Meet: Marianne Steele, Ph.D.
Project Scientist for the R-2 Mission

Who I Am and What I Do
I have over 22 years of experience in physiological research using rodents. I joined Lockheed Martin, at NASA Ames Research Center in 1992, to work on the development of rodent habitats and enclosed work stations for the Space Station Biological Research project, as well as to develop experiments for flights on the space shuttle. These experiments include studies on the effects of extra dietary calcium on cardiovascular function in adult male rats and the effects of the microgravity environment on the development of locomotion behavior in young female rats.

At NASA, rather than actually doing the experiments, I work with Principal Investigators (PIs) who have submitted proposals to NASA to do experiments in space. As an example, in 1996 NASA selected an experiment connected with the "Got Milk" campaign to study whether increased calcium can be beneficial in blood pressure regulation. Also, in 1998, along with my team of Ames Research Center scientists, I worked with seven PIs to integrate their studies looking at the influence of microgravity on the development of the brain and its control over biology and behavior. The project I am working on now is a study with bone cells to see if a drug delivery system can affect atrophy.

Before sending any experiment into space, a great deal of ground testing is done. We have to be sure that there is a high probability of it working. Simulation of a microgravity environment is done here on earth using the KC-135, an aircraft capable of flying in large parabolic arc trajectories that temporarily "cancel" Earth's gravity for about 35 seconds at a time. I'm hoping to have the opportunity to test some hardware on the KC-135, in January.

My Career Journey
I received my B.A. degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin and my Ph.D. in neurobiology and behavior from the University of Chicago. I continued my training with four years of postgraduate work in Physiology Departments of Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Texas and the University of California in San Francisco. I remained at the University of California for an additional 10 years performing research in central nervous system (brain) control over hormone release and behavior in female and male rats.

Personal
Growing up I read science fiction books and saw all the space movies. Most of my early work was done in the university environment, but for a very long time I dreamed of working in a space-related environment. Working for NASA has given me this wonderful opportunity.