MUNCIE, Ind. - The founding director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Ball State University has been named to the External Advisory Council for the National Space Biomedical Research Institute.

David Costill, who is the John and Janice Fisher Professor Emeritus in Exercise Science, was named to the council April 15.

The NSBRI, funded by NASA, is a consortium of institutions studying the health risks related to long-duration space flight.  The institute's External Advisory Council is composed of leaders in research fields central to the institute's mission and advises management on strategic issues and programmatic effectiveness.

Costill is the author of more than 400 peer-reviewed journal articles and six books, including "Running: The Athlete Within."  He has served as a consultant to NASA, the United States Olympic Committee and the National Institutes of Health.

The NSBRI's research and education program involves investigators at more than 70 institutions and government laboratories across the nation. Projects address space health concerns such as bone loss, muscle weakening, cardiovascular changes, sleep disturbances, immunology, infection, balance and orientation problems, radiation exposure, nutrition, neurobehavioral and psychosocial factors, and remote-treatment technologies.