Research

Get Involved

  • At this time, no paid opportunities are available. However, if you’re interested in learning more about the lab and potentially getting involved, please contact the director, Dr. Jennifer Tufts, at jennifer.tufts@uconn.edu.

  • We may be looking for individuals who are interested in participating in our research studies. To learn more, please contact our lab directly.

Current Projects

Localization training with hearing protection devices

Funded by Department of Defense/Creare LLC

In this project, we have partnered with engineering firm Creare LLC to develop and test a novel system for training localization ability while wearing hearing protection devices. This portable system uses a tablet-based video game called FEND! to engage and motivate the listener while training localization.

"FEND" Listen! React! Block the Attack!
Localization study set up

Self-guided hearing protection fit-testing

Setup of the study with tablets, paperwork, and headphones
Setup of the study with tablets, paperwork, and headphones

Funded by Department of Defense/Defense Health Agency/WAHTS Hearing LLC

In this project, we have partnered with WAHTS Hearing LLC to develop and test a tablet-based hearing protector fit-testing system that can be operated by the end user and that combines an efficient threshold algorithm, multi-user capability, and a self-guided enhanced education module to train effective hearing protector use.

Selected Publications

Skoe, E., Powell, S., Main, M., White-Schoch, T., & Tufts, J.B. (in press). Weeklong noise exposure of 100 college students who participate in music activities. Ear and Hearing.

DiFrancesco, J., Schulz, T., Alstot, L. Blank, A., Bregg, S., Karch, S., Kulinski, D., Murphy, W.J., Tolley, M., Tufts, J.B., & Wells, L. (2025). NHCA position statement: Hearing protector fit testing (HPFT). National Hearing Conservation Association, Task Force on Hearing Protector Fit Testing (HPFT). https://nhc.memberclicks.net/assets/NHCA%20Position%20Paper%20on%20HPFT%20June%202025.pdf.

Jorgensen, E., Tufts, J.B., & Skoe, E. (2025). Examining sound levels across different timescales measured from body worn dosimeters. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 157(2), 1483-1499.

Tufts, J.B., & Berger, E.H. (2022). Hearing is priceless. Chapter 1 in Meinke, D.K., Berger, E.H., Neitzel, R., & Driscoll, D.P. (eds.). Noise Manual, 6th ed. Fairfax, VA: American Industrial Hygiene Association.

Casali, J.G., & Tufts, J.B. (2022). Auditory situation awareness and speech communication in noise. Chapter 17 in Meinke, D.K., Berger, E.H., Neitzel, R., & Driscoll, D.P. (eds.) Noise Manual, 6th ed. Fairfax, VA: American Industrial Hygiene Association.

Tufts, J.B., Parker, A., & Skoe, E. (2020). Assessing the representativeness of weeklong 24-hour dosimetry. NHCA Spectrum, 37(3), 1, 16-20.

Tufts, J.B. (2020). Recommendations for designing an efficient and effective localization training paradigm for use in a portable system for auditory situational awareness training. CDC/NIOSH Contract No. N68335-18-C-0319. Department of Defense/Office of Naval Research.

Camera, S., Tufts, J.B., & Skoe, E. (2019). Noise exposure and background noise tolerance in listeners with normal audiograms. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62, 2564-2570.

Skoe, E., Camera, S., & Tufts, J.B. (2019). Noise exposure may diminish the musician advantage for perceiving speech in noise. Ear and Hearing, 40(4), 782-793.

Skoe, E., & Tufts, J.B. (2018). Evidence of noise-induced subclinical hearing loss using auditory brainstem response and objective measures of noise exposure in humans. Hearing Research, 361, 80-91.

Tufts, J.B., & Skoe, E. (2018). Examining the noisy life of the college musician: Weeklong noise dosimetry of music and non-music activities. International Journal of Audiology, 57, Sup. 1, 20-27.

