Michael A. Schmidt, Ph.D., President and Chief Scientific Officer of Sovaris Aerospace, attended the 2011 Petit LeMans Race in Atlanta, as part of the Corvette Racing Driver Science Team. The Corvette Racing Driver Science Program is led by Chief Medical Officer Andrew H. Heyman, M.D., with Dr. Schmidt as Chief Scientific Officer. The driver science program is focused on developing 1) off-season training and optimization programs, 2) in-season training, 3) management of in-race driver physiology, and 4) management of driver physiology during in-race recovery periods.

Dr. Schmidt brings some of the tools and skills he’s developed during his work with the human space program at NASA, as well as work with professional athletes. Dr. Schmidt and his team are also developing physiologic and telemetry monitoring systems to track some of the driver metrics in real time that are critical to driver speed of processing, reaction time, focus, and attention during the extremes of these endurance races. Corvette Racing won Le Mans in 2011 in the GT Class. The Driver Science Team is proud to be a part of that victory.

Sovaris Aerospace, LLC is a private company focused on medical solutions to human performance in extreme environments. Sovaris develops physiologic and molecular assessment, as well as countermeasure solutions for humans engaged in a range of demanding conditions, including space flight, professional race car driving, collegiate and professional athletics, and many others. Sovaris also develops a range of solutions in human preventive medicine and disease state management. Sovaris has collaborations with a broad range of institutions, investigators, and private groups, including NASA Johnson Space Center, NASA Ames Research Center, Colorado State University, the University of Manchester, and the Southwest Research Institute.