The gift supports the Dean’s Excellence Fund and the S&Z Vyas Charitable Foundation Endowed MD Scholarship, expanding opportunities for future physicians and advancing 91�Թ���’s Go For Launch campaign priorities.

“Dr. Zaby and Suree Vyas understand that excellence in healthcare begins with investing in people,” says Deborah German, dean of the 91�Թ��� College of Medicine. “Their generosity will help talented students pursue their dreams of becoming physicians while providing the resources that allow our college to continue raising the standard of medical education. Their gift embodies the goals of by supporting student success and helping 91�Թ��� maximize excellence for generations to come.”

For 91�Թ��� College of Medicine student Nicole Stevens ’25, donor support helped turn possibility into reality. A mother of three and nontraditional student, Stevens shared how scholarships, mentorship and research opportunities empowered her to pursue medicine and redefine what she believed was possible for herself and her family.

The clock tower stands at the center of 91�Թ���’s Health Sciences Campus and serves as an iconic symbol of the College of Medicine, welcoming students, faculty and visitors while reflecting the importance of time, innovation and excellence in training the next generation of physicians. All those entering the medical education building, where every 91�Թ��� future physician is trained, will see the commitment that the Vyas’ have made to the college, to the healthcare landscape of Florida and to the future generation of healthcare providers.

“One represents the daily work of learning, discovery and growth” says President Alexander N. Cartwright. “The other serves as a bold and enduring presence on the horizon. Together, they reflect the lasting impact the Vyas family is making on 91�Թ��� and the future of healthcare.”

After being forced to leave Uganda in 1972, the newly married couple rebuilt their lives in England before eventually settling in Central Florida, where Vyas established a successful family medicine practice. Their journey shaped a lifelong commitment to expanding opportunity for others, particularly future healthcare professionals.The Suree & Zaby Vyas Foundation was created to invest in the next generation of caregivers by supporting students in 91�Թ���’s College of Medicine and College of Nursing and creating an endowment to provide perpetual scholarship support. Their name is also recognized inside the Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion, home of the College of Nursing with the Zaby & Suree Vyas Collaboration Concourse.

We are America’s Space University. And we celebrate 91�Թ��� Space Week to honor our origin as we dare to build what’s next.

Where Global Leaders Unite to Forge the Future of Space

91�Թ��� celebrated seven dynamic contributors to Central Florida’s robust space ecosystem with its 2026 SpaceU Awards.

America’s Space University honored two students, three faculty, a Pegasus Partner, and a space company leader for advancing space development, discovery, exploration and engagement. The awards were part of the second 91�Թ��� Space Week, which runs Oct. 25-30 and showcases the university’s impact across the space sector.

Tuesday’s SpaceU Awards ceremony at the Celeste Hotel drew more than 200 community leaders and supporters from 91�Թ���, industry and government. The event also spotlighted the inaugural 91�Թ��� Space Ideation Challenge, a national competition showcasing practical, forward-looking ideas to strengthen U.S. leadership in space and accelerate the emerging space economy.

“Their achievements remind us that exploration is about more than reaching new frontiers — it is about advancing knowledge, creating opportunities and improving lives on Earth and beyond.” — Alexander N. Cartwright, 91�Թ��� president

“Our SpaceU Award recipients embody the ingenuity and determination that have defined 91�Թ��� from the start. They ask bold questions, take on difficult challenges, and pursue ideas that have the potential to change what we know, what we can do and where we can go,” said 91�Թ��� President Alexander N. Cartwright. “Their achievements remind us that exploration is about more than reaching new frontiers — it is about advancing knowledge, creating opportunities and improving lives on Earth and beyond.”

91�Թ��� originated in 1963 to help supply talent and technology for Central Florida’s growing space program. Today, SpaceU has become a vital force for enhancing Florida’s vibrant space economy through excellence in research, innovation and workforce development — leading the nation in producing talent for the aerospace and defense industries.

Other Space Week events include the inaugural 91�Թ��� Innovate Day, which highlights how university research translates into real-world applications; The Economist’s fourth-annual Space Economy Summit; the National Space Society’s Space Settlement Summit; and the SpaceU Symposium, featuring student, faculty and staff research. The week also includes a SpaceU Drone Show on Memory Mall and the 10th-annual Space Game against Baylor at Acrisure Bounce House Stadium.

Here are the 2026 SpaceU Awardees.

Student Space Research Award

Noah Brockhoff, Junior, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Brockhoff’s research is helping to address the critical challenge of minimizing the effects of moon dust on spacecraft and landing sites. At 91�Թ���’s Exolith Lab, the mechanical engineering major spent 300 hours building a simulated lunar lander to study how lunar dust traveling at terminal velocity could damage spacecraft. NASA is partnering with 91�Թ��� on the research and plans to use the findings, connecting Brockhoff’s work directly to the future of space exploration.

