UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – James A. Pawelczyk, associate professor of physiology and kinesiology in Penn State’s College of Health and Human Development (HHD), has been appointed to the National Research Council’s Committee on Biological and Physical Sciences in Space (CBPSS).Reporting to the NRC’s Space Studies Board, the committee aims to support scientific progress in space research in the biological, medical and physical sciences, and assist the federal government in integrating and planning programs in these fields.In addition, Pawelczyk has been named a member of the research subcommittee of the Human Exploration and Operations Committee to the NASA Advisory Council (NAC). The NAC advises the NASA administrator on matters of strategic importance to NASA.“This is an exciting time in space exploration,” Pawelczyk said. “As new university-commercial-government partnerships emerge, committees such as these demonstrate NASA’s recognition that vibrant biomedical research is essential to the future of space faring nations.”
Pawelczyk served as a payload specialist aboard the space shuttle Columbia during mission STS-90 in 1998.
For more information on the Committee on Biological and Physical Sciences in Space, visit sites.nationalacademies.org/SSB/SSB_145312.htm.For more information about HHD at Penn State, visit hhd.psu.edu.