Dr. Judy Rich, a professor of practice in speech, language and hearing at The University of Texas at Dallas, has been elected president of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

Rich teaches courses at the UT Dallas Callier Center for Communication Disorders and supervises graduate students in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences. She assumed the new role Jan. 1.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to serve as president and to represent 218,000 individuals who care about language, communication and hearing,” Rich said. “It’s a remarkable association, and I am excited about this year.”

An ASHA fellow, Rich has been a frequent and long-serving ASHA volunteer, leading or serving on finance- and school-focused committees, as well as on boards and councils. She is also past president of the Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Before joining UT Dallas as an adjunct professor in 2015, Rich worked in Texas public schools for 35 years in various roles, including as a speech-language pathologist, program specialist for speech and language services, special education director and assistant superintendent for student services.

Rich said the speech, hearing and language community pivoted quickly when the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, although the challenges have been difficult for this group, particularly those individuals confined to home or without resources.

“If you were challenged in terms of accessing health services before the pandemic, it’s like a double whammy during the pandemic,” she said. “It’s important for all of us to be aware of that.”

Geographers Association Honors Researcher

Dr. May Yuan, Ashbel Smith Professor of geospatial information sciences (GIS) at The University of Texas at Dallas, has been named a 2021 fellow of the American Association of Geographers (AAG).

The association announced its 2021 and 2022 fellows on Jan. 18, recognizing 23 geographers in a variety of practice areas for their significant contributions to geographic research, advancement of practice and careers devoted to strengthening the field of geography, including teaching and mentoring.

“I am grateful for the support from UT Dallas administration, colleagues and students who expand and deepen my GIS research,” Yuan said. “The interdisciplinary emphases in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences encourage us to think outside of our boundaries and allow me to exploit GIS data and methods for a richer geographic understanding of human-environment interactions, social-environmental consequences and policy implications.”

The AAG has contributed to the advancement of geography for more than 100 years and includes members from nearly 100 countries. In addition to addressing the organization’s key initiatives and strategic direction, the fellows advise and mentor early- and mid-career faculty.

Yuan joined UT Dallas in fall 2014. A fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, she is a leading scholar in geospatial information sciences and a prominent researcher in the representation of complex spatiotemporal phenomena. She has been a pivotal contributor to advancing geographic representation, space-time analytics, spatiotemporal modeling and temporal GIS. Yuan also is the director of the UT Dallas Geospatial Analytics and Innovative Applications Laboratory and the editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Geographical Information Science.

Accolades is an occasional News Center feature that highlights recent accomplishments of The University of Texas at Dallas faculty and students. To submit items for consideration, contact your school’s communications manager.