Millie Hughes-Fulford: Scientist in Space

A resource for using QUEST video in the classroom

Watch it online http://science.kqed.org/quest/video/millie-hughes-fulford-scientist-in-space/ | 9:59 minutes

QUEST SUBJECTS PROGRAM NOTES

NASA’s space program became a celebrated endeavor during the successful Moon Life Biology landing in 1969, but few people link NASA and medical research. At the inception of Science Health NASA’s Apollo Program in the 1960s, scientists discovered a link between gravity and Environment human health. As the government space program drew to an end in 2011, we visited former astronaut Millie Hughes-Fulford, the first woman to travel into space as a working Earth Geology scientist. She conducts experiments in space to further medical understanding. Science Climate Weather In this segment you’ll find… Astronomy

.Physical Physics ۞ information on medical experiments done in space Science Chemistry Engineering ۞ a description of the immune system and the importance of T cells.

an explanation of gravity’s influence on the human ۞ NEXT immune system. GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS TOPIC BACKGROUND

High School At the time of first Apollo space missions, in the 1960s, half the astronauts became ill Disciplinary Core Ideas during their flight or soon after coming home. Scientists realized that the pull of Earth’s LS1.A: Structure and gravity helped keep the human body healthy. In a zero gravity environment, the human Function body experiences alterations at the cellular level that can lead to changes in muscle ESS1.B Earth and the Solar tissue, bone loss and problems in the immune system. In 1991, molecular biologist Millie System Hughes-Fulford was on NASA’s first space mission dedicated exclusively to medical research. Since then, she has sent a string of experiments into space, the most recent one in April 2014. Another one will go up in December 2014. She hopes they will help her understand which genes in our immune system malfunction in the absence of gravity.

T cells, a type of immune system cell, are part of the army that makes up the body’s defenses. Born in the thymus, T cells activate other immune cells to combat disease. Their primary function is to regulate the other branches of the immune system in order to create antibodies, which are proteins that attack foreign invaders. Without healthy T cells, the body is unable to fight off invaders such as the influenza virus or tuberculosis bacteria. Scientists are learning that T cells need gravity in order to activate the proper genes and correctly carry out their critical functions.

Other scientific experiments in space focus on how a zero gravity environment affects aging and the health of the cardiovascular system. The implications of medical research in space could be as far-reaching as aiding future astronauts going to more distant destinations, like Mars. And because this research helps us understand basic physiological processes, it will likely help those on Earth with health disorders as well.

Additional Resources: Gladstone Institutes - Virology and Immunology http://gladstoneinstitutes.org/our-science/virology-and-immunology

Millie Hughes-Fulford: Scientist in Space Educator Guide www.kqed.org/quest

VOCABULARY PRE-VIEWING • How does the immune system work? Adaptive immunity part of the immune • What causes an immune system to become compromised? system that targets • In what ways might research in space benefit our understanding of human specific disease- physiology? causing agents and attempts to destroy VIEWING FOCUS them NOTE: You may choose to watch the video segment twice with your students: once to Gene get an overview of the topic and again to focus on facts and draw out opinions. a segment of DNA that • What is the focus of Hughes-Fulford’s research? codes for a specific trait such as eye color • How does gravity affect the immune system? • What are the implications of Hughes-Fulford’s research? Immuno-suppression a weakening of the • Since NASA’s space shuttle program ended in 2011, how do scientists conduct body’s natural immune medical research in space? system due to factors such as aging, disease For all media see: or bacteria • Segment Summary Sheet http://science.kqed.org/quest/files/2013/09/Segment-Summary-Sheet.pdf Payload specialists • Personal Response Student Sheet scientists who explore http://science.kqed.org/quest/files/2013/09/Personal-Response-Sheet.pdf space and carry out experiments to further RELATED RESOURCES from QUEST, PBS and NPR our understanding of life on Earth Immune Cells in Action PBS LearningMedia http://pbslearningmedia.org/resource/tdc02.sci.life.stru.immune/immune-cells-in-action/ T cells In this video segment from The Secret of Life teaching modules: "Nothing to Sneeze At: white blood cells, or Viruses," watch as a virus attacks a cell and learn how the immune system reacts to this lymphocytes, that are onslaught. central to proper NPR functioning of the Astronaut Twins to Separate for the Sake of Space Travel http://www.npr.org/2014/04/27/307447211/astronaut-twins-to-separate-for-the-sake-of- body’s immune system space-travel In this All Things Considered broadcast, hear about a study to learn about the long- Thymus term effects of space travel on the human body—using twin brothers. an immune system organ near the heart Immunity and Vaccines PBS LearningMedia that manufactures T http://ca.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/nvvs-sci-immunity/immunity-vaccines/ cells In this video segment from NOVA, learn how immune system works to attack and protect us from viruses, and how vaccines activate our immune system.

Fighting Back PBS LearningMedia http://pbslearningmedia.org/resource/tdc02.sci.life.stru.mumpsweb/fighting-back/ In this interactive feature from the NOVA: Surviving AIDS Web site, students are put in charge of destroying a virus that is running wild inside a cell. Students learn why invasion by HIV is unique and devastating.

Millie Hughes-Fulford: Scientist in Space Educator Guide www.kqed.org/quest

VISIT OUR PARTNERS MORE MULTIMEDIA RESOURCES

Aquarium of the Bay www. aquariumofthebay.org/ Why Use Multimedia in Science Education? • http://science.kqed.org/quest/files/2013/09/Why-Use-Multimedia-in- Bay Area Science Festival Science-Education.pdf www.bayareasci ence.org/ Read about the importance of using multimedia in the 21st century California Academy of Sciences science classroom. www.calacademy.org How to Use Science Media for Teaching and Learning Chabot Space and Science Center www.chabotspace.org • http://science.kqed.org/quest/files/2013/09/How-to-Use-Science-Media- Effectively.pdf East Bay Regional Park District A collection of tips, activities and handouts to actively engage students www .ebparks.org with multimedia.

Exploratorium www.exploratorium.edu Science Multimedia Analysis • http://science.kqed.org/quest/files/2013/09/Science-Multimedia- Girl Scouts of Northern California Analysis.pdf www.girlscoutsnorcal.org Give your students the tools to recognize the purposes and messages of

Golden Gate National Parks science multimedia. Conservancy www.parksconservancy.org Media-Making Toolkit for Science Education • http://blogs.kqed.org/education/media-making-toolkit/ The J. David Gladstone Institutes Are you interested in integrating media making into your classroom or www.gladstone.ucsf.edu science education program? Find instructions, worksheets and rubrics for Lawrence Berkeley National implementing simple media-making projects with students. Laboratory www.lbl.gov

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