Robert W. Peters Award

The Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences established the Robert W. Peters Award Fund to annually recognize a student who has demonstrated excellence in research.  Professor Robert W. Peters joined the faculty of the University of North Carolina in 1969 and founded the Institute of Speech and Hearing Sciences, which later became a Division in the Department of Allied Health Sciences.  He chaired the academic program in speech and hearing until 1981 and taught courses in psychoacoustics, fluency disorders, and research design. His research focused on auditory and speech perception, sensation and perception, and stuttering.  Previously, he was a Professor at the University of Southern Mississippi where he served as Departmental Chair of Speech and Hearing Sciences and as Research Administrator for the University. In 1981 and 1982 he was a Visiting Research Scholar in the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Cambridge in England.

How to make a gift to Robert W. Peters Award Fund

Thank you for making a gift to the UNC-Chapel Hill Robert W. Peters Award Fund.  Choose from one of the two options listed below to make a gift.

Option #1: Online Credit Card Gifts

It's easy and secure!  Follow the three-step instructions below to make an online credit card gift on the secure University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill credit card giving page.

Step 1: Visit the UNC-Chapel Hill SHS Online Giving Page

Click here to visit the UNC-Chapel Hill Speech and Hearing Sciences online credit card gift page.

Step 2: Designate Your Gift

In the designation drop down menu, select Robert W. Peters Fund to designate your gift.

Step 3: Make Your Gift

Please provide the personal and credit card information requested and make your gift. Thank you for your support!

Option #2:  Gifts by mail to Robert W. Peters Award Fund

Gifts by mail are welcome and appreciated!  Please make your check payable to the “Medical Foundation of NC, Inc” and write “Robert W. Peters Fund, Design. #8975.”  Mail your gift to:

Director of Development
Department of Allied Health Sciences
Bondurant Hall, Room 1034, CB# 7120
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7120

Please contact Kyle Gray, Director of Development, at 919.966.3352 or kyle_gray@med.unc.edu if you have any questions.

Vanessa Evelyn Loiselle
2010-11 Recipient of the Robert W. Peters Award
My interests in the field of speech and hearing sciences grew out of my initial exposure to children with hearing impairments who used American Sign Language to communicate. While working to learn the basics of ASL, I came to realize that in the deaf community I could be considered impaired by my inability to communicate adequately. This grew into a wider interest in the area of communicative disorders and being able to help others with these difficulties. Working with children during both my undergraduate and graduate education, I have recognized that my interests lie in the area of early intervention. Research has shown that detection of problems relatively early in life can significantly improve outcomes and help the child have a greater chance of success both in life and education. I hope to be effective in my career by using established therapy techniques that are adapted for the individual situation as well as helping to investigate and research novel treatments that could help further the field. I am honored and thankful to be this year’s recipient of the Peters Award.