About

Claude Steele is an American social psychologist and a Professor of Psychology at Stanford University. He is best known for his work on stereotype threat and its application to minority student academic performance. His earlier research focused on the self, including self-image and self-affirmation, as well as the role of self-regulation in addictive behaviors. In 2010, he authored the book "Whistling Vivaldi and Other Clues to How Stereotypes Affect Us," which summarizes years of research on stereotype threat and the underperformance of minority students in higher education. He holds a B.A. in Psychology from Hiram College, an M.A. in Social Psychology from Ohio State University, and a Ph.D. in Social Psychology and Statistical Psychology from Ohio State University. Steele has been elected to several prestigious organizations, including the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Science Board, the National Academy of Education, and the American Philosophical Society. He has served in major academic leadership roles such as the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost at UC Berkeley, the I. James Quillen Dean for the School of Education at Stanford University, and the 21st Provost of Columbia University. Additionally, he has served as President of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology and the Western Psychological Association, and is a trustee of the Russell Sage Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Steele holds honorary doctorates from Yale University, Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, the University of Michigan, DePaul University, and Claremont Graduate University. Currently, he is Professor Emeritus and Lucie Stern Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Stanford University.

Research topics

• Biophysics
• Biology
• Anatomy
• Neuroscience
• Chemistry
• Materials science
• Cell biology
• Physics

Selected publications

• Fluid Jet Stimulation of Auditory Hair Bundles Reveal Spatial Non-uniformities and Two Viscoelastic-Like Mechanisms

  Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology · 2021 · 16 citations

  • Anatomy
  • Biophysics
  • Physics

  Hair cell mechanosensitivity resides in the sensory hair bundle, an apical protrusion of actin-filled stereocilia arranged in a staircase pattern. Hair bundle deflection activates mechano-electric transduction (MET) ion channels located near the tops of the shorter rows of stereocilia. The elicited macroscopic current is shaped by the hair bundle motion so that the mode of stimulation greatly influences the cell's output. We present data quantifying the displacement of the whole outer hair cell bundle using high-speed imaging when stimulated with a fluid jet. We find a spatially non-uniform stimulation that results in splaying, where the hair bundle expands apart. Based on modeling, the splaying is predominantly due to fluid dynamics with a small contribution from hair bundle architecture. Additionally, in response to stimulation, the hair bundle exhibited a rapid motion followed by a slower motion in the same direction (creep) that is described by a double exponential process. The creep is consistent with originating from a linear passive system that can be modeled using two viscoelastic processes. These viscoelastic mechanisms are integral to describing the mechanics of the mammalian hair bundle.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A two-photon FRAP protocol to measure the stereociliary membrane diffusivity in rat cochlear hair cells

  STAR Protocols · 2021-06-30 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) has been widely used to monitor membrane properties by measuring the lateral diffusion of fluorescent particles. This protocol describes how to perform two-photon FRAP on the stereocilia of live cochlear inner hair cells using a lipophilic dye, di-3-ANEPPDHQ, to assess the stereociliary membrane diffusivity. We also detail two-photon FRAP microscope setup and calibration, as well as FRAP parameter setting and data analysis. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to George et al. (2020).

  PublisherDOI

• In situ motions of individual inner-hair-cell stereocilia from stapes stimulation in adult mice

  Communications Biology · 2021 · 33 citations

  • Anatomy
  • Biophysics
  • Biology

  In vertebrate hearing organs, mechanical vibrations are converted to ionic currents through mechanoelectrical-transduction (MET) channels. Concerted stereocilia motion produces an ensemble MET current driving the hair-cell receptor potential. Mammalian cochleae are unique in that the tuning of sensory cells is determined by their mechanical environment and the mode of hair-bundle stimulation that their environment creates. However, little is known about the in situ intra-hair-bundle motions of stereocilia relative to one another, or to their environment. In this study, high-speed imaging allowed the stereocilium and cell-body motions of inner hair cells to be monitored in an ex vivo organ of Corti (OoC) mouse preparation. We have found that the OoC rotates about the base of the inner pillar cell, the hair bundle rotates about its base and lags behind the motion of the apical surface of the cell, and the individual stereocilia move semi-independently within a given hair bundle.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Inclusion of steps to enhance mucus clearance may provide benefit for symptomatic COVID patients by reducing total viral load, time to recovery, risk of complications and transmission risk

