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Living and working on the International Space Station for about 300 days, astronaut Kate Rubins learned how microgravity, radiation and limited resources can impact the human body, and how returning to Earth can quicken recovery processes.
Ms. Rubins is back on Earth now - in fact, she recently became a microbiology professor at the University of Pittsburgh.
But her work with space isn't over yet.
Thursday, Pitt announced that Ms. Rubins will serve as the inaugural director of its newly launched Trivedi Institute for Space and Global Biomedicine.
The institute - one of the first of its kind in the world - will apply insights from spaceflight to study biology and develop new medical technologies, building on Pitt's strengths in medicine, engineering, computation and clinical translation, Ms. Rubins said during a news conference Thursday afternoon.
"What we learn when humans leave Earth should benefit the people who stay here," said Ms. Rubins, wearing a blue NASA jacket. "I'm an astronaut, and I care very deeply about my fellow astronauts' health, but I care even more about your health. That's the guiding principle of the institute."
Development of the $25 million institute was largely possible thanks to Pittsburgh-based entrepreneur Ashok Trivedi, the institute's major donor.
Although he studied physics, Mr. Trivedi "firmly believes" biological sciences are going to be the defining science of the 21st century. He envisions the center could have a global impact.
"Pioneering new frontiers certainly involves a lot of risk and challenges," Mr. Trivedi...