25th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium
Stepp lab undergraduate Courtney Dunsmuir ’24 recently presented her summer research conducted through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) at BU’s 25th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium, held at Boston University on October 21, 2022.
Courtney’s research explored the differential contributions of auditory and somatosensory feedback control mechanisms of laryngeal and articulatory speech subsystems in persons with Parkinson’s disease.
We would like to congratulate Courtney for her wonderful presentation and continued contribution to research conducted under Stepp Lab! She is also a recipient of Fall UROP 2022 funding.
Courtney Dunsmuir and her poster titled “Investigation of Auditory and Somatosensory Feedback in Vocal and Articulatory Motor Control Function for Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease”.
Dante Cilento to be inducted to the BU Scarlet Key Honor Society
Stepp Lab undergraduate research assistant Dante Cilento has been selected to be inducted to the BU Scarlet Key Honor Society!
For 80 years, the Scarlet Key Honor Society has been the highest honor awarded to Boston University student leaders. Inductees are students in their senior year who have exhibited exceptional leadership among their peers during their years at Boston University. Selection for Scarlet Key is based on excellence in University student activities and organizations, commitment, involvement in the individual’s School or College, and in scholarship.
The Scarlet Key Honor Society was founded in 1938 as an activities honor society, in which new members were voted in—or tapped—annually by existing members. Initially, members tapped their future inductees on the shoulder to hand them their induction ceremony invitation. The formal initiation ceremonies took place each spring and fall. Today, BU faculty and staff nominate potential inductees annually in the spring for fall tapping, followed by a formal induction ceremony during Commencement Weekend in May.
Congratulations, Dante!
Dr. Gabriel Cler successfully defends his dissertation!
Congratulations to Stepp Lab member Dr. Gabriel Cler for the successful defense of his dissertation "Computational Optimization and Prediction Strategies for Increasing Communicate Rate in Phoneme-Based Augmentative and Alternative Communication."
Fantastic work, Gabe!
Defne Abur selected to receive a Hariri Graduate Fellowship!
| Congratulations to PhD Candidate Defne Abur for receiving a Hariri Graduate Fellowship! The Hariri Graduate Fellows Program recognizes outstanding PhD graduate students who pursue computational and data-driven research at Boston University. |
New article in IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering
Our newest article, "Prediction of optimal facial electromyographic sensor configurations for human-machine interface control," is available for open access! Check it out!
Austeja Subaciute ’20 wins Newton-Wellesley Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship!
Congratulations to Austeja Subaciute '20, a biomedical engineering major on the pre-medical track, for receiving the Newton-Wellesley Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship today!
New article in the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research
Check out our newly published article: "Loudness Perception of Pure Tones in Parkinson's Disease" by Defne Abur, Ashling A. Lupiani, Ann E. Hickox, Barbara G. Shinn-Cunningham, and Cara E. Stepp.
Jake Noordzij presents at the 2018 BME Senior Design Project Conference
On May 4th, the Stepp Lab researcher Jake Noordzij presented his work in collaboration with Haiyun Xu and Boston University's Hearing Research Center at the annual Senior Design Project Conference. Their project, --entitled "Testing the Cortical Algorithm in Simulated Cocktail Party Environment"-- focused on evaluating the effectiveness of a neural network model to mitigate the impact of the cocktail party problem. Neat work!
Congratulations, Dr. McKenna!
Congrats to Dr. Victoria McKenna, who passed her dissertation defense entitled "The Relationship between Physiological, Acoustical, and Perceptual Measures of Vocal Effort." She will be furthering her academic career as a post-doctoral researcher at Purdue University under the mentorship of Dr. Jessica Huber.
Victoria McKenna presents at the 3rd Annual Boston University Data Science Day
Victoria McKenna was one of 15 students chosen to present her research at the 3rd Annual Boston University Data Science Day, held on Friday January 26th. She presented a two-minute lightning-talk and poster presentation on the relationship betweenphysiological mechanisms and the self-perception of vocal effort.
Dr. Cara Stepp and Jenny Vojtech present their research at Delsys
On October 27th, Dr. Cara Stepp and Jenny Vojtech presented a talk on "Predicting optimal surface electromyographic control of human-machine interface devices in individuals with motor impairments" as part of the quarterly Delsys Seminar Series.
For more information about the talk, visit the Delsys Seminar Series page for the event.