Department of Audiology, Speech-Language Pathology and Deaf Studies

ASLD Points of Pride

University System of Maryland Teacher of the Year 2011

Dr. Diana Emanuel was named the University System of Maryland Teacher of the Year in 2011.  She was nominated by Towson University for the award, and was then selected by the University System of Maryland Regents for the honor. Dr. Emanuel was selected for her contributions in improving the teaching of Hearing Science and the Physics of Sound.

2010 -2011 Faculty Publications and Grants

Audiology 2010 -2011 Faculty Publications and Grants

Dr. Diana Emanuel, Dr. Peggy Korczak, and Towson University Au.D. graduate Kristin Ficca published “Survey of the Diagnosis and Management of Auditory Processing Disorders” in the American Journal of Audiology.

http://aja.asha.org/cgi/content/short/1059-0889_2011_10-0019v1

Dr. Diana Emanuel and former Towson University Au.D. graduate Julie Norin collaborated with Tomasz Letowski on their research project  “The effect of level-dependent hearing protection devices on speech communication in low-level background noise” published in Ear & Hearing.

http://journals.lww.com/ear-hearing/Abstract/publishahead/Speech_Intelligibility_and_Passive,.99708.aspx

Dr. Diana Emanuel and Towson University AuD graduate Laura Toll published “Effect of static force on bone conduction thresholds and comfort,” with their colleague Tomasz Letowski in the International Journal of Audiology.

http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/14992027.2011.568013

Dr. Brian Kreisman published “A case law review of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act for children with hearing loss or auditory processing disorders,”  in the Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, with his colleague Andrew John. 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20807479

Dr. Brian Kreisman received $40,700 in grant funding from Oticon for his research titled “First time users of amplification.”

Dr. Peggy Korczak, Dr. Jennifer Smart, and Towson University graduates Theresa Strobel and Christina Bradford published  “Auditory Steady-State Responses: A Tutorial for Audiologists,” in the Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, with their colleague Dr. Rafael DelGado.

Dr. Stephanie Nagle published “Sensitivity, specificity, and efficiency of established Central Auditory Processing test batteries,” in the Journal of the American Academy of Audiology with her colleagues Frank Musiek, Gail Chermak, J. Weihing, and M. Zapulla.

Deaf Studies 2010 -2011 Faculty Publications and Grants

Dr. Sheryl Cooper collaborated with her colleagues Reisman and Watson on the article “Sign Language Program Structure and Content in Institutions of Higher Education:  1994-2004.” Published in the 2011 volume of Sign Language Studies.

http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/sign_language_studies/v011/11.3.cooper.html

Dr. Jody Cripps and his colleague Sam Supalla published “Towards universal design in reading instruction” in Bilingual Basics.

http://www.towson.edu/asld/documents/SupallaCripps_FNL_000.pdf

Speech Language Pathology 2010-2011 Faculty Publications and Grants

Dr. Paul Evitts published “Objective eye-gaze behavior during face-to-face communication with proficient alaryngeal speakers: A preliminary study” with his colleague Robert Gallop in the International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1460-6984.2011.00005.x/abstract

Dr. Paul Evitts collaborated with Towson University student Julia Miller, and colleagues Fikret Kasapoglu, and Ugur Demirci to publish “Communication adjustment of patients with a laryngectomy in Turkey:  Analysis by type of surgery and mode of speech”.  Psychology, Health, & Medicine.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21749223

Dr. Karen Fallon published “Providing Written Language Services in the Schools: The Time is Now,” in Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in the Schools with her colleague Lauren Katz.

http://lshss.asha.org/cgi/content/abstract/42/1/3

Dr. Sharon Glennen collaborated with her colleagues Kathleen Scott and Jenny Roberts on a Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research article titled “How well do children who are internationally adopted acquire language? A meta-analysis.”

http://jslhr.asha.org/cgi/content/abstract/54/4/1153

Dr. Eva Hester collaborated with former Towson University speech language pathology graduate Marisa Wengryn to publish “Pragmatic skills used in social communication and healthcare contexts by older adults: Precursors to health literacy,” in Contemporary Issues in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

http://www.nsslha.org/publications/cicsd/cicsdS11/#6

Dr. Eva Hester collaborated with Mercedes Benetiz McCrary on “An investigation of health literacy and healthcare communication skills of African American adults across the lifespan,” in the Journal of Medical Speech-Language Pathology.