  Journal of Respiratory Diseases and Medicine · 2021-01-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  The COVID pandemic brought healthcare systems close to the breaking point and stimulated research which has led to an effective vaccine, but no reliably effective antiviral medication to treat active infection. A prioritization of transmission risk reduction has emphasized patient isolation and personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers and others. Clinical management improved somewhat with inclusion of corticosteroids, as well as a few antivirals, but remained primarily supportive in nature Another form of treatment, mucus mobilization has not been perceived as a priority for preventing or treating disease. Furthermore, proning ventilated patients is practiced intermittently and is not prioritized in managing ventilated patients, as it is rarely recommended. Mucociliary clearance (MCC) forms the backdrop for a mucocentric perspective on COVID and other respiratory conditions. While widespread objective measures of MCC and mucus burden are lacking, but it is likely these factors play a significant role in infection risk and variability of clinical course. The identified high-risk groups share a feature of impaired awareness and response to the presence of excess mucus While further research is needed, safe and cost-effective steps based on improving MCC are available for immediate implementation: these include strategic body positioning, upper respiratory care, refinement of cough technique and airway hydration.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Rat Auditory Inner Hair Cell Mechanotransduction and Stereociliary Membrane Diffusivity Are Similarly Modulated by Calcium

  iScience · 2020 · 16 citations

  • Chemistry
  • Biophysics
  • Anatomy

  manipulations and MET channel blocks, suggesting that diffusivity is independent of MET. Together, these data suggest that the stereociliary membrane is a component of a calcium-modulated viscoelastic-like element regulating hair cell mechanotransduction.

  PublisherDOI

• Basilar membrane vibration after targeted removal of the third row of OHCs and Deiters cells

  AIP conference proceedings · 2018-01-01 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access

  The mammalian cochlea has three rows of outer hair cells (OHCs) that amplify the basilar membrane (BM) traveling wave with high gain and exquisite sharpness. However, it is unclear why three rows of OHCs are needed to achieve this. We used a novel transgenic mouse with the diphtheria toxin receptor in Lgr5-positive cells (Lgr5DTR-EGFP/+ mouse) that allowed us to ablate the third row of OHCs and Deiters cells (D) in adulthood via DT injection, after normal cochlear function had developed. We then used volumetric optical coherence tomography (VOCTV) to investigate the impacts of this manipulation of cochlear amplification in the apical turn. As expected, Lgr5DTR-EGFP/+ control mice had sharply-tuned vibratory responses. However, Lgr5DTR-EGFP/+ mice had broad tuning with a 20 dB increase in vibratory thresholds. The Q10dB was ∼1 in Lgr5DTR-EGFP/+ mice, whereas it was ∼3 in control mice. The characteristic frequency was lower in Lgr5DTR-EGFP/+ mice compared to controls (7.5 vs. 9.0 kHz). The gain of cochlear amplification was substantially lower in Lgr5DTR-EGFP/+ mice compared to controls (22 vs. 50). In the post-mortem period, the vibratory responses in Lgr5DTR-EGFP/+ mice were identical to controls. Together, these results demonstrate the substantial importance of the third row of OHCs and Deiters cells to normal cochlear amplification.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The pectinate zone is stiff and the arcuate zone determines passive basilar membrane mechanics in the gerbil

  AIP conference proceedings · 2018-01-01 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  The gerbil basilar membrane (BM) differs from other mammalian BMs in that the lower collagen-fiber layer of the pectinate zone (PZ) forms an arch, the upper fiber layer is flat, and ground substance separates the two layers. The role of this arch has been unknown, but can be elucidated by models. In the standard simple beam model (SBM), the upper and lower collagen-fiber layers of the BM are represented as a single layer in both the PZ and the arcuate zone (AZ). In our new arch-beam model (ABM), the upper fiber layer is flat, the lower layer forms an arch in the PZ, and the two layers combine to form the flat portion of the BM in the AZ. This design is incorporated into a 3D finite-element tapered-box model of the cochlea with viscous fluid. We find in the model that the PZ rotates as a rigid body, so its specific properties have little influence, while the AZ thickness and collagen volume fraction primarily determine passive BM mechanics.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Inner hair cell stereocilia movements captured in-situ by a high-speed camera with subpixel image processing

