UC engineering student works to improve speech science technology

I consider biomedical engineering the application of any engineering discipline to medicine and health care. I chose this major for my undergraduate studies because I was interested in the societal impact of the medical field, and I really enjoyed problem solving in math when I was in high school. I liked the broad range of topics and the applied nature of engineering, I found learning about the human body and how it functions very interesting and I appreciated how projects typically resulted in a device or solution that could be tested. My interest in this field deepened, and I'm pursuing my graduate degree in it. 

Through my research, I've been able to attend conferences and workshops that have exposed me to different fields. The field of speech was new to me when I started my graduate studies and attending conferences expanded my interest in its research applications and challenges. International and domestic travel and the interactions I've had with researchers from around the world have helped me understand what research is like in different cultures. 

At UC, I have also enjoyed participating in different events that highlight the vast range of research and the collaborative environment between faculty and graduate students. I have attended the UC Three Minute Thesis Competition in 2019, IRiS Ignite (an expo on sensing) in 2022, and the Interdisciplinary Academic Conference held by the Graduate Student Government in 2022. I also consider several of the classes I've taken at UC very impactful to me, as they have changed how I approach research (one example is how to conceptualize data after taking a course on intelligent data analysis by Dr. Gowtham Atluri) and even general learning in life (the growth mindset discussed in a course on teaching effectiveness by Dr. Beth Faller). 

I'm most proud of my research project on expanding the articulatory information provided by ultrasound imaging. This project is funded by a National Institute of Health F31 predoctoral training grant.

I am the principal investigator on the project and have largely been in control of its direction. Applying for this funding and progressing in the research has been especially fulfilling.

Considering external mentors for this grant has also been an opportunity to search for mentors at other institutions with areas of expertise different from those of my mentors at UC: Dr. Mast and Dr. Suzanne Boyce.

Though I consider collaboration important, I struggle with reaching out, so I'm proud of starting these collaborative efforts. I'm also proud of the progress made in the visual game for speech therapy. Seeing participants use the prototype (the "Go Go Goat!" game and "TonguePART" interface we use to set up the game) is incredibly fulfilling, especially with the amount of effort that I and other members of our team devoted to developing the feedback system. 

My goal for graduation is summer 2024, which would mean a total of 6 years for my graduate studies at UC. The one downside to pursuing the F31 is that the shift to another project has taken a lot of time (and I may have overreached in my project proposal), but I don’t regret my choice and I feel privileged to have this opportunity.  As for where I want to go next, I'm not sure to be honest. I'm considering looking into industry post-docs to try a position in industry.

Music is one of my passions. I enjoy learning to play new instruments, and dabbling in music production is interesting because I can apply skills I learned in research (e.g., knowing what formants are, having experience with adjusting audio buffer size for recording). I like specifically composing music to express the emotions of scenes, but mainly I make music because I like listening to what I create.

I also want to insert a quick promo to support the Heartt Animal Refuge in Sharonville, Ohio. I volunteer there and can see that they really care about the cats and dogs they shelter but often need more volunteers or other support (adoptions, donations, etc.).

Featured image at top: Sarah Li places ultrasound probe under her chin. Photo/provided.