Research partnership to investigate operational stressors on Airmen
The Air Force Research Laboratoryis partnering with Wright StateUniversitytobetter understand stressors that affect pilots and the impacts theyhave onthemission and well-being of Airmen.
The two researchpartners recently signed a cooperative research and development agreement to advance the development of amulti-organ system model that will accurately identify the impact of stressors that can arise during the course of amission. These can include anything from extreme physical exertion, high temperatures, excessive G-force, pressure changes, lowoxygen environments or exposure to chemicals or particle contaminants.
Such stressors can occur during both normal and highrisk operational scenarios, potentially hindering performance and causing any number of physiological changes in flight personnel. Stress factors can result in molecular and biochemical alterations that can impact cognition, vision, andhearing, andcause premature fatigue. By developing a model that focuses on the interactions between these stressors and physiological factors, researchers will be better able to predict howchanging pilots’ operating environments affects their overall health and welfare.
“Our primary objective is to develop scientific knowledge and innovative technologies to support advanced medical scienceandtechnology tosustainandrestoreAirmanhealth and performance in multifaceted operational environments,” said Dr. Saber Hussain, AFRL 711thHuman PerformanceWing scientist and project lead. “This agreement gives us the tools we need to better achieve those goals.
Through the agreement, AFRL gains access to a large laboratory space within the WrightStateUniversityDepartment
of Pharmacology and Toxicology’sMedical Science Building. AFRL will have use of some of the school’s core facilities including the Proteomics and Preclinical Pharmacology labs, aswell as the Pharmacology Translational
Unit. The team will also have access to freezers, refrigerators, centrifuges and other supplies currently available in the research space.
Wright State, in turn, will gain a new avenue through which to offer enhanced professional developmentopportunities to students, aswell as the potential to submit future joint proposals with AFRL that could result in additional funding.
“Thiscollaborationwillprovide a forum forWright State students to improve their analytic skills and capabilities and will present our students with real-world research activities and internships with the Air Force,” saidDr. JeffreyTravers, Wright State University chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. “Our graduate students will benefit greatly fromthecloseworking relationship with and training provided by Dr. Hussain and the AFRL team.”
This research agreement strengthens an already robust relationshipbetweentheAFRL 711th Human Performance Wing andWright State. It also represents a significant cost savings for the Air Force in terms of laboratory facilities and basic equipment.
“This partnership with
Wright State University not only enriches our scientific and technical expertise, but also gives us an opportunity to work with student scientists and engineers whomay become part of our future workforce, all key tenants of the Air Force 2030 Science and Technology Strategy,” said Hussain.
Dr. Darrin Ott, AFRL 711th Human Performance Wing Aerospace and Operational Medicine Core Technical Competency lead, added, “Wright StateUniversity and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base obviously have a long, positive relationship, but an occasional refreshcanbebeneficial. I think with the push to connect to outside innovators highlighted so prominently in our strategies, now is a great time for the refresh to really take hold. Because of that, I think these collaborations have more promise than ever and all involved are excited to see that future unfold.”