Michael Braukus
Headquarters, Washington, DC                    March 12, 1997
(Phone: 202/358-1979)

RELEASE: 97-37

NASA SELECTS INSTITUTION FOR LIFE SCIENCES RESEARCH

     NASA has selected the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 
Berkeley, CA, to serve as a NASA Specialized Center of Research 
and Training (NSCORT) to conduct research into the biological 
effects of exposures to galactic and cosmic radiation. The 
research will help define the radiation risks experienced by space 
travelers.

     The selection was made on the basis of merit as judged by a 
peer review panel assembled under the supervision of NASAÕs Office 
of Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications, Washington, 
DC.  NASA plans to award the center approximately $1 million a 
year for five years.  The selection is a competitive renewal award 
for the NSCORT at Lawrence Berkeley, after an initial and very 
successful five-year period.  The Colorado State University in 
Fort Collins, CO, is a collaborating partner.

     The NSCORT radiation health program is an integral part of 
NASA's research and analysis activities to understand the hazards 
associated with radiation exposures in humans and to develop 
effective methods to limit the associated risks in space.  This 
program is established exclusively to support ground research and 
analysis, including education and training of future scientists.

     In addition to the NSCORT in radiation health, there are six 
other NASA-funded NSCORTs.  The other previously selected 
institutions and their specialties include:

     * Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL (funded 
jointly by National 
Institutes of Health) - Vestibular Research
     * Ohio State University, Columbus (funded jointly by National 
Science Foundation) - Plant Biology
     * University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center, Austin - 
Integrated Physiology
     * Purdue University, Lafayette, IN - Bioregenerative Life 
Support:  Biomass Productivity and Sustainability Of 
Bioregenerative Life Support Systems; and
     * Kansas State University, Manhattan  - Gravitational Studies 
in Cellular and Developmental Biology.
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