High Level Vision Lab

People

The High Level Vision Lab is dedicated to the study of vision, combining the talented and varied experience of NDSU researchers, coordinators, and arctic wildlife.

Laboratory Director: Ben Balas, Ph.D.

Dr. Balas received his Ph.D. in 2007 from MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Science. Prior to joining the faculty at NDSU, he did post-doctoral research at Children's Hospital Boston. Dr. Balas' research interests are primarily in face and object recognition, with an emphasis on visual learning and development.

Lab Mascot: Norman P. Bear, MPBS

Norman received his MPBS (Master of Polar Bear Studies) from PBIT (Polar Bear Institute of Technology) in 2009. He has extensive experience as a testing assistant and his primary research interest is an ongoing study of how he can get Dr. Balas to give him more snacks.

Lab Coordinator: Alyson Saville

Alyson will be joining the lab in October of 2011 as our lab coordinator. Prior to joining the Balas Lab, Alyson spent several years working with Dr. Linda Langley in the Cognitive Aging Lab at NDSU.

Co-conspirator: Erin Conwell, Ph.D.

Dr. Conwell received her Ph.D. in 2008 from Brown University's Department of Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences. Prior to joining the faculty at NDSU, she carried out post-doctoral research at Harvard University. Dr. Conwell's research interests are in language acquisition, with particular emphasis on the role of the language environment on children's language use.

Undergraduate Research Assistant: Kate Stevenson

Kate is an undergraduate student at Concordia and will be working with Dr. Balas and Dr. Mike Mangini on projects related to how children and adults recognize real human faces compared to artificial faces or faces belonging to other-species groups.

Undergraduate Research Assistant: Chelsea Peterson


Alumni

Graduate Research Assistant: Carol Huynh

Undergraduate Research Assistant: Chris Tonsager

Graduate Student: Chris Kuylen

Research Scientist: Hsin-Mei Sun, Ph.D.