NASA Hails Success of Commercial Space Program Private Space Station Resupply Underway, Plans Readied for Astronauts

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NASA Administrator Charles Bolden Wednesday hailed the success of the agency's public-private partnership with American companies to resupply the International Space Station and announced the next phase of contracting with U.S. companies to transport astronauts is set to begin next week.

A little more than two years after the end of the Space Shuttle Program, the United States now has two space transportation systems capable of delivering science experiments and supplies from U.S. soil to the International Space Station. Under an ambitious plan funded by the Obama Administration, the agency is seeking to partner with American companies to send NASA astronauts to the space station as soon as 2017.

Bolden provided remarks at NASA Headquarters in Washington as agency officials announced the successful conclusion of the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, an initiative that aimed to achieve safe, reliable and cost-effective commercial transportation to and from the space station and low-Earth orbit.

The rockets and spacecraft developed by NASA's partners Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) and Orbital Sciences Corp. under COTS have significantly increased NASA's ability to conduct new scientific investigations aboard the orbiting laboratory. All current and planned U.S. experiments aboard the station will be facilitated in some way by a SpaceX or Orbital Sciences resupply mission.

"America's best days in space exploration are ahead of us thanks to the grit and determination of those in government, and the private sector, who dare to dream big dreams and have the skills to turn them into reality," Bolden said. "We've ended the outsourcing of space station resupply work and brought those jobs back home to America. The commercial space industry will be an engine of 21st century American economic growth and will help us carry out even more ambitious deep space exploration missions."

SpaceX was selected as a NASA partner in 2006 to develop its Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX completed its COTS development with a demonstration mission to the space station in 2012, restoring an American capability to deliver and return cargo for the first time since the retirement of the space shuttle in 2011.

SpaceX has since flown the first two of 12 contracted cargo resupply flights to the space station through a $1.6 billion Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA.

"The COTS program was a great success -- not only for NASA and the commercial space industry, but also the American taxpayer," said Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX president and COO. "Together, NASA and SpaceX restored cargo transport capabilities to the United States and also laid the foundation for the future transport of American astronauts. SpaceX appreciates NASA's ongoing support and is honored to partner with them in these efforts."

Orbital Sciences was selected as a NASA partner in 2008 and completed development of its Cygnus spacecraft and Antares rocket in October with a successful demonstration mission to the space station. The final review of the mission by NASA this month marked the beginning of closeout activities for the COTS program. Orbital Sciences is poised to launch the first of its eight cargo resupply missions to the space station in December through its $1.9 billion CRS contract with NASA.

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NASA Hails Success of Commercial Space Program Private Space Station Resupply Underway, Plans Readied for Astronauts

Spectacular NASA panorama shows Saturn, Earth

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NASA has stitched together 141 snapshots from its Cassini spacecraft to create a dramatic mosaic of Saturn, with Earth, Venus, and Mars appearing as tiny lights in the background.

A NASA spacecraft has revealed an unprecedented view of Saturn from space, showing the entire gas giant backlit by the sun with several of its moons and all but one of its rings, as Earth, Venus and Mars all appear as pinpricks light in the background.

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The spectacular image, unveiled Tuesday (Nov. 12), is actually a mosaic of 141 wide-angle images from NASA'sCassini spacecrafttaken in natural color, which mimics how human eyes might see the ringed planet. Stretching 404,880 miles (651,591 kilometers) across, the panorama captures all of Saturn's rings up to the ethereal E ring, the second outermost one.

The pictures that make up the mosaic were snapped on July 19, 2013 the same day that Cassini took advantage of a rare opportunity to photograph Earth without interference from the sun, which was totally eclipsed by Saturn at the time. From its far-flung perch millions of miles away, Cassini captured amazing portraits ofEarth as a pale blue dotas thousands of people on the ground waved in honor of the global picture day. [Wave at Saturn: Images from NASA's Cosmic Photo Bomb by Cassini Probe]

"In this one magnificent view, Cassini has delivered to us a universe of marvels," Carolyn Porco, who leads Cassini's imaging team at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo., said of the new image in a statement from NASA."And it did so on a day people all over the world, in unison, smiled in celebration at the sheer joy of being alive on a pale blue dot."

Earth can be spotted as a blue dot to the lower right ofSaturn, while Venus shines to the upper left of the gas giant. Mars, visible as a faint red dot, sits above and to the left of Venus.