Dr. Eva Hester described methods of assessing student comprehension in “What I learned from the C.A.R” which was published in The Teaching Professor.

http://www.teachingprofessor.com/wp-content/uploads/sample-10089tp.pdf

2010-2011 Speech Language Pathology Presentations

Dr. Celia Bassich presented a three-day workshop on Treatment of voice, speech, cognitive-linguistic and swallowing deficits in Parkinson’s disease across the stages. for the Allied Team Training Program, National Parkinson Foundation, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and Chicago Illinois.

Dr. Judy Blackburn presented her poster African American English dialect: Knowledge of graduate and undergraduate students, at the 2010 American Speech-Language Hearing Association Convention in Philadelphia.

Dr. Paul Evitts, Towson University graduate students, and other colleagues presented sessions on the topics of laryngectomy, glossectomy and infant feeding, at various state and national conferences. These included: 

• A retrospective study of factors related to successful oral feeding of infants with a tracheotomy in the NICU, presented at the 2011 Annual Convention of the Maryland Speech and Hearing Association with Towson University students Laura Stapleton and Jessica Tellis, and colleagues Heather Keskeny, Christy Tulenko, and Elizabeth Bayley.
• Listener’s impressions of voice and personality following supracricoid laryngectomy, was presented at the 2010 Annual Convention of the American Speech, Language, and Hearing Association in Philadelphia, and at the  2011 Annual Convention of the Maryland Speech and Hearing Association,  with Towson University students Rachel Carlberg, Erin McIntosh, and Julia Miller, and colleagues Heather Starmer, and Kim Webster.
• Speech following partial glossectomy: Phonetic analysis using high-resolution MRI, was presented at the 2010 Annual Convention of the American Speech, Language, and Hearing Association in Philadelphia with Towson University student Julia Miller, and colleagues Emi Murano, and Maureen Stone.

Dr. Karen Fallon and her colleagues Lauren Katz, Kenn Apel, and Elizabeth Wilson-Fowler presented a one-hour seminar titled The Forgotten: Adolescents and Young Adults with Written Language Disorders, at the 2010 American Speech, Language, Hearing Association Convention in Philadelphia.

Dr. Sharon Glennen shared her international adoption research at several national and area conferences. These included:

• Language Learning for Internationally Adopted Children, a one-day workshop presented to the Capital Area Intermediate Unit in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
• Language development in internationally adopted children, a two-hour seminar presented at the 2011 Maryland Speech Language Hearing Association Annual Conference.
• Assessing language skills in internationally adopted children, a two-hour seminar presented at the 2010 American Speech Language Hearing Association Annual Convention in Philadelphia with colleagues Kathleen Scott, Jenny Roberts, and Adele Raade.
• Language and literacy outcomes in school-age internationally adopted children, a poster session presented at the 2010 American Speech Language Hearing Association Annual Convention in Philadelphia.

