My name is Afton Limberg, and I am in the second year of my PhD at Dartmouth College in the Biomedical Engineering program. I grew up in Minnesota where both of my parents work in education, and they inspired me to apply for this program. My research is focusing on studying the effects of spaceflight on tendons and bones. The lack of gravitational forces in space cause these structures to become weaker, in a similar way to that of aging. Spaceflight is considered an accelerated model of aging. Using data from people and animals who have been to space I hope to understand and characterize the aging process of bones and tendons. In my free time I love to hike, downhill ski, and go on runs with my dog.