Fox Valley Science Society

Dr. Ryan Sprenger is currently NASA NAIC fellow at Fauna Bio as theSenior Physiologist. Dr. Sprenger earned his undergraduate and master’s degree in biology at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, before traveling to the University of British Columbia where he earned his PhD in Zoology and Physiology. He then moved back to Madison Wisconsin for postdoctoral work in neurodegenerative disease. Dr. Sprenger’s expertise is in cardio-pulmonary physiology, and he has spent a large portion of his career studying cardiac and pulmonary function in hibernation, neonatal development, and in Alzheimer’s disease. His current research is focused on the health effects of space travel on the central nervous system and the cardio-pulmonary systems, with an interest in human hibernation as a protective strategy.

Human presence in space has been continuous for the past 25 years starting in November, 2000. While the number of astronauts in space has been small to date, this number is projected to rise dramatically with deep space exploration becoming more frequent. Space, however, is hazardous. The health risks in space are both physiological and mental, caused by the hazards of space which are detailed in NASA’s RIDGE acronym (radiation, isolation, distance from earth, gravity, and extreme environments). Protection from these hazards is necessary to expand human presence in space. Dr. Ryan Sprenger will talk about the current knowledge of these hazards, and the type of research occurring (including some of his own) to find solutions to these risks allowing humans to travel further into the stars.