Directory

Steven Chase is a professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. Chase uses brain-computer interfaces to study motor learning and skill acquisition. His work stands to provide a better understanding of how movement information is represented in networks of neurons in the brain and will inform the development of neural prosthetics.

Chase was a Wimmer Faculty Fellow in 2013-14 and the recipient of a National Institutes of Health Individual National Research Service Award in 2002. His work has been supported by the NIH, DARPA, and the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation.

Phone
412.268.5512
Email
schase@andrew.cmu.edu
Google Scholar
Steven Chase
Websites
Chase Lab website

Brain-computer interfaces for motor learning and skill acquisition

Designing Brain-Computer Interfaces to Understand Motor Learning & Control

Education

2006 Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University

1999 MS, Electrical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley

1997 BS, Applied Physics, California Institute of Technology

Research Interests

Media mentions


CMU Engineering

A novel neural explanation for choking under pressure

New research reveals a first-of-its-kind neural explanation for choking under pressure: a deficit in motor preparation induced by an overly large potential “jackpot” payoff.

Washington Post

Chase lends insight to Olympic athletes folding under pressure

BME’s Steve Chase weighed in on the phenomenon of choking under pressure in the latest “Brain Matters” column in The Washington Post, drawing from ongoing collaborative research he’s part of with University of Pittsburgh’s Aaron Batista. 

CMU Engineering

How does learning something new not overwrite what we know?

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pittsburgh examine what happens in the brain when it’s presented with learning a new task, but also asked to recall a familiar one.

ESPN Radio 102.7

ESPN Austin welcomes Chase as on-air guest

BME’s Steve Chase was interviewed on ESPN Radio’s “The Night Talker with Trey Elling” on July 5. Joined by his longtime University of Pittsburgh collaborator, Aaron Batista, the pair shared new developments in their ongoing research related to choking under pressure and its application to the world of sports.

Scripps News

Chase comments on approval for Neuralink human trials

In an interview with Scripps News, BME’s Steve Chase lent his insight about brain-controlled interfaces (BCIs) to a segment discussing the recent FDA approval for Neuralink to conduct its first round of human trials. Chase uses BCIs to study motor learning and skill acquisition.

theScore

Chase talks neuroscience behind choking under pressure

As NBA and NHL playoffs heat up, BME’s Steve Chase and Adam Smoulder spoke with theScore about their ongoing, collaborative research that explores why people choke under pressure.

CMU Engineering

It takes two: analyzing neural activity from calcium imaging

Biomedical engineering researchers analyzed existing methods that are used to interpret calcium imaging recordings, and proposed a novel method that combines two leading approaches.

CMU Engineering

Dark therapy shows promise in addressing lazy eye condition

A therapy to aid patients with amblyopia, also known as “lazy eye,” is the focus of a new pilot study by Carnegie Mellon researchers.

CMU Engineering

Does the brain learn in the same way that machines learn?

A new perspectives piece co-authored by Carnegie Mellon University researchers relates machine learning to biological learning.

NSF

Three-million dollar grant to fund study of internal states in the brain

Steve Chase, Matt Smith, and Byron Yu were recently awarded a $3 million grant from the NSF to support research investigating internal states in the brain, including motivation, attention, and arousal, using brain-computer interfaces.

Multiple outlets

Chase research on “choking under pressure” featured

Research from BME’s Steven Chase on the “choking under pressure” phenomenon in rhesus monkeys has been featured in Ars Technica, Nerdist, The Daily Mail, and Technology Networks.

CMU Engineering

Research sheds new light on decreased performance under pressure

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh explore the phenomenon of choking under pressure and show for the first time that animals also exhibit this strange tendency.