The 2025 School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS) Undergraduate Summer Research Award was granted to Megan Kuhn, a student in the Bachelor of Arts in Communication Science program. Led by project mentors Ashley Parker, director of research enterprise and development and assistant professor, and Amanda Hampton Wray, vice chair for innovation and associate professor, Kuhn focused her research on auditory processing and speech fluency within children who stutter.
In November, Kuhn presented her research at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention in Washington, DC.
Each year, the award provides undergraduate students with funding to expand their research opportunities on their topic of choice that addresses a social or disability problem in the health, assistive technology and rehabilitation fields. The student is granted $5,000 for the summer to devote toward their project, including living expenses and travel.
Read on to learn more about Kuhn’s research topic and her plans to obtain a Bachelor of Philosophy degree at Pitt.
What is the purpose of your research project?
This project aims to determine whether children who stutter exhibit greater disruptions in their frequency-following responses (FFRs) when listening to speech in noise. By comparing brain responses in quiet and noisy conditions, we seek to understand whether stuttering is associated with differences in how the brainstem processes speech sounds under difficult listening conditions. Findings from this study will contribute to our understanding of the role of auditory processing in speech fluency and may help guide interventions that consider listening environments.
Why did you choose to investigate this particular topic?
As a member of Dr. Amanda Hampton Wray’s Brain Systems for Language Lab, I was encouraged to push myself and pursue my curiosity. I was drawn to this topic because it challenged my understanding of the research process, including critical thinking, data analysis and problem solving. I believe that studying early brain processing could have direct implications for understanding developmental stuttering and future therapy methods.
Hampton Wray shared about her work with Kuhn and the impact of the research she has engaged in.
“Megan’s project and presentation at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Annual Convention was excellent, better than that of most graduate students with more research experience,” Hampton-Wray said. “She was able to interact with experts from around the world, fielding questions and getting valuable insights and feedback on her project, which will further improve her project as she works to it up as part of her Bachelor of Philosophy Thesis. We are grateful for the opportunity for her to spend much of her summer engaged in research, thanks to her Summer Research Award, and proud of the excellent work that has resulted!”
What are your future career goals?
Looking forward, I have applied to many speech-language pathology master’s programs with the goal of becoming a practicing clinician. I want to continue working with the pediatric population and plan to explore many clinical settings within the communication field!
What does this award mean to you?
Receiving this award is truly meaningful to me. I am thankful to the McMurty family for this opportunity, the SHRS faculty for the confidence in my project as well as Dr. Ashley Parker and Dr. Hampton Wray for the guidance and mentorship they provided throughout the process. This support motivates me to continue working with purpose and care as I prepare for the next steps in my academic journey!
Parker emphasized how Kuhn’s recent recognition was a testament to Kuhn’s dedication to her research project.
“Megan’s selection for the Undergraduate Summer Research Award and her ASHA presentation reflect both the quality of her work and her commitment to research,” Parker said. “Opportunities like this allow undergraduate researchers to contribute meaningfully to the scientific community, and Megan represented SHRS with professionalism, curiosity and confidence.”
What did your poster at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Convention entail?
Presenting at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention was incredible! The experience was filled with continued learning and clinician empowerment, and I am extremely grateful to have been part of it this past fall! My poster, titled “Early Neural Encoding of Speech Sounds in Developmental Stuttering,” presented the results of our study using time-domain analysis to compare frequency-following response data between children who stuttered and children who did not stutter.
What was it like to present your research?
Although nerve-racking at first, presenting the poster was one of the highlights of my senior semester. I was surrounded by professionals who were equally engaged in research findings related to fluency disorders and I enjoyed discussing methodologies and comparing approaches across studies!
How will you expand upon the research you have completed while pursuing your Bachelor of Philosophy degree?
The Bachelor of Philosophy degree (BPhil) is an undergraduate research degree awarded through the David C. Frederick Honors College. The program allows students to complete individual research under the supervision of my faculty mentor and requires the writing and defense of a thesis to a committee.
As I continue my research work through my Bachelor of Philosophy degree, I plan to add participants to the sample size to increase reliability. Additionally, I will write and defend a thesis that details the research process and results.
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