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Maureen McNamara, a junior Integrative Physiology major with a minor in Space, is one of five CU Boulder students to earn a 2019 Brooke Owens Fellowship. This highly competitive program provides paid internships and mentoring to exceptional undergraduate women seeking careers in aviation or space exploration.

Maureen will intern with Avascent this summer. Ultimately, her goal is to pair her interests in medicine and space flight to pursue her dream of becoming an aerospace physician.

Looking for ways to get involved in space physiology research, last year Maureen approached Allison Anderson, an adjunct IPHY faculty member in the Bioastronautics Laboratory who studies issues in aerospace biomedical engineering and human physiology in extreme environments. Maureen obtained a fellowship with CU Boulder's Biological Sciences Initiative, which enabled her to join Dr. Anderson in her research.

With graduate student Arthur Barriault, Maureen is investigating EEG as a noninvasive way to sense changes in intracranial pressure. Her work has been focused on helping to collect preliminary data and to help identify the physiological mechanism behind changes in EEG signals with changes in posture.

The is an extremely competitive, yet highly inclusive program. It is also very selective of host institutions, and a rigorous matching process ensures effective mentoring. The program is inspired by the life of Brooke Owens whose passion for aerospace has had impacts throughout the space industry and federal space programs.

Beyond her interest in space medicine and physiology, Maureen has been involved in a variety of leadership and service activities at CU.
Learn more about Maureen and the other CU Boulder Brooke Owens Fellows.