the ISS National Lab Board of Directors Selects Lt. General James A. Abrahamson as Chairman

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL. (June 16, 2014) – The Board of Directors for the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (the ISSInternational Space Station National Lab) today announced it has designated Lt. General James A. Abrahamson as the group’s Chairman. the ISS National Lab is the nonprofit organization tasked with promoting and managing research onboard the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory.

As Chairman, Abrahamson will serve as the the ISS National Lab Board spokesperson, and will preside over future Board meetings. Before Lt. Gen. Abrahamson’s designation, Dr. Lewis Duncan, President of Rollins College, served as the interim Chairman for the the ISS National Lab Board of Directors.

Abrahamson is widely regarded as one of the more distinguished and decorated military program leaders of the 20^thcentury. Lt. Gen. Abrahamson began his military career as a fighter pilot in Vietnam and was ultimately selected for the Air Force Manned Orbiting Laboratory (program was later cancelled). After his time as a pilot and astronaut candidate, Lt. Gen. Abrahamson ascended to multiple key Air Force and NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration staff positions, including being assigned NASA’s Associate Administrator for Space Flight. Additionally, in 1984, upon the request of President Reagan, Lt. Gen. Abrahamson served as the first Director for the Strategic Defense Initiative (“Star Wars Program”) until his retirement from service in 1989. Since his retirement, Abrahamson has kept active, maintaining leadership positions within a variety of aviation industry companies, and serving on the Board of Directors for GeoEye Corporation and Global Relief Technologies.

Lt. Gen. Abrahamson is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a B.S. in aeronautical engineering and received his M.S. in aeronautical engineering from the University of Oklahoma.

“I am honored to preside over the the ISS National Lab Board of Directors and look forward to working alongside staff in our pursuit to fully utilize the ISS U.S. National Laboratory,” said Abrahamson. “The incredible progress that this organization has made in just under three years demonstrates their unending dedication to supporting science in space for life on Earth. I welcome the opportunity to use my aerospace and business experience to help push this organization to even greater heights.”

“Lt. General Abrahamson’s diverse background is a major asset to the the ISS National Lab Board of Directors,” said President and Executive Director Gregory H. Johnson. “During his time serving on the the ISS National Lab Board of Directors, Lt. General Abrahamson has been instrumental in the development of partnerships and flight project opportunities. Lt. General Abrahamson is a perfect candidate to lead an already stellar group of academic and business-minded professionals intent on bringing great research and technology development to the ISS National Lab.”

Additional members of the the ISS National Lab Board of Directors include:

• Bess Dawson-Hughes, M.D., Director, Bone Metabolism Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University
• Lewis Duncan, Ph.D., President, Rollins College
• Leroy Hood, M.D., Ph.D., Co-Founder & President, Institute for Systems Biology
• Joseph Formichelli, Director/Supervisor, Celsia Technologies Taiwan
• Ioannis (Yannis) Miaoulis, Ph.D., President and Director, Museum of Science, Boston
• Andrei E. Ruckenstein, Ph.D., Vice President Research & Associate Provost, Boston University
• Philip Schein, M.D., President, Schein Group, Inc.
• Carolyn Ticknor, Former President, Hewlett-Packard Imaging & Printing
• Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, Ph.D., Professor, Biomedical Engineering and Medicine, Director of the Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Columbia University
• Howard Zucker, M.D., J.D., Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Yeshiva University

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About the ISS National Lab: The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (the ISS National Lab) was selected by NASA in July 2011 to maximize use of the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory through 2020. the ISS National Lab is dedicated to supporting and accelerating innovations and new discoveries that will enhance the health and wellbeing of people and our planet. For more information, visit issnationallab.org.

About the ISS National Laboratory: In 2005, Congress designated the U.S. portion of the International Space Station as the nation’s newest national laboratory to maximize its use for improving life on Earth, promoting collaboration among diverse users, and advancing STEM education. This unique laboratory environment is available for use by other U.S. government agencies and by academic and private institutions, providing access to the permanent microgravityThe condition of perceived weightlessness created when an object is in free fall, for example when an object is in orbital motion. Microgravity alters many observable phenomena within the physical and life sciences, allowing scientists to study things in ways not possible on Earth. The International Space Station provides access to a persistent microgravity environment. setting, vantage point in low Earth orbit(Abbreviation: LEO) The orbit around the Earth that extends up to an altitude of 2,000 km (1,200 miles) from Earth’s surface. The International Space Station’s orbit is in LEO, at an altitude of approximately 250 miles., and varied environments of space.

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