Dr. Eva Hester mentored many Towson University students on research projects that led to the following national presentations on the topic of language and reading disabilities in African American children, Dysphagia, and Health Literacy.  These included:

• Speech disruptions in the narratives of  African American students with reading disabilities a poster session presented at the 2010 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Convention, Philadelphia with coauthors Dr. Mark Pellowski, and Towson University undergraduate students Aria Harris, and Julie Pahr.
• Characterization of morphological reading errors of children with reading disabilities, a poster session presented at the 2010 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Convention, Philadelphia with coauthors Elgustus Polite, and Towson University students Kelly Sharpe and Suzanne Rivet.
• Past tense verb use by African American children with reading disabilities, was presented as a poster session at the ASHA School Conference in Las Vegas with coauthors Elgustus Polite, and Towson University students Aria Harris-Nole, and Kellie Pflugh.
• Preliminary investigation of health literacy and healthcare communication skills in adults with hearing loss, a poster session presented at the Annual Health Literacy Research Conference at the Institute of Medicine in Bethesda Maryland with Towson University student Sarah McCarty.
• Dysphagia concepts 101: Responding to needs of disaster evacuees, a poster session presented at the 2010 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Convention, Philadelphia with coauthor Mercedes Benetiz McCrary.

Ms. Donna Long presented a 2-hour seminar titled What happens to your autistic students when they grow up? at the October 2010 meeting of the  Association of Baltimore City Speech Language Pathologists.

Dr. Mark Pellowski and several Towson University undergraduate and graduate students presented their work on stuttering at national and state conferences, and on television. His presentations included

• Reductions in Stuttering Frequency as a Function of Modification of Clinicians’ Speech Rate: Preliminary Findings, a poster session presented at the April 2011 Maryland Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention co-authored by Towson University students Sarah Alden, Nicole Giovanniello, and Kaitlyn Meyer.  This poster won one of two awards for best student research poster presentation.
• Undergraduate and Graduate Students’ Self-Perceptions of Speech Rate, a poster session presented at the annual meeting of the 2011 Maryland Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention co-authored with Towson University students Kristin Meyer, Allison Yuse, and Heather Cadden. (2011, April).  This poster also won one of two awards for best student research poster presentation.
• Relationships Among Word Finding, Vocabulary, & Stuttering in Adults, a poster session presented at the 2010 annual meeting of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in Philadelphia.
• Stuttering advice for parents, Dr. Pellowski was interviewed by WBFF Fox 45 News in Baltimore, Maryland for the “Family 411 Segment” last spring.

2010-2011 Deaf Studies Presentations

Dr. Sheryl Cooper presented two conference sessions at the American Sign Language Teacher’s Association Annual Conference in Seattle Washington. They included:

• Service learning: Deaf studies in the community, a 90 minute presentation with Dr. Jody Cripps
• Sign language program structure and content, a 90 minute presentation.

Dr. Jody Cripps and his colleagues had several national and international presentations last year including:

• Universal design in reading instruction: Considerations for deaf students, a paper presentation at the TESOL 2011 Conference in New Orleans, LA.
• A cross-linguistic reading program for signing deaf children, a Symposium paper presented at the International Congress on the Education of the Deaf, Vancouver, BC.
• The preliminary look at the model reading program under development, a paper presentation at the International Congress on the Education of the Deaf, Vancouver, BC.
• A closer look at the reading process for deaf students who sign, a paper presentation at the International Congress on the Education of the Deaf, Vancouver, BC.

 2010-2011 Audiology Presentations

Dr. Diana Emanuel and her former students presented the following poster session:

• Audiology awareness among entering college students, poster session presented by former Towson University students Chris Araj, and Jeremy Donai at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention. Philadelphia, PA.

Dr. Brian Kriesman, colleagues and Towson University students made numerous presentations at national and state conferences last year. They included:

