Tara Alvarez's guest appearances

Tara Alvarez

People Behind the Science Podcast - Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers

Finding Genius Podcast

Carmel Majidi

Michael Levin

Brian Keating

Roger Smith

Steven Kotler

Ross Taylor

Scott Smith

Andrew Smith

Michael Mann

Steven C. Hayes

Mark Bertin

Elisha Goldstein

Scott Nelson

Robin Smith

Robert Eisen

OwlTail

Dr. Tara Alvarez is Professor of Bio-Medical Engineering at New Jersey Institute of Technology and Chief Scientific Officer at OculoMotor Technologies. Tara’s research focuses on how we move our eyes, how visual information is brought in through our visual system, and how the brain changes. In particular, she studies a condition called convergence insufficiency. In this condition, people have difficulty and discomfort when reading or maintaining focus on near objects. She is working to better understand convergence insufficiency and how the brain changes during visual therapy, resulting in reduced symptoms. In her free time, Tara loves spending time with her kids, doing renovation projects at home, cooking, and gardening. She was awarded her B.S. in Electrical Engineering and her Ph.D. in Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering from Rutgers University. Afterwards, she conducted postdoctoral research at Bell Labs before joining the faculty at New Jersey Institute of Technology. She has received numerous awards and honors in her career, including an NSF Career Award, the Founding Members Award for Science from the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association, an Edison Patent Award, the NJIT Excellence in Research Award, and Augmented World Expo’s Auggie Awards for Women XR Laureate and for Most Innovative Breakthrough. She has also been named an Outstanding Woman Scientist of NJ, a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, and a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. In this interview, Tara shares more about her life and science.

Dr. Tara Alvarez is Professor of Bio-Medical Engineering at New Jersey Institute of Technology and Chief Scientific Officer at OculoMotor Technologies. Tara’s research focuses on how we move our eyes, how visual information is brought in through our visual system, and how the brain changes. In particular, she studies a condition called convergence insufficiency. In this condition, people have difficulty and discomfort when reading or maintaining focus on near objects. She is working to better understand convergence insufficiency and how the brain changes during visual therapy, resulting in reduced symptoms. In her free time, Tara loves spending time with her kids, doing renovation projects at home, cooking, and gardening. She was awarded her B.S. in Electrical Engineering and her Ph.D. in Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering from Rutgers University. Afterwards, she conducted postdoctoral research at Bell Labs before joining the faculty at New Jersey Institute of Technology. She has received numerous awards and honors in her career, including an NSF Career Award, the Founding Members Award for Science from the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association, an Edison Patent Award, the NJIT Excellence in Research Award, and Augmented World Expo’s Auggie Awards for Women XR Laureate and for Most Innovative Breakthrough. She has also been named an Outstanding Woman Scientist of NJ, a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, and a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. In this interview, Tara shares more about her life and science.

655: Researching how the Brain Changes with Vision Rehabilitation - Dr. Tara Alvarez

What makes our eyes move in tandem with each other? Convergence is key, but some people may struggle without vision therapy.  Press Play to learn:  How convergence issues can be induced If we can be eye-dominant and if it affects convergence deficiency Why some people develop the deficiency, or if we know  Tara Alvarez, a professor of Bio-Medical Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, shares her work developing vision therapy and tools used in rehabilitation. While many of us may not even notice, our eyes' ability to move in coordination with each other is responsible for much of our visual capabilities. Vision therapy may become necessary when people struggle with this or experience an accident that caused the issue. Though it can be challenging to find the root cause of convergence deficiency, effective treatments tend to be quite dull. However, by developing new techniques and including virtual reality, vision therapy is becoming much more successful. To learn more, visit people.njit.edu/faculty/alvarez.   Episode also available on Apple Podcast: http://apple.co/30PvU9C

What makes our eyes move in tandem with each other? Convergence is key, but some people may struggle without vision therapy. Press Play to learn: <ul> <li>How convergence issues can be induced</li> <li>If we can be eye-dominant and if it affects convergence deficiency</li> <li>Why some people develop the deficiency, or if we know</li> </ul> Tara Alvarez, a professor of Bio-Medical Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, shares her work developing vision therapy and tools used in rehabilitation. While many of us may not even notice, our eyes' ability to move in coordination with each other is responsible for much of our visual capabilities. Vision therapy may become necessary when people struggle with this or experience an accident that caused the issue. Though it can be challenging to find the root cause of convergence deficiency, effective treatments tend to be quite dull. However, by developing new techniques and including virtual reality, vision therapy is becoming much more successful. To learn more, visit <a href="https://people.njit.edu/faculty/alvarez" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">people.njit.edu/faculty/alvarez</a>. Episode also available on Apple Podcast: <a href="http://apple.co/30PvU9C" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://apple.co/30PvU9C</a>

Oculomotor Function and Human Visual Dysfunction and Its Possible Treatments for Success in Children with Tara Alvarez