Annual Research Project Review Showcases Collaboration

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

​We know knowledge is power and that when you collaborate with others it can lead to important insights and discoveries. That's the goal behind the External Advisory Committee at Boys Town's Center for Perception and Communication in Children.

Each year, a group of Boys Town scientists present their research projects during a two-day meeting with an external advisory group that includes five members who are national leaders in their field of study. Boys Town researchers gain valuable input and feedback from committee members, as well as experience presenting and discussing their research.

Our 2021 research presentations included:

• Improving the Diagnosis of Ear Infections
  by Gabrielle Merchant, Au.D., Ph.D., Director of Translational Auditory Physiology and Perception Laboratory
• Understanding How Face Masks Affect Speech Perception
  by Kaylah Lalonde, Ph.D., Director of Audiovisual Speech Processing Laboratory
• Development of Online Tool for Speech-Language Genetics Research
  by Hope Sparks Lancaster, Ph.D., Director of Etiologies of Language and Literacy Laboratory
• Studying Self-Talk in Children
  by Angela AuBuchon, Ph.D., Director of Working Memory and Language Laboratory

Watch videos on the four projects that were presented, and learn more about the External Advisory Committee supporting the Center for Perception and Communication in Children.

External Advisory Committee members include: 

• Lisa Bedore, Ph.D., a leading expert in developmental language disorders and language learning in children who are Spanish-English bilinguals
• Lisa Goffman, Ph.D., known for her work investigating how the integration of language, speech, and motor interactions impacts typical and atypical language development.
• Kevin Munhall, Ph.D., recognized for his work on the multisensory processes and brain structures involved in face-to-face communication.
• Andrew Oxenham, Ph.D., respected for his work on auditory and speech perception, addressing questions related to pitch, speech recognition with acoustic and/or electric hearing, and auditory scene analysis.
• Robert Shannon, Ph.D., known for his work on the perception of speech and non-speech sounds by people with cochlear implants, brainstem implants, and midbrain implants.