Gallaudet U. officials named four finalists Wednesday in the search for the next president of the nation's premier college for the deaf and hard of hearing, signaling that the school is near the conclusion of a process that sparked mass protests and arrests last time. All the finalists are deaf, and all can sign. WUSTL alum T. Alan Hurwitz presides over one of eight colleges in the Rochester Institute of Technology and is vice president and dean of the institute, in addition to leading the school for the deaf.

References:

1. Sept. 3, 2009 — Gallaudet University Announces 4 Finalists for President in the The Washington Post

Obituary for Ichiji Tasaki, 98, a Japanese neurophysiologist who worked at the Central Institute for the Deaf at WUSTL from 1951-1953. During his time at WUSTL, he studied how sound waves travel through the ear and generate nerve impulses that the brain can interpret. His work helped lead to the formation of the field of audiology.

References:

1. Jan. 20, 2009 — Obituary: Ichiji Tasaki, Neurophysiologist in the The Washington Post

Why does my voice sound so different when it is recorded and played back? WUSTL otolaryngology professor Timothy Hullar replies.

References:

1. Jan. 13, 2009 — Why does my voice sound so different when it is recorded and played back? in the Scientific American - Mind & Brain

Diabetes in adults appears to be an independent risk factor for hearing loss, according to the findings from a recent study. In a related editorial, WUSTL otolaryngology professor Keiko Hirose comments on screening for hearing loss.

References:

1. June 16, 2008 — Hearing impairment common in adults with diabetes in the Reuters Health Medical News

Teenagers who smoke, or whose mother smoked in pregnancy, are at higher risk of hearing problems and understanding what is being said, a Yale University study says. WUSTL psychiatry professor Richard Todd comments.

References:

1. Jan. 3, 2008 — Smoking link to hearing problems in the BBC News online

and 3 others.

WUSTL medical scientists led by otolaryngology professor Jianxin Bao have discovered some anti-epileptic drugs might help prevent or treat noise-induced hearing loss.
The study is reported in the journal Hearing Research.

References:

1. March 15, 2007 — Anti-epileptic drugs may help hearing loss in the United Press International

and 4 others.

Static electric shock won't ruin a cochlear implant, but it will require an inconvenient trip to an audiologist. Static electricity is so much of a worry and hassle for the deaf that WUSTL electrical engineer Robert Morley has a grant to study one of its main sources: plastic playground slides. Some new "all inclusive" playgrounds, have deliberately included metal slides, which don't produce static electricity. But many others don't -- including some that are supposed to be accessible to disabled children. Morley, who helped pioneer digital hearing aids, got a small federal grant to study the issue.

References:

1. Dec. 12, 2005 — Static poses risk to deaf children in the Boston Globe
2. Dec. 9, 2005 — Static from plastic slides can drop deaf children back into silence in the Fort Wayne News Sentinel (IN)

and 5 others.

Story on stopping the ringing sound in your ears. New drug called gabpentin or neurontin will end the ringing. WUSTL researcher Jay Piccirillo comments on the study involving this drug. This is a drug used to treat phantom limb pain. (Bacon's text)

References:

1. Feb. 1, 2005 — New Drug to Stop Ringing Sound in Your Ears in the WCBS-TV New York

and 7 others.