Adam Svec, Ph.D., Au.D.

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Adam Svec is currently a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Audiology within the College of Health and Human Sciences at San José State University. He completed his Au.D. (2014) in Audiology and Ph.D. (2015) in Speech-Language-Hearing Science at the University of Minnesota. Before joining SJSU, Adam held a dual appointment in the Center for Applied and Translational Sensory Science (CATSS) at the University of Minnesota as a Research Scientist for GN Hearing A/S and as a Staff Scientist for the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences. Adam’s current clinical research interests involve examining performance for aging listeners with hearing loss attempting to hold conversations in complex listening environments. There are open questions as to the extent to which current hearing aid technology is helpful in these environments.

Abstract: Launching the Committee to Improve Racial Diversity and Inclusivity (CIRDI) of the Acoustical Society of America

While science came into favor at the beginning of the nineteenth century, largely replacing faith as societal authorities, the scaffolding of racism has remained embedded within the discipline of science. The first step to making long-term changes to scientific practices is to establish the history of racism within science. The second step is to examine ways in which institutions of higher education, scientific journals, and other organizations have perpetuated harm on communities of color. Recognizing a history of excluding Black students in scientific pursuits will help illuminate opportunities for inclusion. As such, the Committee to Improve Racial Diversity and Inclusion (CIRDI) was approved in the fall of 2020 by the Acoustical Society of America (ASA). The charge for the committee was to implement initiatives to increase the representation and participation of racially diverse groups in ASA, build awareness of the value of DEI amongst members, and improve the sense of belonging of underrepresented minorities in ASA. The Summer Undergraduate Research and Internship Experience in Acoustics (SURIEA) was established the same year to increase the capacity of ASA to attract, prepare, and support students from racially and ethnically diverse groups for success in acoustics.