Content uploaded by Ricardo Bertoglio Cardoso
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Ricardo Bertoglio Cardoso on May 08, 2015
Content may be subject to copyright.
32
HIPPOKRATIA 2008, 12 (Suppl 1): 32-36
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
The Establishment of MicroG at PUCRS
The participation of Brazil in the construction and uti-
lization of the International Space Station has motivated
various Brazilian research institutions and universities to
establish centers of study related to Aerospace Science.
The Pontical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul
(PUCRS) is no exception. With more than 50 years of
tradition, PUCRS today is a leading and pioneering Bra-
zilian University in the areas of Aeronautics and Astro-
nautics, which is demonstrated by the creation of the rst
university course in South America dedicated to the qual-
ication of commercial pilots, the School of Aeronautical
Sciences, in 1993.The decision to build the rst Brazilian
laboratory aimed at the study of human physiology in the
aerospace environment and in simulations of micrograv-
ity on earth constituted a step further.
Established in 1999, the Laboratory of Micrograv-
ity, initially located in the Institute of Scientific and
Technological Research – (ISTR) – was the result of
a joint effort of the School of Medicine, School of
Aeronautical Sciences and the School of Engineering/
Master’s Program in Electrical Engineering (Area of
Concentration: Information Technology; Research on
DSP & Biomedical Engineering)1.
With its expansion, and the international acknowl-
edgement for the pioneering and highly qualied work,
in 2006 the Laboratory of Microgravity became the Cen-
ter of Microgravity, and ofcially integrated the research
of the Academic Units of PUCRS. It is currently located
in Building 30 together with the School of Engineering,
Block F, Room 283.
Today, the Center of Microgravity is, par excellence,
a research center with both undergraduate and graduate
courses in various areas of knowledge.
The objectives
The principal activity of the Center of Micrograv-
ity/FENG-PUCRS, as of now Center of MicroG, is the
development of research projects relative to biomedicine
before, during and after the simulations of microgravity2
and parabolic ights3, for aviation medicine of the 21st
century and aerospace biomedical engineering4.
In its creation, some directives were established for
the design of the research projects and for the develop-
ment of academic relations between this Center and the
national and international scientic community.
The Brazilian Research and Teaching Center in Biomedicine and
Aerospace Biomedical Engineering
Russomano T, Falcao PF, Dalmarco G, Martinelli L, Cardoso R, Santos MA, Sparenberg A
Microgravity Center, PUCRS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
Abstract
The recent engagement of Brazil in the construction and utilization of the International Space Station has motivated
several Brazilian research institutions and universities to establish study centers related to Space Sciences. The Ponticia
Universidade Catolica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS) is no exception.
Method: The University initiated in 1993 the rst degree course training students to operate commercial aircraft in
South America (the School of Aeronautical Sciences. A further step was the decision to build the rst Brazilian labora-
tory dedicated to the conduct of experiments in ground-based microgravity simulation. Established in 1998, the Micro-
gravity Laboratory, which was located in the Instituto de Pesquisas Cienticas e Tecnologicas (IPCT), was supported by
the Schools of Medicine, Aeronautical Sciences and Electrical Engineering/Biomedical Engineering. At the end of 2006,
the Microgravity Laboratory became a Center and was transferred to the School of Engineering.
Results: The principal activities of the Microgravity Centre are the development of research projects related to human
physiology before, during and after ground-based microgravity simulation and parabolic ights, to aviation medicine in
the 21st century and to aerospace biomedical engineering.
Conclusion: The history of Brazilian, and why not say worldwide, space science should unquestionably go through
PUCRS. As time passes, the pioneering spirit of our University in the aerospace area has become undeniable. This is due
to the group of professionals, students, technicians and staff in general that have once worked or are still working in the
Center of Microgravity, a group of faculty and students that excel in their undeniable technical-scientic qualications.
Hippokratia 2008; 12 (Suppl 1): 32-36
Key words: Microgravity, space life sciences, research center, space biomedicine
Corresponding author: Thais Russomano, Head, Microgravity Centre/FENG-PUCRS, Predio 30, Bloco F, Sala 283, Av Ipiranga 6681, Porto
Alegre, RS, 90619-900, Brazil, e-mail: trussomano@hotmail.com
33
HIPPOKRATIA 2008, 12 (Suppl 1)
Gustavo Dalmarco, both engineers, graduated in Engi-
neering of Control and Automation from PUCRS, and
hired by the School of Engineering.
