2019 Boston Speech Motor Control Symposium

2019 Boston Speech Motor Control Symposium

Overview

The Boston Speech Motor Control Symposium (BSMCS) is a regional conference aimed at providing an accessible and inclusive environment for those near the Boston area to share research involving speech motor control. We also welcome people from outside the greater Boston area – join us for the one-day event, or make a plan for a summer vacation in Boston! We hope that BSMCS will be a great opportunity to bring together students, researchers, and clinicians from the numerous subfields within speech motor control to ultimately highlight new research within these areas, generate new research ideas, and foster faster clinical translation of important findings. This is a one-day conference, with a pre-conference tutorial specifically aimed at trainees (students and post-docs). The conference is sponsored by  Boston University’s Sargent College, Delsys, and the NIDCD via an R13 Conference Grant. We have been approved to provide 0.55 ASHA CEUs (intermediate level; professional area).

Key Dates

January 01, 2019: Abstract and travel fellowship submission opens
March 12, 2019: Registration opens
March 20, 2019: Abstract and travel fellowship submission deadline
April 08, 2019: Authors and travel fellowship recipients notified
April 22, 2019: Early registration deadline
May 22, 2019: Late registration deadline
June 20, 2019: Pre-conference tutorial for trainees
June 21, 2019: Boston Speech Motor Control Symposium

Invited Speakers

	Keynote Speaker: Jessica Huber, PhD, CCC-SLP Professor of Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences at Purdue University Faculty Associate of the Center on Aging and the Life Course Jessica Huber is the Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs at Purdue University. She is also a professor of Speech, Language, and Hearing Science, with a research program focused on the conditions that change in speech and cognitive ability in older adults with and without Parkinson’s disease. As a result of this research, Dr. Huber has helped to create a device, SpeechVive, which helps to mitigate the effects of Parkinson’s Disease on the voice by bypassing a reflex pathway of the voice that becomes impaired in those with cognitive and sensory impairments. Through her research efforts, Dr. Huber has also been able to become one of the co-directors of Purdue’s Center for Study of Brain, Behavior, and NeuroRehabilitation (CEREBBRAL). CEREBBRAL is an interdisciplinary research center that integrates psychology and the speech, language, and hearing sciences to better understand the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, as well as ways to improve the quality of life in those who have them.
	Carrie Niziolek, PhD Assistant Professor of Communication Sciences & Disorders at University of Wisconsin-Madison Carrie Niziolek is an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she uses neuroimaging techniques and auditory measures to study auditory, somatosensory, and proprioceptive feedback of speech. Located in University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Brain, Language, Acoustic & Behavior (BLAB) Laboratory, Dr. Niziolek’s research focuses on investigating speech feedback processing in the brain to determine how communicative intent influences the brain’s motor plans.
	Ludo Max, PhD, CCC-SLP Associate Professor of Speech and Hearing Sciences at University of Washington Adjunct Associate Professor of Bioengineering Adjunct Associate Professor of Linguistics Ludo Max is an Assistant Professor of Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington, as well as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Bioengineering and an Adjunct Professor of Linguistics. He is also the principal investigator of the Laboratory for Speech Physiology and Motor Control (Max Lab), where he has investigated both the sensorimotor control and underlying actions of normal speech production and the neuromotor and neurophysiological mechanisms that cause stuttering. Dr. Max’s current research focuses on speech and non-speech sensorimotor adaptation of non-stuttering subjects, as well as comparing speech and non-speech movements of stuttering adults against those without a stutter.
	Joseph Perkell, PhD, DMD Senior Research Scientist of Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences at Boston University Research Affiliate to the Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE) at MIT Joseph Perkell is a Senior Research Scientist in the Dept. of Speech, Language, and Hearing Science here at Boston University, as well as a Research Affiliate in the Research Laboratory of Electronics at MIT. His research at MIT was centered around speech kinematics, the role of hearing and auditory and somatosensory feedback on speech motor control, physiological constraints on articulatory movements and motor control strategies. Dr. Perkell’s research has also focused on the effects of cochlear implants and hearing loss on speech production and mechanisms underlying vocal hyperfunction in voice production.
	Kristina Simonyan, MD, PhD Associate Professor of Otolaryngology at Harvard Medical School Director of Laryngology Research at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Kristina Simonyan is an Associate Professor of Otolaryngology at Harvard University Medical School, as well as the Director of Laryngology at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and an Associate Neuroscientist at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is also the principal investigator of the Dystonia and Speech Motor Control Laboratory. Dr. Simonyan’s research is focused on focal dystonia, with her current research involving the discovery of neural markers for laryngeal dystonia and new treatment options for it.
	Bhawna Shiwani, MS Research Engineer at Delsys Inc. Bhawna Shiwani is a Research Engineer at Delsys Inc. She obtained her B.E. in Electronics and Communication Engineering from National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar, India in 2012; and M.S. in Robotics Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA in 2017. She was previously employed by Cadence Design Systems, Noida, India where she worked as a Member of Technical Staff in Analog Design Environment team. At Delsys she collaborates with the research team to design signal processing and artificial intelligence algorithms for neural interface development.

