Monday, January 17, 2011
The Penn State Alumni Association will hold a City Lights event March 26 at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The event, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., will allow Jim Pawelczyk, astronaut and associate professor of physiology and kinesiology, to lead a tour of the Spacelab training module -- an exact replica of the one in which he traveled to space -- before his program, titled "To infinity and beyond: Defining the human limits of space exploration." His presentation will discuss some of the technical and scientific hurdles that need to be overcome in order to allow human planetary exploration. (more)
Friday, June 25, 2010
A mechanism that regulates stem-cell differentiation in mice testes suggests a similar process that may trigger degenerative disease in humans, according to a Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences reproductive physiologist. Research involved manipulating a protein called STAT3, which is active in tissues throughout the body and is essential for life, that signals stem cells to decide whether to differentiate into a specialized type of cell or self-renew and remain stem cells. (more)
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Stephanie Eldred, a kinesiology student, is the recipient of a 2010 Undergraduate Research Fellowship through the American Physiological Society. She is one of only 24 students across the country to receive this honor, and she will be working under the supervision of Donna Korzick, associate professor of physiology and kinesiology, studying the link between estrogen levels and heart disease in older women. (more)
Monday, May 04, 2009
A new study on old rats by a Penn State researcher will shed light on the connection between estrogen deficiency, heart disease and aging in women. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women over the age of 75. After menopause, women lose their ability to produce the hormone estrogen and researchers believe that low estrogen levels somehow make women more vulnerable to heart disease and heart attack.
(more)
Friday, March 06, 2009
Howard E. Morgan, 81, founding chair of Penn State College of Medicine's Department of Physiology, died Monday, March 2, at the age of 81. Morgan was internationally regarded as one of the greatest experimental cardiologists of the 20th century. His strong commitment to excellence in heart research came from a clear vision of blending basic sciences with clinical cardiology, and he was deeply devoted to helping cardiovascular scientists reach their potential. (more)