Beyond inspiring wonder, this new view of Saturn also promises to help scientists study the planet's rings, which are best observed when light shines behind them, Cassini researchers say.

This mosaic provides a remarkable amount of high-quality data on Saturn's diffuse rings, revealing all sorts of intriguing structures we are currently trying to understand," Matt Hedman, a Cassini participating scientist at the University of Idaho in Moscow, said in a statement.

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Spectacular NASA panorama shows Saturn, Earth

24Oras: Nasa 200,000 litro ng bunker fuel, tumagas mula sa barkong hinampas ng alon sa Iloilo – Video

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24Oras: Nasa 200,000 litro ng bunker fuel, tumagas mula sa barkong hinampas ng alon sa Iloilo
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24Oras: Nasa 200,000 litro ng bunker fuel, tumagas mula sa barkong hinampas ng alon sa Iloilo - Video

To the moon? NASA passes the torch for space commercialization

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Cosmic Log

Alan Boyle, Science Editor NBC News

11 hours ago

NASA's chief closed out the space agency's first campaign to commercialize spaceflight on Wednesday, marking a transition to more ambitious efforts to create new U.S. spaceships that could send astronauts into orbit and perhaps back to the moon someday.

"We just finished taking the Olympic torch up to space last week, and getting it back down," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said during a televised ceremony at the agency's Washington headquarters. "So in a way, this is passing another torch."

The seven-year-long, $700 million-plus commercialization program known as Commercial Orbital Transportation Services, or COTS resulted in two new launch systems to replace the now-retired space shuttle fleet and transfer cargo to the International Space Station. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon cargo capsule made its first delivery in May 2012, and Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Antares rocket and Cygnus capsule followed suit with a demonstration flight this September.

Both companies are moving ahead with resupply missions under the terms of contracts with NASA worth a total of $3.5 billion. Orbital Sciences' first launch covered by that contract is set for December, while SpaceX is due to send the Dragon on its next trip in February.

Bill Ingalls / NASA

Orbital Sciences' Antares rocket lifts off from its Virginia launch pad on a demonstration flight to the International Space Station in September. The Antares-Cygnus mission marked the final chapter in the COTS saga.

Bolden and other NASA officials said the lessons learned during COTS were being applied to the agency's Commercial Crew Program, which supports the development of commercial spaceships for carrying humans into orbit. More than a billion dollars has already been committed for work on three prototype spaceships offered by SpaceX, the Boeing Co. and Sierra Nevada Corp. On Wednesday, NASA said it would announce its requirements for the final phase of development on Nov. 19.

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To the moon? NASA passes the torch for space commercialization

NASA IG Final Report: NASA's Management of the Commercial Crew Program

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NASA Inspector General Paul Martin today released a report examining NASA's efforts to partner with private industry to develop a "commercial crew" capability to transport U.S. astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). Since the end of the Space Shuttle Program in July 2011, the United States has lacked a domestic capability to transport crew and - until recently - cargo to the ISS. Consequently, NASA has been relying on the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) for crew transportation. Between 2012 and 2017, NASA will pay Roscosmos $1.7 billion to ferry 30 NASA astronauts and international partners to and from the ISS at prices ranging from $47 million to more than $70 million per person. After 2017, NASA hopes to obtain transportation to the ISS from American spaceflight companies.

NASA is currently working with three companies - The Boeing Company (Boeing), Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX), and Sierra Nevada Corporation (Sierra Nevada) - to develop commercial crew transportation capabilities using a combination of funded Space Act Agreements and procurement contracts. As of August 31, 2013, NASA has spent $1.1 billion on its commercial crew development efforts.

This OIG audit assessed: (1) the progress of each commercial partner toward developing a certified crew capability; and (2) the major challenges facing the Program.

NASA's Commercial Crew Program is currently at a critical stage of development with Boeing, SpaceX, and Sierra Nevada expected to complete their spacecraft designs within the next year. While the partners are responsible for developing the vehicles, they rely heavily on NASA funding. At the same time, NASA maintains responsibility for ensuring that the partners' launch systems and spacecraft meet Agency safety and operational requirements. All three partners achieved a state of maturity approximate to a Preliminary Design Review prior to NASA's award of the latest round of Space Act Agreements in 2012 and each has set an optimistic schedule for achieving a company-defined Critical Design Review of their systems by mid-2014.[1] NASA officials said using Space Act Agreements during the current phase of development is beneficial because it allows for sharing of development costs and promotes creativity, innovation, and competition among the partners.

