Purdue event to focus on space research, future of living in space

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. —Blossoming connections between space exploration and the fields of biology and biotechnology are the focus of a speaking event at Purdue University.

"Biotech and Space: What We Know to Boldly Go" is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Oct. 27 in Stewart Center's Fowler Hall. The event, hosted by the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, is free and open to the public.

Two speakers – Purdue professor Michael Ladisch and NASA associate administrator William Gerstenmaier – will give 30-minute presentations followed by a 30-minute question-and-answer session.

Dan Dumbacher, event coordinator and professor in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, said the speakers will discuss how space discoveries can be applied on Earth as well as the next frontier.

"This is a wonderful opportunity to learn about the results from space exploration research, how these results can apply on Earth, and how the human health sciences and biomedical engineering can help humans live and work on the frontier of space," Dumbacher said.

Ladisch, director of Purdue's Laboratory of Renewable Resources Engineering, and distinguished professor of agricultural and biological engineering with a joint appointment in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, will give a talk titled "How Fundamental Bioengineering Research is Impacting Development of New Bioprocess Technologies and Biological Products" and potential space application.

DNA sequencing and food science in space are among the speaking topics for Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Human Exploration at NASA. 

Writer: Brian L. Huchel, 765-494-2084, bhuchel@purdue.edu 

Source: Dan Dumbacher, 765-496-0135, dan-dumbacher@purdue.edu