American Synesthesia Association
Encyclopedia
The American Synesthesia Association (ASA) is a not-for-profit academic and public society whose mission is to foster and promote the education and the advancement of knowledge of the phenomena of synesthesia
, a neurological condition in which stimulation in one sensory modality leads to experiences in a second, unstimulated modality. The ASA attempts to promote and provide a means for the people who experience and/or study synesthesia to be in contact with each other. As part of its educational mission, the ASA provides information to scientists, health professionals, academicians, researchers, artists, writers, musicians, lay persons and people who experience synesthesia.
and Patricia Lynne Duffy
after discovering, through correspondence with Simon Baron-Cohen
, that there were other people in the New York metropolitan area who experienced synesthesia. The ASA was born out of a desire to meet other synesthetes, and to improve communication between synesthetes and researchers.
In 2000, the ASA was incorporated and received provisional status, 501(c)(3) in 2001. In 2005, the ASA received permanent 501(c)(3) status, and is now a Public Charity under the IRS tax code.
The Board Members of the ASA are Sean A. Day, Peter Grossenbacher, emeritus, Lawrence E. Marks, and Carol Steen.
in 2001 with the attendance of numerous synesthesia researchers including Larry Marks, Vilayanur S. Ramachandran
, Peter Grossenbacher, and artists and authors including Patricia Lynne Duffy
and Natasha Lvovich. This meeting was featured in the popular press, including Time
magazine and other media outlets. The first conference also became the subject of a documentary video. Since 2002, the ASA has instituted a Keynote speaker, who gives an hour long lecture linking synesthesia with other domains of research. In 2011, the University of California, San Diego
will be the first location to host the ASA annual meeting twice (2002, 2011).
Synesthesia
Synesthesia , from the ancient Greek , "together," and , "sensation," is a neurologically based condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway...
, a neurological condition in which stimulation in one sensory modality leads to experiences in a second, unstimulated modality. The ASA attempts to promote and provide a means for the people who experience and/or study synesthesia to be in contact with each other. As part of its educational mission, the ASA provides information to scientists, health professionals, academicians, researchers, artists, writers, musicians, lay persons and people who experience synesthesia.
Membership
The society currently includes about 200 members. Membership is open to anyone interested in the study of synesthesia, who experiences synesthesia, or who uses synesthesia in their art or published works. As public awareness of synesthesia has grown, the number of members has increased.History
The American Synesthesia Association was created in 1995 by Carol SteenCarol Steen
Carol Steen is an artist, writer, curator, and synesthete who lives and works in New York. She has had over 20 solo gallery exhibitions, her first solo exhibition was at the Detroit Institute of Arts, and her work has been in over 50 group exhibitions including shows at the Philadelphia Museum of...
and Patricia Lynne Duffy
Patricia Lynne Duffy
Patricia Lynne Duffy is an instructor in the UN Language and Communications Programme. She has an M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University...
after discovering, through correspondence with Simon Baron-Cohen
Simon Baron-Cohen
Simon Baron-Cohen FBA is professor of Developmental Psychopathology in the Departments of Psychiatry and Experimental Psychology at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. He is the Director of the University's Autism Research Centre, and a Fellow of Trinity College...
, that there were other people in the New York metropolitan area who experienced synesthesia. The ASA was born out of a desire to meet other synesthetes, and to improve communication between synesthetes and researchers.
In 2000, the ASA was incorporated and received provisional status, 501(c)(3) in 2001. In 2005, the ASA received permanent 501(c)(3) status, and is now a Public Charity under the IRS tax code.
The Board Members of the ASA are Sean A. Day, Peter Grossenbacher, emeritus, Lawrence E. Marks, and Carol Steen.
Meetings
As of 2010, the ASA has held eight major conferences, with attendees from around the world, but mostly from the United States and Europe. The first meeting of the ASA was held at Princeton UniversityPrinceton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in 2001 with the attendance of numerous synesthesia researchers including Larry Marks, Vilayanur S. Ramachandran
Vilayanur S. Ramachandran
Vilayanur Subramanian "Rama" Ramachandran, born 1951, is a neuroscientist known for his work in the fields of behavioral neurology and visual psychophysics...
, Peter Grossenbacher, and artists and authors including Patricia Lynne Duffy
Patricia Lynne Duffy
Patricia Lynne Duffy is an instructor in the UN Language and Communications Programme. She has an M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University...
and Natasha Lvovich. This meeting was featured in the popular press, including Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine and other media outlets. The first conference also became the subject of a documentary video. Since 2002, the ASA has instituted a Keynote speaker, who gives an hour long lecture linking synesthesia with other domains of research. In 2011, the University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
will be the first location to host the ASA annual meeting twice (2002, 2011).
| Meeting | Location | Dates | Presentations | Keynote Speaker |
| 1st | Princeton University Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution.... |
May 19, 2001 | 10 | None |
| 2nd | University of California, San Diego University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States... |
May 17-19, 2002 | 15 | Richard Cytowic Richard Cytowic Richard E. Cytowic is an American neurologist and author who rekindled interest in studying synesthesia in the 1980s. He was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for his New York Times Magazine cover story about James Brady, the Presidential Press Secretary shot in the brain during the assassination... |
| 3rd | Rockefeller University Rockefeller University The Rockefeller University is a private university offering postgraduate and postdoctoral education. It has a strong concentration in the biological sciences. It is also known for producing numerous Nobel laureates... |
May 2-4, 2003 | 18 | Lawrence Marks and Mriganka Sur Mriganka Sur Mriganka Sur is an Indian-born neuroscientist working in the USA.-Biography:Sur did his early schooling in Allahabad, India at the St. Joseph's Collegiate School... |
| 4th | University of California, Berkeley University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA... |
November 5-7, 2004 | 20 | Daphne Maurer |
| 5th | UT Health Science Center | October 28-30, 2005 | 17 | Lynn C. Robertson |
| 6th | University of South Florida St. Petersburg University of South Florida St. Petersburg The University of South Florida St. Petersburg , commonly known as USF St. Pete, is an autonomous campus in the University of South Florida system, located in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida by the Tampa Bay waterfront... |
January 26-28, 2007 | 21 | Mike Dixon |
| 7th | McMaster University McMaster University McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens... |
September 26 – 28, 2008 | 27 | Jamie Ward |
| 8th | Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the... |
October 1-3, 2010 | 18 | Julia Simner |
| 9th | University of California, San Diego University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States... |
October 14 – 16, 2011 | Call still open | TBA |
See also
- History of synesthesia researchHistory of synesthesia researchSynesthesia is a neurological condition in which two or more bodily senses are coupled. For example, in a form of synesthesia known as grapheme-color synesthesia, letters or numbers may be perceived as inherently colored. Historically, the most commonly described form of synesthesia has been...
- UK Synaesthesia AssociationUK Synaesthesia AssociationThe UK Synaesthesia Association was originally founded by Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at Cambridge University and a leading researcher into synaesthesia.-Activities:...
- Belgian Synaesthesia Association