• Speech rate and perception effects on ESOL, SNHL & WNL Adults, a poster presentation at the American Academy of Audiology NOW! Convention, Chicago, IL with his colleague Joe Smaldino.
• Speech rate and speech perception: Comparing ESOL and Native English Speakers, a poster presentation at the American Speech, Language, Hearing Association Annual Convention, Philadelphia, PA.
• Core counseling skills in audiology. Keynote presentation and workshop presented at the Oticon Audiology Camp, Keystone, CO.
• Hearing aids and wireless connective devices: Use and benefit for older adults. Invited paper presented at the Maryland Academy of Audiology Convention.
• The effects of acoustically modified NU-6 and hearing in noise tests on speech perception abilities of individuals with mid to high frequency sensorineural hearing loss.  Poster session presented at the Maryland Academy of Audiology Convention with Towson University student Lauren Paroly and Towson University colleagues Dr. Jennifer Smart and Dr. Stephen Pallett.  
• Localization and speech perception abilities: A comparison of hearing aid microphone fittings, was presented by Towson University student Melanie King and Dr. Kreisman at the Maryland Academy of Audiology Convention.
• The effect of headphones on DPOAE screening in noise, was presented as a poster session by Towson University student Kelsey  Neilson and Dr. Kreisman at the Maryland Academy of Audiology Convention.

Dr. Stephanie Nagle and her colleague Frank Musiek presented at the American Auditory Society Meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona:

• Behavioral/Electrophysiological Auditory Processing Results for Children with Mild Hearing Loss, poster session presentation.

Dr. Stephen Pallett presented two Grand Rounds cases at the Maryland Academy of Audiology Annual Convention:

• Clinical grand rounds: Acoustic neuroma in clinical practice.
• Clinical grand rounds: Clinical mismanagement of middle ear disease

Dr. Jennifer Smart shared her research with audiences at the following conference presentations:

• Evaluating hearing aid benefit during the first four weeks, a poster presentation at the American Academy of Audiology NOW! Convention, Chicago, IL, with Towson University faculty Dr. Brian Kreisman, Dr. Candace Robinson, and Towson University students, Cortney Butler, and Caitlin Marczewski.
• Auditory processing disorder: Putting the pieces together. Invited speaker presentation at the Maryland Academy of Audiology Annual Convention.
• The Cherry Hill hearing healthcare initiative: Helping people hear better one hearing aid at a time. Poster session with Dr. Candace Robinson at the Maryland Academy of Audiology Annual Convention.

Faculty Publications 2009-2010

Dr. Judy Blackburn recently published an article titled “Factors related to reading performances in child witnesses of domestic violence” in the 2009 Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma.

Dr. Diana Emanuel published two online articles for professionals on the Audiology Online web site.  They were titled “ Ask the Expert: Carhart’s Notch- New Research Findings”, and “Acoustic Reflex Theshold (ART) Patterns: An Interpretation Guide for Student’s and Supervisors.” www.audiologyonline.com

Dr. Diana Emanuel published two book chapters in Rash, Russo, Letowski & Schmeisser’s 2009 text  Helmet-mounted displays: Sensation, Perception and Cognition Issues.  The first chapter, published with her colleagues S. Maroonroge, and T. Letowski was titled “Auditory function.” The second chapter  authored with the same colleagues was titled “Basic anatomy of the hearing system .”

Dr. Paul Evitts worked with his colleagues Portugal,  Van Dine, and Holler on the article “Effects of audiovisual information on alaryngeal speech intelligibility”. The article was published in the 2010 Journal of Communications Disorders.

Dr. Eva Hester continued her work on literacy, recently publishing “Narrative correlates of reading comprehension in African American children” in the journal Contemporary Issues in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Dr. Karen Fallon collaborated with Katz, Maag, Blenkarn and Smith on the article “What makes a caseload (Un)manageable?” which was published in the 2010 journal  Language, Speech and Hearing Services in the Schools.

Dr. Peggy Korczak and her colleague D. Stapells published their research in Ear and Hearing Journal in 2010. The article was titled “Effects of various articulary features of speech on cortical event-related potentials and behavioral measures of speech processing in normal hearing adults.”

Dr. Brian Kreisman worked with Mazevski, Schum, and Sackalingam on the article “ Improvements in speech, understanding with wireless binaural broadband digital hearing instruments in adults with sensorineural hearing loss”. The article was published in the 2010 journal Trends in Amplification.

