Science Fair Awards: Bringing Up a New Generation of Audiologists

Amber Morgan (far left) and Janet Krueger (far right) of the Texas Academy of Audiology present Elise Harais with an award for her project, How Does Age Affect the Frequency at Which a Person Can Hear?

The American Academy of Audiology Foundation is pleased to partner with the American Academy of Audiology to foster the audiologists of tomorrow with its science fair recruitment initiative. The AAAF will provide funding to state academies to award to students who present outstanding secondary school science fair projects in hearing, balance, and sound.

Last year, the Foundation partnered with the state academies in Connecticut, Illinois, and Texas. Representatives from these three states awarded a total of five high school students with awards for their excellence in research in hearing, balance, and sound. Two students from Illinois were invited to display their projects at AudiologyNOW! in Chicago, where they interacted with audiology professionals and learned about the exciting opportunities available in a future career in audiology.

State academies are encouraged to not only award these young researchers for their excellence but also mentor them as they continue to follow an interest in the hearing sciences. This program, in combination with leadership from dedicated audiologists, will help encourage many of these students to pursue a career in audiology. 

We encourage you to participate in this valuable program in 2012. Applications for science fair award funds will be accepted on a rolling basis through March 15, 2012. For application information and resouces to get started, click here.

2011 Science Fair Winners:

61^st Annual Chicago Public Schools Student Science Fair
Awards presented in partnership with Illinois Academy of Audiology:

• Ivy Maina, Wireless Math
• Francesca Moya, Taking Control of Your Wi-Fi Signal

2011 ExxonMobil Texas Science and Engineering Fair
Award presented in partnership with Texas Academy of Audiology:

• Elise Harais, How Does Age Affect the Frequency at Which a Person Can Hear?

63^rd Annual Connecticut State Science Fair
Awards presented in partnership with Connecticut Academy of Audiology:

• Joshua M. Greenberg, An Approach to Treating Sensorineural Hearing Loss through the Identification and Characterization of Mechanosensory Hair Cell Progenitors in the Zebrafish Lateral Line
• Taylor M. Hanes, A Dancer's Learning Style - Are They the Same for Academics and Dance?