McNair Scholar 2023 Samantha Krocak
Samantha Krocak is a senior at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, studying Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences and minoring in Leadership. Ms. Krocak plans on pursuing an AuD, to become an Audiologist. She would like to focus her career on helping serve those who live in low-income communities by providing fair access to services.
My dream is to become a pediatric audiologist. I plan on using my graduate education to continue learning ASL and to learn about a variety of assessments and counseling that I can offer as a clinical professional to help others achieve their individual goals.
Research project
Auditory brainstem responses to speech made with various chirp-phase profiles
Abstract: Auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) are used to objectively identify hearing loss in young children. Recently, “peaky speech” versions of audiobooks were created to facilitate faster testing by: 1) engaging toddlers who cannot sit still or complete behavioral testing; and 2) compensating for ear timing delays (chirp-phase) to promote synchronous neural activity and larger responses. However, the applied chirp-phase seemed to overcompensate the delays. Other chirps may provide better synchrony and larger ABRs. Therefore, this study aimed to determine which of four chirps evokes ABRs the quickest and clearest: CE, 60-dB, 65-dB or peaky-speech chirps. Currently, 14 adults with normal hearing listened to 30 minutes of each chirp-profile. ABRs were smallest to 60-dB chirps but similarly sized to the other three chirps. Overall, the CE-chirp provided complete ABR testing within 22 minutes for the most number of participants. Determining an optimal chirp profile will facilitate future audiobook-based ABR testing in toddlers.
Faculty mentor
Melissa Polonenko is an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota in the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences. She received a Bachelor of Medical Science in Physiology and Masters of Clinical Sciences in Audiology at Western University in Ontario, Canada, and a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Toronto in Canada. Her postdoctoral training was in Neurosciences and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Rochester. She has a passion for understanding how children with normal hearing and hearing loss learn to communicate. Dr. Polonenko’s lab focuses on developing new ways to assess hearing, vestibular, and multi-sensory function, ultimately supporting children’s developmental outcomes. This is Dr. Polonenko’s first year as a McNair faculty mentor.