Alumna to blast off

University alumna Laurel B. Clark (’83, M.D. ’87) is scheduled to launch aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia on Friday, July 19, as payload specialist on a 16-day research mission.

Although she was born in Ames, Iowa, Clark considers Racine, Wis., to be her hometown. She did her undergraduate studies at UW–Madison in the College of Letters and Science, receiving a bachelor’s degree in zoology, and continued her education in the Medical School, receiving her doctorate in 1987.

When it came time for her to choose a personal memento to take into space, she thought of UW–Madison. Clark will be taking a Wisconsin-made teddy bear into space, dressed in a “pleather” jacket with the College of Letters and Science logo and “Zoology” embroidered on the front, placed over the heart. She’ll also be taking a memento from her graduate years at UW–Madison: A Medical School medallion commemorating Clark’s contribution to science.

The shuttle crew will conduct more 80 experiments investigating microgravity, which has become a powerful tool for studying human cells, microbes and fire suppression.

For general information on the shuttle mission, visit: .

For photos of Clark and her flight preparations, visit: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery and use the keywords “Laurel Clark.”