Wow! How is it already senior year?! I cannot believe how fast college has gone by and the ways that the last four years have completely transformed my life. I entered college knowing that I wanted to be an audiologist, but now I am ecstatic about pursuing the AuD/PhD dual degree soon to become a hearing scientist. It is my goal to pursue clinically based research. In the midst of applying to graduate school, I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on the past year and the incredible experiences that have led me to now.
This past summer was pivotal to understanding the type of research I want to be involved in. Through a research assistantship at the University of Utah, with Dr. Skyler Jennings, I utilized the cochlear microphonic to evaluate the human medial olivocochlear reflex (MOCR). This research project was designed to be the first step in developing a clinical test of the MOCR based on the cochlear microphonic for individuals with hearing loss. I found myself utterly fascinated by the objective data of electrophysiology and the applications of the cochlear microphonic. The best part was the door that this track of research opened in my mind. I could clearly see several different next steps and branches from this project. There were answers I wanted to pursue and links I wanted to make such as adding in a speech perception measure. It was the first time that I felt I knew a more narrowed idea of what I wanted to research in my career. I am interested in electrophysiology research on the cochlea and the peripheral auditory system. This summer was invaluable to my future in research. I presented a poster for the first time at the University of Utah’s Summer Symposium. I have also applied to present my poster on this research at the Association for Research in Otolaryngology’s conference in February!!
Living in Salt Lake City, UT was so much fun! I got to explore the city and the mountains. It felt good to be back in a Colorado-like atmosphere– hiking, surrounded by mountains, and enjoying the outdoors. Salt Lake City is truly beautiful. I quickly became friends with many other out-of-state students and we used our weekends to explore as much of Utah as possible. We hiked every Saturday, visited Moab, saw the capitol, and much more. Check out some of the pictures below.
This semester I am beginning the data collection stage of an Honors Thesis with Dr. Christina Roup. We are evaluating auditory working memory as a predictor of speech-in-noise performance. This may be insightful for predicting hidden hearing loss. I am also working on the PIE project at The Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center. In the PIE project’s lab, I code eye tracking and play data to understand maternal input on word learning for children with hearing devices. I am still involved in the Deaf and Hearing club, Student Academy of Audiology and Cultivate Columbus at Ohio State.
Looking forward, I am applying to graduate school for the dual AuD/PhD degree intent on a career in research with a strong clinical purpose and foundation.
