Hearing protection devices (HPDs) are standard personal protective equipment (PPE). but servicemembers often do not use them because HPDs impair spatial hearing. which compromises situation awareness. Here we will quantify the impact of a passive HPD on spatial hearing and motion perception. and test if a 3-day augmented reality training regime induces plasticity leading to significant improvements. Attention profoundly influences auditory processing. and is expected to facilitate training-related plasticity.

This career research project provides the foundation for a long-term productive research program to investigate nanoscale transport phenomena principles for the development of a novel neuromodulation technology. This research explores fundamental questions of nanoscale heat and mass transport. and applies these findings to yield a completely new mechanism to transduce magnetic signals into biochemical stimulus utilizing hybrid nanomaterials. This research would (1) develop a completely new paradigm for precise control of neural activity.

Basic Research

In the U.S. alone, 2.8 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year and seek medical care.1,2 However, there are no FDA approved therapies for effective treatment of TBI (or concussion) patients. Current medications are limited to only reducing secondary damage to the brain following TBI, such as using diuretics to reduce the pressure inside the brain by increasing urine output.