Denver, CO – Scott Abram’s eyes lock on the corner of the computer screen offering him the letter “G.” His cursor, directed only by those eyes, lingers there as he stares the requisite 1.5 seconds. Click. With that, an entire brain trust of engineering students, professors and paralysis experts...
Entry Point! The AAAS Project on Science, Technology and Disability continues to pioneer access to STEM
Thirty Years of Changing Lives: The AAAS Project on Science, Technology and Disability Washington, D.C. – Marco Midon, a lead engineer at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (N.A.S.A.), is totally blind. Tim Scamparinno, a project manager at I.B.M., is spinal cord injured and a wheelchair rider. Jacquelyn Wilson...
Touching People With Disabilites One Person At A Time
By: Trent Hanna Columbus, OH – Chris Atchison has an idea to help those with mobile disabilities to see the world. He showed a virtual map of Mammoth Cave to show us what they been working on. Being a geologist, he gets to see many interesting places. Using technology,...
White House releases report indicating the need for one million graduates from STEM programs
Washington, DC – In a public briefing at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) released a report that describes a desperate need to increase graduates in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs. While the report...
AAUP 2012 Report: Accommodating Faculty Members Who Have Disabilities
Washington, DC – A new report from the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) offers practical guidance on faculty members who have disabilities. The report rejects the common stereotype that disability equates to diminished professional competence and asserts that “With suitable accommodations, a faculty member who has a physical...
Atchison receives best student paper award from Geology and Society Division of GSA
Minneapolis, MN – The Geology and Society division is pleased to announce the winners of the 2010 Best Student Paper Awards. They are Jimmy Randolph of the University of Minnesota and Christopher Atchison of Ohio State University (now a faculty member at Georgia State University). Each will receive public...
Presidential Proclamation–National Disability Employment Awareness Month
NATIONAL DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT AWARENESS MONTH, 2011 BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION Utilizing the talents of all Americans is essential for our Nation to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world. During National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we recognize the skills that...
Visualizations could give wheelchair bound students ability to explore caves
Imagine pursuing a degree that requires you to understand caves, mines or other rugged geological formations. Now imagine trying to do your field studies in a wheelchair. Concerns like that may be rendered moot if virtual technology being developed at Ohio State University and Georgia State University bear fruit....
NSF funds research to simulate geoscience field trips
Visualizations will allow students with mobility impairments to explore caves Columbus, Ohio – College students with mobility impairments who are studying for a career in the geosciences will soon be able to explore a computer-generated simulation of a large cave system to meet the degree requirements of field-based learning...
New NSF OEDG Funding!
Columbus, OH – Congratulations to the project team of Don Stredney, Chris Atchison, Alan Price, Karen Irving, and Rick Toomey on the most recent funding for the OEDG Track 1 proposal “Expanding Geoscience Diversity through Simulated Field Environments for Students with Physical Disabilities”. This $202,744 grant will progress the...
