2009 Neff Public Lecture
Ian Shipsey
Julian Schwinger Distinguished Professor of Physics, Purdue University
Bringing Hearing to the Death
Cochlear Implants: A Technical and Personal Account
Monday, April 13, 2009
4:00 p.m.
Hale Library, Hemisphere Room
Cochlear implants are the first device to successfully restore neural function They 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 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.
Ian Shipsey has been profoundly deaf since 1989. Recently he heard the voice of his 11 year old daughter for the first time, and his
ife's oice for the first time in thirteen ears w I Shi ife's voice for the first time in thirteen years thanks to a cochlear implant.