The 2019 Doctoral Student AAC Research Think Tank was held at the Pennsylvania State University from May 19 – May 21, 2019.
The Think Tank brought together 35 doctoral students and faculty from across the country to discuss strategies for developing research careers in AAC. Over the three days, students presented on their own research projects; discussed presentations by and contributions from Steve Bauer, David Beukelman, Melanie Fried-Oken, Janice Light, and David McNaughton; and engaged in lively discussion during presentations and meals.
Follow up surveys from the participating doctoral students indicated the high quality of the Think Tank: the mean rating of the quality of the think tank was 6.96 on a 7-point Likert-type scale (where 1=poor and 7=excellent); 100% indicated that they would strongly recommend the Think Tank to other doctoral students.
The Think Tank was supported by funding from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant #90RE5017) to the RERC on AAC, and The Hintz Family Endowed Chair in Children’s Communicative Competence.