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences December 2005

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Post-Graduation: Postdoc at Purdue University (2005-2006), Lockheed Martin (2006)

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. last updated October 2006

ܲԻ徱Բ: AIAA Foundation Graduate Award (2002 and 2005), Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society ‘Grant-in-Aid of Research’ Award (2003)

Matt Bamsey

MS Aerospace Engineering Sciences December 2005

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Post-Graduation: Canadian Space Agency and PhD Student at the University of Guelph

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. last updated September 2010

Funding: NASA CRAVE DO6

Additional Info: 2009 and 2017

Mike Benoit

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences
August 2005

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Post-Graduation: Postdoc at Stanford University (2006-2010), Codexis (2010)

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. last updated May 2010

Funding: NASA GSRP Fellowship (2002 - 2005) (GRC NGT3-52386), CU Aerospace Department John A. Vise Award (2003), AIAA Foundation Graduate Award (2003)

Hans Seelig

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences
August 2005

Advisor: Dr. Alex Hoehn

Post-Graduation: Postdoc at NIST 2006-09, Professor at University of Dresden, Germany 2009

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. last updated July 2009

Funding: BioServe Space Technologies

James Manley

BS EPO Biology May 2005

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus (with Mike Benoit)

Post-Graduation: Medical School, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD

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. last updated May 2005

Funding: URAP (2003-2004), UROP (2004-2005)

Galina Dvorkina

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

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. last updated May 2005

Funding: UROP (2004-2005)

Ken Stroud

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences December 2004

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Post-Graduation: NASA Johnson Space Center, Sierra Nevada Corp.

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. last updated June 2012

Funding: NASA GSRP Fellowship-JSC NAG9-1438 (2002-2005), AIAA Willy Z. Sadeh Award (2002)

Tom Hatfield

PhD Aerospace Engineering Sciences December 2004

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Post-Graduation: Wyle Life Sciences, NASA Johnson Space Center

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. last updated January 2005

Funding: NASA GSRP Fellowship-JSC NAG9-1468 (2002-2004), AIAA Foundation Graduate Award (2003)

Juniper Jairala

MS Aerospace Engineering Sciences December 2004

Post-Graduation: Co-Op at NASA JSC (Spring 2005), Internship at Blue Origin (Summer 2005), PhD student at UCLA (Fall 2005), X-Prize Foundation, SpaceX, Andrews Space, Jacobs Engineering at NASA JSC

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. last updated October 2008

Funding: GEM Fellowship; National Institute of Health (NIH) Initiative for Minority Student Development (IMSD) (2003), NIH Fellowship (2005)

Jackson Lee

MS Aerospace Engineering Sciences
August 2004

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Post-Graduation: Served as a member of the Peace Corps in the Philippines, PhD student at CSM

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. last updated October 2007

Funding: NASA GSRP Fellowship-JSC NAG9-1555 (2003-2004), Beverly Sears Graduate Student Grant (2004), NSF EAPSI Fellowship to Japan (2004)

Markus Czupalla

MS Aerospace Engineering Sciences 2003

Advisor: Dr. David Klaus

Post-Graduation: Dipl.Ing (FH) AcUAS (Aug 2004)- Advisor: Dr. Gerda Horneck, PhD TUM (2001)-Advisor: Dr. Ulrich Walter, employed since 2004 with Kayser-Threde as structural and thermal systems engineer for space applications, Professor-Aachen University of Applied Sciences (2016)

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. last updated September 2016

Funding: Fulbright Scholarship

Additional Info: Aachen University of Applied Sciences Highest Honors - Best of Class (2004), Finalist in the 2009 ESA Astronaut Selection

Aerospace Engineering Sciences
University of Colorado Boulder
CO80309-0429


© ˮƵ

2024: Erin Richardson(aero PhD student) received a Zonta Amelia Earhart fellowship (advisor, Prof. Hayman).

2024: Vicki Hurd(aero PhD student) received a NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities (NSTGRO) fellowship and a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) fellowship (advisor, Prof. Hayman).

2024: Sarah Leary(aero PhD student) received a PhD Fellowship from The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory to support her doctoral studies (advisor, Prof. Arquilla).

2024: Amrita Singh(aero PhD student) and Ella Schauss (aero PhD student) finished 3rd out of the finalists inNASA's Human Lander Challenge (HuLC) at the inaugural Human Lander Challenge Forum in Huntsville, Alabama. Their project was titled "Lunar Surface Assessment Tool (LSAT): A Simulation of Lunar Dust Dynamics for Risk Analysis", and they were advised by Dr. James Nabity.

2024: Patrick Pischulti(aero PhD student) won 3rdplace in the graduate student poster competition,Sage Sherman(aero postdoc) won 1stplace in the postdoctoral fellows poster competition, andCaroline Austin(aero PhD student) won a $25,000 Grant Augmentation Competition Award at the 2024 NASA Human Research Program's Investigator's Workshop. Patrick's abstract was titled "Simulation of an Autonomous Anomaly Response Architecture for Human Deep-Space Exploration Missions",Sage's abstract was titled "A Trade Study of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation Techniques for Use on Long Duration Spaceflight Missions", and Caroline's proposal was titled "Modeling Perceptual Changes Following the Sickness Induced by Centrifugation Analog." As part of her award, Caroline Austin was also invited to present at the European Low Gravity Research Association Biennial Symposium & General Assembly in Liverpool, UK this September.

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2023: Erin Richardson(aero PhD student) won 2nd place in the student poster competitionat the 8th annual AIAAIntellegent Systems Workshop. Erin's abstract was titled "Physiological Modeling of Trust, Workload, and Situation Awareness of Remote Spacecraft Operators."

2023: Savannah Buchner(aero PhD student) won 2nd place in the student poster competition,and David Temple (postdoc) won 2nd place in the postdoctoral fellows poster competition at the 2023NASA Human Research Program's Investigator's Workshop. Savannah's abstract was titled "Virtual Reality to Visualize and Display Uncertainty in Spaceflight Operations for Mission Control Personnel", while David's abstract was titled "Systematic Assessment of Noisy Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation as a Sensorimotor Countermeasure."

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2022: Kaitlyn Hauber(aero PhD student) and Sage Sherman (aero PhD student) won 1st and 3rd place, respectively, in the student poster competition at the 2022 NASA Human Research Program's Investigator's Workshop. Kaitlyn's abstract was titled "Characterizing Non-Invasive Biometric Sensors for Use in Task Performance Prediction and Operational Design", while Sage's abstract was titled "Investigating Cognitive Enhancement with Stochastic Resonance."

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2021: Kieran Smith(aero PhD student) received a PhD Fellowship from The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory and an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) award to support his doctoral studies (advisor, Prof. Clark).

2021: Jamie Voros(aero PhD student) received a Zonta Amelia Earhart fellowship (advisor, Prof. Clark).

2021: Bharath Tata(aero PhD student) received a NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities (NSTGRO) fellowship (advisor, Prof. Nabity).

