My Summer Research Experience

Hi everyone! I’m Ally, a rising third-year student majoring in chemical engineering and biomedical engineering. Outside of the lecture halls, I’m involved in the Hellenic Student Association and Greek Life, where I love participating in events such as Booth and Greek Sing. This summer, I’m staying in Pittsburgh to try something new… research!

I’m working with PhD student Jenah Black and postdoctoral researcher Dr. Chiara Repetti-Ludlow in the Lab in Multisensory Neuroscience (LiMN), led by Dr. Barbara Shinn-Cunningham. Our research explores how the brain reconstructs speech when parts of it are masked or distorted, sitting at the intersection of auditory neuroscience and perception.

Alongside another undergraduate research assistant, I help run EEG experiments in a noise-cancelling booth in Baker Hall. Participants wear a 32-electrode EEG cap that records the brain’s electrical activity while they complete a 50-minute listening task. During the experiment, they hear words that are intentionally interrupted or made ambiguous, allowing us to observe how the brain processes incomplete speech. Once we collect enough data, we’ll analyze the resulting brainwave patterns to better understand how the brain fills in missing information during speech perception. 

I found this opportunity last spring through a Google Sheet of summer research positions shared by the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholar Development (OURSD). Although neuroscience was far outside my chemical engineering background, I’ve always been fascinated by how the brain works. The project also offered the hands-on, in-person experience I was looking for, so I reached out to Jenah with my resume. After meeting to discuss the project and what my role would entail, I was excited to accept the position. Around the same time, I mentioned my summer plans to my academic advisor, who encouraged me to apply for the Summer Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship (SURA) program. Through SURA, I’ve been able to connect with other undergraduate researchers across campus while earning course credit for my work! 

What began with opening an email has become an extremely rewarding experience. Beyond learning the science, I’ve gained firsthand insight into graduate-level research while working alongside a team of incredibly supportive and welcoming mentors. I came into the summer expecting course credit and research experience. Instead, I am wrapping up my summer with a real answer to what I want my future to sound like!