ACE Associate Dean Philip Troyk, PhD Advocates for Chicago Lighthouse

Philip Troyk, PhD, Associate Dean for Armour College of Engineering, was recently interviewed on WCPT 820-AM & FM and was featured on The Beacon, a one hour radio program that fills the void for information concerning people with visual and other disabilities, seniors, and veterans. Dr. Troyk is an expert in neural prostheses, implant design, and computational neuroscience. The radio interview focused on the intracortical visual prosthesis: an implantable system for restoring visual perception to those with blindness.

On February 20th Dr. Troyk will recruit volunteers for a focus group at the Chicago Lighthouse. The event is sponsored by Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center and is designed to help researchers understand the perspectives of individuals on vision implant technology.

The focus group is seeking civilians and U.S. military veterans who are totally blind or have minimal light perception for this two-hour focus group.

Participants must attend a one hour informational meeting at the Lighthouse, presented by Dr. Troyk on February 20th, or agree to listen to an audiotape of the session, before meeting in a focus group. The informational meeting will be held at the Chicago Lighthouse on February 20th at 11:00 AM, with a luncheon to follow. The focus groups, to be scheduled for other dates, will be audio and video recorded at a meeting room or classroom in the Chicago area.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Primary language is English
• Totally blind or with light perception only
• Able to comfortably sit through a two hour focus group
• Able to travel to the greater Chicago area

For additional information about the study and/or to schedule an appointment, please contact:

Alicia Mattox
Phone: 248.320.6749
Email: amattox@hawk.iit.edu