2021: Victoria Kravets(aero PhD student) received a NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities (NSTGRO) fellowship (advisor, Prof. Clark).

2021: Abhishektha Boppana (aero PhD student) and Rachel Rise (aero PhD student) won 1st and 2nd place, respectively, in the student poster competition at the 2021 NASA Human Research Program's Investigator's Workshop. Abhi's abstract was titled "Dynamic Body Shape Models to Reduce Risk of EVA Spacesuit Injury", while Rachel's abstract was titled "Identifying Stochastic Resonance in perceptual Threshold Estimation Performance."

2021: Abhishektha Boppana(aero PhD student) won 1st place in the student poster competition at the 2021 International Conference on Environmental Systems (ICES) for his poster titled "Development of a Spacesuit Boot to Improve Boot Fit"(advisor, Prof. Anderson).

2021: Jordan Dixon(aero PhD student) received a Young Inventor's Award at the 41st Annual International Society of Gravitational Physiology meeting for his presentation titled "A computational tool for real-time detection of astronaut spatial disorientation during gravitational transitions and piloted landings"(advisor, Prof. Clark).

2021: Jordan Dixon(aero PhD student) was selected to participate in the NASA ISEB delegation, and the Space Generation Congress delegation at the 72nd International Astronautical Congress (advisor, Prof. Clark).

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2020: Annika Rollock(aero PhD student), received a Zonta Amelia Earhart fellowship (advisor, Prof. Klaus)

2020: MC Dorbecker (aero PhD student) took 2nd place in the Graduate Student Competition at the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR) annual meeting for her lightning talk “Modeling crew performance degradation due to radiation exposure in space.”

2020:Mike Van Akin (aero PhD student) won the Ross McFarland Student Award from the Life Sciences and Biomedical Engineering Branch of the Aerospace Medicine Association. This was awarded for his abstract on ocular changes that occur with posture and fluid shift in relation to SANS. It’s awarded for the best student abstract representing a significant achievement in biomedical engineering.

2020:Jacob Kintz(aero PhD student) received first place in the student poster competition held at the NASA Human Research Program Investigator's Workshop in Galveston, Texas for his poster titled "Unobtrusive Measurement and Autonomous Estimation of Human Internal Cognitive States"(advisor, Prof. Clark)

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2019: Jordan Dixon(aero PhD Student), recieved an Aerospace Medical Association Fellows Scholarship Award for his journal article titled, "Integration of a Vestibular Model for Disorientation Research Device Motion Algorithm Application"(advisor, Prof. Clark)

2019: Jordan Dixon(aero PhD Student), recieved the Most Innovative Student Research Award for his paper presented at the 63rd Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA. His paper wasentitled "A Mathematical Model-based Metric of Spatial Disorientation for Use in Active Countermeasures" (advisor, Prof. Clark)

2019:Abhishektha Boppana(aero PhD student), received the Martyn Shorten Award for Innovation at the 14th Biennial Footwear Biomehcanics Symposium, held in Kananskis, Alberta.This award notably is not specifically a student award. (advisor, Prof. Anderson)

2019: Mike Lotto(aero PhD candidate), received 3rd place in the student poster competition heldat the 49thInternational Conference on Environmental Systems (ICES) in Boston, MA,for his work titled “CO2 Capture with Two Ionic Liquids and Implications for Mars ISRU”(advisor, Prof. Klaus)

2019: Young-Young Shen(Aero PhD candidate), received the AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Graduate Award(advisor, Prof. Anderson)

2019: Mike Lotto(aero PhD candidate), received the AIAA Neil A. Armstrong Graduate Award(advisor, Prof. Klaus)

2019: Mike Lotto(aero PhD candidate), CU Geologic SciencesHartmutSpetzlerGraduate Student Research Award to participate in a project titled “Understanding Mars’AstrobiologicalPotential with a Hyperspectral Imager on a UAS”(with Prof.Hynek, Geology)

2019: Katie Bretl(aero PhD student), received aZontaAmelia Earhartfellowship(advisor, Prof. Clark)

2019: Mike Lotto(aero PhD candidate), received the Department’s John A. Vise Graduate Student Excellence Award(advisor, Prof. Klaus)

2019: Mitch Woolever(aero PhD student) received a NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship (NSTRF)(advisor, Prof. Nabity)

2019:Jordan Dixon(aero PhD student) received first place in the student poster competition held at the NASA Human Research Program Investigator's Workshop in Galveston, Texas for his poster titled ‘Validation of a New Ground-Based Analog for Post-Spaceflight AstronautNeurovestibularImpairment: The Wheelchair Head Immobilization Paradigm’ (advisor, Prof. Clark)

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2018: Jordan Dixon:(aero PhD student), was selected to participate in the NASA ISEB delegation at the 69th International Astronautical Congress (advisor, Prof. Clark)

2018: Kimia Seyedmadani:(aero PhD student), received a NASA Johnson Space Center Graduate Intern Outstanding Achievement Award

2018: Kimia Seyedmadani:(aero PhD student), received a NASA Johnson Space Center Innovation Challenge SF Grant Award

2018: Luis Zea(aero PhD 2015) received the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR) Thora Halstead Young Investigator’s Award (advisor, Prof. Klaus)

2018: Mike Van Akin(aero PhD student) received an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) award(advisor, Prof. Anderson)

2018:Katya Arquilla(aero PhD student) received ascholarship for women in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) awarded from the Women Forward in Technology Scholarship Program (advisor, Prof. Anderson)

2018: Tobias Niederwieser(aero PhD candidate), received the AIAAOrville and Wilbur Wright Graduate Award(advisor, Prof. Klaus)

2018: Emily Matula(aero PhD candidate), received the AIAA Neil Armstrong Graduate Award (advisor, Prof. Nabity)

2018: Emily Matula(aero PhD candidate), receivedthe Aerospace Department’s John A. Vise Graduate Student Excellence Award(advisor, Prof. Nabity)

2018: MCDorbecker(aero PhD student) received a NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship (NSTRF)(advisor, Prof. Nabity)

2018: Abhishektha Boppana(aero PhD student andSmeadFellow), received an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) award(advisor, Prof. Anderson)

2018: Jordan Holquist(aero PhD candidate), received a Fulbright grant to study at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) from September 2018 to July 2019 (advisor, Prof. Klaus)

2018: Jordan Dixon(aero PhD student) received a PhD Fellowship from The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory in Cambridge, MA to support his doctoral studies (advisor, Prof. Clark)

2018: Katya Arquilla(aero PhD student) received a PhD fellowship from The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Cambridge, MA to support her doctoral studies (advisor, Prof. Anderson)

2018:Jordan Dixon(aero PhD student) received first place in the student poster competition held at the NASA Human Research Program Investigator's Workshop in Galveston, Texas for his poster titled ‘Preliminary Validation of the Wheelchair Head Immobilization Paradigm (WHIP) as an Analog for Post-Flight Sensorimotor Impairment’ (advisor, Prof. Clark)

