Handbook of Bioastronautics

Laurence R. Young Laurence R. (Larry) Young is the Apollo Program professor emeritus of aeronautics and astronautics, and professor of health sciences and technology (HST) at MIT. He was the founding director (1997-2001) of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) and is the head of science education for the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH). Dr. Young is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, and the International Academy of Astronautics and is a fellow of the IEEE and the AIMBE. He is a fellow and former president and Alza lecturer of the Biomedical Engineering Society. He graduated from Amherst College and MIT, where he also earned an S.M. and Sc.D. He joined the MIT Aeronautics and Astronautics faculty in 1962. There, with Prof. Y.T. Li, he founded the Man-Vehicle Laboratory (MVL), now the Human Systems Laboratory (HSL). Dr. Young was the principal investigator for numerous research programs on eye movements and human spatial orientation - both on the ground and in space. He founded the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology (HST) Ph.D. program in bioastronautics. In 1991, Professor Young was selected by NASA for the crew of the Shuttle's Spacelab Life Sciences 2 mission and served as an alternate payload specialist. Back at MIT he was appointed the first Apollo professor. Professor Young did research at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) and College de France in Paris as well as at Stanford and Université de Provence in Marseille.
He served on numerous advisory committees and received awards from NASA, the Air Force, and the xv National Research Council. As a member of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, he chaired its Airlift Panel and received the Air Force Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service. He is a member of the Bárány Society for vestibular research and was selected by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics for its Dryden Lectureship in Research, its Jeffries Award, and its de Florez Award for Flight Simulation. NASA recognized his achievements with a Space Act Award for his development of an expert system for astronauts. The Aerospace Human Factors Association awarded him its Paul Hansen award. He was awarded the Koetser Foundation Prize in Zurich, the NSBRI Pioneer Award, and the Aerospace Medical Association's Award for Lifetime Contributions. In his non-space pursuits, he was an ardent ski racer and contributed to reduction in ski injuries through standardization and testing of equipment

Jeffrey P. Sutton holds the Friedkin Chair for Research in Sensory System Integration and Space Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, where he is Professor of Medicine and Space Medicine, and Founding Director of the Center for Space Medicine. Dr. Sutton is also Chairman of the Board of the NASA-supported Translational Research Institute for Space Health. From 2001-2017, he served as President and Institute Director of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) and was Chief Executive Officer from 2011-2017.
Dr. Sutton received his education and training at the University of Toronto and Harvard University, and holds M.D., M.Sc. and Ph.D. (theoretical physics) degrees. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association. His career spans research, education, clinical care and administration. He has made significant scientific and technical contributions in the fields of smart medical systems, computational neuroscience, functional neuroimaging and space medicine. He has also developed award-winning national education programs in space life sciences and translational research.
Following his professional training, Dr. Sutton joined the faculty of Harvard Medical School in 1991 and subsequently became an affiliate faculty member in the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. He was Founding Director of the Neural Systems Group at the Massachusetts General Hospital from 1995-2002. Subsequently, and under his leadership, NSBRI and the Center for Space Medicine have contributed cutting-edge space biomedical discoveries and advances nationally and enhanced collaborations internationally.
Among his accolades, Dr. Sutton is the recipient of the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, NIH Scientist Development Award, NSBRI Pioneer Award and Diploma in Space Medicine and Biology from the Institute of Biomedical Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences. The Scientific Achievement Award of the Space Medicine Association is named in his honor.