We found that although NASA's commercial partners are making steady progress in initial development of their spaceflight systems, NASA faces several obstacles that may prevent it from meeting its goal of transporting astronauts to the ISS in commercially supplied vehicles by 2017:

Failure to address these challenges in a timely manner could significantly delay the availability of commercial crew transportation services and extend U.S. reliance on Russia for transporting U.S. crew to the ISS.

Specifically, the Commercial Crew Program has received only 38 percent of requested funding for fiscal years 2011 through 2013, bringing the current aggregate budget gap to $1.1 billion when comparing funding requested to funding received. In addition, although NASA's Commercial Crew partners have completed their preliminary spacecraft designs, NASA managers have yet to develop a life cycle cost estimate showing the anticipated costs of the program year-by-year throughout its life from preliminary design through the end of operations. Without this type of detailed cost estimate, it is difficult for NASA to calculate how much funding is required each year given that costs over time can fluctuate significantly.

In addition, despite a 90day goal for NASA to respond to partner requests for requirement and certification guidance, our review identified a significant number of requests unresolved for more than 120 days. Cost increases and schedule overruns may result if NASA is unable to provide timely and accurate requirement and certification guidance.

Finally, NASA and the FAA signed a Memorandum of Understanding in June 2012 that addresses coordination of their respective roles; however, the Air Force ranges often used for space launches are not yet fully part of that effort. Program officials are attempting to formally establish a tri-party safety steering group composed of NASA, the FAA, and the Air Force. Failure to coordinate effectively with these entities regarding complex range safety, legal, and insurance issues could adversely affect NASA's efforts to facilitate commercial human space travel.

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SUNY CNSE’s Dr. Sara Brenner discusses nanotechnology applications at the 2014 Olympic games – Video

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SUNY CNSE #39;s Dr. Sara Brenner discusses nanotechnology applications at the 2014 Olympic games
As the SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) hosted the 2013 "NANOlympics," participants learned about the role nanotechnology will play a...

By: TheNanoCollege

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SUNY CNSE's Dr. Sara Brenner discusses nanotechnology applications at the 2014 Olympic games - Video

UCLA Nanotechnology Researchers Prove Two-Step Method for Potential Pancreatic Cancer Treatment

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Newswise A new method of microscopic drug delivery that could greatly improve the treatment of deadly pancreatic cancer has been proven to work in mice at UCLAs Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The research team led by Drs. Andre Nel, professor of nanomedicine and member of the California Nanosystems Institute (CNSI), and Huan Meng, adjunct assistant professor of nanomedicine, published the results of their study in the journal ACS Nano online ahead of print and featured in the November 2013 print issue.

Pancreatic cancer (pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma or PDAC) is a deadly disease that is nearly impossible to detect until it is in the advanced stage. Treatment options for it are very limited in number and suffer low success rates. The need for innovative and improved treatment of pancreatic cancer cannot be overstated, as its diagnosis over the years has often remained synonymous with a death sentence.

In the pancreas, PDAC tumors consist of cancer cells that are surrounded by other structural elements called stroma. The stroma can be made of many substances, such as connective tissue and pericytes, which block the access of standard chemotherapy in tumor blood vessels from efficiently reaching the cancer cells. These elements can reduce the effectiveness of the treatment.

The dual-wave nanotherapy method employed by Drs. Nel and Meng in their research uses two different kinds of microscopic particles (nanoparticles) intravenously injected in a rapid sequence into the vein of the tumor-bearing mouse. The first wave of nanoparticles carries a substance that removes the pericytes vascular gates to access the pancreatic cancer cells and the second wave carries the chemotherapy drug that kills the cancer cells.

Drs. Nel and Meng and their colleagues Dr. Jeffrey Zink, UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry and Dr. Jeffrey Brinker, University of New Mexico professor of chemical and nuclear engineering, sought to contain chemotherapy in nanoparticles that could more directly target pancreatic cancer cells, but they needed to find a way for those nanoparticles to get through the sites of vascular obstruction caused by the pericytes, which restricts access to the cancer cells. Through experimentation they discovered they could interfere with a cellular signaling pathway (the communication mechanism between cells) that governs the pericyte attraction to the tumor blood vessels. By making nanoparticles that effectively bind a high load of the signaling pathway inhibitor, they developed a first wave of nanoparticles that separates the pericytes from the endothelial cells (on the blood vessel). This opens the vascular gate for the next wave of nanoparticles, which carry the chemotherapeutic agent to the cancer cells inside the tumor.