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2017: Jordan Dixon(aero PhD student)received the Aerospace Engineering Sciences Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award(advisor, Prof. Clark)

2017:Abhishektha Boppana(aero PhD student)was selected as aSmeadScholar(advisor, Prof. Anderson)

2017: Roger Huerta(aero MS student) received theBalsellsFellowship in May of 2017. The program’s main goal is to prepare the most talented young engineers and scientists from Catalonia in their pursuit of post-graduate degrees and post-doctoral studies in engineering or computer sciences in the US.(advisor, Prof. Anderson)

2017:Kathrine (Katie) Bretl(aero PhD student) received a 2017 NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship (NSTRF) award for her proposal titled ‘A Conceptual Design and Concept of Operations for Intermittent, Short-Radius Centrifugation for Artificial Gravity’ (advisor, Prof. Clark)

2017: Melinda Zavala(aero MS student) was selected to be a Hispanic Scholarship Foundation (HSF) Scholar and awarded a scholarship from the foundation

2017:Katya Arquilla(aero PhD student, advisor, Prof. Anderson) andChristine Escobar(aero PhD student, advisor, Prof. Nabity) were two of the first 16recipients of scholarships for women in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) awarded from the Women Forward in Technology Scholarship Program

2017: Abhishek Kumar(aero MS student) andKatya Arquilla(aero MS/PhD student) were selected to participate in the Space Station Design Workshop, an international, interdisciplinary week-long event held each summer in Stuttgart, Germany

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2016: Tobias Niederwieser(aero PhD student) received a PhD Fellowship from theGerman Academic Scholarship Foundation (StudienstiftungdesdeutschenVolkes) for his proposal titled ‘Feasibility of an algalphotobioreactorfor combinedbioregenerativefunctionality of air revitalization, waste water treatment and food production in a space habitat.’ (advisor, Prof. Klaus)

2016: Jordan Holquist(aeroPhD student), received first place in the student poster competition held at the International Conference on Environmental Systems (ICES) in Vienna, Austria, for his poster titled “Ionic Liquids Selection and Initial Test Results forElectrochemical Carbon Dioxide Reduction”(advisor, Prof. Klaus). This was his third year of placing in this competition!

2016: Ben LewisandKrishan Patel(aero MS students) were selected to participate in the Space Station Design Workshop, an international, interdisciplinary week-long event held each summer in Stuttgart, Germany

2016: Emily Matula(aeroPhD student),received an American Association of University Women's (AAUW) Brown/Ricketts/UdickGraduate Scholarship for women pursuing a graduate degree at the University of Colorado, (advisor, Prof. Nabity)

2016:Daniel Case(aero PhD student) received a 2016 NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship (NSTRF) award for his proposal titled ‘Passive Radiation Shielding: Integrating Multilayer and Multipurpose Materials into Space Habitat Design’ (advisor, Prof. Nabity)

2016: Michael Lotto(aero PhD student) received a 2016 NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship (NSTRF) award for his proposal titled ‘Assessing the Feasibility of using Co-electrolysis with Task-Specific Ionic Liquids to Produce Methane and Oxygen for Martian In-Situ Resource Utilization’ (advisor, Prof. Klaus)

2016: Vanessa Aponte(aero PhD 2006), Lockheed Martin, received the CU Boulder Recent Alumni Award(advisor, Prof. Klaus)

2016:Tobias Niederwieser(aero PhD student) was selected to participate in the Space Studies Program (SSP) of the International Space University (ISU). The 8 week program will be conducted in Haifa, Israel. He received a combined full scholarship to attend the ISU summer program from the European Space Agency (ESA), Austrian Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology, the Association of Austrian Space Industries (AUSTROSPACE), the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) as well as the JuliusRaabFoundation,(advisor, Prof. Klaus)

2016:Daniel Case(aero PhD student)was selected to participate as a student for the 2016 NASA Space Radiation Summer School to be held at Brookhaven National Laboratory.The course is designed for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty with an interest in radiation biology(advisor, Prof. Nabity)

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2015: Kyle Borg(aero MS student) was selected to participate in the Space Station Design Workshop, an international, interdisciplinary week-long event held each summer in Stuttgart, Germany

2015:Evan Thomas(aero PhD 2009), Assistant Professor at Portland State University, received the CU-Boulder Alumni AssociationKalpanaChawla Outstanding Recent Graduate Award(advisor, Prof. Klaus)

2015:Jordan Holquist(aero PhD student) student received 2ndplace presented a poster titled “Opportunities and Challenges for Direct Oxygen Generation using Electrochemical Carbon Dioxide Reduction Catalyzed by Room Temperature Ionic Liquids,” at the 45th International Conference on Environmental Systems in Bellevue, WA (advisor, Prof. Klaus)

2015:Joseph S. Butterfield(aero MS student) was selected to participate as a student for the 2015 NASA Space Radiation Summer School to be held at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, NY from June 3-26.The course is designed for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty with an interest in radiation biology

2015:A team of CU AES grad students (Jonathan Anthony, Matthew Milanese, Tobias Niederwieser, William Tandy, Kaitlin McIntosh, Lauren McManus, Charles "Zeke"Bretchel, Sean Napier, advised by Professor Klaus, were selected to participate in the 2015 NIA/NASA RASC-AL Competition held in Cocoa Beach, Fla., in June for their proposal titled ‘Delphi: A Lunar Architecture to Enable Exploration, Research, and Commercial Development of Space beyond LEO’received ‘Best in Theme’ award for lunar architecture

2015:Evan Thomas(aero PhD 2009), Assistant Professor at Portland State University, received the CU College of Engineering and Applied Science Recent Alumni Award(advisor, Prof. Klaus)

2015:Kirstyn Johnson(aero BS/MS student) received a CU College of Engineering and Applied Science, Distinguished Senior Award, graduating with a 4.0 cumulative GPA – the first AES student to do so since 1982!

2015: Emily Matula(aero PhD student) received a NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship (NSTRF)(advisor, Prof. Nabity)

2015:Bill TandyandHenna Jethani(aero MS students) were selected to participate in the 2015 Caltech Space Challenge held in Pasadena, CA from March 22-27. This theme for this year was to design a mission to land humans on an asteroid brought back to lunar orbit, extract the asteroid's resources and demonstrate their use.

2015:Chris Nie(aero BS/MS student) participated in the Space Horizons 2015 annual workshop held at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, February 18-19. The workshop was focused this year on assessing how proven facilities in Antarctica can be used as operational analogs for sustainably supporting human missions to the moon or Mars.