Dr. Mark Pellowski recently published “Speech Language pathologists’ knowledge of speaking rate and its relationship to stuttering” in the 2010  Contemporary Issues in Communication Science and Disorders.

Dr. Jennifer Smart teamed with her colleagues Purdy,  Baily, and Sharma on the article “Do children with reading delay benefit from the use of personal FM systems in the classroom?”  The article was published in the 2009  International Journal of Audiology.

Student Awards, Scholarships 2010-2011

•Lisa Dau, Towson Univeristy Audiology student was awarded the $2,500 Sonus 2010 scholarship from Sonus Hearing Care. The award was based on grades and leadership.

•Towson University graduate speech-language pathology student Kathleen Holden was selected to receive the Maryland Speech-Language-Hearing Association's $1000 student scholarship. She was selected based on her academic achievements and commitment to the profession. She received her award at the 2010 MSHA Annual conference.

Faculty Presentations 2009-2010

Dr. Karen Fallon was invited to present a 1-day workshop titled Literacy and AAC: Promoting Success from Preschool to High School. At the G. Paul Moore Symposium, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.

Dr. Jennifer Smart and her colleagues S. Purdy and A. Kelly presented Evaluation of speech processing noise and FM benefit in children with auditory processing disorder using cortical evoked potentials and behavioral measures. They also collaborated on Speech-evoked ABR in children with auditory processing disorder. Both presentations were given at  the 12th Biennial Symposium of the International Evoked Response Audiometry Study Group, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  In addition, Dr. Jennifer Smart teamed with S. Purdy, M. Sharma, and A. Kelly to present Test-retest reliability of speech-evoked cortical auditory evoked potentials in quiet and in noise and correlations with behavioral measures in children with auditory processing disorder at the same conference.

Dr. Jody Cripps collaborated with L. Blackburn and S. Suppalla to present  An Examination of an Alternative Curriculum and Assessment for Deaf Students Who Sign at the Council of American Instructors of the Deaf, Washington, D.C.

Dr. Eva Hester presented with M. McCrary at the Institute of Medicine Health Literacy Conference at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. Her presentation was titled Investigation of health literacy and healthcare communication skills of African American Adults across the lifespan: Preliminary findings.

Dr. Sheryl Cooper gave a presentation titled Update: The Status of American Sign Language Program Structure in Institutions of Higher Education: 1994-2004, at the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf Conference in Philadelphia, PA.

Dr. Celia Bassich presented several three-day workshops titled Treatment of voice, speech, cognitive-linguistic and swallowing deficits in Parkinson’s disease across the stages.  The workshops were sponsored by the Allied Team Training Program, National Parkinson Foundation and were given in Seattle WA, Gainesville FL, Sunnyvale, CA.

Dr. Jennifer Smart presented FM Systems: Are they just for the classroom? at the Maryland Academy of Audiology Annual Conference, Columbia, MD.

Dr. Mark Pellowski and graduate student Marissa Porcelli presented Methods used to calculate and modify speaking rate for the school aged child who stutters at the Speech Language Hearing Association of Virginia Annual Conference, Portsmouth, VA.

Dr. Sharon Glennen and her colleagues E. Schulte and L. Albers-Prock, presented Is it medical, developmental, behavioral, or something else? As an invited presentation at the Joint Council on International Children’s Services Annual Conference, Baltimore, MD.

Dr. Candace Robison & Dr. Diana Emanuel co-presented Issues in off-campus audiology supervision, at the Maryland Academy of Audiology Convention, Columbia, MD.

Dr. Judy Blackburn & Ms. Iona Johnson presented Changes in student attitudes toward African American English at the American Speech Language Hearing Association’s Annual School’s Conference, Kansas City.

Mr. Maher Eshgi presented on the topic of Deaf Awareness at Georgetown University.