Registration

Registration opening day: 12 March 2019
Early registration deadline: 22 April 2019
Late registration deadline: 22 May 2019

Registration for the 2019 Boston Speech Motor Symposium is now closed. Questions regarding registration should be directed to the BSMCS organizing committee (bsmcs@bu.edu).

Note: All refunds will be processed three weeks prior to the symposium date and will subtract a 20% of the registration cost for administration fee.

Information for Presenters

Poster presentations

Posters should be 36″ wide by 42″ tall. Please note that this is in portrait orientation, NOT landscape!

To be considered for a Poster Award, please email a PDF of your poster to bsmcs@bu.edu by 9:00 am, Tuesday June 18th.

See BSMCS 2019’s poster presentations here.

See BSMCS 2019’s poster award winners here.

Podium presentations

For podium presentations, please bring your presentation slides on a USB drive or email them to bsmcs@bu.edu. Slides can be uploaded to the computer between 8:30 am – 8:45 am or during the coffee break prior to your presentation. 

Travel Fellowships

See this year’s travel fellowship awardees here.

BSMCS Inclusion Policy

The Boston Speech Motor Control Symposium strives to be an inclusive event for all, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or physical ability. If at any time you have any immediate or urgent concerns about safety, please contact Boston University Police at 617-353-2121 or Boston University Sexual Assault Response & Prevention Center (SARP) at 617-353-3575. If you have any comments or concerns throughout the symposium, please contact us at bsmcs@bu.edu.

Symposium Agenda

To tweet during the conference please use: #2019BSMCS

*Note change in venue

Venue and Area Information

Images courtesy of Boston University	The 2019 Boston Speech Motor Control Symposium will be jointly held at the Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and at the Rajen Kilachand Center for Integrated Life Sciences & Engineering (CILSE). Sargent College and CILSE are across the street from one another at the Boston University Charles River Campus.   The official addresses of the venue are: Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences 635 Commonwealth Avenue, Rm. 101 Boston, MA 02215   Rajen Kilachand Center for Integrated Life Sciences & Engineering 610 Commonwealth Avenue, Rm. 101 Boston, MA 02215   All events will occur at Sargent College (SAR101) except the poster reception, which will be held at the Kilachand Center (CILSE101). Both locations are accessible via Storrow Drive, I-90, and public transportation. Many fast-food and sit-down restaurants are available nearby within a <10min walk.
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Commuting to Boston University BSMCS locations are all easily accessible from the Green Line B, C, and D trains via Kenmore station. Several Boston University parking lots as well as street parking options are available for those choosing to drive.   PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION Overview of local public transportation services For more information about the local bus or subway services, visit the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority Flights: Boston is served by Boston Logan International Airport Biking: Boston’s bike share system (Blue Bikes) offers six convenient stations installed around the Charles River Campus Taxi/Car Service: Visit the Boston Police Department to view a list of authorized taxi cab associations in Boston   DRIVING Directions: Driving directions to Boston University Charles River Campus Parking: Overview of available guest/visitor parking lots
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Area Overview MAPS Boston University interactive map Restaurants on and around Boston University Charles River Campus   RESTAURANTS UBurger (casual fare, 636 Beacon Street) Cornwall’s (British style pub for food and drink, 654 Beacon Street) Eastern Standard (sit-down, 528 Commonwealth Avenue, walk in or call 617-532-9100 to make reservations) Island Creek Oyster bar (sit-down seafood, 500 Commonwealth Avenue, walk in or call 617-532-5300 to make reservations)   HOTELS Hotel Commonwealth (500 Commonwealth Avenue, 617-933-5000) Boston Hotel Buckminster (645 Beacon Street, 617-236-7050) Residence Inn by Marriott Boston Back Bay/Fenway (125 Brookline Avenue, 617 236-8787) The Gryphon House Bed and Breakfast (9 Bay State Road, 617-375-9003)   BOSTON UNIVERSITY ACCOMODATIONS On-campus air-conditioned apartments at 10 Buick St. will be available through BU housing June 20th – June 22nd for those 17 and older. Boston University Housing requires guests to be 22 in order to book a room; please contact BSMCS 2019 coordinators if you have any questions or concerns. For more information on pricing and booking please use this link:  http://stay.bu.edu/bsmcs2019.bnb   Traveling from 10 Buick St. to Sargent College (click the image below to open a larger version of the map in a new tab):   Traveling from 10 Buick St. to the Rajen Kilachand Center for Integrated Life Sciences and Engineering (click the image below to open a larger version of the map in a new tab):

Organization and Contact

Program & Organizing Committee:

• Cara Stepp
• Jason Bohland
• Frank Guenther
• Christopher Moore
• Melanie Matthies
• Jennifer Vojtech
• Defne Abur
• Elaine Kearney
• Saul Frankford

Questions? Feel free to contact us at bsmcs@bu.edu with any inquiries.

Sponsors