  AIP conference proceedings · 2018-01-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Mechanical stimulation of the stereocilia hair bundles of the inner and outer hair cells (IHCs and OHCs, respectively) drives IHC synaptic release and OHC electromotility. The modes of hair-bundle motion can have a dramatic influence on the electrophysiological responses of the hair cells. The in vivo modes of motion are, however, unknown for both IHC and OHC bundles. In this work, we are developing technology to investigate the in situ hair-bundle motion in excised mouse cochleae, for which the hair bundles of the OHCs are embedded in the tectorial membrane but those of the IHCs are not. Motion is generated by pushing onto the stapes at 1 kHz with a glass probe coupled to a piezo stack, and recorded using a high-speed camera at 10,000 frames per second. The motions of individual IHC stereocilia and the cell boundary are analyzed using 2D and 1D Gaussian fitting algorithms, respectively. Preliminary results show that the IHC bundle moves mainly in the radial direction and exhibits a small degree of splay, and that the stereocilia in the second row move less than those in the first row, even in the same focal plane.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Unraveling the mystery of hearing in gerbil and other rodents with an arch-beam model of the basilar membrane

  Scientific Reports · 2017-03-13 · 24 citations

  articleOpen access

  The mammalian basilar membrane (BM) consists of two collagen-fiber layers responsible for the frequency-to-place tonotopic mapping in the cochlea, which together form a flat beam over at least part of the BM width. The mechanics of hearing in rodents such as gerbil pose a challenge to our understanding of the cochlea, however, because for gerbil the two layers separate to form a pronounced arch over the remaining BM width. Moreover, the thickness and total width normally thought to determine the local stiffness, and tonotopic mapping in turn, change little along the cochlear length. A nonlinear analysis of a newly developed model, incorporating flat upper and arched lower fiber layers connected by ground substance, explains the initial plateau and subsequent quadratic increase found in measured stiffness vs. deflection curves under point loading, while for pressure loading the model accurately predicts the tonotopic mapping. The model also has applicability to understanding cochlear development and to interpreting evolutionary changes in mammalian hearing.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• 1F44 Effects of Maturation on Dynamic Behavior of Ear Canal Wall and Middle Ear in Neonates

  Baioenjiniaringu Koenkai koen ronbunshu/Baioenjiniaringu Kouenkai kouen rombunshuu/Ippan Shadan Hojin Nihon Kikai Gakkai Baioenjiniaringu Koenkai · 2016-01-01

  articleOpen access

  A Sweep Frequency Impedance (SFI) meter, which measures the dynamic behavior of the middle ear by sweeping frequency tones from 100 to 2000 Hz, was recently developed to screen for neonatal middle-ear diseases (Wada et al., 1998, Murakoshi et al., 2013 and Aithal et al., 2014). In recent SFI measurements in neonates, two resonances at approximately 0.5 and 1.0 kHz were observed. In addition, only the lower resonance frequency moved to higher frequencies with an increase in age, finally fading out by 5 months, while no significant differences were found in the higher resonance during the 5-month test period. Our working hypothesis is that the lower resonance frequency may be related to the soft wall surrounding the ear canal, the maturation of which causes changes and subsequent fade-out of the resonance frequency. We evaluated this hypothesis by comparing SFI results with simulation results using the recently reported Finite Element (FE) modeling approach for neonates (Hamanishi et al., 2015). Simulated SPL curves were obtained by applying a constant volume displacement equivalent of 80 dB SPL at the ear canal entrance. Then, SPL curves resulting from changes in the Young's modulus of soft tissue of the ear canal (Eec) were compared. The lower resonance frequencies at 1 and 5 months after birth in SFI tests were consistent with those in FE simulations with Eec of 30 kPa and 5 MPa, respectively. Therefore, the canal wall of neonates initially consists of soft tissue, followed by rapid formation of a bony portion.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Why do mammals have a flexible three-bone ossicular chain?

  NIH · $5.4M · 2004–2019

• NIH Grant R01NS012086

  NIH · $432k · 1995

• Measuring and Modeling the Cochlear Organ-of-Corti Motions Responsible for Inner-and Outer-Hair-Cell Drives and Amplification

  NIH · $8.7M · 2007–2028

• NIH Grant R01DC000108

  NIH · $873k · 1995

Frequent coauthors

• Sunil Puria

  Harvard University

  75 shared

• T. Hutchinson

  Purdue University System

  13 shared

• Sara B. Arnaud

  12 shared

• Robert Marcus

  12 shared

• Jonathan P. Fay

  11 shared

• Anthony J. Ricci

  10 shared

• Yong‐Jin Yoon

  Nanyang Technological University

  10 shared

• Namkeun Kim

  Sogang University

  10 shared

Labs

• Claude Steele's LabPI

Education

• Ph.D.

  Stanford University

Awards & honors

• Gordon Allport Fellow, American Academy of Political and Soc…
• Fellow, American Institutes for Research (2016)
• Scientific Impact Award, The Society of Experimental Social…