Student Space Innovator Award

Keanu Brayman, Senior, College of Engineering and Computer Science, Burnett Honors College

Brayman, a mechanical engineering major, is making contributions to space innovations with commercial applications. As an intern at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, he has worked on trajectory optimization for the Human Landing System, additive manufacturing technology for lunar resource utilization and robotic in-space laser welding — a necessity for assembling large structures on the lunar surface. Brayman is also a researcher in 91�Թ���’s Astrodynamics, Space and Robotics Laboratory, a Goldwater Scholar, and an Astronaut Scholar.

Early Career Space Achievement Faculty Award

Paula do Vale Pereira, Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science

do Vale Pereira develops approaches for exploring the hidden oceans of icy moons. She specializes in space systems, spacecraft engineering, and planetary exploration technologies for navigating some of the solar system’s most challenging environments. do Vale Pereira contributes to shaping the next decade of planetary exploration through NASA’s Decadal Astrobiology Research and Exploration Strategy and the Ocean Worlds Working Group. Her lab investigates spacecraft thermal performance, orbital dynamics, lunar surface power transmission, and innovative satellite structures.

Mid-Career Space Achievement Faculty Award

Emmanuel Urquieta, Associate Professor of Medicine, Vice Chair for Aerospace Medicine, College of Medicine

Urquieta is a physician and scientist helping to make human spaceflight safer through research, education, and aerospace-medicine leadership. He founded and directs SpaceU’s Center for Aerospace and Extreme Environments Medicine, leading 91�Թ���’s efforts to promote research, education, clinical care, and operational capabilities to protect human health and performance in space. At 91�Թ���, he established Florida’s first academic Division of Aerospace Medicine and spearheaded the development of an aerospace medicine residency, master’s degree program, and specialized research and simulation capabilities for future exploration missions.

Lifetime Space Achievement Faculty Award

Daniel Britt, Pegasus Professor of Astronomy and Planetary Sciences, College of Sciences

Britt’s trailblazing contributions to planetary science have expanded the world’s understanding of the solar system. A member of several NASA mission teams, he managed the camera project for Mars Pathfinder and has contributed hardware to Mars missions, extending 91�Թ��� technology in reaching the stars. He directs 91�Թ���’s Center for Lunar and Asteroid Surface Science and studies the physical properties of asteroids, comets, the moon and Mars. Since joining 91�Թ��� in 2003, his honors include six NASA Achievement Awards and an asteroid named 4395 Danbritt.

Industry Partner Impact Award

Lockheed Martin

Global industry leader Lockheed Martin is a cornerstone of Florida’s space ecosystem and a long-time champion of 91�Թ���. Since 1981, Lockheed Martin’s College Work Experience Program at 91�Թ��� has provided paid professional opportunities to more than 10,000 students. Many have gone on to join the company. The partnership also supports mentorship, scholarships and cutting-edge faculty research in robotics, AI, advanced manufacturing and hypersonics. Last year, Lockheed Martin became a Pegasus Partner, expanding collaboration with 91�Թ��� on research, workforce development and economic growth.

Innovative Space Leader Award

Michael Edmonds, Chief Commercial Officer, Blue Origin

Edmonds’ leadership fosters business, government and customer relationships essential to the growth of commercial space. He also serves as president of Club for the Future, Blue Origin’s nonprofit dedicated to inspiring young people to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and math. Under Edmonds’ leadership, the organization has awarded $1 million in grants to 19 space-focused nonprofits, extending STEAM outreach worldwide. Through educational challenges and postcards flown to space and back, the club makes exploration tangible for students across the globe.

Landing humans on the moon was just a dream when 91�Թ��� was founded in 1963. But we dared to believe — developing the talent and inventing the technologies to make it reality. That same spirit still drives us today.

We are America’s Space University. And we celebrate 91�Թ��� Space Week to honor our origin as we dare to build what’s next.

Where Global Leaders Unite to Forge the Future of Space

Two 91�Թ��� College of Medicine faculty have been elected Academicians of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) — a lifetime distinction recognizing worldwide leaders in space travel.

91�Թ��� Associate Professors Emmanuel Urquieta and Jennifer Fogarty were honored at the IAA’s 79th annual International Astronautical Congress in Antalya, Turkey. The academy includes 1,200 fellows worldwide who are committed to collaborative research and education that advance space exploration to serve humanity.

Urquieta and Fogarty are leaders in the College of Medicine’s emerging aerospace medicine program that is creating a new frontier in healthcare as humans prepare for longer missions to the moon, Mars and beyond.

