Demystifying Medicine

Beam up for a special lecture on human space flight and biology. Dr. Stamatios "Tom" Krimigis of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory will speak at the next NIH Demystifying Medicine lecture. The title of his lecture is "Robotic Planetary Exploration and Thoughts about Human Spaceflight."

A physicist and space scientist, Krimigis has participated in NASA missions to every planet in the solar system and was the principal investigator on several NASA spacecraft, including Voyagers 1 and 2. Krimigis is widely credited with resurrecting NASA planned but then canceled exploration to Pluto in 2000 with his concept of the relatively low-cost New Horizons mission, which launched in 2006 and met with spectacular success in 2015.

With an eye to what he considers to be inevitable --- human spaceflight beyond the moon --- Krimigis has been concerned with the challenges to human physiology and the necessary adaptation. His special presentation at NIH will be of great interest to basic and clinical scientists at NIH and will illustrate exciting careers for PhDs and MDs who are well-trained in biological, mathematical, and physical sciences. And let's face it: any fan of Star Trek will enjoy the lecture, as well.

Demystifying Medicine is an annual course from January to May designed to help bridge the gap between advances in biology and their application to major human diseases. The course includes presentation of patients, pathology, diagnosis, and therapy in the context of major disease problems and current research, primarily directed toward Ph.D. students, fellows, and staff. All are invited.

For more information go to https://demystifyingmedicine.od.nih.gov/