After 11 years as chair of the PSU Engineering and Technology Management Department at Portland State University, I stepped down to start my first sabbatical after 30 years at PSU.
In this post, I'll focus on hearing related issues.
On the subject of my hearing journey, the bone conduction system wasn't the best option for me. While it helped some with sensing sound from my left hand side, it combined that sound with my right meaning that there was no sense of location or ability to separate background noise. Around 2020, the FDA approved a cochlear implant (CI) as a treatment for single-sided deafness (SSD). In 2022 I was finally approved for a CI. I receive the CI in January 2023 during the first week of winter term. The CI has worked well and I'm very glad to have had the procedure. It has spawned some side projects and I've had a chance to speak about the experience in a wide range of venues. As a tenured professor, I feel comfortable sharing and feel like it is an opportunity to help others.
MindHears profile - the team at Mindhears asked me to provide a profile as a university leader.
MindHears story about the side projects
Bionic Ear Lab community member profile - The USC Bionic Ear Lab focuses on research regarding music listening with a cochlear implant.
I've had the opportunity to give talks about cochlear implants, my hearing journey, and the side projects in a range of settings including:
- A senior living facility with a hundred independent living, assisted living, and their family members in attendance (March 27, 2024)
- A speech and hearing science undergraduate class at PSU (April 18, 2024)
- American Indian Science and Engineering Society North Regional Conference (April 12, 2025)
- Med-El's international speech and heairng rehabilitation workshop (May 23, 2025)
- CI Crash - a research-oriented cochlear implant conference (September 26, 2025)
- American Indian Science and Engineering Society's National Conference in Minneapolis (October 4, 2025)
I'll try to post an update on other matters soon.