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2014: Luis Zea(aero PhD candidate) received the "Student Investigator Spaceflight Award" from the Center for Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) during the American Society of Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR) Conference in Pasadena, CA.(advisor, Prof. Klaus)

2014:In July the second annual Startup Weekend Space was held in San Jose, California, fielding ten teams dedicated to “the development of space technologies and broader conceptual understanding of space, or “outer-worldly ideation aroundNewSpace.”The winning team wasBioCube, led byChristine Fanchiang(aero PhD candidate), which was conceptualized as a line of cube satellites intended to help biologists study organic materials in space.(advisor, Prof. Klaus)

2014:A team of CU AES grad students (CollinBezrouk,GeimiDelarge, Christine Fanchiang, Roger Huang, Karla Rosario, Megan Scheele, and EricThreet, advised by Professor Klaus) were selected as finalists in the Mars Society’s ‘Inspiration Mars Student Design Contest’ for their proposal titled ‘Mars Approach Vehicle and Earth Return for Interplanetary Crew (MAVERIC): An Innovative, Robust, and Simple Architecture for a Mars Flyby Mission. Ten finalist teams from Japan, India, Russia, the Netherlands, Poland, Germany and the United States were selected from 38 entries and are invited to present their mission concepts at the 17th Annual International Mars Society Convention to be held this August in League City, Texas near the NASA Johnson Space Center.Christine Fanchiang, Roger Huang and EricThreetprepared the final presentation, with Roger and Eric travelling to Houston to present the results. MAVERIC received 2ndplace overall!

2014: Christopher Nie(aero BS/MS) andTobias Niederwieser(MS) were selected as part of Aviation Week/Raytheon’sTomorrow’s Engineering Leaders-The Twenty20s

2014: Jordan Holquist(aero PhD student) received aNASA Space Technology Research Fellowship (NSTRF)(advisor, Prof. Klaus)

2014:Kier Fortier(aero BS/MS) was selected to participate in the NASA Student Ambassador Program

2014: Elise Kowalski(aero MS) received aJeppesenScholarship for 2014-2015 to study at theTechnischeUniversitätDarmstadt in Germany, where she will take courses in mechanical engineering and human factors, followed by an internship next summer atJeppesenin Frankfurt.

2014: Christine Fanchiang(aero PhD candidate) was one of two students sponsored by the Boulder, Colorado chapter of P.E.O. (Philanthropic Educational Organization) to receive a P.E.O. Scholar Award, a $15,000 merit-based scholarship for women from the US and Canada who are pursuing a doctoral level degree at an accredited college or university.P.E.O. is one of the pioneer societies promoting educational opportunities for women, founded in 1869.(advisor, Prof. Klaus)

2014:Two CU teams of aerospace grad students advised by Professor Klaus were selected to participate in the 2014 NIA/NASA RASC-AL Competition held in Cocoa Beach, Fla., in June: "Enabling the space frontier by implementation of a low mass cis-lunar outpost" or LITEHABS (Asa Darnell, Tobias Niederwieser, Elliot Russell, Chris Christensen, Christine Fanchiang, Jonathan Anthony, Chris Nie,andMatthew Milanese) and "ECLIPSE: TheExplorartoryCis-Lunar Laboratory for Interplanetary Sample Extraction" (Jake Adams, Adam Brown, AdamCarahalios, ZacharyCuseo, Elyssa Kaszynski, Josh Smith, RyderWhitmire, Eric Provo, Elise KowalskiandChris Walsh). The LITEHABS team tied for 1stplace in the graduate division!

2014: Luis Zea(aero PhD candidate) received a Fellowship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) to conduct research at the German Aerospace Agency (DLR) in Cologne, Germany from February through August, 2014.His research involves characterizing the effects of spaceflight on microbial drug resistance(advisor, Prof. Klaus)

2014: Mike Lotto(aero BS/MS) was selected by the National Space Club as the 2014 recipient of the Dr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Scholarship(advisor, Prof. Klaus)

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2013: Mike Lotto(aero BS/MS) received the Paul M. &BurgetteA. Hart Scholarship(advisor, Prof. Klaus)

2013: Geoffrey King(aero MS) received a postgraduate scholarship from the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada for the 2013/14 academic year

2013: Tobias Niederwieser(aero MS) was selected to receive sponsorship from AUSTROSPACE (Association of Austrian Space Industries) for his studies abroad (at CU) contributing to space technologies and applications in the area of space science(advisor, Prof. Klaus)

2013: Jake Gamsky(aero MS),Kirstyn Johnson(aero BS/MS) andMike Lotto(BS/MS) were selected as part of Aviation Week/Raytheon’sTomorrow’s Engineering Leaders-The Twenty20s

2013: Christine Fanchiang, aerospace PhD student, received a NASA Harriett G. Jenkins Graduate Fellowship(advisor, Prof. Klaus)

2013: Christopher Nie(aero BS/MS) was selected for the NASA Student Ambassador Program

2013: Christopher Nie(aero BS/MS) received a UMC Schafer Leadership Scholarship

2013:Jordan Holquist(aero MS) received a third place award in the AIAA 2013 ICES student poster competition for his poster titledCharacterization of a Potassium Superoxide-based Air Revitalization System for Crewed Spacecraft(advisor, Prof. Klaus)

2013: Christine Fanchiang, aerospace PhD student, received an Achievement Reward for College Scientists (ARCS) Scholarship for the 2013/14 academic year(advisor, Prof. Klaus)

2013:A team of CU aero grad students (Heather Hava, Jordan Holquist, Christine FanchiangandGriffin Hale) along withMatthew Carton(CUmecheng) andKeira Havens(CSUmicrobio) advised by Professor Nikolaus Correll received first place for their project titledBioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSS) for Long Duration Human Space Missionsin the 2013 NASA/NIA Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts-Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) graduate design competition held in Cocoa Beach, FL. They were also recognized with the ‘Best Advanced Concepts’ award.

2013:Luis Zea,aerospace PhD candidate, received the AIAA’s Orville and Wilbur Wright Graduate Award for the 2013–2014 academic year(advisor, Prof. Klaus)

2013:Stefanie GonzalezandLuis Zea,both aerospace PhD students, were selected to participate in the MIT/SkoltechSpace Exploration Strategy program, a joint initiative between MIT Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics andSkolkovoInstitute of Science and Technology. Areas of research include exploration ideology and rationale, missionplanning, advanced in-space propulsion systems, long-duration crew health and life support systems, and surface exploration systems. The first segment of this project includes students collaborating and developing mission objectives.Luis Zeawas also invited as part of a select group to travel to Moscow, Russia for a week-long workshop. The final report will be disseminated at the InternationalAstronauticalCongress in Beijing, China.

2013:Stefanie Gonzalez, aerospace PhD student, received an NSF Fellowship to support her research.(advisor, Prof. Ferguson)

2013:Stefanie Gonzalez(aero PhD student) andAshley Williams(aero MS student) were selected to participate with students from around the world as part of the Caltech Space Challenge, which took place from March 25-29 in Pasadena, CA. The teams were tasked with designing a human mission to a Martian moon in 5 days. World-renowned scientists were invited to educate the students on topics such as; planetary science, orbital mechanics, and space physiology.

