NOTE TO EDITORS: News media and the public are invited to a talk tomorrow at 2 p.m. at The Tech Museum of Innovation, 201 S. Market Street, San Jose. The talk will be held in The Tech’s Center for Learning. Admission to the talk is free with a paid admission to The Tech.
Dr. Jeffrey Smith, deputy director of the Center for Bioinformatics at NASA’s Ames Research Center, will speak at The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose on Saturday, July 14, at 2 p.m. in the Center for Learning.
Smith’s talk is titled “NASA Space Life Sciences Research: Preparing Astronauts for New Discoveries Aboard the International Space Station.” Topics will include life sciences research planned for the space station, as well as the Virtual Glovebox being developed at Ames. The Virtual Glovebox uses virtual reality to train astronauts on Earth to carry out biological experiments in an actual glovebox on the space station. By practicing the procedures in a “virtual” weightless environment, astronauts can become more proficient in carrying out the experiments in space.
Ames’ Center for Bioinformatics applies advanced computer technology to the study of
biological systems. The center is dedicated to the development and application of advanced visualization, computation and simulation technologies to support NASA’s research in space life sciences. Continuing research ranges from biomedical/clinical applications to scientific imaging, 3-D cell structure analysis and astrobiology. More information about the Center for Bioinformatics is available at: http://biocomp.arc.nasa.gov/
The Tech Museum is an educational resource designed to engage people of all ages and backgrounds in exploring and experiencing technologies affecting their lives, and to inspire young people to become innovators in developing the technologies of the future. More information is available at: www.thetech.com
