NMOTC Wins Navy-Wide Research Competition

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Lieberknecht | 171027-N-AO823-007 PENSACOLA (Oct. 27, 2017)— Lt. Clayton Shaw, an instructor pilot from Training Squadron Ten (VT-10) participates in a research project using new Electroencephalogram (EEG) technology. The goal of the project is to provide early warning signs to pilots before feeling symptoms of hypoxia. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael J. Lieberknecht/Released)  

PENSACOLA, FL, UNITED STATES

05.16.2018

Courtesy Story

Navy Medicine Operational Training Command

By Larry Coffey, Navy Medicine Education, Training and Logistics Command
PENSACOLA, Fla. – Navy Medicine Operational Training Center (NMOTC) announced today that a research project led by the Navy Aerospace Medical Institute (NAMI) research coordinator won the 33rd annual Navy-wide tri-service Academic Research Competition held at Walter Reed National Medical Center on May 16.
Captain G. Merrill Rice, also the senior medical officer of Naval Aviation Schools Command (NASC) in Pensacola, Florida, is the principal investigator of the research that uses state-of-the-art dry-electroencephalography (EEG) technology to demonstrate the negative impact of hypoxia exposure to brain wave EEG patterns.
Rice said the research shows brain wave patterns correspond to reductions in cognitive skills and simulated flight performance during hypoxia.
Hypoxia is a deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching tissues in the body and can cause confusion, rapid heart rate and shortness of breath.
The EEG technology research Rice leads began in September 2017 and is a partnership that includes the University of West Florida (UWF), the Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition (IHMC), and Naval Aerospace Medical Research Unit-Dayton (NAMRU-D) in Ohio.
“These findings enable the research to move forward to incorporate such technology operationally into the cockpit to monitor in real time EEG as an early warning countermeasure to hypoxia,” Rice said. “Current efforts are underway to develop the technology to warn pilots of impending cognitive decline, whether due to decreased oxygen from their air flow systems, excessive acceleration, spatial disorientation or fatigue.”
Rice said one possibility is a device that fits into a pilot’s helmet. The device could serve as an early-warning sign during flight.
To win this award, Rice and his team first competed in the regional Academic Research Competition held at Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, April 19th, 2018, where they received first place for clinical research performed by naval staff from Navy Medicine East. They also received special recognition from the Navy Surgeon General for the partnership they demonstrated with UWF, IHMC and NAMRL. This win earned them the right to compete at the Navy-Wide tri-service Academic Research Competition and compete against researchers from the Navy Medicine West and the Medical Consortium at Walter Reed National Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

• Date Taken: 05.16.2018
• Date Posted: 06.21.2018 16:30
• Story ID: 281848
• Location: PENSACOLA, FL, US