Talk on the clinical value of otoacoustic emissions, porous acoustic materials, and event-related auditory evoked potentials Abstract of his talk: The human inner ear (cochlea) consists of two types of hair cells that feed energy (like an amplifier-oscillator) and conduct sound analyses (like a filter-rectifier) before relaying information in a bottom-up (ear to brain) fashion. Otoacoustic emissions represent a valuable tool to assess damage to hair cells and can provide early biomarkers early of effects of loud occupational and recreational noise exposures; Evoked otoacoustic emissions involve placing a probe in the ear canal that houses a speaker to present tones/clicks and a microphone is used to record the inner ear (cochlear) response. Data from machinists, military veterans, and matching band directors will be shred to give insights into the loss of cochlear non-linearities in these noise-exposed populations. Occupational noise is a major preventable cause of hearing loss and affects millions of workers who face loud noise and chemical exposures daily. Porous acoustic materials provide a effective and inexpensive to achieve strategic noise control in industrial settings. Some cost-effective strategies will be discussed. Many jobs require dual tasking in auditory and visual modalities and offer challenging conditions impairing work performance. Technologies (hearing aids and cochlear implants) improve bottom-up processing but can be effective only when listeners apply the desired effort in listening. Listening effort can significantly increase when competing visual stimuli are introduced during the listening task. Placing electrodes on the scalp can used to record electrical responses from the brain (EEG) and can be used to evaluate the effects of dual tasking on decision making in a dual (auditory and visual) task. Results from Event-Related Potentials recorded in dual task conditions will be presented. Short bio of the speaker: Dr. Sridhar Krishnamurti is professor of audiology in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and also serves as AuD program coordinator. Prior to his appointment as assistant professor at Auburn in 1996, Krishnamurti completed a clinical fellowship in audiology at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary at Harvard Medical School. He currently serves on the research grants review panel for the Alzheimer’s Association and is also on the review board of several agencies and journals including Ear and Hearing, American Journal of Public Health, and Journal of the American Academy of Audiology. Krishnamurti has authored and co-authored journal articles and book chapters that cover the areas of electrophysiology, aging, hearing conservation, auditory processing disorders, and hearing aids. His awards include the 1999 New Investigator Research Award from the American Academy of Audiology, the 2011 Auburn University Alumni Undergraduate Teaching Excellence, and the 2012 Auburn University Faculty Research award. Krishnamurti has served as the past-continuing education administrator for Audiology Special Interest Divisions 6-9 and a fellow of the American Academy of Audiology.