On Friday, June 21st, former undergrad scholar and trainee Morgan Hines gave a presentation at this year’s Boston Speech Motor Control Symposium (BSMCS) hosted at Boston University. This regional conference aims to allow researchers, students, and clinicians from the greater Boston area and beyond to share their research within the speech motor control field and ultimately highlight new areas for research, and foster swift clinical translations of key research findings.
Her presentation, Prenatal Environmental Exposures and its Influence on Early Sucking and Communication Development, focused on her ongoing research with Dr. Emily Zimmerman. The data was extracted from the CRECE cohort and included Non-Nutritive Suck (NNS) at 4-6 weeks, phthalate measures from three time points in the mothers’ pregnancy as a measure of in utero exposure to the child, and scores from the Ages and Stages Questionnaire at 2 and 6 months. “It was a great opportunity to present my research, and it was my first oral presentation in front of a professional audience outside of Northeastern’s campus. I am so grateful to Boston Motor Speech and Dr. Emily Zimmerman for the opportunity.” Morgan, a graduate who recently earned her Bachelors in Biology and English from Northeastern University presented alongside MGH Doctoral Student Laura Toles and BU Postdoctoral Research Fellow Elaine Kearney.
Morgan is currently working full-time alongside mentor Dr. Zimmerman in the Speech & Neurodevelopment Lab at Northeastern University and is considering a career in research.