Location
SU 215
Start Date
15-11-2019 11:20 AM
Presentation Type
Podium
Department
Biology
Session
Session 3
Description
I fell in love with Biology as a young boy. Although originally intending to enter the ministry, once I stepped onto the Luther College campus at 18 years old, I thought, perhaps, I would instead pursue an undergraduate degree in biology and, ultimately, an M.D. However, as I entered the book store, I happened to pick up an anthology entitled, The Pre-Socratic Philosophers. I became enthralled and could not put it down. Thus started a many year intellectual love affair that took me on a journey through all writings philosophical. I landed, eventually, at the Gujarat Vidyapith in Ahmedabad, India studying classical Indian philosophy. Upon my return, I began teaching special needs children, eventually becoming co-chair of the department caring for children with IQs under 40. However, after some time, I yearned to return to academia. This time, I became seduced by psychology (which was originally born of philosophy). With an unslakable appetite, I devoured every single course offered by UIC, realizing by the end that the most contemporary sub-fields of psychology were a marriage of my two other intellectual loves, philosophy and biology. That led me to pursue my doctorate in Biological Psychology at The University of Chicago. While there, an exciting, independently created research program in visual neurobiology filled me with the thrill of discovery and a deep gratitude for all that I had learned. Toward the end of my studies, a thought crystallized: Perhaps, I could express my gratitude by using the knowledge that I had acquired in service to special needs children like those who had been such a joy to teach many decades prior. Hence, I founded Haptic Insight LLC, a non-profit endeavor dedicated to the development of haptic-based mobility aids for children who are visually impaired or blind (www.hapticinsight.org). Haptics are mechanically generated vibrations best known within the fields of computer gaming, virtual reality, and as the notification signals produced by cell phones. Beyond these areas, however, haptic research is an energetic, cutting-edge field with both therapeutic and assistive technology applications. My lab is currently engaged in empirical research aimed at refining the biologically-based, computational algorithms that we use to transform information about real world object movement into patterns of vibrations that can be felt on the skin. This transform is created by small, battery-powered modules that incorporate cutting-edge, distance sensing integrated circuits with miniature control systems that are embedded in standard pieces of clothing. By these transforms, the modules supply information about the relative position of the user in reference to both the stationary and moving objects around them. Thereby, the user is able to move through the environment more safely, and without inadvertently colliding with the obstacles or people around them.
Included in
Helping Blind and Visually Impaired Children to Feel the World Around Them: My Life Comes Full Circle
SU 215
I fell in love with Biology as a young boy. Although originally intending to enter the ministry, once I stepped onto the Luther College campus at 18 years old, I thought, perhaps, I would instead pursue an undergraduate degree in biology and, ultimately, an M.D. However, as I entered the book store, I happened to pick up an anthology entitled, The Pre-Socratic Philosophers. I became enthralled and could not put it down. Thus started a many year intellectual love affair that took me on a journey through all writings philosophical. I landed, eventually, at the Gujarat Vidyapith in Ahmedabad, India studying classical Indian philosophy. Upon my return, I began teaching special needs children, eventually becoming co-chair of the department caring for children with IQs under 40. However, after some time, I yearned to return to academia. This time, I became seduced by psychology (which was originally born of philosophy). With an unslakable appetite, I devoured every single course offered by UIC, realizing by the end that the most contemporary sub-fields of psychology were a marriage of my two other intellectual loves, philosophy and biology. That led me to pursue my doctorate in Biological Psychology at The University of Chicago. While there, an exciting, independently created research program in visual neurobiology filled me with the thrill of discovery and a deep gratitude for all that I had learned. Toward the end of my studies, a thought crystallized: Perhaps, I could express my gratitude by using the knowledge that I had acquired in service to special needs children like those who had been such a joy to teach many decades prior. Hence, I founded Haptic Insight LLC, a non-profit endeavor dedicated to the development of haptic-based mobility aids for children who are visually impaired or blind (www.hapticinsight.org). Haptics are mechanically generated vibrations best known within the fields of computer gaming, virtual reality, and as the notification signals produced by cell phones. Beyond these areas, however, haptic research is an energetic, cutting-edge field with both therapeutic and assistive technology applications. My lab is currently engaged in empirical research aimed at refining the biologically-based, computational algorithms that we use to transform information about real world object movement into patterns of vibrations that can be felt on the skin. This transform is created by small, battery-powered modules that incorporate cutting-edge, distance sensing integrated circuits with miniature control systems that are embedded in standard pieces of clothing. By these transforms, the modules supply information about the relative position of the user in reference to both the stationary and moving objects around them. Thereby, the user is able to move through the environment more safely, and without inadvertently colliding with the obstacles or people around them.