Hello, I'm Li Kuei Chiou from Taiwan. I am in the PhD program at the University of Iowa. My elder brother and his wife both have profound hearing losses, and they are my driving force to study in this field. Currently, I work in the Hearing Aid Lab with Ruth Bentler. My primary responsibility is assessing noise reduction systems in hearing aids. I have an adorable daughter, Claudia, and an excellent Sushi-chef husband. :)

Hello, my name is Paula Gay and I am a third-year AuD student. Audiology is a fascinating field of study, and I'm excited to be a part of this research team. I am currently working on a clinical trial. I will spend my fourth year at the Veterans Administration Medical Center, an opportunity to which I also look forward. I hold a BFA in photography and shot freelance and fine art photography for several years before I discovered my passion for the study of sound. In addition to audiology and photography, I also enjoy hiking, canoeing, skiing, and other outdoor adventures with my husband, John.

My name is Ian Mertes. I'm an AuD/PhD student here at the University of Iowa. I have a bachelor's degree in psychology from Northern Illinois University, but decided that audiology is much more interesting. I'm currently rotating through different labs in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, including the Hearing Aid Lab. In February of 2009, I'll be going with Dr. Bentler and several other audiology students to help at the Special Olympics world games in Boise, Idaho. We will be providing audiologic services to athletes from around the globe, which will be very exciting! I love spending time with my girlfriend Tracy and enjoy listening to music and playing guitar in my spare time.

Hi, I am Hua Ou, or you can call me Oliver.  I got my MD in China and had a two-year residency in ENT after I graduated from medical school. One of the reasons I came to Iowa to pursue my PhD study in Audiology is that I found there were very few medical solutions to hearing loss problems. Another reason is because I met my present wonderful adviser, Dr. Bentler, through the AudioChina Project, a collaborative effort between Dalhousie University and Western China University. She opened the window to Audiology for me. This is an amazing world. I really love it. I am currently working on my dissertation, which involves assessing how current signal processing shcemes impact speech perception and localization. I also love fishing, roller-skating and cooking.

My name is Kristin Perk and I am a second  year AuD student here at the University of Iowa.  I grew up in Nebraska, so it's nice to be in this wonderful program so close to home.  I must admit that I am still a Husker fan by nature, but I still enjoy attending Hawkeye football games (that‘s me in the middle of the picture enjoying a game with friends)!  I am currently working in this lab studying the impact of digital noise reduction on the pediatric population , and I am thrilled to be involved with this interesting study!  When I'm not at school, I enjoy spending time outside exercising or inside playing with my two kitties.  

Hi, My name is Elizabeth Stangl and I am a third year AuD student at the University of Iowa. I received my bachelor of science degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Oklahoma in May of 2006. I have joined Ruth's lab in order to work with Paula on a clinical trial comparing traditional clinician fitting of hearing aids with “trainable” hearing aids. When I find a spare moment I sample the local Iowa City cuisine or have game night with my friends!

 

I am Huong Thi Thien Nguyen from Vietnam. I worked there as a supervisor in an Early Intervention program for hearing impaired children and families. I also worked as an audiological technician, a teacher, researcher and coordinator for many programs involving professionals from Australia, Netherlands, and the United State. I am in my third year of the PhD program pursuing one of my goals of developing test batteries for diagnosis and assessments for the hearing-impaired Vietnamese population. To do so, I am working for Dr. Bentler as her RA/TA in the Hearing aid Lab. This is a new and wonderful opportunity for me to learn more research skills and update my hearing aid technology knowledge.

Hi! My name is Derek Stiles. I'm in my fifth year of the PhD program here at University of Iowa. I was a practicing audiologist in California before heeding the call to return to school. It's nice to be away from the smog and traffic! I am currently investigating the relationship between hearing loss, short-term memory, and word learning. In addition I have been teaching a first year graduate course, Advanced Audiology, which has been a great opportunity for honing my teaching skills for the next phase of my life. I expect to be graduating in 2009. It's been a long haul, but worth it.

I am Yu-Hsiang Wu from Taiwan and I have been in Iowa City for five years. Everybody calls me "Wu" because my last name is easier to pronounce. I started my Ph.D. program in The University of Iowa, 2003, and I have defended my thesis entitled “Impact of visual cues on directional benefit and preference” in 2007. Currently I am a postdoctoral research scholar in the Hearing Aid Laboratory. My research interest is to investigate the effectiveness and efficacy of the directional microphone of hearing aids. (To be honest, I really don't know where the physics building is.)