Sheffield, B., Brungart, D., Tufts, J.B., & Ness, J. (2017). The effects of elevated hearing thresholds on performance in a paintball simulation of individual dismounted combat. International Journal of Audiology, 56, Sup. 1, 34-40.

Sheffield, B., Brungart, D., Tufts, J., & Ness, J. (2015). The relationship between hearing acuity and operational performance in dismounted combat. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 59(1), 1346-1350.

Tufts, J.B. (2014). HPD Well-Fit: Comparison of REAT results under three circumaural headphone types. CDC/NIOSH Contract No. 214-2013-M-54656. Cincinnati OH: National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.

Brammer, A., Yu, G., Bernstein, E., Cherniack, M., Peterson, D., & Tufts, J.B. (2014). Understanding speech when wearing communication headsets and hearing protectors with subband processing. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 136, 671-681.

Tufts, J.B., Chen, S., & Marshall, L. (2013). Attenuation as a function of the canal length of custom-molded earplugs: A pilot study. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 133(6), EL446-EL451.

Tufts, J.B. (2012). For those about to rock. ASHA SIG 8 Perspectives on Public Health Issues Related to Hearing and Balance, 13(1), 29-3.

Tufts, J.B., Jahn, K., & Byram, J. (2012). Consistency of attenuation across multiple fittings of custom and non-custom earplugs. Annals of Occupational Hygiene, 57(5), 571-580.

Tufts, J.B., Palmer, J.V., & Marshall, L. (2012). Measurements of earplug attenuation under supra-aural and circumaural headphones. International Journal of Audiology, 51(10), 730-738.

Brammer, A.J., Yu, G., Bernstein, E.R., Cherniack, M.G., Tufts, J.B., & Peterson, D.R. (2011). Intelligibility of speech corrupted by nonlinear distortion. Proceedings of the 10th Congress of the International Commission on the Biological Effects of Noise as a Public Health Problem, London, UK, pp. 287-292.

Tufts, J.B., Hamilton, M.A, Ucci, A.J, & Rubas, J. (2011). Evaluation by industrial workers of passive and level-dependent hearing protection devices. Noise and Health, 13(50), 26-36.

Tufts, J.B., Weathersby, P.K, & Rodriguez, F. (2010). Modeling the United States government’s economic cost of noise-induced hearing loss for a military population. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment, and Health, 36(3), 242-249.

Tufts, J.B., Vasil, K., & Briggs, S. (2009). Auditory fitness for duty: A review. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 20, 539-557.

  • Cited in The Hearing Journal’s Best of 2009: Diagnostic Audiology

Tufts, J.B., Weathersby, P.K., & Marshall, L. (2009). Estimation of equivalent noise exposure level using hearing threshold levels of a population. Ear and Hearing, 30(2), 287-290.

  • Cited in The Hearing Journal’s Best of 2009: Diagnostic Audiology

Brammer, A.J., Yu, G., Bernstein, E.R., Peterson, D.R., Cherniack, M.G., & Tufts, J.B. (2009). Monitoring sound pressure at the eardrum for hearing conservation. Canadian Acoustics, 37(3), 108109.

Leek, M.R., Molis, M.R., Kubli, L.R., & Tufts, J.B. (2008). Enjoyment of music by elderly hearing-impaired listeners. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 19, 519-526.

Tufts, J.B., Molis, M.R., & Leek, M.R. (2005). Perception of dissonance by people with normal hearing and sensorineural hearing loss. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 118(2), 955-967.

Tufts, J.B., & Frank, T. (2003). Speech production in noise with and without hearing protection. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 114(3), 1069-1081.

Selected Presentations

Tufts, J.B. (2026). The music of the voice is more powerful than the lyrics. Don Gasaway Memorial Lecture. To be presented at the 50th annual meeting of the National Hearing Conservation Association, Fort Worth, TX.

DiFrancesco, J., Murphy, W.J., Wells, L.L., Schulz, T.Y., & Tufts, J.B. (2026). From symposium to standard: Building momentum in hearing protector fit-testing. Podium presentation at the 2026 meeting of the National Hearing Conservation Association, Fort Worth, TX.

