Pollack family's gift establishes new Psychology lecture series

Irwin Pollack, Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Research Scientist Emeritus in the Mental Health Research Institute at the University of Michigan, was internationally known for his novel approaches to improve the understanding of the human auditory system. At the university, he was also “famous among friends and colleagues for his interest in and knowledge about almost any topic that came up.” So, when considering how to honor Pollack’s legacy at the university, his children—Stanley, Sharron, and Phyllis—reflected on his decades of support and engagement at talks held by the Department of Psychology.

In 2024, they made a generous donation to establish the Irwin Pollack Lecture Fund, an endowment that creates a new lecture series in his name. The series will enable LSA’s Department of Psychology to bring in speakers from around the world whose research focuses on psychophysics, cognition, and perception.

“Although my father’s own research was narrowly focused, his interests truly were vast. He was the kind of person who could engage in conversation with almost anyone about almost anything because he was just so interested and well-versed in all things,” said Stanley Pollack. “What could be a better way to honor him than to create situations in which others can attend and build those kinds of connections?”

The inaugural Irwin Pollack Lecture on April 18, 2025, will feature guest speaker David B. Pisoni (Ph.D. 1971), Distinguished Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Chancellor's Professor of Cognitive Science at Indiana University, Bloomington was a doctoral student of Pollack’s whose own influential research has built upon the kinds of auditory and speech processing research Pollack helped pioneer.

Read the full story about Irwin Pollack’s research and legacy.