The program’s goal: explore how factors such as microgravity, radiation and isolation impact the human body in space and how that knowledge can drive innovation into diagnostics, treatment and disease prevention for patients on Earth.

As part of that effort, 91�Թ��� has created a new Center for Aerospace and Extreme Environments Medicine (). Urquieta leads the center; Fogarty is its chief scientist.

The multidisciplinary center includes 91�Թ��� faculty experts in medicine, engineering, computer science, psychology, arts and educational leadership who collectively research and develop new technologies for keeping space travelers healthy. The work is applicable here on Earth, as well, to soldiers on military missions, deep sea explorers and mountain climbers.

From Flight Surgeon to Aerospace Leader

Urquieta began his career in aerospace medicine as a flight surgeon, serving on the Mexico City Police Department’s emergency medical services helicopter team before being selected for NASA’s HERA XI program. There he spent 30 days isolated with three crewmates in a simulated mission to the asteroid Geographos to understand how the isolation of a space mission affects the crew medically and psychologically.

In 2016, Urquieta joined the Translational Research Institute for Space Health at Baylor College of Medicine (TRISH), eventually becoming chief medical officer, where he managed medical research for missions to the moon and Mars as well as the institute’s commercial spaceflight programs.

He joined the College of Medicine in 2024.

Urquieta says this recognition inspires him to continue striving to make 91�Թ��� an international leader in aerospace medicine.

“I look forward to contributing to the work of the academy,” he says. “And to helping advance the science and medicine that will support the next era of human space exploration.”

Leading Innovation in Spaceflight Safety

Fogarty’s honor recognizes her nearly 20-year career in aerospace medicine, beginning as chief scientist of NASA’s human research program. There, she examined the risks humans face while exploring space and developed research and programs to keep astronauts safe and healthy.

Following nearly 14 years at NASA, Fogarty brought her expertise to TRISH, where she provided strategic leadership in developing innovations to maintain human performance and wellness during space travel.

She joined 91�Թ��� in 2025.

Fogarty says she was honored because she and  Urquieta were nominated by a mentor, Jeffrey Davis, who has served as branch chief of medical operations at NASA.

“We were honored to be nominated by Dr. Davis and to have other people who agreed that we have made significant contributions to the field at an international level,” said Fogarty. “It’s very special to be recognized in this way.”

Fogarty says her role is not only to improve the health of space travelers, but to use that knowledge to create more innovative medical treatments for patients on Earth.

“There’s a lot of responsibility when you’re in an industry that’s relatively small and young,” she says.  “I think it’s our role with the positions we have here to engage students and educate the public about what’s happening in space medicine and why.”

We are America’s Space University. And we celebrate 91�Թ��� Space Week to honor our origin as we dare to build what’s next.

Where Global Leaders Unite to Forge the Future of Space

Whether it’s solving the world’s biggest problems or investigating the potential of novel discoveries, researchers at 91�Թ��� are on the edge of scientific breakthroughs that aim to make an impact. Through the , student and faculty researchers condense their complex studies into bite-sized summaries so you can know how and why Knights plan to improve our world.

Name: Hansjorg Schwertz, M.D., Ph.D.

Position(s): Assistant professor of aerospace medicine; associate director for translational aerospace medicine research at the 91�Թ��� Center for Aerospace and Extreme Environments Medicine (CASEEM)

Why are you interested in this research?
We study some of the smallest and most overlooked cells in the blood. Platelets are famous for stopping bleeding and forming blood clots, but they also talk to the immune system, help initiate and control inflammation, and play roles in conditions from infection to cancer. They are made by much larger cells in the bone marrow called megakaryocytes, which grow to an enormous size, pack themselves with the machinery for making proteins, and then extend long, branching arms from which thousands of platelets are released. What makes these cells especially intriguing to us is that platelets have no nucleus, yet they carry RNA blueprints and can finish processing them and build new proteins when they are activated. Understanding that hidden layer of platelet behavior has been the thread of our work for years.

During spaceflight, astronauts experience changes in blood clotting and immune regulation, and surprisingly little is known about what happens to megakaryocytes and platelets during a mission. That gap is what drew us in. I should be clear that this is not my research. It is our laboratory’s research, carried forward by many hands. We all run the experiments — technicians, students and collaborators — and often analyze the data through nights and weekends. The flight experiment on the International Space Station was simply the next question we got to ask together.

Who inspires you to conduct your research?
Family comes first: My wife and our daughters are my inspiration, my support and honestly my drivers. They push me and motivate me on the days when experiments fail, which is most days in research. I also want to show them, by example rather than words, that everything is possible if you are willing to work for it.

My mentors are the other half of the answer: Guy Zimmerman and Andy Weyrich at the University of Utah. They taught me how to do science, but more importantly how to treat people in science. Whatever our laboratory accomplishes rests on what they built, and the fact that our collaborations are still active says a lot about the kind of environment they created.