2013:Mike Lotto(aero BS/MS) received a national Goldwater Scholarship, recognizing sophomores and juniors who have achieved high academic merit and demonstrated leadership potential.(advisor, Prof. Klaus)

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2012: Kirstyn Johnson(aero BS/MS) received the Women in Aerospace (WIA) Foundation Scholarship for the 2012/13 academic year

2012:Mike Lotto(aero BS/MS) received the Outstanding NASA Co-op Award

2012:Mike Lotto(aero BS/MS) received theLanisand CarmenPinchukStudent Leader Scholarship

2012: Christine Fanchiang,aerospace PhD student, received an Achievement Reward for College Scientists (ARCS) Scholarship for the 2012/13 academic year

2012: Chris Massina, aerospace PhD student, received aNASA Space Technology Research Fellowship (NSTRF)

2012:A group of CU undergraduate students (Mike Lotto, Andrew Broucek, Kirstyn Johnson, Chris NieandKyle Shannonfrom Aerospace, andJaredYenzerfrom ECE) were selected to participate in NASA’s 2012 Reduced-Gravity Education Flight Program to conduct their experiment titledValidating 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 Transferduring parabolic flights.Prof. Klaus was the faculty advisor for the project.

2012: Two groups of Bioastronautics students and a third team from CU including international collaborators were selected as finalists in the 2012 NASA/NIA Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts-Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) design competition and presented their projects in Cocoa Beach, FL, with travel funding provided by NASA. The teams and students are shown below. Joe Tanner, Dan Scheeres and Dave Klaus were the advisors, respectively.

Extraterrestrial Outpost (ExO): Design and Implementation of a Long-Term Sustainable Lunar Habitat(1stPlace)

Stuart Tozer, Christine Fanchiang, NicholasZinner, ZacharyGrunder, JoshuaImobersteg, FelixBidnerandLee Jasper

Human Exploration of Near Earth Asteroids -- A Revolutionary Mission Architecture(2ndPlace)

CU:SimonTardiveland Yu Takahashi

Delft University of Technology:Jon Herman(incoming CUPhdstudent),JonReijneveld, Katie Dunlop

University of Stuttgart:Aline Zimmer

Human Intervention for a Low-Earth-Orbit Interference-Free Environment (HI-LIFE)

AdamLeppek, LanceMarkovchick, Lydia McDowellandThomas Snow

2012: Robert Ocampo, aerospace PhD student, received the CU Aerospace Engineering Sciences Graduate Student Service Award

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2011: Mike Lotto(aero BS) was selected as a NASA Student Ambassador

2011: Christine Fanchiang,Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Rocky Mountain Section Pioneer Scholarship

2011:Sarah Over, aerospace MS student, received an American Association of University Women (AAUW) Selected Professions Fellowship

2011:Heather Hava, aerospace MS student, received an American Association of University Women (AAUW) Selected Professions Fellowship

2011:Luis Zea, aerospace PhD student, received the aerospace engineering sciences Graduate Student Service Award.

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2010: Mike Lotto(aero BS) Outstanding NASA Intern Award

2010:Jonathan Metts, aerospace PhD student, received the Aerospace Department’s John A. Vise Graduate Student Excellence Award

2010:Jonathan Metts, aerospace PhD student, received a first place award in the student poster competition held during the 40th Annual International Conference on Environmental Systems (ICES), an AIAA forum held from July 11-15, 2010 in Barcelona, Spain.His poster was titled ‘Electrochromic Radiator Impact on ApolloSublimatorWater Consumption.’ This was the third year in a row that he placed in the ICES poster competition!

2010:Jennifer Mindock,aerospace PhD student, received aZontaInternational Amelia Earhart Fellowship for the 2010-2011 academic year.

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2009:Ryan Kobrick, aerospace PhD student, received the Aerospace Department’s John A. Vise Graduate Student Excellence Award

2009:Jonathan Metts, aerospace PhD student, received a second place award in the student poster competition held during the 39th Annual International Conference on Environmental Systems (ICES), an AIAA co-sponsored event, in Savannah, GA from 12-16 July 2009.His poster was titled ‘Electrochromic Radiators for Space Suits: Preliminary Testing Results.’

2009:Jennifer Mindock, aerospace PhD student, was awarded a NASA Graduate Student Research Program fellowship for her proposal titled, "Defining a Failure Mode-based, Multivariate Risk Index to Assess Human Spacecraft Safety and Reliability."

2009:Jennifer Mindock, aerospace PhD student, received an Achievement Reward for College Scientists (ARCS) Scholarship

2009:Ryan Kobrick, aerospace PhD student, received an Achievement Reward for College Scientists (ARCS) Scholarship.

2009:Jonathan Metts, aerospace PhD student, received an Achievement Reward for College Scientists (ARCS) Scholarship.

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2008:Kennda Lynch, MS aerospace 2008, received a NASA Harriet Jenkins Fellowship.

2008:Jonathan Metts, aerospace PhD student, received 4th place recognition in a student poster competition held at the 38th International Conference on Environmental Systems (ICES) in San Francisco in July for his poster titled ‘Application of Electrochromic Materials for Active Space Suit Thermal Control’.

2008:Jonathan Metts, aerospace Ph.D. student, received a Beverly Sears Graduate Student Grant.

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2007:Andrea Hanson, aerospace Ph.D. student, received a Beverly Sears Graduate Student Grant.

2007:Ryan Kobrick, aerospace PhD student,received a NASA Graduate Student Research Program (GSRP) Fellowship.

2007:Jonathan Metts, aerospace PhD student,received a NASA Graduate Student Research Program (GSRP) Fellowship.

2007:Kevin Higdon, aerospace PhD student,received a NASA Graduate Student Research Program (GSRP) Fellowship.

2007: AES PhD studentsJonathan MettsandBruce Davis, received a Runner Up award at the PISCES Lunar Outpost National Student Design Competition held in Hilo, HI (advised by Prof Klaus)

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2006:Ryan Kobrick, aerospace PhD student, received the AIAA John Leland Atwood Graduate Award. His research involves development of Advanced Space Suit Technologies with an emphasis on lunar dust mitigation strategies.

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2005:James Russell, aerospace PhD candidate, received the AIAA John Leland Atwood Graduate Award.

2005:Steve Chappell, aerospace PhD candidate, received an AIAA Graduate Fellowship Award.

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2004:Michael Benoit, aerospace PhD student, received the Aerospace Department’s John A. Vise Graduate Student Excellence Award

2004:Vanessa Aponte, aerospace Ph.D. student, received a NASA Graduate Student Research Program (GSRP) Fellowship for her thesis research titled 'Development of a Novel BioMEMS Sensor for Minimally Invasive Astronaut Immune System Monitoring'. Vanessa also works part of the year as a co-op in the Biological Systems Office at theNASAJohnsonSpaceCenter.

2004:Jackson Lee, aerospace MS student, was awarded an NSF EAPSI fellowship to Japan this summer. He will be working at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology inTsukuba,Japan, on research related to his MS thesis entailing various aspects of microbial recycling bioprocesses for a Lunar or Mars base.

