Lab Members

 Principal Investigator

Emily Myers, Professor, Lab PI

Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences 
Department of Psychological Sciences
Co-director: Cognitive Neuroscience of Communication-Connecticut Training Grant

I’m interested in the processes that allow a listener to map the speech signal to meaning, how these processes are instantiated in the brain, and how these processes break down in cases of language disorder. I received my Ph.D. in Cognitive Science from Brown University in 2005. My primary appointment is in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, with a joint appointment in Psychological Sciences. I also serve as co-director (with Inge-Marie Eigsti) of the NIH-funded T32 training program, CNC-CT, which supports predoctoral and postdoctoral scholars studying the cognitive neuroscience of communication.

My current CV.  See Research and Publications page for downloads/pdfs.

Office: Phillips Communication Sciences Building 216

Contact: emily.myers@uconn.edu

Senior Lab Members

David Saltzman is a Ph.D. student in Psychology. His primary research interests lays in the representation and implementation of the fine-grained acoustic cues contained in the speech signal, and their corresponding neurobiology. More specifically, he is interested in how listeners aggregate each individual experience with a speech sound to form robust speech sound categories. David received his M.S. in Experimental Psychology from Villanova University in 2016, where he investigated the role of the amplitude-envelope of speech in speaking rate compensation.
Hannah Mechtenberg is a Ph.D. student in Psychology. Her past research interests focused on the role of the basal ganglia during visual category learning. She is currently exploring how ambiguity at multiple levels (e.g., phoneme, word, sentence meaning, talker, etc.) is noticed and dealt with by the brain. She uses a mixture of behavioral, eyetracking (pupillometry), and neural methods paired with naturalistic speech samples to find some answers. She received a B.S. in Neuroscience from Colorado State University in 2017, came to the LAB Lab as a lab manager in 2018, and received her M.S. from UConn in 2022.
Anne Marie Crinnion is a Ph.D. student in Psychology. Some of her past research focused on computational modeling of acoustic cues. Currently, she is interested in how top-down information is integrated with lower-level acoustic information, from neural, computational, and behavioral perspectives. She received an A.B. from Harvard University in 2020, where she worked on object and letter processing.
Naomi Sellers is a Ph.D. student is Psychology who is interested in how input prediction and language error processing offer ways to study the intersection between language production and comprehension, and in how these processes vary across individuals. With a desire for clinical application, she wonders if language errors could give unique insights not only as a bridge between production and comprehension, but also as a bridge between normative and impaired language processing. She received a B.A. in Linguistics and in English from Regis University in 2018.
Portia Washington is a Ph.D. student in Psychology who is interested in how both auditory and written language comprehension are affected after individuals experience brain injuries, particularly strokes. She hopes to explore the ongoing role of neuroplasticity during the later stages of post-stroke recovery. As a McNair alum she is passionate about pursuing culturally responsive questions, and serving the greater community through research. She received a B.S. in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2021, where she worked on syntax and bilingual processing.
Hannah Olson is the current lab manager. Hannah received her M.S. in Neuroscience from the University of Hartford in 2020 and her B.A. in Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. She previously completed her master’s thesis on accent imitation and voice switching in the LAB Lab. Her research interests include neuropsychology and psychological disorders, and she enjoys working with a variety of clinical populations.
Matt Phillips is a graduate research assistant in the Language and Brain Lab pursuing his master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology. His research interests in the lab have included non-native speech sound learning, individual differences in speech perception, and stuttering. He received his B.A. from UConn in 2022, double majoring in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences & Psychology. After obtaining clinical certification as an SLP, he plans on obtaining a PhD specializing in stuttering.
Alexa Feder is a research assistant in the Language and Brain Lab with plans to pursue her master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology. She received her B.A. from UConn in December 2023, with a degree in Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences and a minor in Human Development and Family Sciences. Her related interests include clinical treatment utilizing AAC in patients with varying speech and language disorders. Additionally, she has deep interest in advocacy and support groups for various populations in the SLHS field. After obtaining her clinical certification as an SLP, she plans on pursuing a career in the medical field, connecting with patients and their families while utilizing her research background to provide the most effective care.

Undergraduate Research Assistants

 

Elizabeth Teskey is a senior majoring in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, and double minoring in cognitive science and psychology. She is interested in how language disorders and brain trauma can impact the production of speech. She is also interested in how developmental disorders play a role in children learning how to communicate. After graduation, Elizabeth plans on pursuing her master’s degree in either speech pathology or audiology. 
Caitlyn Sodergren is a senior majoring in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences with a minor in Psychology. She is really interested in how the brain works to produce language and how brain injuries impact our ability to process and produce speech. After graduating, Caitlyn hopes to further her education by pursuing a master’s degree in speech-language pathology.
Kavita Srirangam is a senior majoring in Cognitive Sciences and double minoring in Computer Science and Psychology. She is interested in human cognition, specifically how it plays into speech and memory. She is also interested in artificial intelligence and how human cognition correlates to it. After graduation, Kavita plans on going to graduate school for neuropsychology or artificial intelligence.
Ava Sheard is a junior majoring in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and minoring in Human Development and Family Studies. She is interested in the relationship between language disorders and the brain, and wishes to learn more about brain imaging. After graduation, she plans on attending graduate school for speech-language pathology.
Erica Croxford is a senior majoring in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. She is interested in how brain injuries affect speech production across all ages. She hopes to learn more about aphasia as well as brain imaging techniques. After graduation, she plans to attend graduate school to pursue her master’s degree in Speech Pathology.
Manal Sheikh is a senior majoring in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and minoring in Spanish. She is interested in aphasia and traumatic brain injuries. She wants to explore how they can impact our speech, comprehension, and reading skills. In addition, she is equally as interested in bilingualism and its influence on speech production. After graduation, Manal plans to attend a master’s program in speech-language pathology.
Ava Buckmir is a junior in the Honors Program, double majoring in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and Psychology with a minor in Human Development and Family Sciences. Her research interests include how language works within the brain, as well as acquired neurogenic communication disorders such as aphasia and apraxia. After graduating, Ava plans to attend graduate school to pursue a master’s degree in speech-language pathology.