Furthermore, the students — whether I am talking to schoolchildren or university students — watching someone encounter the beauty of megakaryocytes and platelets for the first time is a reminder that the work matters beyond the laboratory.

And finally, within the MOON study itself, [University of Utah researchers and collaborators] Marina Tristao and Neal Tolley are the core team. We do the heavy lifting as a team, and none of this flies without them.

How does 91�Թ��� empower you to do your research?
91�Թ��� has built something rare: a Division of Aerospace Medicine whose research goal is to understand how microgravity, radiation, and isolation affect the human body, and to turn that knowledge into better care for people in space and on Earth. As a tenure-track faculty member in the division and associate director for translational aerospace medicine research at the Center for Aerospace and Extreme Environments Medicine, I have an institutional home that is committed to exactly this kind of work. “Translational” is a word I care about: it means the path from a cell in a dish to an astronaut on orbit to a patient in a hospital should be short, and 91�Թ��� is organized around making it short.

Just as important, 91�Թ��� lets the collaboration continue. The MOON study began at the University of Utah and depends on partners there, on BioServe Space Technologies, whose hardware keeps our cells alive on orbit, and on the astronauts who perform the experiments themselves. Being able to keep that team together while growing new collaborations here is the real empowerment.

What major grants and honors have you earned to support your research?
The MOON study is supported by a NASA research award, and our laboratory has been fortunate to receive support over the years from the Volkswagen Foundation through a Lichtenberg Professorship, the German Research Foundation, the American Heart Association, and others. I say “our laboratory” deliberately because grants are written by teams and carried out by teams, and the funding belongs to the work, not to one person.

The honors I have received, including young investigator awards from the thrombosis and hemostasis community early in my career and fellowship in the occupational and aerospace medicine colleges more recently, mean the most as recognition of the mentors who trained me and the colleagues who did the work alongside me.

Why is this research important?
Because astronauts’ blood changes in space, and one of the more sobering possibilities is an increased risk of blood clots on long missions. We do not yet completely understand why, because no one has watched the cells that control clotting — the megakaryocytes and platelets — develop and function over the course of a spaceflight. Our experiment was the first to grow megakaryocytes on the International Space Station, and by comparing those cultures with blood samples taken from crew members before and after flight, we hope to connect what we see in a dish to what actually happens in a person.

Whatever comes of it will be a team accomplishment in the fullest sense: our laboratory on the ground, Marina, Neal, and myself running the experiments, collaborators in Utah, the engineers who built the hardware, and the astronauts who gave their time and their blood. If the findings help protect crews heading to the moon and Mars, that is the goal. And because the same cells misbehave in sepsis and clotting disorders here on Earth, there is a good chance the work helps patients who will never leave the ground.

Landing humans on the moon was just a dream when 91�Թ��� was founded in 1963. But we dared to believe — developing the talent and inventing the technologies to make it reality. That same spirit still drives us today.

We are America’s Space University. And we celebrate 91�Թ��� Space Week to honor our origin as we dare to build what’s next.

Where Global Leaders Unite to Forge the Future of Space

A space capsule is becoming the 91�Թ��� College of Medicine’s newest classroom and research lab.

Sierra Space, a Colorado-based private aerospace and defense technologies company, donated the 22-foot-long life-sized model of their Shooting Star cargo module, which is capable of delivering supplies and equipment to the International Space Station.

The gift recognizes 91�Թ���’s reputation as America’s Space University and the medical school’s emerging aerospace medicine program, which is exploring how space flight impacts the human body and how that knowledge can drive innovation into diagnostics, treatment and disease prevention for patients on Earth.

The model was housed at Kennedy Space Center — located roughly 30 miles from 91�Թ���’s campus — where it was used as a design reference for engineers and a training tool for in-space cargo transfer. The module attaches to a Sierra Space Dream Chaser spaceplane and in the future could potentially to deliver up to 12,000 pounds of cargo, including science experiments, research equipment and medical supplies to space stations.

The mockup is almost identical to a real module with a hatch that docks with the spacecraft and a section of storage lockers that hold resupply materials.

“There’s only a handful of ships that can take payloads to low Earth orbit,” says Emmanuel Urquieta, the College of Medicine’s vice chair for aerospace medicine and director of 91�Թ���’s new Center for Aerospace and Extreme Environments Medicine (). “This module is a true-to-size mock-up that is fully aligned with what will actually fly into space.”

Dedicated to Keeping Space Travelers Healthy

CASEEM is a multidisciplinary center that includes 91�Թ��� faculty experts in medicine, engineering, computer science, psychology, arts and educational leadership who will work together to research and develop new technologies for keeping space travelers healthy as well as soldiers on military missions, deep sea explorers and mountain climbers.

