The HESP Department sponsors a series of talks on current research in the areas of hearing, speech, and language by visiting researchers or members of the HESP faculty, staff, and students. All students, faculty, staff, and affiliates are welcome and encouraged to attend. If you would like to join the email distribution list for all upcoming HESP Seminar Series talks, email Dr. Matthew Goupell at goupell [at] umd.edu or Dr. Jose Ortiz at jortiz5 [at] umd.edu.
Events are listed below, or access the HESP Seminar Series calendar.
Spring 2026 Schedule
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Date: March 11th
Time: 9:30am-11:00am
Location: Lefrak 1171
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HESP PhD Dissertation Defense
Title: The Relationship Between Auditory Asymmetries, Interaural Loudness Mismatch, and Free‑Field Localization in Bilateral Cochlear‑Implant and Normal‑Hearing Individuals
Speaker: Obada J. AlQasem
Abstract: Binaural cues [interaural time differences (ITDs) and interaural level differences (ILDs)] are crucial for perceiving changes in spatial locations. In intracranial lateralization tasks, diotic stimuli (i.e., 0-ITD/ILD) are commonly assumed to be perceived as single, fused, and centered auditory images by normal-hearing (NH) individuals. Bilateral cochlear-implant (BICI) users often perceive bilaterally loudness-balanced stimuli presented simultaneously as off-centered owing to interaural loudness mismatch (ILM). The reasons for ILM in BICI users remain unknown. This dissertation aims to measure ILM in BICI users through an intracranial ILD lateralization task. Additionally, it investigates whether interaural neural health asymmetry, estimated from the electrically evoked compound action potential (ECAP) amplitude growth function (AGF) slope (i.e., a measure of neural response growth with increasing stimulation levels), could explain the ILM. In addition, it aims to conduct extensive control measurements in NH individuals to assess whether they exhibit ILM and whether this can be explained by peripheral interaural asymmetries, including behaviorally measured hearing thresholds and loudness perception asymmetries. Moreover, it aims to investigate the possible functional effects of ILM (i.e., increased horizontal localization bias) in both populations. We hypothesized that BICI users and NH individuals would demonstrate ILM. Additionally, we hypothesized that ILM would be positively correlated with interaural ECAP AGF asymmetry in BICI users and with interaural thresholds and/or loudness-perception asymmetries in NH individuals. Moreover, we hypothesized that ILM would positively correlate with the magnitude of localization bias in the free field. The results of these experiments provide valuable data needed to understand the effects of binaural asymmetries on binaural perception and spatial hearing in both NH individuals and BICI users.
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Date: March 30th
Time: 12:00pm-12:50pm
Location: Lefrak 2166
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Specific Aims Defense
Speaker: Yasmeen Faroqi-Shah
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Date: April 13th
Time: 12:00pm-12:50pm
Location: Lefrak 2166
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To be Announced
Speaker: Jennifer Markfield
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Date: April 27th
Time: 9:00-10:30 CRD / 10:45-11:45 WCC
Location: Lefrak 2166
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Revisiting preschool language sample analysis (LSA) measures: diagnostic and therapy planning implications
Speaker: Nan Bernstein Ratner
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Date: May 1st
Time: 12:30-1:30pm
Location: TBA
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Capstone Research Day and White Coat Ceremony |
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Date: May 11th
Time: 12:00-12:50pm
Location: Lefrak 2166
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MA Thesis Projects
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