To test this two-wave nanotherapy, the researchers used immuno-compromised mice that were used to grow human pancreatic tumors (called xenografts) under the mouse skin. With the two-wave method, the xenograft tumors had a significantly higher rate of shrinkage compared to those exposed to chemotherapy given the standard way as a free drug or carried in nanoparticles without first wave treatment.

This two-wave nanotherapy is an existing example of how we seek to improve the delivery of chemotherapy drugs to their intended targets using nanotechnology to provide an engineered approach, said Nel, chief of the division of nanomedicine. It shows how the physical and chemical principles of nanotechnology can be integrated with the biological sciences to help cancer patients by increasing the effectiveness of chemotherapy while also reducing side effects and toxicity. This two-wave treatment approach can also address biological impediments in nanotherapies for other types of cancer.

This research was funded by the U.S. Public Health Service and the National Cancer Institute.

UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has more than 240 researchers and clinicians engaged in disease research, prevention, detection, control, treatment and education. One of the nation's largest comprehensive cancer centers, the Jonsson center is dedicated to promoting research and translating basic science into leading-edge clinical studies. In July 2013, the Jonsson Cancer Center was named among the top 12 cancer centers nationwide by U.S. News & World Report, a ranking it has held for 14 consecutive years. For more information on the Jonsson Cancer Center, visit our website at http://www.cancer.ucla.edu.

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UCLA Nanotechnology Researchers Prove Two-Step Method for Potential Pancreatic Cancer Treatment

Nanotechnology researchers prove two-step method for potential pancreatic cancer treatment

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Nov. 13, 2013 A new method of microscopic drug delivery that could greatly improve the treatment of deadly pancreatic cancer has been proven to work in mice at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The research team led by Drs. Andre Nel, professor of nanomedicine and member of the California Nanosystems Institute (CNSI), and Huan Meng, adjunct assistant professor of nanomedicine, published the results of their study in the journal ACS Nano online ahead of print and featured in the November 2013 print issue.

Pancreatic cancer (pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma or PDAC) is a deadly disease that is nearly impossible to detect until it is in the advanced stage. Treatment options for it are very limited in number and suffer low success rates. The need for innovative and improved treatment of pancreatic cancer cannot be overstated, as its diagnosis over the years has often remained synonymous with a death sentence.

In the pancreas, PDAC tumors consist of cancer cells that are surrounded by other structural elements called stroma. The stroma can be made of many substances, such as connective tissue and pericytes, which block the access of standard chemotherapy in tumor blood vessels from efficiently reaching the cancer cells. These elements can reduce the effectiveness of the treatment.

The dual-wave nanotherapy method employed by Drs. Nel and Meng in their research uses two different kinds of microscopic particles (nanoparticles) intravenously injected in a rapid sequence into the vein of the tumor-bearing mouse. The first wave of nanoparticles carries a substance that removes the pericytes' vascular gates to access the pancreatic cancer cells and the second wave carries the chemotherapy drug that kills the cancer cells.

Drs. Nel and Meng and their colleagues Dr. Jeffrey Zink, UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry and Dr. Jeffrey Brinker, University of New Mexico professor of chemical and nuclear engineering, sought to contain chemotherapy in nanoparticles that could more directly target pancreatic cancer cells, but they needed to find a way for those nanoparticles to get through the sites of vascular obstruction caused by the pericytes, which restricts access to the cancer cells. Through experimentation they discovered they could interfere with a cellular signaling pathway (the communication mechanism between cells) that governs the pericyte attraction to the tumor blood vessels. By making nanoparticles that effectively bind a high load of the signaling pathway inhibitor, they developed a first wave of nanoparticles that separates the pericytes from the endothelial cells (on the blood vessel). This opens the vascular gate for the next wave of nanoparticles, which carry the chemotherapeutic agent to the cancer cells inside the tumor.

