In recent years, human cognitive auditory neuroscience has made rapid strides due to advances in human neuroimaging, the advent of innovative machine learning/big data analytic approaches, and a greater mechanistic understanding of cognitive-sensory interactions in animal models. The dynamic landscape of this emergent field necessitates a highly interdisciplinary, human and translation-centric symposium that brings together expertise across academia and industry. This application requests partial funding for the Symposium on Cognitive Auditory Neuroscience (SCAN) to be hosted in Pittsburgh, PA in July 2020 and 2022, as a joint venture between Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and University of Pittsburgh (Pitt). As a biennial meeting, SCAN aims to become the premiere intellectual and professional venue for current research in the emerging field of human cognitive auditory neuroscience. SCAN will incorporate elements typical to academic conferences (research talks, posters) as well as novel ideas that promote ?blue sky? thinking in this rapidly evolving field. SCAN will assiduously and innovatively work towards inclusivity and creating an atmosphere that encourages intellectual and professional engagement from women, underrepresented minorities, and individuals with disabilities. Another critical aim of the SCAN is to foster industry-academic partnerships with an eye towards translation of basic research and fostering career opportunities for trainees. Pittsburgh is uniquely situated to launch SCAN. With an enviable concentration of co-located auditory neuroscience expertise, Pittsburgh is also an intellectual hub for industries/start-ups engaged in in machine learning, natural language processing, and speech recognition. SCAN will leverage these advantages to foster growth and innovation tied to core missions of the National Institutes of Deafness and Communication Disorders.
The Symposium on Cognitive Auditory Neuroscience (SCAN) has a strong connection to deafness and communication disorders through its focus on the basic science of human cognitive auditory neuroscience, and its translation. SCAN will establish an intellectual home for dissemination of cutting-edge research in human cognitive auditory neuroscience, support the development of the next generation of scientists, build a vibrant and inclusive community that engages with the grand challenges in the field, and forge new academia-industry partnerships.