Ashley Douglass is a junior, double majoring in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and Human Development and Family Sciences. She is interested in how TBI’s and cognitive disorders affect the production and processing of speech. She also hopes to gain more insight on brain imaging. After graduation, Ashley plans on attending graduate school for either speech pathology or audiology.

Serina Spitzer is a sophomore majoring in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and minoring in Human Development and Family Sciences. She is interested in the psychological mechanisms that humans use to acquire speech and how brain injuries affect that acquisition. After graduating, Serina plans to attend graduate school and pursue a masters degree in speech-language pathology.

Brianna Rodriguez is a sophomore Cognitive Science major with a minor in Psychology. She is interested in neurotechnology, human cognition, and how the brain processes language. After graduation, she plans on attending graduate school for cognitive science and continuing research.

 Lab Affiliates and Collaborators

Dr. James Magnuson, Ph.D.
Dr. Jennifer Mozeiko, Ph.D.
Dr. Erika Skoe, Ph.D.
Dr. Rachel Theodore, PhD.

 


 Lab Alumni (Lab alums: keep in touch! Let us know where you end up!)

 

 Senior Lab Member Alumni                                       Research Assistant Alumni

Phoebe Gaston (Postdoc): Faculty member, McMaster University Arden Ricciardone (former URA): SLP Program, University of Connecticut
Sara Guediche (Postdoc): Faculty member, Augusta University Michelle Shavnya (former URA): SLP Program, University of Rhode Island
Bhamini Sharma (Postdoc): Faculty member, CUNY – Brooklyn College Daniella Bryson (former URA): University of Connecticut
Sahil Luthra (PhD, 2021): Postdoc, Carnegie Mellon University Mikaela Puzzo (former URA): SLP Program, Boston University
Christopher Heffner (Postdoc): Faculty member, University at Buffalo Lane Perkins (former URA): University of Connecticut
Pamela Fuhrmeister (PhD, 2020): Postdoc, University of Potsdam
Gretchen Healy (former URA): University of Connecticut
Kathrin Rothermich (Postdoc): Faculty member, East Carolina University
Kim Kabulis (former URA): University of Connecticut
Xin Xie (PhD, 2015): Faculty Member, University of California Irvine Cecelia Licktieg (former URA): University of Connecticut
Jennifer Mozeiko(PhD, 2014): Faculty member, University of Connecticut Federico Sorcini (former RA): RA, UMass Medical School
Illiana Meza-Gonzales(MA, 2016): Job in the real world! Xinming Zhou (former URA): MS Program, University of Columbia 
Alexis Johns(PhD, 2016): Job in the real world!  Lillian Mastrogiovanni (former URA): SLP Program, Southern Connecticut State University
F. Sayako Earle(PhD, 2016): Faculty, University of Delaware Valerie Ferrante (former URA): University of Connecticut
Stephanie N. Del Tufo(PhD, 2016): Faculty, University of Delaware Chelsea Pereira (former URA): University of Connecticut
Karen Aicher (former lab manager): Faculty member, Bridgewater State University Cristal Giorio (former RA): PhD, Penn State University
Laura Morales (former URA): University of Connecticut
Sophia Arruda (former URA): University of Connecticut
Ashley Lombardi (former URA): SLP Program, University of Connecticut
Triana Feliconio (former URA, 2020 LAB Lab Digest Editor): SLP, New York Medical College
Orly Berkoff (former URA): MS Program, TC Columbia University
Alyssa Finuoli (former URA): Graduate Program, SUNY New Paltz
Rachel Plant (former URA): SLP Program, Southern Connecticut State University
Madison Perriolat (former URA): SLP Program, University of Connecticut
Divya Ganugapati (former URA): MD Program, University of Connecticut
Ana Hernandez (former URA): Post-bacc RA, Yale School of Medicine
Erin Kirchner (former URA): MSN program, Northeastern University
Gillian Foley (former URA): SLP program, Southern Connecticut State University
Brianna Schlemmer (former master’s RA): Speech-Language Pathologist
Maria Murljacic (2020 honors advisee): SLP program, MGH Boston
Anders Waldo (former URA): SLP program, University of Connecticut
Allie Romanowski (former URA): SLPA
Corinne Myjak (former URA): SLP program, Southern Connecticut State University
Laura Mesite(former RA): PhD Program, Harvard University
Kristen Swan Tummeltschammer(former RA): Postdoc, Brown University
Julia Drouin (2014 honors advisee): Faculty member, Cal State Fullerton
Brittany Ciullo (2014 honors advisee): Lab manager/RA, Brown University
Elaina Rappaport (former URA): SLP program, University of Connecticut
Rachelle Levasseur (former URA): PhD program, Washington University