I am sure many of you have heard of the Apple Computer slogan "Think Different" could be described as, thinking outside the box. This month, I wanted to highlight some feature items/events that include people who "Think Different" and this may one day cause all of us to change/update our clinical practices and "Measure Different".
Oh Canada!
The National Centre for Audiology at the University of Western Ontario has some of the best "outside the box" thinkers I know. We wanted to highlight some of the fascinating research they are doing, and thanks to the coordination of NCA Research Audiologist and AudiologyOnline Advisory Board member, Dr. Marlene Bagatto, we have a series of live CEU seminars in November to do just that. Take a look and sign up while there are still slots available for these upcoming events:
- Universal Design for Hearing: Considerations for Examining Hearing Demands and Developing Hearing Friendly Workplaces by Mary Beth Jennings, Ph.D., on November 4th - Register for the event at 12 Eastern or 12 Pacific.
- Modified Verification Approaches for Frequency Lowering Devices by Danielle Glista, M.Sc., on November 11th - Register for the event at 12 Eastern or 12 Pacific.
- Clinician Fit-to-DSL Targets: Preliminary Results From a Network Study by Sheila T.F. Moodie, Research Audiologist, on November 18th - Register for the event at 12 Eastern or 12 Pacific.
Open Canal (OC) hearing aids have become very popular, but is there a way that we can try and simulate measurements in the coupler to be closer to what we see in the ear canal? Now before any of my real-ear friends start to send me angry emails about the need for real-ear verification on these devices, I would like to say that I agree with them. Real ear measurement should be the first option. Still, there are times that it would be useful and practical to see how these devices perform in the coupler and have it reflect more closely what you may see in the ear canal. Our friends from Siemens, Anton Gebert and Oleg Saltykov, have an interesting article, Coupler Assessment of Open Canal Hearing Instruments. They give an overview of the factors to consider in these types of measurements and then propose a methodology on how best to perform them.
3D Ear Canal Measurements
There are t-shirts you can buy that read "HARVARD - 'Cause everyone can't get into MIT". You can also head over to the MIT COOP and purchase another that reads "NERD PRIDE", but I digress. My point is, there are some pretty smart folks who attend and work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Recently, we posted an interview by our Managing Editor, Dr. Carolyn Smaka with Dr. Douglas P. Hart from MIT. Dr. Hart is a self-described fluid dynamicist by training, who is particularly interested in the specialty of tribology. Are you with me? What this all means to me and you, is that Dr. Hart is using his clever MIT brain to leverage his work in tribology to perform direct 3D measurements of the ear canal. I promise you will not need a dictionary to read this interview, but please read to find out more about the future of ear impressions.
Other Great Interviews and Interesting Web Tidbits
Dr. Smaka has been very busy with interviews lately, so take a look to the right for insights on the latest regarding Resound Live, Bone Anchored Technology, The Acoustic Change Complex, and Phonak. Also, our Associate Editor, Kristi Albers, takes us "Around the Web" for some interesting tidbits on how the rest of the world looks at audiology, hearing aids and hearing loss. This includes: new device for deaf/blind, good news for vets, something "fishy" in hair cell regeneration and ear cleaning is fun!
Thank You (Plus, I will let you in on a little sneak preview)
As always, thank you so much for reading and participating in our website. Please be sure to view our latest collection of CEU courses that are free to view, and when you are ready to earn your CEUs, sign up for our CEU Total Access Program, simply the best continuing education program anywhere! Be on the lookout next month where AudiologyOnline hosts The Virtual Summit at Jackson. It runs from Nov. 30 to Dec 4 and includes 14 CEU eligible live events on the theme "What is Old is New Again!". Tell you what, you read down far enough in this email, I will let you into a sneak preview and early registration! If you are interested, sign up now as these events are sure to fill up quickly.
Best regards,
Paul
