Spring Research Day 2024 | NSF NRT Graduate Training Program in Sensory Science

Center for Applied Translational Sensory Sciences (CATSS) presents Spring Research Day 2024! This is an annual, university-wide symposium that showcases outstanding student research.

Submit Your Abstracts

Event Schedule, April 18th, 2024

12:30pm Sign in

1pm - 2pm Keynote speaker presentation with Dr. Rachel Hawe, PT, DPT, PhD,
Assistant Professor University of Minnesota, School of Kinesiology

2:15pm - 3:45pm Student Poster Session

4pm - 5pm Keynote speaker presentation with Dr. David Brang, PhD
Associate Professor University of Michigan, Department of Psychology

Dr. Rachel Hawe, PhD, DPT

Assistant Professor of Biomechanics and Neuromotor Control, School of Kinesiology

Director of the NeuroRehabilitation Across the Lifespan Laboratory

University of Minnesota

"Examining the interplay between vision and movement in development and neurologic disorders"

Abstract: Vision is an integral part of motor planning and execution. The role of vision for limb movements may change throughout development and in neurologic conditions such as cerebral palsy and stroke. However, distinguishing between visual and motor impairments can be challenging. This talk will examine various paradigms my lab uses to quantify the influence of vision on motor performance including the use of robotics, gaze tracking, and manipulating visual feedback, as well as their various limitations and challenges. I will discuss gaze strategies used in performing complex unilateral movements and during tasks requiring bilateral coordination. Lastly, I will share results on how movements are altered in the absence of visual feedback, and how assessments can be translated from lab to clinic.

Bio: Rachel Hawe, PT, DPT, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the School of Kinesiology at the University of Minnesota where she directs the NeuroRehabilitation Across the Lifespan (NeuRAL) Lab. Her research focuses on quantifying sensorimotor impairments in individuals with stroke, hemiparetic cerebral palsy, and other neurodevelopmental conditions, as well as changes in sensorimotor abilities across the lifespan. Her research is currently focused on bilateral coordination and visual attention. Dr. Hawe completed her doctorate of physical therapy and PhD in biomedical engineering at Northwestern University, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Calgary.

Dr. David Brang, PhD

Associate Professor of Psychology

Director of the Multisensory Perception Lab

University of Michigan

"What Crossmodal Information Is Shared Across the Senses?"

Abstract: The reliability of sensory signals varies widely in the natural environment. When it is dark outside, visual perception is limited making it more difficult to localize and identify objects. Similarly, spoken words are more challenging to understand in a crowded restaurant or when an individual speaks too quietly on a Zoom call. To compensate, humans use crossmodal signals (along with contextual cues and other information) to fill in the gaps. While crossmodal processing is one of the brain's major methods for reconstructing missing sensory information, it remains poorly understood how this is accomplished in humans and the specific information that is shared among the senses. This talk will highlight recent findings from our group using fMRI and intracranial EEG to understand what information is relayed between low-level auditory and visual regions in humans, the mechanisms responsible for this crossmodal transfer, and the relevance of these crossmodal signals to behavior.

Bio: David Brang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan. He received his BA in Cognitive Science and PhD in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego, and completed Post-Doctoral Fellowships at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago. His research examines how information from one sensory system influences processing in other sensory systems, along with how this information is integrated in the brain. Key areas of interest include how visual speech influences hearing, how sounds alter visual representations, and extreme forms of crossmodal integration including synesthesia. He addresses these questions using psychophysics, EEG, and fMRI in typically developing individuals, along with iEEG/ECoG and VLSM acquired from patients.