Weightlessness free essay sample

The elevator doors opened on the ninth floor and my sneakers squeaked along the shiny tile. Research findings plastered the hall like wallpaper. I rounded the corner to the Cardiovascular Physiology and Space Medicine Laboratory at UT Southwestern Medical School. What initially struck me as clutter was really a mini-museum of space history. Those framed catheters measured astronauts’ arterial pressure during shuttle launches. My spine tingled as I anticipated my research internship. My mentor, Dr. Peter Snell, was a lean, graying three-time Olympic gold medalist now enjoying a career in Exercise Physiology. He is studying the effectiveness of an exercise training regimen to counteract muscular atrophy during prolonged weightlessness. The protocol required a subject, Mr. S, to undergo 37 consecutive days of bed rest. His continuous supine posture limited his entertainment possibilities to sending e-mails, watching movies and listening to music. My role included supervising his daily weight and aerobic training sessions and monitoring the cardiovascular and strength effects of this training. We will write a custom essay sample on Weightlessness or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Mr. S enjoyed his attentive family and friends but appeared to anticipate my daily appearance. â€Å"Thanks for ‘The Two Towers,’† he said, handing me the DVD. â€Å"Rip Pro time!† laughed the fellow with a goatee. The stale air rising from the sheets reminded me that bed rest was not conducive to thorough bathing. We rolled toward the weight-training equipment. Mr. S, always the comedian, grinned as we rolled up a ramp. â€Å"I always wonder what would happen if you just let go of the gurney and let me whiz down this hill.† We laughed at the thought. I saved the physiological data from the day’s training. Mr. S breathed heavily and exuded an even more pungent aroma as we headed back to the room he called home. I marveled at his ever-positive demeanor. He responded, â€Å"By the last week, I’ll be a grumpy old toot!† When he lifted the dome covering his meal, I felt relief that Mr. S was unaware of my lunch plans. I scooped my scalloped potatoes from the serving dish with the same spoon used by Nobel-Prize winner and tried not to stare at the esteemed figure. Aside from treating me to lunch in the faculty dining room, Dr. Snell had invited me to a Grand Rounds lecture, an intimidating event, and my orange shirt contrasted with the stream of white lab coats. I reveled in the experience nonetheless: all the years of education, the sustained mental effort, the hypothesis for my future. At 4:30, I dropped in to say good-bye to Mr. S. My research mentors taught me astute science lessons. What I learned from Mr. S, however, clarified my passion for human sciences. Subjects are people with personalities, families and needs. A good scientist or doctor acknowledges the whole person, and treats much more than physical maladies.