Pipe cleaners and earmuffs – just two of the items IHP audiology students used in Cambridge this past Sunday as they took part in the Cambridge Science Festival (CSF), an annual celebration of science, technology, engineering, art, and math.

Five students and professor King Chung were chosen as one of the four teams to do on-site demonstrations of effects on hearing and other science projects occurring at Mass General Brigham. The group orchestrated two different fun and interactive demonstrations at the festival.

The first demonstration showed the effects of hearing protection and hearing loss using earmuffs. The students asked visitors to their booth to shake loud star clappers while wearing - and then not wearing – earmuffs. The difference in volume demonstrated the importance of protecting one’s hearing from loud noises by wearing earplugs or earmuffs. The muffled sounds heard through the earmuffs also demonstrated how people with hearing loss struggle in their daily lives – they can hear people talking but may not understand what those people are saying.

The second demonstration Chung and the students put together used pipe cleaners to show the effects of loud noise damaging the hair cells in the cochlear (inner ear). Visitors would shake the pipe cleaners gently to demonstrate soft sounds. When shaken gently, the pipe cleaner still went back to original shape, indicating no harm done to hair cells in the cochlear. When the pipe cleaner was shaken more moderately, representing medium sounds, the pipe cleaners once again went back to their original shape. However, when the pipe cleaners were shaken violently to represent very loud sounds, they were bent out of shape, demonstrating the potential permanent hearing damage loud sounds can have.

The students collectively said their favorite part of the festival was teaching children about hearing and advocating about their professions. 

“This was a wonderful opportunity for our students to go into the field and demonstrate what they’re learning in our Doctor of Audiology program,” said Chung. “Having the opportunity to interact with people and teach them hearing concepts they might not have known about was a win-win. We’re looking forward to doing this again next year.”