Preflight Adaptation Lab (May 2006 - July 2007)

I worked in the Preflight Adaptation Lab at Johnson Space Center as a biomedical engineer from May 2006 through July 2007. The data that I collected and analyzed eventually led to the following paper, although I did not contribute to any of the writing. The job description for my position stated that the incumbent “independently evaluates, selects, and applies standard engineering techniques procedures and criteria, using judgment in making minor adaptations and modifications. Incumbent should be skilled in the design, testing, evaluation, and integration of biomedical instrumentation intended for use with human subjects. Experience with biomedical instrumentation and measurements, real-time data acquisition systems, and signal processing is also needed.” I think that this was pretty much right on the mark.

My main responsibilities were recruiting and testing subjects for the EHH/Gaze VR task but eventually I got involved in handling other issues around the lab. In terms of subject recruitment and testing, I completed 10 subjects in the first 6 months and then 19 subjects within the first year. I evaluated a total of 27 subjects and ran 19 of them. On one occasion I ran two subjects in a week (a M/W/F and Tu/Th/Sa combo), and on two other instances I worked Saturdays because that is what fit best into my subjects’ schedules. When the subject pool ran low I took initiative and volunteered to travel around to San Jac Central, San Jac South, UHCL and buildings 4, 9, 10, 15, 30, 36, 37 at JSC to post fliers and recruit more subjects so that there would be a constant flow of subjects.

Although the VR study design was already well-established, I made two major changes that improved the way the data was collected and analyzed. The first had to do with the calibration block for the EHH data collection. The stand, as I can recall and gather from the report I wrote, was very flimsy and resulted in two very different sets of calibration data when done consecutively. Recognizing this, I designed, recommended, and implemented a new procedure to calibrate the finger-tracking device with a more stable stand that yielded much more accurate pitch and roll data. The second change that I made dealt with the gaze data analysis that resulted in a significant drop in number of man hours required to complete the same task. The original routine (pre-Wally’s system) required that someone sit by the TV monitor during the entire time that it was tracking the eye. I realized that this was an extremely inefficient use of my time and figured out a way to allow the process to be more automated so that a researcher does not have to sit and monitor the device. This essentially reduced the number of hours needed to analyze the gaze data by about 4x, and I believe my manager Elisa Allen mentioned this in one of the quarterly reviews. Indeed it was a battle keeping all the data analysis up-to-date, but I managed, and in one case finished the IBMP database on August 27– well before the September 15 deadline.

As the manager of the PAT lab technology, I had to make sure to keep all the technology in working order, since, on occasion things can stop working at random times. This happened twice– once with the HEI timecode generator and the other with the Spaceball. I contacted the manufacturers to figure out the problem, and in the case of the Spaceball, got it replaced with the Spaceball 5000. In both cases there was no interruption of data collection. I also kept track of the BOR inventory, removed any old equipment, installed a new server drive, worked with ODIN to keep the computers updated, managed signage around the lab, installed a mount for the VR headsets, put in work-orders for the AC units, helped fix the TTD computer, and added light-tight to the DOME. It was absolutely necessary to keep the lab running smoothly for the 14 lab tours that came through the PAT lab during the time I was there. I also learned and experimented with various new software such as DOUG, ORBITER, ENIGMA, and Hypercosm. Once I became comfortable in the PAT lab and I had subjects regularly coming in, my job description expanded to become backup for Jared with the posture system. I learned how to run subjects in this study, and I traveled to UTMB a total of 12 times to help Jared and Lance when either couldn’t make it.

I very much enjoyed spending time in this position in the Neuroscience Lab. Being in this lab felt like I had an extended family and I felt very comfortable spending time with my coworkers outside the lab too. I had a great time with everyone at the IGSP conference in San Antonio and it remains one of my most memorable trips in Texas. After work hours I played volleyball and softball with some coworkers on an intramural team at JSC. Over the winter and spring I raised $500 and biked to Austin on the MS150 bike ride. I thought it was great that my coworkers wanted to come together as a team to fight for this good cause. I even remember when Laura Taylor told me about the MS150 during my interview, and it was one of the things that had me sold on moving to Houston. I thought that this was a great cause and I knew I wanted to be a part of this team. I also was a member of the Hazardous Inspection Team from September 2006 through June 2007. Clearly, the year I spent in the PAT lab was a major part of my life.