Physical Society Colloquium
Bringing Hearing to the Deaf
Cochlear Implants: a
Technical and Personal Account
Purdue University
Cochlear implants are the first device to successfully restore neural
function. They have instigated a popular but controversial revolution in the
treatment of deafness, and they serve as a model for research in neuroscience
and biomedical engineering. In this talk the physiology of natural hearing
will be reviewed from the perspective of a physicist, and the function of
cochlear implants will be described in the context of historical treatments,
electrical engineering, psychophysics, clinical evaluation of efficacy and
personal experience. The social implications of cochlear implantation and
the future outlook for auditory prostheses will also be discussed.
About the speaker:
Ian Shipsey is a particle physicist, and a Professor of Physics at Purdue
University. He has been profoundly deaf since 1989. Recently he heard the
voice of his daughter for the first time, and his wife's voice for the
first time in thirteen years thanks to a cochlear implant.
The colloquium will be at the level of Scientific American.
Friday, September 21st 2007, 15:30
Ernest Rutherford Physics Building, Keys Auditorium (room 112)
|