Dr. Paul Evitts and his colleagues F. Kasapoglu, U. Demerci, and J. Miller presented on Communication adjustment and experiences of patients with a laryngectomy in Turkey, at the International Psycho-Oncology World Congress, Quebec City, Canada.

Dr. Jody Cripps presented What is Gloss? At the Speaker Series at Macmurray College in Jacksonville, IL with his colleagues L. Blackburn and S. Suppalla.

Dr. Sharon Glennen presented an invited 1-day workshop titled Language learning for internationally adopted children, for the Delaware County Intermediate Unit, Philadelphia, PA.

Dr. Celia Bassich was invited to present at the University of Pittsburgh Voice Center Symposium on the topic of  Treatment of Voice in Parkinson’s Disease.

American Speech Language Hearing Association Convention 2009

Several Towson University faculty and students presented their work at the 2009 American Speech, Language, Hearing Association Annual Convention in New Orleans.  Faculty, students, and the titles of their presentations are listed below.

• Dr. Celia Bassich. Treatment of Voice in Parkinson’s Disease.
• Dr. Karen Fallon & Ms. Karen Day, along with graduate students Caelie Giapponi, Kate Holden, Rebecca Houtz, and Lauren Turner. Home Literacy Experiences of Young Children with Language Impairment.
• Dr. Karen Fallon & Ms. Karen Day, along with graduate students Melanie Krevitz, Larissa Lowe, Christina Perrilli, Kellie Pflugh-Revels, and Emily Straka. Home Literacy Experiences of Young Children who Use AAC.
• Dr. Paul Evitts. Listener perceptions of voice and personality following supracricoid laryngectomy.
• Dr. Eva Hester with M. McCrary, and undergraduate students Danette Adekoya and Roxanne Fon. Investigation of health literacy and healthcare communication skills of African American adults across the lifespan.
• Dr. Eva Hester with undergraduate student Danette Adekoya. Healthcare communication skills of African American adults.
• Dr. Eva Hester with undergraduate student Nicole Langton. Narrative productivity of African American children with reading disabilities.
• Ms. Iona Johnson with J. Triandifilou and S. Sickels. A model: Collecting Evidence in Aphasia Book clubs.
• Ms. Iona Johnson with graduate students Sonya Possemato, Brooke Kohles, and C. Cullen. A clinician’s tool for measuring foreign accented English.

American Academy of Audiology NOW Conference 2010

Dr. Brian Kreisman and his Audiology graduate students presented their work at the 2010 American Academy of Audiology NOW Conference in San Diego, California.  The titles of their presentations are listed below.

• Dr. Brian Kreisman. Connectivity devices and quality of life of elderly hearing aid users.
• Dr. Brian Kreisman. Satisfaction of elderly hearing aid users with Oticon duals.
• Graduate Student Melanie King with Dr. Brian Kriesman. Localization and speech perception abilities: A comparission of hearing aid microphone fittings.
• Graduate student Kelsey Neilson with Dr. Brian Kriesman. Effect of headphones on DPOAE screening in noise.
• Dr. Brian Kreisman with L.A. Greenwood. Sensitivity and specificity of OAEs in preschool screenings.
• Graduate students Erin Sheffer and Holly Dirks with Dr. Brian Kreisman. Simulated reverberation: Echoes of past and present research.

Faculty Publications 2008-2009

• Dr. Brian Kreisman's article titled "The Benefits of Sound Field Amplification in First Nation's Elementary School Children in Nova Scotia Canada" was published in the November 2009 Australian and New Zealand Journal of Audiology. The article was co-authored with colleagues from Dalhousie University in Canada, and Oticon Corporation in Denmark.

• Dr. Judy Blackburn published "Reading and phonological awareness skills in children exposed to domestic violence," in the Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma.

