Overview of Academic Program Fabio Thiers peers into the
ultrastructure of an outer hair cell synapse using a
transmission electron microscope which allows him to resolve
structures only a few angstroms in size. Photo by Ryuji Suzuki.
Understanding how humans communicate through speech and hearing
requires depth in many disciplines. The strength of the Speech
and Hearing Bioscience and Technology (SHBT) doctoral program
lies in its unusual coupling of knowledge and skills from
acoustics, engineering, computer science, cellular and molecular
neuroscience, psychophysics, cognitive science, linguistics, and
clinical practice. By introducing key concepts in an integrated
set of core subjects early on, we give our students a solid
foundation for pursuing individual research interests. During
their first year, students gain broad exposure to clinical
issues and practice. From the outset, they also encounter a
range of research labs that take different approaches to solving
problems in speech and hearing; because st