[Access Lunch] Conversation with Dr. Rory Cooper of HERL | Thursday, August 27 at 2pm

[Cole Gleason]

Hi everyone!

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!

To kick this off, we are starting the semester with Dr. Rory Cooper from
the Human Engineering Research Laboratories <https://www.herl.pitt.edu/>
(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!

*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!*

*Bio: *Rory A. Cooper, PhD

FISA/PVA Distinguished Professor of the Department of Rehabilitation
Science and Technology University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA
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

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.

A prolific writer, he has published over 300 peer-reviewed articles and
three books, including the award- winning Care of the Combat Amputee. 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.

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.

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.
[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.]
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