• Dr. Diana C. Emanuel completed an exciting new textbook, Hearing Science, with her coauthor, Dr. Tomasz Letowski. This text is unique in its approach to teaching hearing science in that it includes a review of foundation skills (math and physics) before introducing the topics of acoustics, anatomy and physiology, and psychoacoustics, with additional advanced topics of audio systems and digital signal processing provided at the end of the book for more advanced coursework. The book is: Emanuel, D.C., & Letowski, T. (2009). Hearing Science. Baltimore, Md: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins. Emanuel and Letowski also created on-line learning resources to help students to learn and professors to teach the subject more effectively.

• Dr. Paul Evitts published "Effects of audio-visual information and mode of speech on listener perceptions of alaryngeal speakers," in the International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology.

• Dr. Karen Fallon co-authored the chapters: "Teaching phonological awareness skills: Phoneme segmentation" and "Teaching phonological awareness skills: Sound blending," in the textbook Accessible Literacy Learning: Evidence Based Instruction for Individuals with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, and other Disabilities."

• Dr. Sharon Glennen published "Speech and language guidelines for children adopted from abroad at older ages," in Topics in Language Disorders.

• Dr. Sharon Glennen published "Speech and language mythbusters for internationally adopted children," in the American Speech Language Hearing Association Leader.

• Dr. Eva Hester published "An investigation of the relationship between health literacy and social communication skills in older adults," in Communication Disorders Quarterly.

• Dr. Eva Hester published "Health literacy and the role of the speech-language pathologist," in the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology.

• Drs. Brian and Nicole Kreisman co-authored a chapter titled "Room acoustics and auditory rehabilitation technology", in the textbook Handbook of Clinical Audiology.

• Dr. Brian Kreisman and audiology graduate student Jamie Weiner published "If I can hear their headphones, it's too loud, right?", in Audiology Today.

• Dr. Jennifer Smart published "Searching for an answer: Auditory neuropathy/Auditory dys-synchrony, a 20 year long mystery solved," in the New Zealand Audiological Society Bulletin.

Student Awards and Scholarships 2007-2009

• Towson University Audiology doctoral student Chris Araj was selected from among more than 150 doctoral applicants as a winner of the Starkey Labs 2009 Outstanding Student Clinician Scholarship. The Scholarship Committee found his achievements exemplary.

• Marisa Turbish presented her graduate research project at the Ninth Annual Towson University Student Research Expo in April 2008. Her project was selected to receive the outstanding research award from the College of Graduate Studies. Ms. Turbish's project was titled "Pragmatic skills used in social communication and healthcare contexts: Precursors to health literacy." This project was completed as part of her graduate degree in speech-language pathology and was mentored by Dr. Eva Hester. Dr. Hester and Ms. Turbish have since submitted the project for publication in a professional journal.

• Tiffany Taliaferro was one of five undergraduates selected to participate in the 2007 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's (ASHA) Minority Student Leadership Program. This annual program selects promising minority students from across the country and brings them to the annual ASHA Conference for intensive training and mentoring. Most participants are graduate students, relatively few undergraduate students are selected. Ms. Taliaferro's selection was a reflection of her strong academic abilities and leadership potential.

• Towson University Audiology doctoral student Laura Toll was awarded one of ten $1,000 "Outstanding Student Clinician" scholarships from Starkey Labs in August 2007.

• Audiology doctoral student Cynthia DeMots won the Jerger Award for best student research poster session at the 2007 American Academy of Audiology Conference in Denver Colorado.  Her poster titled "Effects of Auditory Toughening in Rats" was co-authored with Dr. Margaret Jastreboff and fellow student Jamie Moran.  The poster was selected from over 200 entries. 

• Mary Carson, Towson University Au.D. student, was awarded one of two national AFA scholarships. These scholarships are awarded to "the best and brightest" second year Audiology graduate students in the country.

Department of Audiology, Speech-Language Pathology and Deaf Studies
Van Bokkelen Hall, Room 105
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Phone: 410-704-4153
Fax: 410-704-4131
E-mail: ewertz@towson.edu