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  • McQueary College of Health and Human Services

How technology and environmental studies can affect health

January 10, 2022 by Lauren Stockam

As environmentally conscious as organizations try to be, new technology and other products are still developed that may negatively impact the earth or human health long-term.

That’s why scientists are constantly putting these items to the test and asking questions for the greater good.

Dr. Paul Durham, director of the Center for Biomedical and Life Sciences at the Jordan Valley Innovation Center. and distinguished professor of biology at Missouri State University, talks with Sara Woodman, senior research scientist at the Center for Biomedical and Life Sciences, about several ongoing research projects.

Gas sensor
Water sensor
Hearing and migraines

Exploring a gas sensor project

When you have an accumulation of metals, Durham explains acid rain can cause the metals to leach into the soil, then seep into the groundwater.

“Then animals, including ourselves, can be exposed to that,” Durham said.

In a current study, Woodman says they are experimenting with what this exposure could cause to different organs and tissues.

“If you’re ingesting of some of these metals, you would expect the gut would be one of the first places that you would see it,” she said.

In their study, the colon and gut microbiome are among the most affected.

“If you want to have a healthy brain, you have to have a healthy gut,” he said. “This study has implications on cognitive function down the road.”

Read the transcript from the gas sensor project interview

Keeping water sensors in top condition

Water sensors are developed to detect metals and other contaminants in natural water sources. But these water sensors can become unreliable due to bacteria.

Woodman and Durham are simulating different conditions to test how long these sensors can be reliably used. They’re also wondering what modifications could be made to prevent bacterial growth on the sensors.

Explore the Center for Biomedical and Life Sciences

“We’re doing some shorter term and also some longer term studies,” Woodman said, “on what we can do to prevent malfunctioning of these sensors due to growth.”

Although the water sensor project is ongoing, Durham says the preliminary findings are revealing some unexpected differences between water sources and water collected at different points throughout the year.

“Well water actually is fairly clean. There aren’t as many microorganisms,” Durham said. “You can imagine the pond water is the worst…Pond water in April is not the same pond water in August, though, during the dog days. And the rivers seemed to be a little bit more consistent.”

This information is important to identifying what kind of materials will be better for future water sensor designs, he noted.

Read the transcript from the water sensor project interview

Hearing and migraines

Technology also allows more in-depth study for debilitating health conditions, like migraines, a long-term interest of Durham’s lab.

His lab is now collaborating with Dr. Wafaa Kaf, professor of audiology, on the intersection of migraines and sensitivity to sound, or phonophobia.

“A lot of focus in the research world has been on photophobia and trying to come up with ways to minimize the impact of flashing, strobing and bright lights,” Durham said.

But migraine sufferers often report phonophobia as the most bothersome symptom, according to Durham.

“Migrainers can actually hear a fluorescent light all of a sudden,” he said. “Or there’s a sensitivity to loud sounds. The children’s volume hasn’t turned up. Your sensitivity to it has turned up.”

To better understand the connection between hearing and migraine, Durham and Kaf partnered to purchase a piece of equipment – all in hopes of providing insight to create an effective treatment.

It all starts with sound producers – like ear buds – and probes placed on the near and forehead, Woodman explained.

“These probes will detect how various parts of the brain and the spinal cord respond to different volumes and tones,” she said.

“This cross pollination [of departments] allows you to unlock mysteries of things and understand how things are really happening,” Durham added.

Read the transcript of the interview about hearing and migraines

Filed Under: Communication Sciences and Disorders

First annual Pet-A-Pup event

December 1, 2021 by Jonah Rosen

The end of the semester can be a stressful time for students. With finals and project due dates on the horizon, stress levels tend to rise to an all-time high.

“College is different than it was 20 years ago with the intense stress and pressure put on students,” Dr. Sarah Barber, clinical associate professor in the communication sciences and disorders department, said.

“I talked to students to learn just how stressful school had become, and the responses were overwhelming.”

Barber found stress levels to be abnormally high among students during the pandemic, meaning mental health concerns would need extra accommodation.