The Center of Microgravity counts on the collabora-
tion of various professors from different Academic Units
of PUCRS, as indicated in Figure 1. The staff of collabo-
rating Schools, however, is dynamic and is altered every
year, as research projects are included or completed6. In
general, each study carried out by MicroG counts on at
least 4 professors from diverse but complementary areas.
The Academic Units of PUCRS commonly involved in
MicroG researches are listed below:
Academic Units of PUCRS members of the Center of
Microgravity
(alphabetic order)
School of Biosciences
School of Aeronautical Sciences
School of Physical Education
School of Nursing, Nutrition and Physiotherapy
School of Engineering
• Department of Medicine and Mechatronics
• Department of Electric
• Master’s in Electric Engineering/DSP &
Biomedical Engineering
School of Pharmacy
School of Philosophy and the Humanities
• Department of Sociology
• Department of History
School of Physics
School of Information Science
School of Medicine
National and international consultants are ofcially
invited to contribute to research projects, through con-
sulting provided gratuitously in form of video-conferenc-
es. This support has been fundamental for publicizing,
especially international, of works realized in MicroG.
Among the international consultants, Prof. John Ernst-
ing is a renowned professor and researcher in Aerospace
Medicine of King’s College London and Vice-Marshal
(retired) of the British Royal Air Force, Prof. Rupert Ger-
zer, director of the Institute of Aerospace Medicine of the
German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the ex-director of
the Division of “Space Life Sciences” of NASA, Dr. Joan
Vernikos.
The student body is divided in undergraduate students
(interns, monitors and grant winners of scientic initia-
tion – BPA/PUCRS, FAPERGS, CNPq) and graduate stu-
dents (Master’s in Electrical Engineering/Technology of
Information/Line of Research – DSP & Biomedical En-
gineering), as indicated in Figure 2. In both cases, one
clearly perceives the inclusion of various areas of knowl-
edge in the works developed. In the same way that was
made explicit in Figure 1, the staff of the undergraduate
and graduate student body is dynamic and also is altered
every year with the inclusion of new projects or with the
conclusion of studies.
Accordingly, the following rules were set:
1. To be short-term (suggested 1 to 6 months), since
prolonged studies tend to jeopardize the development of
the new center;
2. To be low cost, so that nancial difculties do not
hinder research activities;
3. To be a motivating source for researchers, profes-
sors and students, so they:
a) Participate in the development of protocols, exper-
imental techniques, collection and analysis of research
data;
b) Present results of their studies in national and inter-
national scientic conferences;
c) Publish work in scientic journals.
4. To motivate the cooperation between Brazilian
and International Universities / Institutions, aiming at
researcher, student, material resource and nancial ex-
changes;
5. To contribute to aerospace science, resulting in
clear scientic, technological, social and economic ben-
ets for society.
This last objective has brought extensive publicity for
the Center of MircoG as a center of excellence in Latin
America in the areas to which it is dedicated, since the
publications concerning research results and achieve-
ments realized have systematically been announced by
the national and international media5.
Administrative Structure of the Center
of Microgravity
Administration of PUCRS – President’s and
Vice Presidents’ Ofces
School of Engineering
Center of Microgravity
Coordination
Research Assistants
Professors/Researchers – National and
International Consultants
Undergraduate/graduate students –
Interns/Monitors/Grant winners - Technicians
The Center of Microgravity is directly subordinate to
the School of Engineering. There is a general coordinator
of the MicroG, a position that is currently occupied by
Professor Thais Russomano. The direct support of more
than 50 interdisciplinary research projects of MicroG is
given by two research assistants, Felipe P. Falcγo and
34 RUSSOMANO T
Figure 1: Distribution of the collaborating staff in projects of MicroG (updated to May, 2007).
Table 1 identies the areas of study of MicroG and
its corresponding research areas, within which profes-
sors, researchers, national and international consultants,
as well as PUCRS undergraduate and graduate students
perform in an interdisciplinary way.
Table 1: Area of study and lines of research of MicroG
Areas of Study Research Areas
Aerospace Physiology
Simulation of microG and hyperG
Hypoxia
Experiments in parabolic ights
Aerospace Medicine Commercial aviation in the 21st
century
Biomedical
Engineering Aerospace Biomedical Eng.
