FRS 002BB— Sec. 001 — (2 units) — CRN 93292— M 10:00-11:50 am — 280 Hickey Gym
Living in Space: The Final Frontier?

Instructor: Charles Fuller, Department of Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior, Division of Biological Sciences

Description: The later half of the twentieth century saw the advent of human spaceflight, man walking on the moon and humans living in space on American and Russian space stations. Human spaceflight required a critical juxtaposition of biology & medicine, technology, economics, foreign policy and politics. The subject matter addresses this juxtaposition and examines how humans initially went into space, what we have learned in these diverse areas, and extrapolates into the future. We will focus our exploration on the biological bases of human spaceflight that have received recent attention in the media. Information will be presented through informal lectures, readings, and discussion.

Format: The seminar will meet for two hours each week. The time will be divided between informal lecture presentations, discussion and student presentations. Reading material will be provided. There is no text for the course. Grading: Students will be required to prepare a short paper on a topic to be chosen in consultation with the instructor. The course grade will be based on the quality of their written (1/3) and oral (1/3) presentations and on the frequency and quality of their participation in class discussion (1/3).

About the Instructor: Professor Fuller is the chair of Exercise Biology and a Professor in the Section of Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior in the Division of Biological Sciences, and the director of the UCD Chronic Acceleration Research Unit. His research interests include the effects of gravity on living systems, with an emphasis in the area of neuroscience. Over the last twenty years he has flown over a dozen experiments in space on both American and Russian spacecraft, and he has a good understanding of the technology required to perform the experiments, in addition to the science involved. Current projects include the effects of gravity on the regulation of sleep and circadian rhythms. He currently teaches an undergraduate course on the Principles of Environmental Physiology and a graduate course on Biological Rhythms.