Tuesday, April 23, 2013 // Issue 110, Volume 78
THE DAILY COUGAR
T H E
O F F I C I A L
S T U D E N T
N E W S PA P E R
O F
T H E
U N I V E R S I T Y
O F
H O U S T O N
RESEARCH
UH to study effects of space travel Erika Forero Contributing writer
The human immune system works to keep the body healthy, but for an astronaut, that system can be compromised by space travel. The UH Department of Health and Human Performance has partnered with NASA to study why this happens in a 14-month program that will analyze the effects of long duration space flight on astronauts aboard the International Space Station. “It is important to determine whether or not long-duration spaceflight impairs immunity before exploration class spaceflight missions — i.e., to Mars or an asteroid — can be considered,” said Rickie Simpson, principle investigator for the program and
UH assistant professor in exercise and immunology. To do this, Simpson said that the team will collect blood, urine and saliva samples from the astronauts before they travel to space, while they are on the ISS and for about six months when they return. “The samples collected on the space station will be returned to Earth via the Soyuz space vehicle so that we may analyze the samples in our lab at UH,” Simpson said. Simpson said he and his team will be using the samples to measure antimicrobial proteins that are crucial for the body’s defense against microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi. He also said they will be measuring and assessing the role of specific immune cells in the blood.
“We are particularly interested in Natural Killer Cells, which are important cells of the immune system in the identification and destruction Simpson of virally infected and cancerous cells,” Simpson said. The goal is for the team to measure how spaceflight affects the facility of these cells to do their job within the immune response. “We anticipate that long-duration spaceflight will cause alterations to the immune system but whether or not these will manifest as an increased clinical risk among crewmembers remains to be determined,” Simpson said.
Mark Clarke, Thomas Lowder and Dan O’Connor will assist Simpson in heading the research. Post-doctoral scientist Guillaume Spielmann and doctoral candidates Hawley Kunz and Austin Bigley are also involved in the project. The research team is completed by Brian Crucian, an immunologist at NASA Johnson Space Center, and Duane Pierson and Satish Mehta, microbiologists at NASA Johnson Space Center. “I am very excited to be involved in this project,” Kunz said. “It is almost surreal to be able to be a part of the process of exploring space and its effects on humans and to be able to analyze samples that have been in space.” NASA continues on page 3
UH appreciates its planet Earth Day was celebrated Monday at Butler Plaza, supporting the University’s sustainability efforts. Students, faculty and staff took part in numerous green games and activities with a side of cake. Parking and Transportation Services, Printing and Postal Services, the UH Bookstore and the Department of Public Safety were among the organizations that showcased their efforts. — Aisha Bouderdaben/The Daily Cougar
S I N C E
OPINION
The ins and outs of acne LIFE+ARTS
Monologues inspire students SPORTS
Golf team tied for first place GET SOME DAILY
LAW CENTER
Students choose professor of the year Chrystal Grant Staff writer
The UH Law Center student body has selected professor Sapna Kumar as “Faculty of the Year.” “I pride myself as a teacher, and I hoped that I would one day be recognized, but it came as a surprise for me to win the award before I was tenured,” Kumar Kumar said. “I taught fewer classes this year than usual, so not as many students had taken one of my classes. Several of my property students said they had lobbied on my
behalf, so I felt deeply honored.” Kumar joined the UHLC faculty in 2009, teaching property, patent and administrative law. Prior to beginning her career at the Law Center, she clerked for Judge Kenneth F. Ripple of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals; conducted research as a faculty fellow at the Duke University School of Law and practiced with two law firms. “Professor Kumar was one of the best professors I had in law school,” said Tamecia Glover-Harris, former student of Professor Kumar’s property’s class.” I liked her no-nonsense approach to teaching.” Glover-Harris said Kumar begins the semester with helpful information including job and internship advice, news and tips. She then teaches the
course and leaves the students with “Kumar’s Takeaways” — a summary of what the students are supposed to learn, Harris said. The summaries help first year students to distinguish what they understood and what they needed more assistance understanding. Kumar is always available during office hours and willing to schedule outside her traditional office hours to accommodate students. “Students learn in all sorts of ways. Some do best listening to a lecture multiple times, some listen by working problems, and others need charts and diagrams. I try to accommodate a variety of learning styles,” Kumar said. “I want my first-year students to remember my poor singing skills. I
try to sing a property-related song each class.” She said she believes exams should be a learning opportunity, allowing students to request a copy of their graded exam for review during office hours. The exam can then be used as study material for the next year’s classes. “For all of my exams, after the grades are turned in, I will send an email to the class with a copy of the essay questions, an exam memo, and two to three top answers,” she said. What stands out about professor Kumar is her desire to see her students succeed, said Marcella Burke, former student and research assistant for Kumar. LAW continues on page 3
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COUNTDOWN
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Days until the last day of classes.
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