MCHHS Mental Health Initiative

After learning about the harmful stress levels students were feeling, faculty in the McQueary College of Health and Human Services (MCHHS) knew something needed to be done.

They created a mental health initiative.

By engaging in events aimed at improving mental health, MCHHS faculty hope students learn the importance of maintaining good mental health.

Pups relieving stress

After learning about the mental health initiative, Barber was approached by students with the idea of a unique stress relief tactic: bringing rescue dogs to campus before finals week.

By combining her love for students and dogs, Barber was able to create the first annual Pet-A-Pup event.

“We have partnered with Rescue One, a local animal rescue, who will bring over a few dogs from their shelter for our students to play with for the day,” Barber said.

The event will take place 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. Dec. 9 in McQueary Hall.

While playing with the rescue dogs who are currently up for adoption, students will also be able to engage in some community service.

During the event, there will also be a donation drive benefiting Rescue One.

Some items you may donate include:

  • Dog food.
  • Cat food.
  • Kitty litter.
  • Toys.

Barber believes the combination of playing with puppies and engaging in community service will help students prepare for finals week.

“We hope this event will show our students just how important their mental health is to us and just how serious we take their mental health.”

Learn more about the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department

Filed Under: Communication Sciences and Disorders Tagged With: Communication Sciences and Disorders, McQueary College of Health and Human Services

The Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic: A quality place of care

November 29, 2021 by Jonah Rosen

https://www.missouristate.edu/CSD/Clinic/

The ways in which we can communicate shape how we engage with the world. Missouri State University’s Speech-Language-Hearing clinic brings new communication capabilities to those at Missouri State and the surrounding community.

“Our clinic is divided up into three separate programs,” Lauren Jones, director of the clinic, said. “We have a speech-language pathology program, audiological services and a pre-school for children who are deaf or hard of hearing .”

Audiological services

The clinic’s audiological offerings include hearing evaluations, hearing aid fittings and other audiological services.

“These services are provided by our doctoral-level audiology students and supervised by licensed and certified audiologists” Jones said.

Students working in the audiology program see patients weekly.

Speech-language pathology services

The clinic also offers a semester of long-term service for those who are needing speech and language therapy.

Graduate students in the speech-language pathology program are assigned clients who they see twice a week for the entire semester.

Preschool program

The preschool program is specifically designed for children ages 3-5 with impaired hearing.

“Our graduate students in the program work with children who may be deaf or hard of hearing,” Jones said. “The program helps children learn to interact with their peers and be more independent.”

The clinic offers free evaluations and consultations. No referrals are necessary.

If you think you may benefit from speech, language or hearing services, contact the clinic at CSDclinic@missouristate.edu or Lauren Jones at LaurenEJones@missouristate.edu.

Learn more about the Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic

Filed Under: Communication Sciences and Disorders Tagged With: Communication Sciences and Disorders, McQueary College of Health and Human Services, Speech Language and Hearing Clinic

Associate professor, alumna lead nonprofit dedicated to increasing literacy

September 23, 2021 by Web Strategy and Development

If you’re able to read this, that means someone taught you the basics of language and literacy.

You learned the alphabet, and probably drew cute little letters (maybe with some parts backwards). You repeated the sounds each letter makes.

You moved into reading comprehension. That’s the ability to understand what letters mean when they make words, and what words mean when they make sentences.

You learned grammar and how to understand stories. You increased your vocabulary.

You probably don’t remember learning all of this. Now, you just read and write without thinking about it. You can easily interact with language as you move through the world. You may even read for fun.

That’s the feeling of empowered literacy.

It’s the feeling the MSU instructors, alumni and students behind Ujima Language and Literacy want to instill in children.

Growing from a poorly attended literacy fair to part of a community

Ujima Language and Literacy was conceived in 2014 by Dr. Shurita Thomas-Tate, MSU associate professor of communication sciences and disorders.

Ujima is a Swahili word that means “collective work and responsibility.” It’s one of the principals of the Kwanzaa holiday.