91�Թ��� will use the module to give students and faculty precise training to address medical events in the confines of a spacecraft.

The model also will help researchers create technologies for improving payloads and establishing protocols to send materials into the tight spaces of intergalactic travel. Such technologies and strategies also could be used in combat zones, on submarines and in remote and isolated areas of Earth, Urquieta says.

“It is a rare piece of technology that the 91�Թ��� Aerospace Medicine program is privileged to use for research.” — Ed Powers, CASEEM’s medical director

“This module brings human spaceflight to life for students and researchers at 91�Թ���,” says William (Ed) Powers, CASEEM’s medical director, who worked as director of flight medicine for Axiom Space and chief of NASA’s Medical Operations Branch before joining 91�Թ���. “It is a rare piece of technology that the 91�Թ��� Aerospace Medicine program is privileged to use for research.”

The university is working to create a location for the module.

The donated module grew out of a longstanding professional relationship between aerospace medicine faculty members with Tom Marshburn, chief astronaut and vice president of programs at Sierra Space. Marshburn spent 28 years at NASA, where he was on three space flights and served as medical operations lead for the International Space Station.

“Sierra Space is proud to support the 91�Թ���’s College of Medicine and its aerospace medicine program by providing our life-size mockup of our Dream Chaser cargo module,” Marshburn says. “Humans will interface with the actual Dream Chaser spaceplane and its cargo module when it arrives at the ISS or a commercial LEO destination, and we look forward to working with 91�Թ��� medical students, physicians and faculty on the insights the mockup vehicle can provide for human factors studies, in aerospace and mechanical engineering, and in potential space medical capabilities.”

We are America’s Space University. And we celebrate 91�Թ��� Space Week to honor our origin as we dare to build what’s next.

Where Global Leaders Unite to Forge the Future of Space

With world-renowned faculty, hands-on learning experiences and a location less than an hour from Florida’s Space Coast, 91�Թ��� continues to prove why it’s America’s Space University — where education, industry and exploration unite to shape the future of space.

Oct. 25 marks the start of the second 91�Թ��� Space Week, a university-wide celebration of all the ways Knight Nation boldly pushes space forward. The observance highlights 91�Թ���’s vital role in advancing space research, supporting Florida’s fast-growing space economy, and preparing the next generation of explorers, engineers, and entrepreneurs.

Here are a few key reasons why we celebrate 91�Թ��� Space Week and how SpaceU is launching the next era of space innovation.

A Legacy in Fueling the Space Industry’s Talent Pipeline

When the university first opened in 1963, landing humans on the moon was a dream that seemed out of reach. Yet 91�Թ��� dared to believe — and take action — by supplying talent and research to the nearby space industry based on the Space Coast just 35 miles east. 91�Թ���’s purpose has only grown stronger more than six decades later as space exploration fuels transformative innovation here on Earth.

Every year, thousands of students gain real-world experience, conduct interdisciplinary research and participate in programs — including the aerospace medicine program — directly connected to industry, preparing them for in-demand roles across the space sector.

The university’s excellence in providing talent is supported by data, as the American Society of Engineering Education consistently ranks 91�Թ��� in the top five nationally for awarding bachelor’s degrees in (2025):

• Aerospace engineering (No. 4)
• Mechanical engineering (No. 5)
• Computer science (No. 5)
• And No. 10 for awarding engineering bachelor’s degrees overall — the highest in Florida

Advancing Research That Reaches New Frontiers

When visionaries look to the future, they also look to 91�Թ��� — a leader in space research, innovation and education with 14 experiments sent to space aboard commercial rockets since 2016. 91�Թ��� Space Week spotlights these breakthroughs, connecting the community with the pioneering work happening right on campus.

Studying Aging in Space

Researcher: Professor Michal Masternak, College of Medicine
Project: Masternak and his team study how the extreme conditions of space affect human aging and health. By simulating microgravity and space radiation, the researchers identified molecular changes associated with accelerated aging, offering insights that could help protect astronauts on long-duration missions and inform future therapies for age-related diseases on Earth.

Unlocking Lunar Resources

Researchers: Planetary Geologist and Associate Professor Kerri Donaldson Hanna and Interim Department Chair of Physics and Associate Professor Adrienne Dove
Project: Donaldson Hanna and Dove are leading NASA’s Lunar-VISE (Lunar Vulkan Imaging Spectroscopy Explorer) mission, which aims to uncover clues about an unexplored part of the moon and potential insight for deeper space exploration.

