Katherine Westbrook of Wesson, was one of more than 100 current University of Iowa students to participate in the 2023 Spring Undergraduate Research Festival, an event staged annually by the Iowa Center for Research by Undergraduates. All students involved in mentored research or creative work are invited to present their work.
Westbrook's poster/presentation was in the topic area of Social Sciences (e.g. Anthropology, Sociology, Speech and Hearing Science, Poli Sci, etc.) and titled "GRAMMAR IN INDIVIDUALS WITH AND WTHOUT APHASIA"
Westbrook described his work this way: "Abstract Purpose: We aim to identify a neurotypical baseline for grammatical productions in order to determine the contrasts in fluent, non-fluent, and neurotypical speech and allow insight into strategies people with aphasia utilize to overcome their specific language deficits. Methods: We examine the grammatical structures of 40 non-brain injured participants' narrative story re-telling in relation to 20 participants with Broca's aphasia and 20 participants with Wernicke's aphasia, investigating the syntactic complexity and sentence component frequency at a group and individual level. Results: [in-progress] Conclusions: [in-progress]."
Jean Gordon was Westbrook's primary faculty mentor. Gordon works in the UI's Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.
A variety of judges, including faculty, graduate students, and peers as well as members of the Iowa City community, were on hand to discuss the students' work and provide valuable feedback.
"This is an incredible opportunity for Iowa students to practice and hone their communication skills," said Bob Kirby, director of ICRU.
"From designing a poster, to giving a short pitch about what they study and why it matters, to fielding questions from experts in their field as well as non-experts, everything about this experience is designed to help students boost critical communication skills that will help them succeed in whatever comes next for them."
One in three undergraduates participates in research by the time that they graduate from the University of Iowa.
2023 Spring Undergraduate Research Festival
Program of Abstracts
4-5 pm Presenters
113. Katherine Westbrook
Major: Communication Sciences and Disorders
Graduation: Spring 2023
Mentor: Dr. Jean Gordon (Communication Sciences and Disorders)
GRAMMAR IN INDIVIDUALS WITH AND WTHOUT APHASIA
We aim to identify a neurotypical baseline for grammatical productions in order to determine the contrasts in fluent, non-fluent, and neurotypical speech and allow insight into strategies people with aphasia utilize to overcome their specific language deficits. We examine the grammatical structures of 40 non-brain injured participants' narrative story re-telling in relation to 20 participants with Broca's aphasia and 20 participants with Wernicke's aphasia, investigating the syntactic complexity and sentence component frequency at a group and individual level. Therefore, knocking out TFE3 in highly invasive melanoma cells will disrupt the EMT pathway, resulting in greater resistance to EMT targeting drugs.
About the University of Iowa
As a top global university, Iowa is the ideal destination for learning, discovery, and innovation. We bring art and science together to create a truly unique interdisciplinary education. With over 200 areas of study to choose from, students are encouraged to mix and match majors, minors, and certificates to earn a degree that reflects their unique interests.
From inside our world-class medical center to the most prestigious creative writing program in the U.S., students have access to quality academic support and are equipped with the tools they need to stand out in a competitive workforce. Our 15:1 student-to-faculty ratio allows students to work directly with experts in their field while earning valuable, practical skills.
Our campus seamlessly blends into the heart of downtown Iowa City, making it easy to access academic resources and belong to a larger, welcoming community. With over 500 student organizations, clubs, and communities on campus, and countless in-town events scheduled throughout the year, Iowa makes it easy to build a network of friendships and connections that last a lifetime.
To learn more about the University of Iowa, click HERE.