To test this two-wave nanotherapy, the researchers used immuno-compromised mice that were used to grow human pancreatic tumors (called xenografts) under the mouse skin. With the two-wave method, the xenograft tumors had a significantly higher rate of shrinkage compared to those exposed to chemotherapy given the standard way as a free drug or carried in nanoparticles without first wave treatment.

"This two-wave nanotherapy is an existing example of how we seek to improve the delivery of chemotherapy drugs to their intended targets using nanotechnology to provide an engineered approach," said Nel, chief of the division of nanomedicine. "It shows how the physical and chemical principles of nanotechnology can be integrated with the biological sciences to help cancer patients by increasing the effectiveness of chemotherapy while also reducing side effects and toxicity. This two-wave treatment approach can also address biological impediments in nanotherapies for other types of cancer."

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Nanotechnology researchers prove two-step method for potential pancreatic cancer treatment

Leading Minds in Medicine to Discuss State of Clinical Medical Ethics at the 25th Dorothy J. MacLean Fellows Conference

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MEDIA ADVISORY: Leading Minds in Medicine to Discuss State of Clinical Medical Ethics at the 25th Dorothy J. MacLean Fellows Conference

Dozens gathering to share research and examine key ethics issues facing patients and health care professionals

WHAT: More than 50 researchers, physicians and fellows from the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics from various parts of the world will gather Nov. 15 and 16, 2013, to lead discussions and debates on critical ethical issues facing patients, doctors, nurses, allied health workers and health care institutions. Celebrating its 25th year, the Dorothy J. MacLean Fellows Conference will focus on key themes and issues such as global health, patient decision-making, research ethics, end-of-life care, organ transplantation, and pediatric and surgical ethics, among other topics.

Interviews with MacLean Center Director Mark Siegler, MD, are available upon request. Media wishing to attend the two-day conference, contact Mike McHugh (michael.mchugh@uchospitals.edu, 773-702-3641).

WHERE: The University of Chicago Law School, 1111 E. 60th St. WHEN: Friday, Nov. 15, and Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013

Friday 7:45 a.m. Welcome 8 a.m. Keynote Social Entrepreneurship and Global Health 8:30 a.m. Panel 1: Global Health 10:15 a.m. Keynote The Invention of Primary Care 10:40 a.m. Panel 2: Contributions of Clinical Ethics to Patient Care 1:40 p.m. Keynote From Quinlan to Ashley X: A Retrospective on Disability, Health Care and the Role of Clinical Medical Ethics 2:10 p.m. Panel 3: Ethical Issues at the End of Life 3:50 p.m. Keynote Ethical Issues in Uterine Transplantation" 4:20 p.m. Panel 4: Ethical Issues in Organ Transplantation 6 p.m. Fellows, Faculty and Family Party

Saturday 8 a.m. Keynote Just Me and My Harp: Lessons from a Lifetime of Ethics and Palliative Care Consultation and Harmonica Playing 8:30 a.m. Keynote What We Talk About When We Talk About Ethics 8:50 a.m. Panel 5: What is Clinical Ethics? 10:35 a.m. Panel 6: Ethical Issues in Research 1:30 p.m. Panel 7: Emerging Topics in Clinical Ethical 3:55 p.m. Panel 8: Surgical Ethics 5:25 p.m. Conference Wrap-Up

WHO: Present and former MacLean fellows from Canada, Madrid, and Buenos Aires, as well as Arizona, Indiana, Oregon, Washington, Missouri, California, Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania, will participate in keynote and panel discussions. Among the keynote speakers:

- Peter Singer, Grand Challenges Canada, Social Entrepreneurship and Global Health - Joel Howell, University of Michigan, The Invention of Primary Care - Mark Siegler, the University of Chicago, The Birth of Clinical Medical Ethics - Eric Kodish and Andreas Tzakis, Cleveland Clinic, Ethical Issues in Uterine Transplantation - David Schiedermayer, Medical College of Wisconsin, Just Me and My Harp: Lessons from a Lifetime of Ethics and Palliative Care Consultation and Harmonica Playing - John Lantos, University of Missouri, What We Talk about When We Talk about Ethics

OTHER DETAILS: There is no fee for this two-day conference. On Friday, parking will be available at the University of Chicago Medicine parking garage at 5840 S. Maryland Ave., which is a 10-minute walk to the Law School (1111 E. 60th St.). On Saturday, street parking will be plentiful along the Midway Plaisance near the conference site. The Law School is also within walking distance of the 57th and 59th Street Metra stops.

