<div dir="ltr">Hi everyone!<div><br></div><div>Next Thursday we will be changing the Accessibility Seminar to a new format for the Fall semester. We will seek to have guests join us for either a talk or informal discussion, instead of focusing on reading papers. To accommodate remote attendees and guest speakers that may be on the west coast, we are also moving to a new time: 2-3pm on Thursdays. We hope you can join us!</div><div><br></div><div>To kick this off, we are starting the semester with Dr. Rory Cooper from the <a href="https://www.herl.pitt.edu/">Human Engineering Research Laboratories</a> (HERL) here in Pittsburgh. HERL is affiliated with Pitt and part of the US Veterans Affairs (VA) and is known for their work on designing wheelchairs and robotics for people with disabilities. Dr. Cooper is an Associate Dean at University of Pittsburgh and the Director of HERL and will be joining us to give us an overview of their work and discuss the design of accessibility technology with us!</div><div><br></div><div><b>As we are not asking you to read anything for next week, please take a minute to read Dr. Cooper's bio and write down one question you might ask in next week's seminar!</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><b>Bio: </b><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:11pt;font-weight:700">Rory A. Cooper, PhD</span></div>
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<p><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri;font-style:italic">FISA/PVA Distinguished Professor of the Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA<br>
Associate Dean for Inclusion, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh
Founding Director of the Human Engineering Research Laboratories, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System,
Pittsburgh PA
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<p><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri">Dr. Rory A. Cooper holds several prestigious positions including Associate Dean for Inclusion and FISA &
Paralyzed Veterans of America Distinguished Professor of Rehabilitation Science and Technology and
Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. He is also the Founding Director and the VA Senior
Research Career Scientist at the Human Engineering Research Laboratories. He holds an adjunct
professorship at the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University and is also a Professor of Physical
Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda,
Maryland.
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<p><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri">A prolific writer, he has published over 300 peer-reviewed articles and three books, including the award-
winning </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri;font-style:italic">Care of the Combat Amputee</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri">. He has over 25 patents awarded or pending. Dr. Cooper’s
students have been the recipients of over 50 national and international awards. A Fellow of the National
Academy of Inventors and other scholarly organizations, he is the recipient of the Secretary of Defense
Meritorious Civilian Service Medal.
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<p><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri">Dr. Cooper has served on federal advisory committees in the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs,
and Health and Human Services. Currently a member of the National Academy of Medicine’s Committee
on Assistive Products and Devices, Dr. Cooper has improved the lives of Veterans through technology.
An Army Veteran with a spinal cord injury, he won a bronze medal in Paralympic Games in Seoul, South
Korea in 1988.
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<p><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri">Dr. Cooper holds B.S. and M.Eng degrees in electrical engineering from California Polytechnic State
University, a PhD in electrical and computer engineering with a concentration in bioengineering from
the University of California at Santa Barbara, and an Honorary Doctorate from Xi’an Jiatong University in
China. </span></p></div></div></div><div>[Image Alt Text: Dr. Rory Cooper posing for a picture with a smile. He has light color skin, short brown hair and brown eyes. He is wearing a white collared shirt, red and blue tie, and black suit jacket with a red and gold lapel pin.]</div></div>