In February, BME 4th-year graduate student Nastaran Gholami, her advisor Professor Rick Rabbitt, and Research Assistant Professor Holly Holman, joined by colleagues from the Departments of Otolaryngology and Audiology at the University of Utah, presented groundbreaking vestibular and auditory research at the annual Association for Research in Otolaryngology (ARO) 48th MidWinter Meeting in Orlando, Florida.
Nastaran presented findings from her PhD research focused on the nonlinear behavior of the tympanic membrane (TM) under static pressure and low-frequency acoustic loading. Using finite element modeling, her work analyzes both material and geometric nonlinearities, contributing to future efforts in better characterizing sound transmission through the middle ear under high-intensity conditions.
Dr. Rabbitt presented on three interdisciplinary projects: 1) canalith repositioning maneuvers to resolve the 3-canal ipsilateral benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV- the most common cause of vertigo and dizziness), 2) ultrafast nonquantal synaptic transmission in vivo, and 3) biomechanics of utricular activation by sound and vibration across multiple species.
Dr. Holman presented work on two collaborative projects. She gave a talk on a novel auditory nerve implant (ANI) device and its stability and nerve functionality following chronic stimulation. This ANI project was spearheaded by former BME graduate student, Dr. W. Mitch Thomas, currently postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University, and his graduate advisor, BME emeritus faculty David Warren (see Thomas et al. Front Neurosci. 2024). Dr. Holman also presented work from her lab investigating calcium dynamics and their role in physiological and pathological processes in the mechanically gated transduction channels of vestibular hair cells.