Detecting Habitable Worlds

Researcher: Professor Stephen Eikenberry, College of Optics and Photonics
Project: Eikenberry and his team are developing advanced photonics technology to help future space telescopes detect Earth-like planets hidden by the brightness of nearby stars. The NASA-funded project could improve scientists’ ability to directly observe potentially habitable worlds and search their atmospheres for signs of life.

Building Partnerships That Propel Discovery

91�Թ��� Space Week highlights these crucial collaborations with support from Blue Origin, KPMG, Lockheed Martin, Verizon, Space Florida and SpaceX.

At the heart of 91�Թ���’s success is collaboration. The university works closely with NASA, government agencies, private companies, and research institutions to create opportunities that bridge education, research, and real-world application. These partnerships help students gain experience and industry insight while advancing technologies that will define the next phase of space exploration.

On Sept. 9, 91�Թ��� partnered with the U.S. Space Force’s innovation enterprise to launch the . The effort strengthens connections between government, academia, industry and entrepreneurs to help promising ideas move faster from research to real-world capability.

91�Թ��� is also helping space‑related research, innovation and workforce development across through the Florida Space Research Consortium. Alain Berinstain, who joined 91�Թ��� in January as director of the Florida Space Institute, now leads the eight-university initiative — underscoring 91�Թ���’s leadership and expertise in this evolving field.

Powering Florida’s Space Economy

Space is no longer just a frontier — it’s the future. With the global space economy projected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2035, 91�Թ��� is preparing the visionaries who will fuel discovery and shape that growth.

Now expanding its impact into the business of space, 91�Թ��� is helping lead the business of space under the direction of Space Commercialization and Strategy Program Director Zaheer Ali . His work is building a pipeline of leaders ready to drive innovation, strengthen national security and unlock opportunities that will advance humanity’s future beyond Earth.

Reaching for What’s Next

91�Թ��� Space Week isn’t just about looking back at past achievements — it’s about imagining what comes next. With a legacy built on exploration and a community fueled by curiosity, 91�Թ��� continues to inspire students and researchers to reach higher, think bolder and push the boundaries of what’s possible.

Because at 91�Թ���, space isn’t the final frontier — it’s just the beginning.

Through a nearly five-year, $943,000-plus grant from the National Institutes of Health, Calarco’s lab is examining how neurons — nerve cells in the brain — and their molecules change when exposed to nicotine and other drugs. The goal is to understand how microscopic changes in the brain eventually influence behavioral decisions, including those associated with addiction.

“We want to understand what’s really influencing the neuron,” says Calarco, who began work on this project in 2024 as a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, before joining 91�Թ��� in January as an assistant professor. “Which component is critical for the neuron function that leads to drug-seeking behavior?”

For this research, Calarco’s lab is focused on the nucleus accumbens, an area of the brain involved in reward, learning and behavior.

“I call it a little computer that integrates a lot of signals that come in relationship to reward learning from a lot of other parts of the brain to guide behavioral choices,” she says.

“We want to understand what’s really influencing the neuron. Which component is critical for the neuron function that leads to drug-seeking behavior?” — Cali Calarco, assistant professor

The nucleus accumbens contains multiple types of brain cells, and Calarco’s research examines how individual cell types respond to nicotine and other drugs. Her lab is particularly interested in mitochondria, the structures within cells that produce the energy they need to function. Recent studies suggest mitochondria may also play an important role in drug-seeking behavior.

“Mitochondria have been underappreciated in neurons previously,” she says. “Neurons are incredibly complex cells that do incredibly complex tasks, both electrically and chemically that require a ton of energy, so we knew they were really important. But mitochondria also influence how neurons communicate with each other. They’re super important for gene transcription and translation and for steroid hormone production.”

By understanding addiction at the molecular level, researchers may ultimately be able to develop better treatments for substance use disorder.

“There aren’t that many substance use disorder treatments, and the ones available only work for a subset of people,” she says. “There is room for improvement in nicotine use disorder therapies, and new pathway targets may provide more effective treatments with fewer side effects.”

Nicotine use has persisted even as the products used to consume it have changed. Calarco compares the trend to a game of whack-a-mole, with new nicotine products gaining popularity as older ones decline. While cigarette smoking has declined, consumers now have access to products such as e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches placed between the lips and gum. According to data from the FDA and CDC’s 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey, nicotine pouch use nearly quadrupled among U.S. youth and young adults between 2022 and 2025.

While her research is focused on nicotine, Calarco says her findings could have implications for other substances and even social media addiction.

Calarco earned her doctorate in neuroscience from Yale University before conducting postdoctoral research at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, where she studied mitochondria and cocaine-seeking behavior. She joined the 91�Թ��� College of Medicine’s Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences in January 2026.

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health under award number K01DA061048. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. 

What if an existing drug could be repurposed to treat a rare disease?

