NRT-UtB: Graduate Training Program in Sensory Science: Optimizing the Information Available for Mind and Brain

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The human senses provide the information to the brain about the world around us. Deficits in visual, auditory or other sensory inputs have a major impact on quality of life, including education, employment and social engagement, which in turn places a major burden on the US economy. The scale of this problem is large: According to reports by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Institutes of Health, there are approximately 5 million Americans with vision impairment and around 36 million Americans with some form of hearing loss. There is broad recognition of the need for interdisciplinary collaboration for translational research on disabilities. Research into the development of more effective assistive technologies and environmental modifications requires interdisciplinary expertise that unites a fundamental understanding of the basic sensory science (vision, audition, motor control, speech and language) with deep technical expertise in engineering, computer science, and other related fields. This National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) award to the University of Minnesota will enable the formation of an integrated and interdisciplinary training program in sensory science through the joint strengths of the university's Center for Cognitive Sciences and Center for Applied and Translational Sensory Science. The program's goal is to prepare future scientists to combine engineering approaches with scientific knowledge and methods so that they are in a position to develop the next generation of sensory aids that will improve the quality of life for Americans with sensory loss. The program will serve students from computer science, engineering, kinesiology, psychology, and speech-language-hearing disciplines through courses, research opportunities, internships in the medical-devices industry, and public outreach activities. A total of 49 different PhD students will be enrolled in the program over the course of the 5 years, 18 of whom will receive NRT fellowships.This project creates a new interdisciplinary graduate training program that encompasses the following key aims: 1. Establish an academic program in the form of a graduate minor through which students will receive the focused, multi-disciplinary educational background they will need to address critical challenges in the development of assistive technologies for sensory loss. 2. Advance interdisciplinary research in translational sensory science through the development of structural mechanisms that support the formation of interdisciplinary research teams. 3. Provide extra-curricular training and networking opportunities to the trainees through supplementary mechanisms, including weekly journal clubs, summer and winter workshops, spring and fall research symposia, and an annual fall retreat. Students will also participate in public engagement such as preparation of podcasts on research topics of interest to the stakeholders. 4. Provide practical career development opportunities through personalized contacts with local and national companies. Many trainees will eventually seek employment in industry, and those who continue in academia should seek to engage in collaborative work with industry partners. In an effort to provide students with real-world experience that can inform their research and post-graduation career choices, the program will offer the trainees 8-10 week summer internship opportunities in industry-based applied research.The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new potentially transformative models for STEM graduate education training. The Traineeship Track is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary research areas, through comprehensive traineeship models that are innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs.