SAN DIEGO, CA - On Thursday, May 16, Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) welcomed 100 students to its Operational Readiness, Warfighter Performance laboratories where NHRC staff organized five different interactive stations, moving each group of students through the exhibits in a round-robin fashion.

Understanding the students just finished a semester studying how the human body works both when healthy and when injured, the Warfighter labs incorporated demonstrations from its environmental thermal physiology, physical and cognitive performance, nutrition, and sleep and fatigue research teams.

The interactive stations focused on some of the activities that are actually used in current NHRC research studies, including strength and power testing, motion capture measurements, and body composition testing. The students were also able to experience cognitive tests that are used in field work (outside of the laboratories), do work inside an environmental chamber where temperatures can be regulated from frigid to extremely hot environments, lie down in simulated ship berthing (bunks), utilize test and eye tracking equipment, and perform a balance application in a virtual environment used for physical therapy of warfighters.

“NHRC has participated in many different STEM events for both teachers and students at all grade levels. To have the young students from our local community High Tech Middle School come on base, to be able to see real world research staff at work, and to be able to ask the experts the questions and even participate in demonstrations, is hands-on learning at its best,” said Capt. Eric Welsh, Commanding Officer, NHRC.

NHRC’s mission is to optimize the operational readiness and health of our armed forces and families by conducting research, development, testing, and evaluation informing Department of Defense policy. NHRC supports military mission readiness with research and development that delivers high-value, high-impact solutions to the health and readiness challenges our military population faces on the battlefield, at sea, on foreign shores and at home.

NHRC’s team of distinguished scientists and researchers consists of active duty service members, federal civil service employees and contractors, whose expertise includes physiology, microbiology, psychology, operations research and data science, epidemiology, and biomedical engineering.

Story originally posted on DVIDS: NAVAL HEALTH RESEARCH CENTER WELCOMES HIGH TECH MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS FOR A DAY OF STEM EDUCATION AND HANDS ON ACTIVITIES