The Doctoral Student AAC Research Think Tank is designed to support conversations and develop research collaborations among current doctoral students who have a strong interest in conducting AAC research.
2025 Think Tank
The 2025 Doctoral Student AAC Research Think Tank will be held at Penn State University from May 6 – 8, 2025. It will bring together interested faculty, doctoral students, and people who use AAC to discuss current and future research in AAC. You can review information on previous Think Tanks on the archives page.
- All student participants will have an opportunity to present and discuss their current research.
- Additional topics, based on student interest (as described on a recent survey) will be presented by RERC on AAC faculty , AAC users, and invited speakers
- Developing research partnerships with people who use or need AAC
- Establishing and maintaining collaborations with other researchers and community partners
- Balancing the demands of a successful career
- There is no registration fee for the conference, however individuals are responsible for their own expenses (e.g., travel, lodging, meals).
- Because some of the costs for the Think Tank are supported by a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant #90REGE0014) to the RERC on AAC, registration for the 2025 Think Tank is limited to doctoral students who have graduate student status in Spring, 2025, and who are formally affiliated with a graduate program in the United States.
- In order to support small group interactions and one-to-one conversations, space at the Think Tank is limited to 25 doctoral student participants. Priority will be given to current doctoral students who are actively involved in AAC research.
For additional information on the 2025 Think Tank, please contact Dr David McNaughton at dbm2@psu.edu
2022 Think Tank
The 2022 Doctoral Student AAC Research Think Tank was held on the University Park campus of Penn State University from May 10-12, 2022. The Think Tank brought together over 35 doctoral students and faculty to discuss strategies for developing research careers in AAC.
2019 Think Tank
The 2019 Doctoral Student AAC Research Think Tank was held on the University Park campus of Penn State University from May 19-21, 2019. The Think Tank brought together over 35 doctoral students and faculty to discuss strategies for developing research careers in AAC. Think Tank activities included presentations by doctoral students with a strong interest in conducting AAC research, as well as presentations by David Beukelman and Susan Fager, Melanie Fried-Oken, Janice Light, and David McNaughton.
2017 Think Tank
The RERC on AAC hosted the 3-day 2017 Doctoral Student AAC Research Think Tank at Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania on May 16-18, 2017. Think Tank activities included presentations by doctoral students with a strong interest in conducting AAC research. The 2017 Think Tank also involved contributions from the RERC on AAC partners and other faculty with an interest in AAC research, and was organized by David McNaughton, Janice Light, and David Beukelman.
