Noted Neuroscientist Imparts to Rutgers Graduates the Key to Empowering Themselves and Others
Dr. Paula Tallal Explains the Subtle Power of Words in Commencement Speech
6/29/07
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Oakland, CA, June 29, 2007—"You now have the greatest potential to influence many lives and so understanding the power of language is - well - power itself."
That was the central message that Dr. Paula Tallal delivered to an audience consisting of the Rutgers-Newark graduate school's class of 2007 and their guests. Tallal is founder and co-director of Rutgers University's Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience http://www.cmbn.rutgers.edu as well as a founder of the Scientific Learning Corp. (NASDAQ:SCIL) http://www.ScientificLearning.com, creators of the award-winning Fast ForWord® family of products. Fast ForWord http://www.FastForWord.com is a reading intervention product that applies neuroscience principles to build learning capacity.
In her commencement address, Tallal explained how language defines who we are throughout our lives. She described the ways in which environmental factors such as culture and socio-economic circumstances combine with linguistics to affect the brain and, consequently, future interpersonal communication. In addition, she discussed society's recent reactions to hate speech as well as the role of spoken language as an essential foundation for success in the classroom and life.
Tallal also spoke about what she termed the "real power" of language, inner speech. "We tell ourselves what our strengths and weaknesses are. We are only limited by what we tell ourselves we can or cannot achieve, for better or for worse. This inner speech literally defines our own self image," she said.
Tallal holds the university's highest academic rank, Board of Governors Professor of Neuroscience. She is also a recipient of Rutgers' prestigious academic award -- the Rutgers University Board of Trustees Award for Excellence in Research. Tallal has both clinical and academic expertise, having led research teams and served on national and international policy-making panels, grant review committees and advisory boards. She has published over 200 scientific papers and reviews as well as three edited volumes. Her expertise has extended into the corporate world where, in 1996, she co-founded Scientific Learning Corp.
"When we seek out accomplished individuals to address our graduates, we look at more than academic credentials; we also look at the positive impact that the candidate has had within his or her discipline, as well as on society," said Rutgers-Newark's provost, Steven J. Diner. "Paula Tallal's research into learning and language disorders most certainly fits this criteria. Her distinguished scholarship has directly touched thousands of lives - both the lives of learning-disabled children and the lives of their concerned families - and in the process, she has raised the bar for all researchers."
Read Tallal's speech in full at the Rutgers-Newark Commencement Web page: (http://www.newark.rutgers.edu/commencement/
index.php?sId=tallal-speech)
About Rutgers-Newark
Rutgers-Newark http://www.rutgers.edu/ is among the northeast's leading research universities, and is ranked the most diverse national university in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. The Rutgers Graduate School—Newark is one of the seven schools that comprise Rutgers University in Newark, NJ. The Graduate School offers 17 master's programs and 15 PhD programs, in the arts and humanities, sciences, management, nursing, and criminal justice. The Graduate School—Newark is dedicated to the advancement of scientific and human knowledge in an environment that encourages scholarly inquiry and intellectual growth. Graduate students are expected to develop the analytical and creative skills required for original scholarship, research, and problem solving, as well as a thorough understanding of an academic discipline.
About Scientific Learning Corporation
Scientific Learning produces the patented Fast ForWord® family of products, a series of computer-delivered intervention products that build learning capacity by developing the neurocognitive skills required to read and learn effectively.
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