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Leading Minds in Medicine to Discuss State of Clinical Medical Ethics at the 25th Dorothy J. MacLean Fellows Conference

SLU family medicine program gets more space in south city clinic

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Family medicine residents at St. Louis University will soon have an expanded clinic to treat patients in south St. Louis. Family Care Health Centers expects to open nine exam rooms and meeting space in a 2,450-square-foot expansion to its Carondelet facility, where residents will see patients on an outpatient basis during their three years of training.

Residency programs are the three years of specialty training after a doctor graduates from medical school. Fewer medical students are choosing general practice residency programs, in part because of lower salaries compared to specialties like orthopedic surgery or neurology.

The partnership with Family Care started in 2011 and has grown to 12 residents who work primarily at the Carondelet clinic and also rotate through local hospitals. The residents attended medical schools at SLU, Washington University, University of Missouri-Columbia, Harvard, Tulane and others across the country. Two of the programs goals are to encourage the new doctors to stay in the state and in underserved communities, and the four first-year residents all attended medical schools in Missouri. The residents are employees of SLU, and the $1.3 million building expansion was funded through the health centers reserves.

Weve found that our current facility is just cramped with our current services, so the board voted earlier this year to add on with the main purpose of allowing residents to have their own space, said Dr. Robert Massie, CEO of Family Care Health Center. Weve been really impressed with the quality of the residents.

The 33,000-square-foot Carondelet clinic opened in 2003 and provides primary care, dental, vision, mental health, nutrition and lab services. There are 20 doctors, four nurse practitioners and three mental health professionals on the staff at Carondelet and a second location in the Grove neighborhood.

Family Care Health Centers are federally qualified, meaning they receive funding through government insurance programs and grants. The centers focus on primary care and refer many patients to ConnectCare, a specialty services and urgent care facility on Delmar Boulevard that is slated to close later this month. Staff at Family Care are scrambling to send patients to other specialists at local hospitals and said the waits to see a doctor will get longer.

The closure of ConnectCare, linked to federal budget cuts and the state Legislatures refusal to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, signals a crisis in health care funding, analysts have said. The budget at Family Care is stable but looking very flat at best, Massie said. Family Care does expect to hire one obstetrician/gynecologist in the next year to meet a higher demand for prenatal care in the region.

Missouri will need 687 more primary care physicians and Illinois will need 1,063 by 2030 to maintain the level of care currently available, according to a new report from the Robert Graham Center, a Washington-based think tank on primary care policy and research. The additional doctors are expected to be needed for population growth and aging as well as an increase in insured patients under the Affordable Care Act.

Dr. Christine Jacobs, director of the SLU family medicine residency program, said the expansion of the Carondelet clinic will be attractive to potential doctors-in-training.

It will be great when well have more space available, well be easily able to serve more clients, Jacobs said. Most new patients were accepting are through the residency program.

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Medical school taking shape

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Former M'town hospital to house dorms, classes

Construction continues Wednesday at the future campus of Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Middletown.JOHN MEORE/For the Times Herald-Record

Published: 2:00 AM - 11/14/13

MIDDLETOWN The former Horton Hospital is starting to look a little more like a medical school.

The ground floor of the future Touro College building, which used to be the hospital's shipping and storage area, is already taking shape as classrooms and study areas for the school of osteopathic medicine. The seats are already in the lecture hall downstairs, and walls have gone up, dividing the floor into spacious study areas.

When it's done, the college will contain 110,000 square feet, 30,000 feet bigger than Touro's Harlem campus, which is housed in a converted department store, said Dr. Kenneth Steier, dean of the Middletown campus.

"You can never have enough study space," Steier said, as he showed a reporter and photographer around.

Student services will be on the first floor. There will be more classes on the second floor rooms where the students can practice medicine on mannequins, or where they will practice diagnosis on actors who pretend to have different ailments.

The former patients' rooms on the second floor are turning into dorm rooms for students and offices for professors. In total, 104 students will be able to live in the former hospital, Steier said.

The school will open in August 2014. So far, Touro has received 5,000 applications for the first year, and 90 percent of them have said they would be interested in attending either Touro's Harlem or Middletown campuses. Steier said 30 students of the college's first class of 135 have been picked already.

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Medical school taking shape