2004:Jackson Lee, aerospace MS student, recently received a Beverly Sears Graduate Student Grant of $500 to purchase lab equipment needed for his thesis work.

2004:Heather Howard, a first year MS student, received a NASA Graduate Student Research Program (GSRP) Fellowship from the Johnson Space Center for her research titled 'Systematic Characterization of Antibiotic Effectiveness Under Altered Gravitational Environments (simulated 0g to centrifuged 10g)’.

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2003:JuniperJairala, aerospace Ph.D. student, received a Graduate Assistantship in Biosciences from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Initiative for Minority Student Development.

2003:Mike Benoit, aerospace Ph.D. student, received an Honorable Mention Award in the student competition for his poster titled 'Computational Modeling of Extracellular Mass Transport' presented at the 19th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Biology (ASGSB) held in November in Huntsville, AL.

2003:Mike Benoit, aerospace Ph.D. student was elected President of the ASGSB Student Chapter.

2003:Mike Benoit, aerospace PhD student, was awarded the AIAA Foundation Graduate Award for Studies in Cellular Dynamics and Growth in Space. The award provides $5000 for research support and a travel stipend to attend the 42nd AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting inRenoNV, January 2004.

2003:Tom Hatfield, aerospace Ph.D. candidate, was awarded the AIAA Foundation Graduate Award for Studies in Ultrasonic Physiological Measurement and Technology. The award provides $5000 for research support and a travel stipend to attend the 42nd AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting inRenoNV, January 2004.

2003:Jim Russell, aerospace Ph.D. student and BioServe RA, received a 'Grant-in-Aid of Research' award from the Scientific Research Society, Sigma Xi. The award will be used to help support his thesis work involving development of a non-invasive biosensor for use in space and ground-based cell culture research. This is a highly competitive process with only approximately 20% of applicants receiving funding.

2003:JuniperJairalawas awarded a fellowship from the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science, Inc. (GEM) to support her MS studies at CU in Aerospace Engineering Sciences (). This award will provide her with full tuition/fees and a minimum $10,000 stipend over 3 semesters, along with summer internships by the employer sponsor, in this case, NASA Dryden.

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2002:Melissa Sampson, aerospace Ph.D. student and BioServe RA, was selected as an Amelia Earhart Fellow byZontaInternational for the second year in a row. The awards, established in 1938, are granted annually to women pursuing graduate degrees related to aerospace sciences or engineering and provide $6,000 to be used for tuition, books and fees, or livingexpences. Melissa's research focuses on biochemical responses of plants to space flight, including applications involving engineering payload design.

2002:Tom Hatfield, aerospace Ph.D. student, was awarded a NASA Graduate Student Researchers Program (GSRP) fellowship from theJohnsonSpaceCenter. His thesis involves using quantitative ultrasound technology to study the effects of space flight on bone and muscle physiology.

2002:Jim Russell, aerospace Ph.D. student, was awarded the AIAA Foundation Graduate Award for his research involving biomass monitoring under the simulated microgravity conditions achieved in a Rotating Wall Vessel (RWV) Bioreactor. The award provides $5000 for research support and a travel stipend to attend the 41st AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting inRenoNV, January 2003.

2002:Travis Liggett, who is working on a research project under the McNair Scholars Program, was awarded a Beverly Sears Graduate Student Grant. The Beverly Sears Grant provides a stipend of $995 to be used towards expenses incurred in his research involvingvibramyographytechniques for mitigating bone loss in astronauts.

2002:Mike Benoit, aerospace Ph.D student, was awarded a NASA Graduate Student Researchers Program (GSRP) Fellowship through theJohnH.GlennResearchCenter. His thesis involves application of engineering numerical modeling techniques to problems pertaining to gravitational biology.

2002:Ken Stroudreceived a NASA Graduate Student Researcher Program (GSRP) Fellowship from theJohnsonSpaceCenter. His thesis work involves studying how theneurovestibularsystem responds to space flight and developing countermeasures to help minimize the consequential detrimental impact to crew health and performance.

2002:Ken Stroudwas selected as this year's recipient of the AIAA Willy Z.SadehAward in Space Sciences and Space Engineering. TheSadehAward provides a $5,000 grant for graduate research, plus a travel stipend to attend the AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting in Reno, Nevada in January 2003, and the InternationalAstronauticalFederation (IAF) Congress in October 2003 to be held in Bremen, Germany.

2002:Kirsten G. Carpenter,Aerospace M.S. student, awarded the NASA Special Achievement Award because "Kirsten Carpenter has done an outstanding job supporting the Cargo Integration and Operations Branch (DO5) by demonstrating exceptional initiative and integration skills ...." Kirsten joinedNASAJohnsonSpaceCenteras a permanent employee in the same branch after her graduation.

2002:AES SeniorsBobGjestvang, Aaron Frey, RyanRies, ColleenHiggans, Kate Atkinson, Sara Lewandowski, ShawnBockstahlerand PhD studentJim Clawson,advised by Professor Klaus, received1st place in the NASAMarsPortStudent Design Competition held at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Aerospace Engineering Sciences
University of Colorado Boulder
CO80309-0429


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Kieran Smith

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PhD Student

Advisor:Dr. Torin Clark

Kieran Smith is a fourth year Ph.D. Student working with Professor Torin Clark. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin in May 2020. While there, his work studied the mechanical properties of chordae tendinae in human heart valves, investigated user experience aboard the Boeing 777X aircraft, and performed thermal analysis for the International Space Station.

Kieran’s Ph.D. work focuses on understanding situation awareness in human operators from a physiological and cognitive perspective. In his free time, he likes to run trails, bike roads, ski uphill, and walk long distances with heavy backpacks. He also enjoys taking photos, slow coffee, and reading books. last updated September2023

ܲԻ徱Բ:College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Dean’s Graduate Assistanceship, DARPA SBIR on Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation as a Novel Display Modality (2020-2021),Charles Stark Draper Labs Scholarship (2021-Present),and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (2021-Present)

Ella Schauss

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PhD Student

Advisor: Dr. Allison Hayman

Ella Schauss is a first year PhD student working with Dr Allie Anderson developing a mechanical counter pressure garment in order to advance the hybrid spacesuit concept.

Ella received her Bachelor’s degree (Spring 2019) and Master’s degree (Fall 2019) from the Wilson College of Textile at NC State University in Textile Engineering with a concentration in product development. During her time at NC State, Ella worked on a multitude of projects through industry and the university. Her senior project, which was sponsored by Red Bull, was to develop and test materials for the application of wingsuits and BASE jumping suits for Red Bull athletes. Ella has had a variety of experience in industry such as Lean Six Sigma manufacturing, material development, and sensor integration into wearable textiles.

