JHU-led internship program opens doors for students with hearing loss

Daniel Zhu spent his summer as an intern in the Bionic Ear Lab at the University of Southern California, working on research to enhance the benefits of cochlear implants. His daily tasks included conducting studies on timbre, pitch perception, and timing perception; and applying computational methods to analyze signal processing in cochlear implant technology.

But Zhu wasn’t only running experiments — he was also participating in them as a research subject, providing critical data that will be used to develop better technology for cochlear implant users like himself.

Zhu, who is starting his first year at Duke University, has been deaf since early childhood and has cochlear implants in both ears. He said being involved in research so closely related to his own identity and experience was meaningful.

“My summer internship allowed me to learn more about the field of academic research and why it’s important,” said Zhu. “And as a cochlear implant user, I felt like I brought special insight to the table.”

Zhu’s internship was supported by the Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Medicine (STEMM) Opportunities for College Students with Hearing Loss to Engage in Auditory Research program, called STEMM-HEAR. The program is run by Tilak Ratnanather, associate research professor in the Johns Hopkins Department of Biomedical Engineering, and Amanda Lauer, the George T. Nager Associate Professor in the Johns Hopkins Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery.

Since the early 1990s, Ratnanather, who was born with profound hearing loss, has mentored undergraduate students with hearing loss. In 2018, he launched a pilot program to give students with hearing loss the opportunity to  to conduct summer research in labs across the Johns Hopkins schools of Medicine and Engineering.

Thanks to a National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) R25 grant, he has now taken this model nationwide, expanding training and research opportunities for students like Zhu.

For the next four years, STEMM-HEAR will bring eight undergraduate students to conduct summer research programs in one of four labs at four universities: University of Southern California, Oregon Health & Science University, Rice University, and Creighton University.

“An estimated 1% of people in STEMM have hearing-loss. But thanks to early diagnosis of hearing loss and early intervention with cochlear implant and digital hearing aids, we are seeing more students with hearing loss in college,” said Ratnanather. “It’s remarkable to see the impact of these technologies, with many of these students conversing without the need to lipread. Yet they need to develop practical skills and coping strategies to deal with hearing loss in a wide variety of situations such as a noisy workplace. STEMM-HEAR aims to expose these students to successful role models with hearing loss as well as peers with hearing loss.”

A key aspect of the program is that the students work alongside faculty mentors who also have some degree of hearing loss or dysfunction. Zhu worked with Raymond Goldsworthy, an associate professor of otolaryngology and biomedical engineering at USC who has cochlear implants.

The summer was about hands-on research and making connections: for example, Zhu participated in a weekly ‘Music Hour’ during which he was able to interact with the broader deaf community through virtual discussions and musical performances.

“Growing up, I was usually the only person with implants, so it was nice to be around others with the same experience,” said Zhou.

Participating in the STEMM-HEAR program has encouraged Zhu to pursue research opportunities at Duke. It has also made him think more about what he’d like to do after his undergraduate studies. “Now I feel motivated to find more authenticity in whatever profession I end up in—a sense and ability to meaningfully contribute back to the community I care for,” he said.