In Memory of Dr. Valerie Morash | Vision Research

Please donate to Val's memory. Proceeds help share vision science through the student-led Bay Area Vision Research Day conference

Dr. Valerie (Val) Morash tragically passed away at age 32 due to acute carbon monoxide poisoning. Because of Val's commitment to both advancing and sharing knowledge freely, the proceeds of this project will go to the Bay Area Vision Research Day conference, a free conference hosted by graduate students where she spoke in 2016. The student organizers and Val's former students agree there is no better way to honor our Colleague.

Val completed doctoral work at UC Berkeley with Dr. Martin Banks. She earned a MA degree in statistics in 2013 and a PhD in psychology in 2014. Throughout her undergraduate and graduate studies, Val was awarded numerous scholarships, fellowships, and recognition for her work as a researcher. Combined with her ability to build the necessary tools to pursue field-based research questions, Val consistently produced rigorous, evidence-based recommendations for practitioners.

Val was one of the few modern researchers who sought to bridge the gap between rigorous scientific work conducted in the fields of psychology and engineering, with the practical problems faced by practitioners who educate and rehabilitate individuals with visual impairments ranging from blindness to the visual challenges exacerbated on by age. Val brought a scientific rigor to her work that led to publications in high-impact journals, bringing issues relevant to the field of vision impairment to the forefront of scientific inquiry.

Given Val’s extensive contribution to science, we would like to honor her with in memoriam donations, towards a one-day conference sponsored by the Vision Science Program called the Bay Area Vision Research Day, or “BAVRD”. This conference brings 250+ researchers from different scientific disciplines, the premier research institutions and leading industry professionals from across the Bay Area together to discuss new findings in these different fields. BAVRD has always been free to all attendees with the goal of spreading research and advancing knowledge. Val presented her research at BAVRD last year and strongly supported the progression and communication of all scientific research endeavors.

Please donate now in Val’s honor to keep this unique conference free for all academic and industry attendees. Thank you for your support of Val and her amazing work and please help us spread the word.