AU Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AUAAC) Lab
Director: Lauramarie Pope, PhD
Description: The mission of the AU AAC Lab is to maximize outcomes for people who need or use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) through innovative research focused on AAC system design and intervention, literacy supports for people who use AAC, and equitable access to AAC systems and services. Research projects are centered around AAC users with developmental disabilities, with a specific focus on nonspeaking autistic children.
Website: AUAAC Lab
Auditory, Balance, and Mobility Capability (ABILITY) Research Lab
Director: Razan AL Fakir, M.D. (Otolaryngologist), Au.D., Ph.D.
Program: AuD
Collaborators: An International Research Group in Germany, the Netherlands and the Middle East
Description: At the Auditory, Balance, and Mobility Capability (ABILITY) Research Lab, our mission is to assess and enhance the interconnectedness of auditory, balance, and mobility capabilities and their impact on physical, mental, and social functioning, disability, and health well-being. Our mission is to encourage individuals to explore and understand their unique abilities in these domains, recognizing that when these capabilities are in harmony, they contribute to a fulfilling and enriching life experience. Just like a well-composed melody, the combination of auditory, balance, and mobility capabilities creates a beautiful and synchronized symphony of movement and function.
Website: ABILITY Lab
Auditory and Hearing Science Laboratory
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Director: Sridar Krishnamurti, Ph.D., CCC-A, FAAA; Professor and Audiology Program Coordinator
Auditory and Music Perception Laboratory (AMP Lab)
Lead Researcher: Aurora Weaver, PhD, AuD, CCC-A
Program: AuD
Description: The Auditory and Music Perception Lab has an interest in examining developmental psychoacoustics, central auditory processes and diagnostic audiology, auditory working memory, benefits of auditory and musical training, and neuroplasticity.
Child Language Laboratory
Director: Allison Plumb
Program: SLP
Description: The Child Language Lab is focused on the study of language development and disorders in children from birth through adolescence.
Electrophysiology Laboratory
Director: Sridar Krishnamurti
Hearing Education and Aural Rehabilitation Lab (HEAR)
Director: Dr. Alisha Jones
Program: AuD
Description: The HEAR Lab focuses on interdisciplinary education for professionals, the effects of prematurity on the auditory system and aural rehabilitation.
Speech, Language, and Literacy Achievement for Children (SLLAC) Lab
Director: Anna M. Ehrhorn, PhD, CCC-SLP
Program: SLP
Description: The Speech, Language, and Literacy Achievement for Children (SLLAC) Lab's mission is to promote academic achievement for children who are at risk for literacy difficulties. The SLLAC Lab's research aims to (1) Understand strengths and deficits in children with speech sound disorders to create a comprehensive profile of speech, language, and literacy abilities and (2) use the comprehensive profiles to develop intervention strategies that will improve children's speech and language deficits and reduce the risk of literacy difficulty.
Website: SLLAC Lab
Speech, Neurophysiology & Attitude Perceptions Laboratory (SNAP Lab)
Director: Gregory J. Spray, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Program: SLP
Description: The SNAP lab aims to expand our understanding of developmental stuttering using behavioral, kinematic, acoustic, and neurophysiological measures. Members of our lab have a variety of areas of expertise, including stuttering, motor speech disorders, language, diversity, and issues in higher education.
Website: snaplab.auburn.edu
Speech Science, Fluency and Communication Laboratory
Director: Laura Plexico, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Program: SLP
Description: The Speech Science, Fluency and Communication Laboratory examines aspects of communicative function, such as speech acoustic, social, emotional and behavioral factors that influence the lives of children and adults with communication disorders.
Tinnitus Understanding — Genetics, Neuroaudiology and Electrophysiology (TUNE) Lab
Director: Srividya Grama Bhagavan, PhD
Program: AuD
Description: The Tinnitus, Understanding — Genetics, Neuroaudiology and Electrophysiology (TUNE) Lab focuses on interdisciplinary research spanning tinnitus, speech perception in noise, and auditory processing. The lab investigates the genetic factors contributing to tinnitus, while advancing neuroaudiological and electrophysiological methods — including EEG — to objectively evaluate auditory pathway function. The long-term goal of the TUNE Lab is to uncover the neurobiological mechanisms underlying tinnitus and auditory dysfunction, bridging laboratory research with evidence-based clinical audiology practice.
Voice Physiology Laboratory
Director: Mary J. Sandage, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Program: SLP
Description: The research that is conducted in the lab is primarily focused on merging principles and practices of exercise science with the study of voice function. Using standard and state-of-the-art equipment, research protocols are designed and implemented to address questions such as the role of muscle bioenergetics for voice function in occupational voice users and the applicability of whole body anaerobic performance testing for understanding vocal fitness. Other research efforts include standardizing voice assessment protocols.