Dec. 6, 2005 issue

Four years ago, I was an area manager with a hearing aid company and a territory that extended from Port Huron to Missouri. When travel became more demanding, I knew it was time to change career direction. Family is important, too.

So I headed to Eastern Michigan University. I missed teaching and research.

Here at EMU, I changed my focus from hearing aid research to psychoacoustics (the scientific study of sound perception). I work with normal hearing students and collect data to objectively quantify sound quality (loudness, clarity, etc.). In the private sector, I would be much more limited in the research I could do.

My community work includes serving members of the Ypsilanti community who come into our speech and hearing clinic to have their hearing tested. I also teach classes in speech language pathology.

Many of my students will be working in a school system. Through academic service-learning, my students and I go into first-grade classrooms in Ypsilanti to teach hearing conservation (how to protect your hearing). The young children learn about parts of the ear and how hair cells can be damaged with excessive exposure to loud sound.

They also learn the importance of good hearing habits. If the sound gets too loud, they can cover their ears, walking away from a loud sound or simply turning the sound down. They are like sponges; they remember everything.

I also am beginning to talk with people in the music department about hearing protection for members of the band and symphony. Without hearing protection, in as little as 20 years, the members may have problems differentiating between spoken words such as "wife," "wise" and "why."

EMU provides me with many opportunities. I can choose my area of research, teach to an appreciative audience and service the community. I really enjoy being here.

 

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