When not in school, Ella can probably be found in the mountains running, climbing, or skiing. A native to North Carolina, she is very excited to be in the wild, wild west, absorbing everything Colorado has to offer. last updated September 2020

Bharath Tata

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PhD Student

Advisor: Dr. James Nabity

Ionic Liquid-Facilitated Gas Separations for ISRU and ECLSS
Bharath is in the final year of his PhD in Aerospace Engineering Sciences (Bioastronautics) at CU Boulder. He graduated with a B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering from Arizona State University in 2019. During his Bachelor’s, he spent a summer working on Mars ISRU at Kennedy Space Center followed by a year at ETH Zürich in Switzerland conducting research on heterogeneous catalysis for organic reactions.
During his MS work at CU Boulder, his research focused on developing a CO2 capture and atmospheric processing unit for the MarsOasis plant habitat with Dr. James Nabity and Space Lab Technologies, LLC.His PhD, funded by a NASA NSTGRO fellowship, focuses on applying the same separation technology used for CO2 capture in MarsOasis – supported ionic liquid membranes – to a variety of gas separations for lunar ISRU. In 2024, he spent time as a chemical engineering intern at OMC Thermochemistry in Boulder.
As a mountain addict, Bharath is an avid rock and alpine climber. He also enjoys gardening, indian classical music, and the Phoenix Suns.last updated September 2024

Funding:NASA STTR MarsOasis (2020-2021), NSTGRO (2021-present)

Savannah Buchner

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PhD Student

Advisor: Dr. Allison Hayman

Savannah is a PhD student advised by Dr. Allie Anderson in Aerospace Engineering with an emphasis in Bioastronautics. Her research is on virtual reality as a training modality for satellite operations. During her MS work at CU Boulder, her research focused on estimating cognitive states for human autonomy teaming. Savannah earned her B.S. in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering from UC Davis in 2019. While there, she was involved in research on self-customizable procedures for long duration astronaut training. She also interned at Lockheed Martin and NASA's Johnson Space Center. In her free time, Savannah loves exploring the outdoors,reading, and amateur astronomy.last updated September 2023

Funding: NASA HOME STRI (2021-2022),SpaceWERX (2022-present)

Taylor Lonner

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PhD Student

Advisor: Dr. Torin Clark

Taylor started as a PhD student in Aerospace Engineering Sciences at CU Boulder in 2021 with a focus in Bioastronautics. She is advised by Dr. Torin Clark, and her research involves using ground-based paradigms to determine countermeasures for motion sickness in astronauts having undergone gravity transitions.

Taylor received a B.S. in Geophysics and a B.S. in Astrophysics from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2020. Her research at UCLA was focused on developing a laboratory experiment to simulate the fluid dynamics of the outer core of the Earth and other planets using rotating tanks of water. Her love of space exploration and applied physics led her down the path of Aerospace Engineering and Bioastronautics. Her skills working with rapidly rotating tanks of water has transferred well to working with the Human Eccentric Rotator Device (HERD), CU Boulder’s human centrifuge.

In her free time, Taylor enjoys knitting, cooking, video games, horseback riding, and spending time with her dog Ruby Tuesday.last updated September 2022

Funding:NASA Human Research Program (2021-present)

Caroline Austin

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PhD Student

Advisor: Dr. Torin Clark

Caroline is a PhD student in Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder, with a Bioastronautics focus. She is advised by Dr. Torin Clark and is currently working on a project that uses galvanic vestibular stimulation to recreate vestibular illusions experienced by astronauts post spaceflight. She is also an NSF GRFP fellow.

Caroline received her B.S. in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics from the University of Alabama in 2022. While there, she was a member of the Randall Research Scholars Program and conducted undergraduate research in human balance, including work with electrical stimulation/stochastic resonance and stepping thresholds. Caroline is also a Pathways Intern at NASA Glenn Research Center where she has conducted power generation analyses for the ISS and worked on Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome modeling efforts.

Caroline is a Michigan native who enjoys hiking, biking, gymnastics, and embroidery.last updated September 2022

Funding:NASA SBIR w/ Soterix Medical, Inc. (2022-present)

Amrita Singh

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PhD Student

Advisor: Dr. James Nabity

Amrita started as a PhD Student in Aerospace Engineering Sciences (Bioastronautics focus) at CU Boulder in 2022. Her research is focused on lunar habitat simulations and lunar dust mitigation strategies, inspired by the risks posed to crew health and performance by the pervasive and abrasive qualities of lunar dust.

Amrita received her B.S. in Astronautical Engineering and her B.A. in Theatre from the University of Southern California in 2021. She has held a variety of roles in both fields, working in both research and industry positions in astronautics and as a director, actor, designer, and playwright in LA. During her final years of her undergraduate education, Amrita realized her passion for Bioastronautics and embarked on an internship at NASA Ames Research Center, where she developed a model for microbial population growth in the deep space radiation environment (AMMPER).

In her free time, Amrita enjoys reading, sleeping, video games, and (like everyone in Boulder) hiking and climbing.last updated April 2023

Funding: NSF GRFP (2023-present)

Erin Richardson

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PhD Student

Advisor: Dr. Allison Hayman

Erin is a Bioastronautics PhD student working with Dr. Allie Anderson. She is working on estimating human cognitive states using psychophysiological data to improve human-autonomy teaming for deep space habitats. She completed her undergrad in Engineering Science at the University ofToronto with a major in Aerospace Engineering and a minor in Robotics and Mechatronics.

Erin is passionate abouthuman and robotic space exploration and has had the opportunity to work on projects ranging from asteroid samplingand Mars rovers to studying the effects of microgravity on human telomeres on a parabolic flight. She recentlycompleted her Private Pilot License and represented young Canadians to the UN at Space Generation Congress.Through Space Generation Advisory Council, Erin researches diversity in astronaut selection and enabling access to spaceflight for people with disabilities.

Erin loves snowboarding, hiking, and acting. As a Canadian, her favourite book is Chris Hadfield’s “An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth” and she is a Toronto Maple Leafs fan.last updated March 2023

Funding:NASA HOME STRI (2022-present)

Victoria Hurd

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PhD Student

Advisor: Dr. Allison Hayman

Vicki is a Bioastronautics PhD student in the Aerospace Engineering Sciences department at CU Boulder.She is advised by Dr. Allison Hayman. Her research involves 1) developing software to monitor for decompression sickness in astronauts on extravehicular activity and 2) investigating retention of ultrasound skill for long-term spaceflight.

Vicki has stuck around Boulder after completing a Bachelors in Aerospace Engineering and a minor in Biomedical Engineering from CU. She graduatedin May of 2022. During her undergrad, Vicki was a research assistant for BioServe Space Technologies. In this role, she manufactured and operated life science experiments for the International Space Station and assisted with the manufacture of the current refrigerator used by astronauts to store medicine and fresh food. She has also dabbled in Enceladus astrobiology research for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Vicki has completed similar work on Europa for the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics and is a current Europa Clipper affiliate. Vicki got her master's degree in Aerospace Engineering with a certificate in Biomedical Engineering in May of 2024.

