EVENT: Tara M. Ruttley, associate program scientist for NASA’s International Space Station, will tour UC Irvine labs and discuss with science faculty the latest research findings from the ISS and UC Irvine.

WHEN/WHERE: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27. Contact Tom Vasich for specific locations.

INFORMATION: Media planning to attend should contact Tom Vasich at 949-824-6455 or tmvasich@uci.edu. Attendance and parking are complimentary for media who RSVP in advance.

HIGHLIGHTS:     

8 a.m.        Breakfast with stem cell research faculty and Frank LaFerla, Hana & Francisco J. Ayala Dean of the School of Biological Sciences

10 a.m.      Tours of stem cell and Alzheimer’s disease research labs

Noon         Lunch with Ken Janda, dean of physical sciences; Gregory Washington, dean of engineering; and key faculty members

1:30 p.m.   Tours of physical sciences and engineering research labs

4 p.m.        Presentation by Ruttley and faculty panel discussion at Calit2 auditorium (Admission is free and open to the public.)

BACKGROUND:  Orbiting 260 miles above Earth, the ISS is the largest spacecraft ever built. It’s an official U.S. national laboratory where astronauts and scientists from around the world conduct experiments in a microgravity environment on human health, life and physical sciences, and Earth and space sciences. With assembly complete and a full-time crew of six, a new era for the space station has begun.

Research aboard the ISS has led to innovations in cancer treatment delivery; vaccine development; prevention of bone loss, osteoporosis and kidney stones; ultrasound technology; water purification; surgical robotics; and asthma control.

Ruttley will share the latest research findings from the ISS and discuss their real-world implications. After her 4 p.m. presentation, she’ll be joined by a panel of UC Irvine faculty researchers, including:

  • Charles Limoli, professor of radiation oncology
  • Ali Mohraz, associate professor of chemical engineering & materials science
  • Alexander McPherson, professor of molecular biology & biochemistry