[R U X] Corner
................................................................................ We are graduate and undergraduate students in the Research in User eXperience (RUX) Lab in the Department of Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology. RUX investigates the usability and user experience of technology in our everyday world. This is a regular column that explores different technologies typically used by Embry-Riddle students. ................................................................................
Rollin’ with Rolex: Integrative Aerospace and Exercise Physiology Lab Spotlight Carmen Van Ommen, Emily Rickel Graduate Researchers Dr. Scott Ferguson joined the ERAU Department of Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology in 2022. He currently leads the Integrative Aerospace and Exercise Physiology (IAEP) Lab. The IAEP Lab recently collected data at the Rolex 24, an annual 24-hour sports car endurance race held in Daytona Beach. Members of the RUX Lab met with Dr. Ferguson and Aviv Lemke, one of his student research assistants, to learn more about the IAEP Lab and collecting data during the race. the occlusion to measure serve the body at peak RUX: Can you tell us RUX: Could you give hyperemic (increase in performance. If we can more information on about your lab and what blood flow) response. determine how an elite the Rolex study? What you research? driver mitigates all kinds was the purpose, what of stress, such as sleep RUX: Our lab is more fodo you hope to find? Dr. Scott Ferguson cused on how people deprivation, we can then (SF): Our lab is focused interact with technollearn more about what on stress and how it affects SF: We are trying to unogy or systems from a techniques these individderstand what the stresshuman performance. usability or user expeuals use to mitigate stress es of daily living are doWe are mostly focused rience perspective. How and apply them to help ing to cardiopulmonary on how stress affects people who cannot hanwould studying stress function and muscles’ cardiopulmonary and relate to something like dle stress as well. ability to transition from muscular performance. usability? rest to exercise. RUX: What does data RUX: What kind of SF: An example could be collection look like? Everybody transitions studies do you do in measuring physiologiyour lab? from rest to exercise cal outcomes of different frequently throughout AL: We used a tool called NIRS (near-infrared interfaces. If you have the day. Exercise can Aviv Lemke (AL): Right stressors when racing, spectroscopy) which be something simple, now, we have been rethat can impact cognitive uses near-infrared light such as walking around searching vascular funcperformance and ability to measure the concenor going up the stairs. tion. We had the opto work with the interface tration of oxy- and deAging and cardiovascular portunity to study race oxygenated hemoglobin you have in front of you. car drivers at the Rolex disease make it more difficult to accomplish with the skeletal muscle. 24 and we were able to We then occlude, or tie these types of tasks. get measurements preoff, the driver’s arm to and post- race to see if keep blood from flowing We like to study elite athstress impacts vascular into the forearm for a letes, such as professional function. race car drivers, to obshort period, then release Page 22