If she's not at the lab, Vicki is probably skiing or out biking. Her other hobbies include running, hiking, cooking, painting, trying to get through her endless reading list, and out starting a million different side projects!last updated September 2024

Funding:NSTGRO (2024-present)

Nicole Rote

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PhD Student

屹ǰ:Dr. Torin Clark

Nicole started as an AES PhD student in 2023. She is advised by Dr. Torin Clark and funded by the NSF GRFP.

Nicole obtained a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University in 2019. At Purdue, Nicole completed thermal analysis as a part of RETHi (Resilient Extra-Terrestrial Habitat Institute) to support future lunar habitats. Also, during her undergrad, she researched Europa Lander sample acquisition systems at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

After graduating, she worked at Boeing Research & Technology in Loads and Dynamics analysis and testing, supporting efforts from F/A-18 flight testing to spacecraft vibration and shock testing. While at Boeing, she earned a graduate certificate in Astronautical Engineering from the University of Southern California.

In her free time, Nicole loves hanging out with her dog Luna, rock climbing, hiking/mountaineering, building things, and snowboarding. last updated September 2023

ܲԻ徱Բ:NSF GRFP (2023-present)

Ben Greaves

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PhD Student

屹ǰ:Dr. James Nabity

Ben (he/him/his) is an Aerospace Engineering PhD student with a focus on Bioastronautics and is also pursuing the Graduate Certificate in Global Engineering from the Mortenson Center. Ben attended the University of Michigan where he received a BSE in Mechanical Engineering, a minor in Astrophysics, and a MEng in Space Engineering. As a graduate student, Ben interned at NASA Kennedy Space Center and NASA Langley Research Center where he developed projects for extraterrestrial food production as well as Martian habitat designs.

He has volunteer experiences as a U.S. Peace Corps agricultural volunteer in The Gambia and conducting relief work in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. In addition to these experiences, Ben spent two years in Abu Dhabi, UAE, engineering off-Earth agricultural systems and exploring their applications for resource-strained terrestrial environments. He is particularly interested in exploring technologies and systems for more efficient agriculture, energy production, and climate-change resiliency.

As a new Colorado resident, Ben enjoys learning about Boulder attractions and activities as well as exploring the outdoors. last updated September 2023

ܲԻ徱Բ:NASA HOME STRI (2023-present)

Luca Bonarrigo

Luca

PhD Student

屹ǰ:Dr. Allison Hayman

Luca (he/him) is a Bioastronautics PhD student in Aerospace Engineering at CU Boulder advised by Dr. Allison Anderson. A Colorado native and second-time Buff, he graduated with his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from CU Boulder in May 2023. His current research focuses on measuring the neurophysiological responses to operationally-relevant virtual reality training simulations for long-duration exploration missions.

During his time at CU as an undergraduate, Luca spent several years working in satellite mission operations at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), where he had the chance to serve as technical support in mission control for a rocket launch, before getting involved in bioastronautics research. His senior design project focused on designing a hybrid-reality simulation to train astronauts for lunar surface operations, which sparked his interest in alternative reality solutions to enhance training for deep space.

In his free time, Luca enjoys art, writing, and reading, and is always working on a creative project on the side. He is passionate about STEM outreach and diversity, equity, and inclusion, and also loves exploring the outdoors (whether it be in sun, rain, or snow).last updated September 2023

ܲԻ徱Բ:NASA HRP(2023-present)

Sarah Leary

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PhD Student

屹ǰ:Dr. Katya Arquilla

Sarah received her Bachelors (2022) and Masters (2024) degree in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the University of Colorado Boulder. During her undergraduate career, she was an assistant to Dr. Katya Arquilla (then a PhD candidate) on one of Dr. Allie Anderson's projects. In this work, Sarah designed and manufactured a device that allows self-placement of electrodes in a 3-lead configuration with minimal variability for the purpose of autonomous behavioral and physical health monitoring through electrocardiogram (ECG). As a follow-on to this work, Sarah performed an independent study where she investigated the association between biological sex and perceived stress, anxiety, and depression scores in the general population during COVID-19 lockdown. During Sarah's first-year of graduate school, she was a Teaching Assistant (TA) for Medicine in Space and Surface Environments (MiSSE) which teaches students wilderness first aid and how to apply these principles to the spaceflight environment. This course culminates into a week-long Mars analog at the Mars Desert Research Station in Hanksville, Utah where students participate in simulated extravehicular activity (EVA) with science-driven objectives and stressful medical events. In her first-year of her PhD, Sarah worked on one of Dr. Allie Anderson's projects that focused on building models capable of inferring and predicting trust in human-autonomy applications.

As a result of these experiences, Sarah's research focuses on designing, building, and testing an anthropometrically-accommodating wearable sensor system for behavioral health monitoring in the wild. Data collected from the wearable system will also enable the generation of models capable of inferring behavioral health decrements of the wearer.last updated March 2024

ܲԻ徱Բ:Air Force Office of Scientific Research (2023-2024), Charles Stark Draper Labs Fellowship (2024-present)

Grace Robertson

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PhD Student

屹ǰ:Dr. James Nabity

Plant Studies on Photosynthetic Gas Exchange Parameters for Hybrid Life Support Systems

Grace received her bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering focused in Astronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2022. While at ERAU, she worked in theSpace Technologies Lab under Dr. Troy Henderson and collaborated on the team that built EagleCam, the first university payload to ever reach the moon.

Since January of 2022, Grace has been with Sierra Space - first as an Instrumentation Systems Engineer and now in the Flight Operations department working on the ECLSS console. She will finish MS coursework in Bioastro by May of 2025.

Grace's PhD studies surround plants as a part of hybrid spacecraft life support systems. Biologicalcomponents of life support systems support a future long-term space mission architecture in which systems follow a closed-loop architecture, making the mission more cost-effective through self-sustainment. last updated September 2024

Major Lucia White

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PhD Student

Advisor: Dr. James Nabity

Lucia earned her BS in Biology at the United States Air Force Academy in 2010 and her MS in Botany from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2022. While in Madison, Lucia focused heavily on astrobotany, taking part in plant experimentation on the International Space Station. She continued her biological research in microgravity as an instructor of biology at the United States Air Force Academy. As a Bioastronautics PhD student, she hopes to help bridge the gap between biology and aerospace engineering in the Space Force where she is an active duty officer.

In her limited free time, you can find her tending to her plant collection, doing STEM outreach, working out, or indoor skydiving.last updated September 2024

Lisa Ventura

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PhD Student

Advisor: Dr. Allison Hayman

Lisa is a PhD student in both Autonomous Systems and Bioastronautics, co-advised by Dr. Allison Hayman and Dr. Zach Sunberg. Her research interests include human-autonomy teaming, trust modeling and prediction, risk management in partially observable environments with uncertainty, autonomous navigation to minimize risk, and optimizing human trust of collaborative autonomous systems. Prior to her entry into the PhD program at CU, Lisa earned a masters degree in Computer Science from Georgia Tech.last updated September 2024