Research Focus is Student Benefit of Directional Microphones in Hearing Aids
Minneapolis, Sept. 25, 2008 - Starkey Laboratories, Inc., one of the world's leading hearing technology companies, would like to congratulate Jason Galster, Ph.D., CCC-A, for receiving the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's (ASHA) Editors' Award for the most outstanding article of the year for 2007 in conjunction with a team of researchers from Vanderbilt University. Galster, a member of Starkey's Education and Training department, was the second author on the article titled, "Directional Benefit in Simulated Classroom Environments." Published in The American Journal of Audiology, the article was selected based on a number of criteria including experimental design, educational value, scientific or clinical merit, contribution to the profession and theoretical impact.
"Starkey is committed to all aspects of research and to the application of that research in the real world to help patients and our industry," said Barry Freeman, Ph.D., director of education and training. "Jason's award is a testament of his research skill as well as the importance of the topics he is delving into."
The paper, authored by Drs. Todd Ricketts, Jason Galster and Anne Marie Tharpe, outlines research examining speech recognition performance and subjective ratings for directional and omnidirectional microphone modes in simulated classroom environments with kids ages 10 to 17. The study found that directional hearing aids can be useful in some noisy school environments, while the directional function should be limited to situations where the talkers that the students need to hear are in front of them. The results highlight the importance of switching between microphone modes in the school-age population.
Galster earned his undergraduate and master's degrees from Purdue University, and completed a Ph.D. in Audiology at Vanderbilt University. Prior to joining Starkey, he worked as a pediatric audiologist at Riley Children's Hospital and as a research audiologist at Vanderbilt University. At Starkey, he fosters the philosophy of evidence-based design. His research interests include digital signal processing, physical room acoustics, and the application of amplification technology in hearing-impaired pediatric populations.
About Starkey Laboratories
Starkey Laboratories, Inc. is a privately held, global hearing technology company headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minn. The company is recognized for its innovative design, development and distribution of comprehensive digital hearing systems. Founded in 1967, Starkey currently employs over 3,500 people, operates 18 international facilities and conducts business in over 100 markets worldwide. The Starkey Laboratories family of companies operates a number of divisions including Audibel, Micro-Tech, NU-EAR and Starkey. For more information, visit www.starkeypro.com .
