Distinguished Lecturers

Announcement and Call for Nominations

Introduction

ISCA has started a new Distinguished Lecturers Program in 2006 to send Distinguished Lecturers to travel to different parts of the world to give lectures to help promote research activities on speech science and technologies. Two Distinguished Lecturers were selected at the end of 2006, Professor Chin-Hui Lee, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA and Professor Marc Swerts, Tilburg University, the Netherlands, with 2-year terms of 2007-2008, one Distinguished Lecturer selected at the end of 2007, Professor Richard M. Stern of Carnegie Mellon University, USA, with a 2-year term of 2008-2009, and two more Distinguished Lecturers selected at the end of 2008, Professor Abeer Alwan of University of California at Los Angeles, USA and Professor James R. Glass of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, with a 2-year term of 2009-2010 . Professor Marc Swerts has finished his Distinguished Lecturer Tours to go to Latin America and Southern Africa respectively in June 2007 and July 2008, and Professor Chin-Hui Lee has finished his trips to go to South Asia and Latin America in Nov 2007 and Oct 2008. Richard Stern has finished his trip to Latin America in Aug 2009.

Nominations and Selection

A Distinguished Lecturers Committee has been organized. The chair of the Committee for 2006-2010 is Professor Sadaoki Furui. Nominations of candidates for 2010-2011 terms are called. Each nomination should include information (short biography, selected publications, website, etc. plus topics/titles of up to 3 possible lectures) of no more than 2 pages to be sent to the Committee Chair (furui@cs.titech.ac.jp). Only those who receive the highest votes by the Committee, exceeding a minimum threshold of 2/3, are selected. Nominations for this year should be received before the deadline of Nov 15 2009.

Commitments of the Lecturers

The candidates selected by the Committee will be contacted and asked for the commitment of making time available for Lecture Tours, including the possibility of traveling to some regions specially identified as under-represented in ISCA programs (China, India, Eastern Europe, Latin America, South and West Asia, Africa). Those who agree are announced as ISCA Distinguished Lecturers.

Distinguished Lecturers Tours

Distinguished Lecturers Tours are arranged by ISCA upon invitation only. The local hosts should be responsible for making and funding the local arrangements including accommodation and meals, and ISCA will pay travel costs. A Distinguished Lecturer Tour is realizable when at least three lectures are included, preferably in at least two different locations.

More Details

More details of this Program can be found at ISCA website.

Announcement for 2009

Purpose

ISCA started the Distinguished Lecturers Program in 2006. The purpose is to send Distinguished Lecturers to travel to different parts of the world to give lectures to help promote research activities on speech science and technologies.

Distinguished Lecturers for 2009

2 Distinguished Lecturers have been selected for 2009-2010:

(1) Professor Abeer Alwan, University of California at Los Angeles, USA.
(2) Professor James R. Glass, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA.

Together with 1 Distinguished Lecturer selected a year ago for 2008-2009:
(1) Professor Richard M. Stern, Carnegie Mellon University, USA,

a total of 3 Distinguished Lecturers are available in 2009.

Reports for for Distinguished Lecturers Tours

(1) Professor Chin-Hui Lee, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA,
- (Trip report 1 - 2007)
- (Trip report 2 - 2008)

(2) Professor Marc Swerts, Tilburg University, the Netherlands,
- (Trip report 1 - 2007)
- (Trip report 2 - 2008) - (Picture of trip 2- 2008)

ISCA Distinguished Lecturers Program

(A) Necessary Conditions for Distinguished Lecturers

An ISCA Distinguished Lecturer must commit to traveling to regions defined by the ISCA Board to give lectures. This commitment should include a minimum of two lecture tours in a 2 year period, assuming that ISCA can arrange these tours. Being an ISCA Distinguished Lecturer thus represents a commitment to service in addition to the recognition of academic achievement.

(B) Selection Procedures for Distinguished Lecturers

To ensure that Distinguished Lecturers are distinguished scientists or researchers who can give good lectures, the following procedures will be followed in the selection process: -

A Distinguished Lecturers Committee should be organized. The chair of the Committee is appointed by the ISCA Board. The Committee shall include 5 to 7 members, at least 2 of whom are not ISCA Board members. The other members of the Committee are appointed by the ISCA President in consultation with the chair and confirmed by the ISCA Board. The term of all Committee members is 3 years.

All ISCA members may nominate candidates to be considered by the above Committee. The Committee shall vote on these nominees and those receiving the most votes (exceeding a 2/3 majority of the Committee), within a maximum number of Distinguished Lecturers set by the ISCA Board, shall be selected. Calls for nominations shall be published in the ISCApad and posted on the ISCA website. Each nomination should include a short biography, a list of selected publications, a c.v., a pointer to the nominee's website if possible, as well as the topic areas on which the nominee might be invited to lecture; this nominating document should not exceed two pages plus the c.v.. The nominating document may also include explicit agreement from the nominee that his (or her) lectures can be recorded to be used in ISCA's education program, if elected. Nomination deadlines and voting process details are decided by the Board or the above Committee. Members of the Committee may add nominations at any time. The names of the Lecturers selected by the Committee shall be submitted to the ISCA Board for approval. Once this approval has been obtained, the Committee Chair shall contact the Lecturers to ask them if they can commit to the conditions specified in (A). Those who agree shall be announced as ISCA Distinguished Lecturers, with a term of 2 years.

(C) Organization of Distinguished Lecturers Tours

• 1. The Distinguished Lecturers Tours are organized by the International Affairs Committee with support from the ISCA administrator. The local hosts should be responsible for making and funding all local arrangements, including accommodation and meals (at least at minimum level). ISCA will pay travel costs at the economy level. When necessary, ISCA will supplement the reimbursement from the local hosts up to normal and customary costs to ensure the comfort of the Lecturer while traveling.
• 2. The local hosts should make their best effort in promoting the lectures. They may ask for support from ISCA to cover the costs for such promotional activities when needed (e.g. renting a bus to bring students to the lectures). Whenever possible the local hosts should try to audio/video record the lectures (with the agreement of the lecturer). Such material would be used together with the lecturer's ppt files for ISCA's education program. They may also ask for support from ISCA to cover the costs for recording when needed.
• 3. A Distinguished Lecturer Tour shall be organized when at least three lectures, preferably in at least 2 different cities in the regions defined by the Board, can be arranged. Any additional travel arrangements shall be the responsibility of the Distinguished Lecturer.
• 4. The list of Distinguished Lecturers is made public and advertised to the regions defined by the Board, together with brief introductory information and possible topics/titles of lectures.
• 5. The Board can always ask any ISCA member to give lectures furthering ISCA interests outside of the Distinguished Lecturers Program.

(D) Board Responsibilities

• 1. The chair of the International Affairs Committee is the Board Member responsible for this program.
• 2. The chair of the Distinguished Lecturers Committee, the chair of the International Affairs Committee and the ISCA Treasurer form a task force overseeing this program, including all operating details such as budget requirements, travel cost estimation, upper bound of number of Distinguished Lecturers selected each year, and the operating schedule for the program each year. This task force is coordinated by the chair of International Affairs Committee.