UND motion sickness program earns international spotlight

UND’s Jennifer Watne invited to present breakthrough desensitization results at Aerospace Medical Association conference in Denver

A University of North Dakota program that helps people overcome motion sickness — from student pilots to grandparents — is earning international recognition.

Jennifer Watne, who leads UND’s motion sickness desensitization training in the Aerospace Physiology department, has been invited to present her work at the Aerospace Medical Association Conference in Denver, Colo., beginning May 17.

The annual conference draws an international audience of physicians, aerospace physiologists, military leaders and astronauts. Watne will present her work during a formal slide session and answer questions from attendees.

When asked what it means to be selected, Watne said, “Well, it’s kind of scary, but it’s an honor. It’s great to be able to speak about the work I’ve done. The fact that I just have an associate degree and they’re still allowing me to come talk is neat. My work stood out enough for that.”

Tom Zedilik, aerospace physiologist at UND, emphasized the significance of the invitation.

“Most people that present are either military leadership, physicians or astronauts,” he said. “You walk around at the conference, and you’ll see astronauts everywhere. They selected Jen, because this work is so important.”

Watne plans to share details about UND’s simulator-based training, case scenarios and outcomes.

And those results have been remarkable.

Since the program expanded in fall of 2024, Watne has worked with more than two dozen participants. According to her and Zedilik, every person she has agreed to work with has experienced improvement, with the vast majority reporting they have found a cure for their symptoms.

“I’ve worked with 25 people now, and I’d say at least 90% or more have had a complete resolution of their symptoms,” Watne said. “And everybody else has had vast improvement.”

Participants included corporate pilots, UND student pilots, members of the general public and even travelers who found the program through online searches and drove from out of state to attend.

Grand Forks resident Kelsey Leake told Watne she was able to fly to Alaska with her family and even take a short boat trip — something that would have been extremely uncomfortable before, or even impossible.

“I’ve had motion sickness issues since my pre-teen days, so it’s been more than 20 years of having to deal with these symptoms,” Leake said. “After three days of her class, I don’t have any of those anymore.”

California native and UND Aerospace student Evan Kieser agreed.

“Before I took the course, doing any turn maneuvers in the plane would activate motion sickness,” he said. “But after the course, those symptoms are actually gone.”

Watne says such stories are what make the work meaningful.

“I like to get to know the people, and it’s fun to be able to hear how they’ve been able to do these things,” she said.

The three-day course uses a controlled, gradual approach inside a simulator chamber. Watne emphasizes that the goal is not to push participants into extreme discomfort. She added that anxiety plays a significant role in motion sickness.

“The course is like 50% physical training and 50% mental training,” she said. “Just teaching your body and your mind how to deal with it.”

As awareness grows and demand increases, UND leaders are already discussing the future of the program. Expansion — and possibly additional staffing — could be on the horizon if interest continues to build.

For Watne, however, the focus remains on helping individuals participate in experiences they once avoided — whether that’s flying an aircraft, sitting in the back seat of a car or finally joining family on the water.

“It’s been kind of neat,” she said, “to be a part of somebody’s journey like that.”

The program is being administered exclusively by Jennifer Watne, aerospace physiologist and registered nurse. People wanting to use this service can contact Watne directly at jennifer.watne@und.edu or 701-777-7195.

Media Contact: Adam Kurtz, adam.kurtz.1@UND.edu

Photo: Jennifer Watne, UND student (4MB)

Caption: Jennifer Watne, who administers the motion sickness desensitiztion course at UND, stands next to UND student Megan Sung, who is sitting in the simulator used in the course. Photo by Adam Kurtz/UND Today.