Marsha L. Landolt Distinguished Graduate Mentor Award
Recognizes an Outstanding Faculty Member Who Advises Graduate Students
Lesley Olswang
Department: Speech and Hearing Sciences, 27 years at UW
Courses Taught: Social and Cultural Aspects of Communication; Clinical Methodology for Documenting Change in Communication Disorders; Clinical Research in Communication Disorders
Achievements:Olswang's current research focuses on two areas: development of early signals of communication in infants, and social communication deficits exhibited by school-age children. She is a Fulbright Scholar, an Asha Fellow and an affiliate of the Center on Human Development and Disability and the Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Center. She won a UW Distinguished Teaching Award in 1983. Students and colleagues alike most often hail her for her ability to balance her work and personal life while mentoring graduate students.
Quote: "Lesley provided a role model of a woman who could achieve excellence in academia and at the same time prioritize mentorship and teaching. ... She required excellence on my part, encouraging me to improve my research and writing and critical thinking skills. She both challenged and led by example, as she demanded the same high quality work of herself." -student Heather Carmichael Olson, Ph.D.
Degrees: B.S., Northwestern University, 1969; M.A., University of Illinois, 1971; Ph.D., University of Washington, 1978