As part of Solarpalooza on Monday, April 8, Dr. Sara R. Zwart, Senior Scientist and Deputy Manager for Nutritional Biochemistry at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, will give a virtual presentation, “Nutritional Biochemistry of Spaceflight” from 3-4 p.m. livestreamed in the Health Professions Center, room 3122/3123.
“We are excited to host this Zoom presentation following the total solar eclipse,” says Dr. Beth Young, Chair of USI Food and Nutrition. “Dr. Zwart will explain the science behind space nutrition and how gravity impacts nutrient absorption and metabolism.”
Zwart is a 1999 graduate of the University of Notre Dame. She earned her doctorate in nutritional sciences from the University of Florida in Gainesville and completed a postdoc in nutritional biochemistry in 2005 from the NASA Johnson Space Center. She started working as a research scientist with NASA in 2005, and over the years has received several awards, including the NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal Award in 2017 and the American Astronautical Society’s Compelling Results in Human Health in Space Award in 2016.
Before and after the NASA presentation, faculty and staff from the College of Nursing and Health Professions will be available to lead tours of the Health Professions Center and answer questions for prospective students and their families.
USI will host Solarpalooza Sunday and Monday, April 7-8, beginning with a talk by trailblazing electrical engineer and retired NASA astronaut Joan Higginbotham, at 7 p.m. Sunday, April 7 in the Screaming Eagles Arena, followed by a full day of experiential learning and engagement on Monday, April 8, the day of the eclipse.
