Listen UP Research Collaborative at UIC

Our lab members presented their posters at the Midwestern Psychological Association Conference (MPA) and the Undergraduate Research Forum at UIC!🎉🎉

👏 We’re proud of everyone’s hard work and grateful for the opportunity to present our research.

✨ A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by to chat and learn more about ListenUP’s ongoing research. We loved sharing our work and meeting so many of you!!!

This week, Lab Director Grieco-Calub visited St. Joseph Hearing + Speech and learned about their amazing program!

It’s been a busy week at our Indianapolis campus!

We’ve enjoyed visits from the University of Illinois-Chicago's Dr. Tina Grieco-Calub (pictured) as well as and Indiana School for the Deaf’s Kim Kause! We are so grateful for the opportunity to connect across the deaf education field. 🤝

Congratulations to our Project Coordinator, Danbi Kim, who will begin her M.A. program in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Wheaton College later this summer! Even though it’s bittersweet to see her go, we can’t wait to see everything Danbi accomplishes. ListenUP will miss you, Danbi!!

🎓 Congratulations to Josie LaPapa, our research assistant, on her graduation from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)! Josie graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing Science with a concentration in Audiology. During her time at UIUC, Josie is most proud of establishing Special Olympics as a registered student organization on campus. As a member of ListenUP, Josie has loved getting to know everyone on the team during the in-between moments and conversations. Although she’ll miss UIUC’s campus, she’s excited to be back in the city. As her time at UIUC wraps up, Josie is excited to begin her next chapter at Rush University for her Doctor of Audiology program this fall! We’re very proud of Josie, and we are excited to see all she accomplishes!

🎓 Congratulations to Sofiia Boiko, our research assistant, on her graduation from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC)! Sofiia graduated with a Bachelor of Science in General Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology, Law, and Justice. During her time at UIC, Sofiia is most proud of her poster presentation at the 2025 Midwestern Psychological Association Conference. One of Sofiia’s favorite ListenUP memories was our December holiday party where lab members decorated the office space with snowflakes! She loved seeing everyone’s creativity and bonding with the lab over a fun and festive activity. As Sofiia transitions away from her undergraduate experience, she’ll miss the quiet, sunny mornings in the library before campus gets busy. It was her little corner of peace in the middle of the city to enjoy a coffee and get focused for the day! Although she will miss UIC, Sofiia is most excited to move to London for graduate school. She will begin her Master’s in Developmental Psychology and Clinical Practice at the University College London! She looks forward to diving deeper into clinical training to get closer to her goal of becoming a Clinical Psychologist and helping children affected by trauma. Sofiia is especially excited to meet people from all walks of life, explore a new city, and challenge herself in a new environment. We are so proud of Sofiia, and we can’t wait to see everything she accomplishes!

🎓 Congratulations to Binita Adhikari, our research assistant, on her graduation from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC)! Binita graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. During her time at UIC, Binita is very proud of her ability to gain diverse experiences, from research to clinical work. She’s especially proud of how she managed to juggle everything and multitask. As a member of ListenUP, Binita loved coming together as a team to support lab members at conferences. She also enjoyed contributing to our projects by collecting data alongside other ListenUP members. Binita will miss having lunch with her friends at UIC and chatting about anything and everything. As her undergraduate experience at UIC comes to an end, Binita is excited to continue her involvement in ListenUP and support our ongoing projects! She is also looking forward to applying to graduate programs in clinical psychology. We’re very proud of Binita, and we can’t wait to see all her accomplishments!

🎉That's a wrap on MPA 2025🎉 Thank you to everyone who stopped by our posters to learn more about ListenUP's work. We are so proud of everyone, and we are grateful to highlight our lab members' hard work. Until next year, MPA 👋

💡STAFF SPOTLIGHT💡

Frankie is a research assistant in the ListenUP Research Collaborative. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin in December of 2023 with a degree in Psychology and certificates in Gender and Women’s studies and Photography. Her research interests include gender disparities in parenting, prevention of perinatal depression, and promotion of responsive parenting. In the next few years, she plans to pursue a PhD in Clinical Child or Family Psychology and hopes that the range of research experience she gains at the lab will provide her with a strong foundation as she furthers her education. A fun fact about Frankie is that she was a competitive figure skater for 12 years. Her favorite song changes on the daily, but right now she would say that it is In The Living Room by Maggie Rogers!

💡STAFF SPOTLIGHT💡

Arleth Isais is a volunteer in the ListenUp Research Collaborative. She is a first-year undergraduate student at University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). She is currently majoring in Psychology and hopes to become a child clinical psychologist in the future. Some of her research interests include child and cognitive development. Arleth helps out with scanning data and uploading as well as assisting in tasks when needed. She hopes her involvement in the lab will provide new experiences supporting her future career goals. A fun fact about Arleth is that she enjoys making art and is a powerlifter!

💡STAFF SPOTLIGHT💡

Dheeraj is an Undergraduate Research Assistant at the ListenUP Research Collaborative. He is pursuing a degree in Computer Science and Linguistics, with an expected graduation in Fall 2027. Dheeraj's research focuses on visual speech and its role in enhancing speech comprehension, particularly in noisy environments or for individuals with hearing impairments. As part of his current project within the visual speech study, he is dedicated to processing and analyzing data to deepen the understanding of this field. Looking ahead, Dheeraj aims to further his passion for language and technology by pursuing a PhD, with aspirations to innovate in the field of Natural Language Processing (NLP). A fun fact about Dheeraj is that he is fluent in six languages, and his favorite song is "Squabble Up" by Kendrick Lamar.

💡STAFF SPOTLIGHT💡

Josie is a Research Assistant in the ListenUP Research Collaborative. She is in her senior year at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) receiving her bachelor's degree in Speech and Hearing Science with a concentration in Audiology. Her research has investigated binaural hearing in cochlear implant users and speech and language development in children with hearing loss. Josie is part of the Speech Comprehension project as a data manager. She hopes to continue her education in an AuD program next fall and study to become a clinical audiologist. A fun fact about Josie is that she plays the clarinet in UIUC's Marching Illini! Her favorite song is Silver Springs by Fleetwood Mac!

✅ TRUTH or MYTH ❌

Swipe to see if you know what's true and what's a myth!