Astronauts returning from long-duration missions aboard the International Space Station have demonstrated changes in visual acuity accompanied by modifications of eye anatomy. These include distension of the optic nerve sheath, swelling of the optic disc, and overall flattening of the globe. These changes are highly consistent with an increase in intracranial pressure (ICP), hypothesized to be
caused by the headward fluid shift that accompanies microgravity. This project aims to develop novel lumped-parameter models of the eye and cerebrovascular system to study the potential mechanisms of visual impairment due to intracranial pressure.

I worked with Professor Wilson in the Picower Institute for three semesters studying neural encoding in the rodent hippocampus. I have spent three summers at NASA Glenn Research Center working on CFD, physiological modeling, and electrophysiology. This summer I presented my research on cognitive monitoring in pilots at the NASA Ideas in Flight symposium in Washington, D.C.