Thinking Differently THE
Thinking Differently THE SKY’S THE LIMIT Texas Woman’s students leverage their collective strength in tackling previously intractable problems. When the Acolytes of Apollo, a group of undergraduate kinesiology students, set out in 2018 to solve a vexing health issue related to space travel, they weren’t afraid of being the first Texas college team of non-engineers to compete in NASA’s Texas Space Grant Consortium Design Challenge. The team’s high-tech garment, designed to reduce back pain in astronauts, dominated a design showcase, winning first place in nearly every category—demonstrating the power of diversity to innovate. TWU’s fashion & textiles program constructed the prototype garment. The garment’s integrated technology can be controlled remotely. The shirt holds electrical stimulators that activate lower back muscles.
Millie Hughes-Fulford ’72 Among the first women civilian scientists in space 6O-year connection with NASA In 2019, Texas Woman’s released an award-winning documentary that highlights the life of former TWU Research Director Pauline Beery Mack and her groundbreaking research for NASA. Her studies of astronauts throughout the 1960s determined that weightlessness reduces bone density. She was a trailblazer and a role model for women of her time through today.