Ujima Language and Literacy seeks to increase skills in children ages birth to 11.

Support Ujima

“It began as an effort to provide my MSU graduate students an opportunity to gain practical experiences, working with students from diverse backgrounds,” she said.

Thomas-Tate came to Springfield in 2011 as an assistant professor who specialized in school-age language and literacy, as well as cultural and linguistic diversity.

Dr. Shurita Thomas-Tate, founder of Ujima Language and Literacy.

“I have always been interested in increasing literacy among the African-American population,” she said. “Children who read well have larger vocabularies, and children with larger vocabularies perform better on standardized tests.”

She was thinking about how to engage her MSU students in this arena.

“I teach school-age language and literacy to speech-language pathology graduate students,” she said. “They need 400 clinical hours for their degrees. They can get those at a clinic on campus, and off-site. But there were not many opportunities for them to engage with diverse populations.”

Those opportunities are important, she said.

“We want to send professionals out into the world who can work with children with many cultural and language backgrounds. We want our graduates to celebrate differences, not see them as disorders.”

In 2015, she, her students and community partners held a literacy fair at the Bartley-Decatur Neighborhood Center. It’s a property with a long history of serving Springfield’s Black community.

“We went door-to-door with fliers, and told people there would be pizza, ice cream and games,” she said. “We only had five kids turn up! But those five got a lot of student attention. And my students loved it.”

Seeing the small turnout, she knew she needed a deeper relationship with the community.

“We had to commit to this neighborhood long-term,” she said.

Attendees participate in a lesson at Ujima Language and Literacy camp.

In 2016, Ujima started a free literacy camp for children.

Next, they started family literacy nights, in which caregivers could eat with children, participate in language activities and take home a new book.

“Ujima means to build and maintain our community together. We make our brothers’ and sisters’ problems our problems, and solve them together. That’s why it’s essential to get the whole family involved,” she said.

For its first two years, Ujima was a half-day event held at the Bartley-Decatur Neighborhood Center.

In the third year, Springfield Public Schools partnered with Ujima to make it a full-day summer program at Weller Elementary.

“We started thinking about becoming an organization, rather than just a program,” Thomas-Tate said.

The free literacy camp moved to north Springfield’s Turning Point Church, a partner to the program. The camp is now held for 15 days in July — three weeks of Monday through Friday.

The literacy programs originally targeted historically under-resourced and underserved students, and primarily low-income African-American students.

“That has now expanded to anyone, and any child,” Thomas-Tate said.

Ujima has an infant program that teaches caregivers how to maximize play time and verbal interactions with babies, including reading to them. Ujima also offers toddler and preschool activities.

In 2019, Ujima officially became a 501(c)(3), a nonprofit organization.

“That opened up new sources of funding, relationships with new stakeholders and more. The growth has been great.”

Alumna with a history of community involvement is now the board chair

With nonprofit status came the chance to have a board of directors. Alumna Monica Horton, ’15, is the board’s chair.

Horton’s family moved to Springfield in 2013 when her husband, Leonard B. Horton III, joined MSU’s department of media, journalism and film.

Five or six years ago, their daughter, Ari’el, attended Ujima’s camp.

“I always wanted her to have a love of reading. She got to choose her own books, with characters that reflected her,” Horton said. “She would dramatize them and read them out loud. It became a focal point of our family time at home.”

Ujima also felt like “an affinity space for families of color,” Horton said.

When Ujima transitioned to a nonprofit, Horton knew she could use her skills to help the group flourish.

Monica Horton, ’15, is the chair of Ujima’s board of directors.

She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Tuskegee University, a master’s degree in music therapy from Florida State University and a Master of Public Administration degree from Missouri State.

She owns her own business, Lenica Consulting Group.

She taught music therapy courses at Drury University for four years, and now teaches Foundations in Equity and Inclusion there.

Her MSU master’s thesis looked at Springfield Public Schools’ leading indicators of student success, as well as achievement gaps.

