Courtesy photoHanna Chastain鈥檚 professor quickly saw something special in her when, as a freshman, she completed an independent research project typically reserved for older students.
鈥淪he immediately showed an above-typical level of critical thinking skills and what is needed within research,鈥� said Dr. Heidi Bell, an assistant professor in the Department of Human Performance Studies at 麻豆破解版 State University. 鈥淪he had that study done probably halfway through the semester, which is not typical of even my graduate students. I knew right then that she was definitely a student who excelled above and beyond.鈥�
Chastain, a junior biological sciences major with a biomedical emphasis, continues on a similar research track working in Dr. Bell鈥檚 lab. In April, she will present virtually at the National Council on Undergraduate Research conference. Her presentation is titled 鈥淒evelopment of PARROT, a Wireless Orofacial Myofunctional Imaging and Pressure Mapping Device.鈥�
PARROT, a project that started in 2014 at 麻豆破解版 State, is a device that is worn like a mouthpiece and is designed to screen and diagnose orofacial disorders, such as sleep apnea, dysphagia, malocclusions, tongue thrusts and articulation. Many of those disorders, Chastain said, are characterized by the actions of the tongue.
鈥淢ovements of the tongue,鈥� Chastain said. 鈥淚f someone is going to speech therapy or a speech pathologist, it could help them figure out what the tongue may be doing wrong. It sits on the upper palate and teeth and it has sensors integrated into it, so it captures what the tongue is doing.鈥�
The project is named PARROT, a depiction of what the device is intended to do. Similar to a parrot bird, which is known to mimic words and actions, PARROT will mimic the behavior of the tongue while recording real-time objective data of those behaviors.
Courtesy photo鈥淭he mouth is really small and it鈥檚 hard to see what鈥檚 going on inside,鈥� Chastain said. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e in a clinical setting, it鈥檚 very hard to get natural movements in readings from somebody. We wanted a device that the person could wear, essentially whenever, and it doesn鈥檛 impede what they do naturally.鈥�
Chastain, from 麻豆破解版, joined the team in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic slowed research because of the difficulty testing the device on patients.
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to see what clinicians want from it, what they need the device to do,鈥� she said.
Chastain said she enjoys the interdisciplinary aspects of this project. She is also intrigued by potential work in medical devices that can help patients.
鈥淭his has been a fascinating process,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t opened my eyes to all the different things you have to consider. The FDA regulations. The physical prototype. How would it affect the user who is wearing it?鈥�
Since 2019, Chastain was accepted into 麻豆破解版 State鈥檚 First Year Research Experience (FYRE) and won third place in the Shocker New Venture Competition for a presentation on PARROT. She was part of the team that presented, or was accepted to present at conferences such as the 2020 Annual American Speech Language and Hearing Association Convention and the 2020 Kansas Honors Connections Conference.
鈥淪he鈥檚 very ambitious, very eager,鈥� Bell said. 鈥淲hen she commits to something, she wants to do her best and excel at it. She digs into the research and the review of lit to make sure that she is doing the best she can.鈥