Walker L. Cisler Lecturers Archive

2012- Garrison W. Cottrell 
 
How does the activity in our brain create the mind? One way to understand the mind is to build computer models that “do the same things people do.” Garrison W. Cottrell investigates this question in the context of how we see: how do we recognize faces, facial expressions, and objects? This seems so simple – we look, we see! But it isn’t that simple, something you discover if you try to write a computer program that can automatically label faces and objects with their names. Prof. Cottrell will described his computer models of how we see, and how our brains can often fool us about what we see.   Cottrell, who has been working on neural network models of mental processes for over 30 years, describes the field of cognitive science and how building working models of mental processes can provide insights into how the mind works. His research group, Gary’s Unbelievable Research Unit (GURU), focuses on how the visual system might learn representations of the world, how our attention is drawn to different objects in our visual field, and how we use these processes to recognize objects.

A group of racecars piloted by the best drivers in NASCAR are turning a corner. Without warning, one of the cars suddenly hits the outside wall. There were no engine failures, no flat tires, and none of the cars touched …so what happened? Physics professor and author of The Physics of NASCAR, Diandra Leslie-Pelecky details what it takes to make racecars faster and safer, and why driving a stock car is much harder than you might think. ...more

The nighttime symphony of croaking frogs and toads is becoming a thing of the past and Tyrone Hayes, an internationally recognized biologist, knows why. His research on atrazine, a widely used pesticide found in groundwater, local streams, and ponds, has revealed that the product is a potent endocrine disrupter that chemically castrates and feminizes exposed male amphibians. Atrazine also causes neural damage and hyperactivity and induces a hormonal stress response that leads to retarded growth and immune suppression, resulting in increased disease and mortality rates ...more

2008 - John Noble Wilford

Since joining the New York Times as a science news reporter in 1965, Wilford has committed to sharing this informed wonder with his readers. As a journalist, he has covered cutting-edge technology and scientific breakthroughs, including space exploration, but also has witnessed the tragic consequences of such endeavors, like the Challenger space shuttle explosion. Throughout his career, Wilford has gained not only an appreciation for science and technology, but a curiosity.

2007 - Dr. Alan Dale Poling

Dr. Poling is a member of the behavior analysis program and director of the behavioral pharmacology laboratory at Western Michigan University.  He has been a member of the WMU faculty in the Department of Psychology since 1977 and served as interim associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from February 2003-February 2004.  His primary research interests are psychopharmacology and behavior analysis, and his work has been supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Education.  He was named a WMU Distinguished Faculty Scholar in 1996.  Poling earned his bachelor's degree from Alderson-Broaddus College in 1972, his master's degree from West Virginia University in 1974 and his doctoral degree from the University of Minnesota in 1977.  Poling replaced Dr. Jay Wood, whose appointment as associate vice president for academic affairs was also approved by the board Feb. 27. 

2006 - Dr. L. Dennis Smith

Dr. Smith served at Indiana University, Purdue University, Woods Hole Marine Biology Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, University of California at Irvine, and as president of the University of Nebraska (1994–2004).  Among his awards are a Guggenheim Fellowship (1987) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award (2002).  In a talk entitled, "The Science, Promise, and Politics of Embryonic Stem Cell Research," Dr. Smith shared his experiences as a very visible participant in public discussions about medical necessity, academic freedom, the ethics of using embryonic stem cells, public funding, and related issues.  He also talked about the necessity of finding formal ways to involve the larger society in developing guidelines for the ethical conduct of future biomedical research.