That’s the question 91�Թ��� researchers are exploring with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) to find a cure for rare nerve tumors that can cause paralysis, hearing and balance loss.

Led by 91�Թ��� College of Medicine Pegasus Professor Cristina Fernández-Valle, the team is investigating whether medications already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for other conditions could be swiftly repurposed to treat schwannoma tumors.

The researchers have narrowed a field of about 200 potential drugs to 10 of interest, with three emerging as the most favorable targets.

Their goal is to find new treatment options for patients with Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2)-related schwannomatosis. The genetic disorder causes benign tumors to develop on nerves throughout the body and head. As the tumors grow, they can damage nerves responsible for movement and sensation, including those needed to hear and balance.

The disease affects about one in 25,000 newborns worldwide, according to the Children’s Tumor Foundation, with symptoms often appearing during adolescence and early adulthood. When diagnosed in children, the disorder can be severe and may require multiple surgeries during puberty to reduce tumor size and prevent further loss of function. The Children’s Tumor Foundation is supporting 91�Թ���’s research with a $280,020 grant.

“The Children’s Tumor Foundation was critical to us because they fund the exploratory research that helps advance science,” Fernández-Valle says. “All of this foundational data is needed to attract the additional support needed to demonstrate a treatment holds real promise.”

Looking for Treatments Beyond Surgery

Schwann cells normally help repair nerves and transmit electrical signals throughout the nervous system. In patients with NF2, however, these cells can form visible tumors that cause chronic pain and neurological issues depending on the affected spinal or cranial nerve.

Current treatments center on surgery and radiation, but removing these tumors can be challenging without damaging critical nerves, including those that affect hearing. Surgery also is not curative, as tumors can regrow.

That’s why the research team is looking beyond surgery to potential drug therapies.

While schwannomas are not cancerous, the researchers believe some cancer-fighting drugs may help patients with NF2.

The research began with an AI model called TxGNN, developed by Marinka Zitnik’s laboratory at Harvard Medical School. The model analyzes data and biological mechanisms across thousands of diseases and FDA-approved drugs to identify potential treatments for a queried disease.

“It essentially generates a map for a disease or condition, like schwannomas, and finds overlaps in targeting similar pathways or related diseases,” says Ethan Hass, a 91�Թ��� College of Medicine M.D./Ph.D. candidate working in the lab.

Researchers at Sage Bionetworks used the TxGNN model to identify about 200 FDA-approved medications that could potentially benefit schwannoma patients. Fernández-Valle’s team then used an innovative imaging system to observe how each drug affected human schwannoma cells.

Using a camera inside a microscope, the team watched how schwannoma cells in a dish reacted to small amounts of each drug. The most promising candidates – medications currently used to treat diseases as varied as lung cancer and acne – stopped tumor cell growth by impacting different cellular mechanisms.

A Step Towards Personalized Treatment

The research continues.

The 91�Թ��� scientists are determining therapeutic doses for the most promising drugs using patient-derived schwannoma cells. They’re also studying how the drugs affect the tumor growth pathways at the RNA level.

Ultimately, the researchers hope their findings will help identify drug combinations tailored to individual patients. Complicated and understudied genetic conditions like NF2-related schwannomatosis often require treatments that address multiple targets, Fernández-Valle says.

“I think this work is encouraging, and I’d say like with many cancers, you need a cocktail of drugs to treat it,” she says. “I think what we’re doing here is helping to identify some of the ingredients you might need to make an effective cocktail.”

From Lab Bench to Patient Bedside

The project also provides 91�Թ��� students with the opportunity to participate in research that can make a real-world impact.

Since joining Fernández-Valle’s lab, Hass says his interest in caring for patients with difficult neurologic conditions has grown.

“As an M.D./Ph.D. student, translation is the magic word for me,” he says. “I absolutely love seeing research that can be brought from the bench to the bedside. I want to be that bridge between patients and research.”

For generations, scientists have looked to the genetics inside immune cells for ways to improve how the body fights disease.

Now, a research team led by 91�Թ��� College of Medicine assistant professor Hung Nguyen is examining an understudied molecule within T cells as a pathway to treatments for cancers, infections and autoimmune disorders.

Their study, recently published in Trends Open, focuses on transfer RNA (tRNA), molecules within cells that help build proteins to energize themselves. Nguyen is working to chemically modify these molecules to expand the function of T cells, specialized white blood cells that are the cornerstone of the body’s immunity. The findings represent an important first step toward understanding whether tRNA can eventually be manipulated to fine-tune immune responses to multiple diseases.

T cells play a key role in identifying and killing invasive abnormalities within the body, including infections and cancers. The cells also allow the body to remember previous infections and respond more quickly if re-infected or attacked, says Cuong Pham, a biomedical sciences Ph.D. candidate working under Nguyen who served as the study’s first author.

