Dr. Cynthia Moss visiting Illinois College as part of Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar program

The professor of psychological and brain sciences at Johns Hopkins University will be giving the lecture "Using Sound to Navigate the World - Echolocation by Bats and Blind Humans" as part of the Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar program on March 18, 2024.

"Humans tend to rely heavily on vision to navigate, but blind individuals must make use of other senses," Moss explains. "In this lecture, I will present details on the sound features that are used for echolocation by animals and blind humans and the acoustic cues they use to localize objects in the environment."

Students and members of the community are invited to attend this free event in Kirby Learning Center, Room 6 at 7 p.m.

"The Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar program enables our students and the Jacksonville community to interact with internationally recognized scholars," Dr. Beth Widmaier Capo, secretary of the Phi Beta Kappa chapter on campus, explains. "Dr. Moss has been awarded the Alexander von Humboldt Research Prize and is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. We are honored to host her visit."

Phi Beta Kappa is a distinguished honorary college society that was founded in 1776 by five students at the College of William and Mary. The society embraces the principles of freedom of inquiry and liberty of thought and expression. Invitation to membership in Phi Beta Kappa is a reflection of the highest scholastic achievement from among the leading candidates for college degrees in the liberal arts and sciences.

Illinois College is one of only 293 select campuses in the country - just 10% of institutions - and one of only 11 in Illinois to have a Phi Beta Kappa chapter.