From the East Coast to Columbus

By Ross Bishoff

At some point during her first summer interning at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, the realization hit Ally Rice: her research at Ohio State might one day reach space.

“Visiting NASA, it was like, whoa, this is real,” said Rice, a Maryland native who earned a graduate degree in electrical and computer engineering from Ohio State. “Feeling the excitement there, hearing from their experts — it left me inspired. It made me feel like what I’m doing may have an actual impact in the future.”

Guided by Ohio State professor Asimina Kiourti, Rice spent three summers working with NASA to develop wearable technology that could help astronauts safely endure longer missions. Extended time in zero gravity can cause muscle atrophy, bone loss and significant fluid shifts, issues that become increasingly dangerous the farther humans travel from Earth.

In Kiourti’s Wearable and Implantable Technologies Lab, Rice focused on creating wearable antennas capable of closely monitoring astronauts’ physiology during spaceflight.

The same technology, she and Kiourti noted, could also have meaningful applications on Earth, potentially aiding in osteoporosis-related bone loss monitoring, cancer detection, tumor classification and core temperature imaging for safer work conditions.

“(Kiourti) is incredible at helping us see the big picture, brainstorm and sell ideas,” said Rice, who is now a senior professional staff member at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. “One of the reasons I came to Ohio State was because I saw what she was doing — these very interesting applications of technology. She’s always coming up with new ideas and inspiring us to work harder because of all her accomplishments.”

Kiourti’s lab is known for exploring novel, cross-disciplinary approaches to wearable technology, collaborating with researchers in health care, fashion and aerospace.

“These real-world collaborations have been such a great experience,” Rice said. “I never expected when I came to Ohio State that I’d be working closely with NASA, but it’s been incredible.”