Aslin named Kenan Professor

Aslin

ichard Aslin, professor of brain and cognitive sciences and director of the new Rochester Center for Brain Imaging, has been named the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor. The honor is awarded to a distinguished professor who is particularly effective in teaching undergraduates.

"This is an honor most assuredly deserved by Dick Aslin; he brings glory to the University and the College in every way," says Provost Charles Phelps. "Dick is one of those extraordinary people who can move seamlessly from brilliant scholarship to wonderful academic leadership and then back again, reestablishing himself as one of the premier scholars in his field worldwide, while continuing his outstanding teaching all the while."

Aslin, former dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and vice provost and dean of the College, teaches an introductory class on the development of mind and brain with Elissa Newport, professor and chair of brain and cognitive sciences. The course focuses on the brain's ability to perceive objects and sounds, to think and reason, and to learn and remember language. Aslin also teaches a lab course on human development where students conduct projects of their own design in local daycare centers.

In his research, Aslin explores how normal development progresses in infants and young children. He attempts to discover how infants make sense of the sights and sounds of the world around them, how they learn new patterns in visual scenes and streams of speech, and the brain mechanisms that enable these developments to unfold.

Aslin has been elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, received the Guggenheim fellowship in 1988, and received the Robert and Pamela Goergen Award for Distinguished Contributions to Undergraduate Learning in the College.

The William R. Kenan Jr. Professorship was established in 1966 by the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust in honor of the chemist who discovered calcium carbide.

Maintained by University Public Relations
Please send your comments and suggestions to:
Public Relations.