“Merging higher education with community involvement has always been a focus for me,” Horton said.

“I am interested in telling stories with data. Numbers can show you disparities, risk factors and information about quality of life. How can you help organizations and leaders set priorities? You need baseline data and measurable goals to show where you want to go. The cherry on top of this research is that we are serving the community.”

Phonics, food and fun: What happens at Ujima Summer Experience

Early on a Monday morning, caregivers filled the parking lot of Turning Point Church.

They held the hands of children, many still blinking the sleep out of their eyes.

The children were kissed goodbye in a large basement room full of round tables.

The first order of business: Food. A table held cereal, yogurt, cheese sticks, fruit, milk and juice.

“Everyone at Ujima gets breakfast, lunch and snacks every day,” Thomas-Tate said.

After that, children broke into groups according to age.

Attendees participate in a lesson at Ujima Language and Literacy camp.

The free camp currently has room for 40 students to register, and, on average, 26 children attend each day.

Each group’s activities are led by MSU speech-language pathology graduate clinicians.

The MSU students are supervised by alumna Taylor Shields, ’17. She’s a speech-language pathologist who volunteered at the first Ujima literacy camps while she was earning her master’s degree.

“I loved it. I told Dr. Thomas-Tate I wanted to do my research project here,” Shields said. “After graduate school, I took what I learned at Ujima and applied it to my own practice.”

Learn more about the SLP graduate program

She works during the school year at Republic Elementary, and in the summer at Ujima.

“I help the MSU students plan their sessions — which books to read, which vocab to work on. During camp, I observe and give them feedback.”

Shields said Ujima is important to future professionals.

“This is the only time some of the MSU students work with children not one-on-one, and so they learn group dynamics here,” she said.

Each age range has different needs.

The youngest children focus on kindergarten readiness. They draw letters, make sounds and identify words.

They also learn skills such as sitting, taking turns, following directions and making friends. They practice breathing to calm down, and using their words if they need a break or want to take a walk around the room.

“Imagine how much more confident they are if they start school with these skills,” Thomas-Tate said.

On the day Missouri State magazine visited, every student drew a “g” on a chalkboard.

Attendees participate in a lesson at Ujima Language and Literacy camp.

“Good job, Alyssa! That looks great,” their graduate clinician said.

One student ran to Thomas-Tate.

“MY STOMACH DOESN’T HURT!” he told her.

That seemed to be good news, so we moved on to the 1st to 3rd grade classroom.

That group was focused on story elements, such as character, plot, setting and conflict resolution.

Graduate clinician Abi Felter was reading to the class. “Where does the story take place?” she asked.

“In the middle of a scorching hot desert!” a student told her.

That was why it was hard to grow crops, they agreed.

The oldest group ranges from some advanced 3rd graders to 5th graders. They were talking about vocabulary and grammar.

The conversation in the room was largely between the students, rather than the class monitors: “That’s a suffix, right?” “It has a prefix AND a suffix!”

After morning learning, it’s lunch time.

Next, members of the Springfield Regional Arts Council come in to do arts and crafts with the children for the rest of the day. Then, it’s time for snacks and pick-up.

“Art is another way of growing their interests and knowledge,” Thomas-Tate said. “It’s camp, and not school — we do everything we can to make it fun!”

What’s next for Ujima? Securing the future and hiring their first staff

Thomas-Tate and the board want to sustain and expand their start-up.

They are applying for grants and other sources of funding that would let them do more long-range planning.

Ujima recently earned a multiyear grant from the Musgrave Foundation’s Change for Children program, which supports charities in southwest Missouri.

They hope to hire an executive director, and then a program director.

The literacy camp will likely stay at Turning Point Church, which has the space to accommodate more children if the camp can offer more slots.

“We see so many opportunities to grow,” Thomas-Tate said. “Literacy is for everybody.”

 

Filed Under: Communication Sciences and Disorders, MCHHS Alumni, Spotlights Tagged With: Communication Sciences and Disorders, Shurita Thomas-Tate, speech-language pathology

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