Aerospace
Pharmacology
Aerospace Pharmacological
Techniques
Computation & Tele-
communication
Telemedicine
Virtual Reality
Physics & Astrophysics Hyper gravity
Radiations
Sociology & History Aerospace History
Physiotherapy Aerospace Physiotherapy
Science of Sports &
Biomechanics Aerospace Biomechanics
Thanks to a series of ofcial accords and the infor-
mal support, settled from the beginning (Figure 3) with
renowned international teaching and research institu-
tions in the areas of biomedicine and aerospace biomed-
ical engineering, there has always been an important
exchange between students, professors and research-
ers. To be mentioned are the Department of Applied
Human Physiology & Aerospace Medicine of King’s
College London7, the Institute of Aerospace Medicine
of the German Aerospace Center8, the European Space
Agency (ESA) – through campaigns of parabolic ights
– and the North American Space Agency (NASA). In
the same way, experts from other countries and students
from foreign teaching institutions visit MicroG periodi-
cally (Figure 4).
The success of the work developed by MicroG can
be clearly identied by the number of annual publica-
tions, both nationally and internationally. Figure 5 clearly
shows the quantitative and qualitative scientic develop-
ment, as the results obtained in the projects of MicroG
have been made public. The number of international pub-
lications is today the mark of excellence of this genuinely
interdisciplinary research center.
Figure 2. Distribution of the staff of PUCRS graduate students who develop projects in MicroG (updated to May, 2007).
35
HIPPOKRATIA 2008, 12 (Suppl 1)
Figure 4: Researcher exchange, including students, between PUCRS and international centers of excellence in biomedicine
and aerospace biomedical engineering.
Figure 3: National and international accords between MicroG and national and international centers of excellence in biomedi-
cine and aerospace biomedical engineering.
Figure 5: Number of annual scientic publications (national and international) of MicroG.
36 RUSSOMANO T
Conclusion
In national and international conferences, as well as
in interviews for the local and national media, it has
been repeatedly stated that the history of Brazilian, and
why not say worldwide, space science should unques-
tionably go through PUCRS. As time passes, the pio-
neering spirit of our University in the aerospace area
has become undeniable. This is due to the group of pro-
fessionals, students, technicians and staff in general that
have once worked or are still working in the Center of
Microgravity, a group of faculty and students that excel
in their undeniable technical-scientic qualications.
References
1. Russomano T. The microgravity laboratory/IPCT-PUCRS. The
rst Brazilian space life sciences center. Aviat Space Environ
Med 2002; 73: 521
2. Russomano T, Santos M, Andrade L, et al. O efeito da escopolam-
ina na performance mental durante simulaηγo de microgravidade
. Scientia Medica 2005; 15: 90 - 97
3. Evetts S, Evetts L, Russomano T, Castro J, Ernsting J. An Assess-
ment of the Feasibility and Effectiviness of a Method of Perform-
ing Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation during Microgravity. In: 75th
Annual Scientif Meeting Aerospace Medicine Association, An-
chorage, Alaska, 2004, pp 130
4. Russomano T, Evetts S, Castro J, et al. A device for sampling
arterialized earlobe blood in austere environments. Aviat Space
Environ Med 2006; 77: 453 – 455
5. Russomano T. Editorial: Nova recomendaηγo mιdica da NASA ι
baseada em estudo publicado na Revista Scientia Mιdica. Scien-
tia Medica 2005; 15: 88 – 89
6. Leγes R, Cambraia R, Bacim F, et al. Development of walking
pattern evaluation system for hypogravity simulation. In: IEEE
2006 International Conference of the Engineering in Medicine
and Biology Society, New York, 2006.
7. Santos M, Bosquillon C, Falcγo F, et al. Development of a
Diffusion Chamber to Evaluate In Vitro Respiratory Epithe-
lial Cell Layer Permeability in Microgravity. In: 54th Interna-
tional Congress of Aviation and Space Medicine, Bangalore,
2006.
8. Russomano T, Allan J, Beck L, et al. Development of a lower body
negative pressure box with an environmental control system for
physiological studies. Adv Space Res 2006; 38: 1233 – 1239
