Student Research Opportunities
Undergraduate
Undergraduate students majoring in communication sciences and disorders
are afforded numerous opportunities to participate in research.
Those in the Honors in Major program write a senior honors thesis,
which is an original piece of theoretical or applied research conducted
under the supervision of an appointed faculty advisor. Examples
of recent projects include: a critical analysis of children’s
literature as a means of facilitating language development; the
development of an original articulation test for native speakers
of a Spanish dialect, and a critical review of the literature on
the acquisition of linguistic humor.
Undergraduate students are encouraged to apply for funding to support
their research through the Undergraduate
Research Opportunities Program. This opportunity is available
to all students.
Graduate
At the graduate level, students selecting the thesis option will
conduct original research leading to a publishable product. Students
develop and implement their thesis projects under the guidance and
supervision of a committee of faculty members headed by a committee
chair. Examples of recent projects include a study of the effects
of shared book reading on early lexical acquisition, a study of
enhanced natural gestures as a communication strategy for children
with Angelman Syndrome, and a study of the efficacy of intoned speech
as a treatment methodology in long-term aphasia.
In addition to thesis research, graduate students may have the opportunity
to collaborate on faculty research projects in their interest areas.