“T cells are already central to modern medicine,” Pham says. “At the same time, we still do not fully understand all the molecular mechanisms that determine how T cells become activated to respond. Our review brings together emerging evidence showing that tRNA modifications can help support and regulate these responses.”

This discovery comes as a continuation of Nguyen’s efforts to find innovative immunotherapies for a wide range of conditions. An early career researcher, Nguyen earned a “Reach for the Stars” award from 91�Թ��� in 2024 for his potential for significant impact.

An Innovative Approach to Immunity

91�Թ���’s research is the first time scientists have tested modifying mitochondrial tRNA in T cells to change their behavior, Nguyen says.

“We are looking at the tRNA modification within T cells that have never been reported,” he says. “In the field, tRNA modification is not so new. For T cells, researchers have been focusing on all the other parts before now.”

The discovery came as a result of an active project in Nguyen’s lab that is examining how diet can affect the immune response in  cancer patients.

“I wouldn’t say we found this by accident, but we were very lucky,” Nguyen says. “We examined the mitochondria of the T cell, and we kept looking at all the different layers and targets and then we arrived at the tRNA.”

Studying tRNA is challenging because the molecules are short and densely packed, making them difficult to analyze and modify, Nguyen says.

So the 91�Թ��� team used cutting edge technology called liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The highly sensitive technique separates massive quantities of molecules in a sample and then identifies and measures them.

“It is very new for use in detecting tRNA, and it was so important for us to see how everything worked,” Nguyen says.

Results Could Impact Other Immunity Research

In the study, the team genetically engineered the tRNA to give T cells signals to activate against specific disease cells.

While the research is still in its early stages, Nguyen says that they have already identified ways to modify T cells to pinpoint and fight melanoma, colon cancer and lupus.

Nguyen says he hopes his new findings will provide a way for other researchers to create new immunotherapies.

“We want to share these ideas with the greater science community and bring everyone together to help us validate them and ultimately benefit more people,” he says.

Drawn to 91�Թ��� for its opportunities for interdisciplinary research, Pham says he’s looking forward to being a part of what’s next in the College of Medicine’s immunology efforts.

“The next step is to move deeper into the mechanisms behind these observations,” Pham says. “Our lab has strong and ambitious research directions in immunometabolism. We want to understand how those changes in tRNA influence T cell metabolism and function, and whether specific pathways can eventually be targeted to ultimately help patients.”

Minh Tuyet Le Nguyen, a 91�Թ��� postdoctoral scholar, and the Hanoi University of Pharmacy in Vietnam also contributed to the research.

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Heart, Lung, And Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01HL166820. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

That dedication and her passion for research recently earned Kramer the inaugural Dean Deborah C. German, M.D. FIRE (Focused Individualized Research Experience) Impact Award, an honor named after the founding dean of 91�Թ���’s College of Medicine who created the FIRE course, which requires every student to conduct a two-year research project.

German announced earlier this year that she is transitioning from her role and will remain at 91�Թ��� for a year as an advisor to the president and provost on health affairs. FIRE leaders created the award to honor German’s legacy of scientific discovery as part of medical training, an educational component that makes 91�Թ���’s medical school unique nationally.

“I want our students to develop a spirit of inquiry. I want every 91�Թ��� physician not to be afraid to seek answers to medicine’s unanswered questions.” — Deborah German, College of Medicine dean

“I want our students to develop a spirit of inquiry,” German told Kramer as she presented her with the award. “I want every 91�Թ��� physician not to be afraid to seek answers to medicine’s unanswered questions.”

After earning an undergraduate degree the University of South Florida, Kramer decided to attend 91�Թ��� in part because the FIRE course was one reason she came to 91�Թ���.

“I wanted to combine research with clinical care,” she says.

Her FIRE project focused on glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer with a five-year survival rate of only 5% to 7%, according to the Mayo Clinic. Even if surgery, chemotherapy and radiation initially stop the cancer, it usually returns and becomes stronger. Kramer says she wanted to know why.

With support from her FIRE mentor, Kiminobu Sugaya, head of the College of Medicine’s neuroscience research division, she discovered that extracellular vesicles responsible for cell-to-cell communication may influence non-cancer cells to take on cancer-like properties.

The new award goes to the student whose research shows the greatest potential impact to medicine and/or biomedical research. College of Medicine faculty and fellow students chose Kramer for the award during the FIRE Conference.

“It is our privilege to establish this award in honor of Dean German,” say Robert Hines and Lane Coffee, co-directors of the FIRE course. “When establishing this medical school, she realized the importance of rigorous scientific inquiry, and our students have benefited from — and will continue to benefit from — this course within the curriculum.”