Noah Ichite, a student in the Marshall University College of Health Professions, presented his research at the 33rd American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR) annual meeting, which took place Oct. 25-28 in Seattle, Washington.
Ichite, an exercise science major from Pickerington, Ohio, presented a poster session titled “Age Differences in Skeletal Muscle Capillary Responses to Unweighting and Recovery.” Ichite said his research focused how weightlessness affects skeletal muscle size and capillary density in males based on age and how they recover from the weightlessness.
“The poster presentation session helped show me other possible directions I could go with my research or even different methods I could use to manipulate the muscles of the rats,” Ichite said. “It was an amazing opportunity to meet other students from around the country and even some individuals who have been on space missions and learn about their experiences at the international space station.”
Ichite is one of several Marshall University students who received $5,000 from the NASA West Virginia Space Grant Consortium Undergraduate Fellowship earlier this year. His program director, Dr. Kumika Toma, said this funding has helped Ichite conduct his research to gain a better understanding of how skeletal muscles and capillaries work together to meet an individual’s specific needs depending on the amounts of skeletal muscle they have. Toma said investigating the effects of weightlessness also helps researchers understand the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle.
“Noah is a high achieving student with a major interest in exploring the possibilities of STEM research in our college’s School of Kinesiology,” Toma said. “He is a wonderful representative of the exercise science program, and I know he will be successful in the future.”
Ichite said he plans to graduate in May 2018 and pursue a graduate degree in exercise science, physical therapy or health informatics.
To learn more about the 2017 ASGSR Annual Meeting, visit https://asgsr.org/index.php/meetings/2017-meeting. For more information on the exercise program at Marshall University, visit www.marshall.edu/cohp.
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Photo: Noah Ichite poses with his poster presented at the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR) annual meeting.