Kolias, A., & Tufts, J.B. (2026). Effects on PAR of self-guided multi-user hearing protection fit testing. Podium presentation at the 2026 meeting of the National Hearing Conservation Association, Fort Worth, TX.

Russell, S., Dieters, K. K., Tasko, S.M., Murphy, W.J., Meinke, D.K., Flamme, G.A., Tufts, J.B., & Norris, J.A. (2025). Augmenting multi-person hearing protector fit testing with self-guided instructions and education improves personal attenuation ratings. Podium presentation at the 6th joint meeting of the Acoustical Society of America and the Acoustical Society of Japan, Honolulu, HI.

Skoe, E., Main, M., White-Schwoch, T., & Tufts, J. (2024). Noise exposure profiles of 100 college students who participate in musical activities. Poster presentation at the 2024 meeting of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology, Anaheim, CA.

Tufts, J.B., & Norris, J. (2023). Developing a fast and easy system for hearing- and earplug fit-testing: An update on what we have learned. Podium presentation at the 2023 meeting of the National Hearing Conservation Association.

  • Winner, NHCA 2023 Outstanding Lecture Award

Tufts, J.B. (2023). Financial and economic impacts of noise exposure on individuals, employers, and the nation. Invited presentation at the 2023 Technology for a Quieter America (TQA) Workshop – Occupational Noise Exposure – Risks and Controls, Washington, DC.

Tufts, J.B., & Norris, J. (2022). Developing a fast and easy system for hearing- and earplug fit-testing. Virtual presentation at the 2022 meeting of the National Hearing Conservation Association.

Parker, A., Tufts, J.B., & Skoe, E. (2020). Reliability of personal noise dosimetry. Poster presentation at the 2020 meeting of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology, San Jose, CA.

Skoe, E., Camera, S., & Tufts, J.B. (2019). Increased auditory system gain in listeners with decreased background noise tolerance. Poster presentation at the 2019 meeting of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology, Baltimore, MD.

DiFrancesco, J., & Tufts, J.B. (2019). Current hearing conservation practices for workers with hearing loss. Poster presentation at the 2019 meeting of the National Hearing Conservation Association, Grapevine, TX.

Tufts, J.B., Blank, A., & Danielson, R. (2019). Audiologist roles and assessment options in the evaluation of auditory fitness for hearing-critical jobs. One-hour learning module presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Audiology, Columbus, OH.

Wilbur, J., Audette, W.E., Tufts, J.B., & Downs, Z. (2018). Portable system for auditory situational awareness training. Podium presentation and demonstration at the 2018 Office of Naval Research Noise-Induced Hearing Loss Program Review.

Brungart, D., Battler, L., Williams, R., Galloza, H., Didon, J., Pead, P., Daut, J., Holmes, A., Tufts, J.B., Saul, L., & Clavier, O. (2018). A subjective evaluation of the most critical design factors in military hearing protection. Poster presentation at the annual meeting of the Joint Defense Veterans Audiology Conference, Atlanta, GA.

Tufts, J.B., Clavier, O., Audette, W., & Wilbur, J. (2018). Development and implementation of a military auditory fitness-for-duty test battery. Podium presentation at the semi-annual meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, Minneapolis, MN.

Tufts, J.B., Skoe, E., Njuki, C., Husereau, M., Masi, R., & Camera, S. (2017). Examining the noisy life of the college musician. Poster presentation at the annual conference of the National Hearing Conservation Association, San Antonio, TX.

Skoe, E., Tufts, J.B., Njuki, C., Camera, S., Husereau, M., & Masi, R. (2017). Neurophysiological, behavioral, and dosimetric indices of noise exposure in musicians with normal audiometric thresholds. Poster presentation at the annual conference of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology. Baltimore, MD.

Pead, P., Daut, J., Holmes, A., Saul, L., Tufts, J.B., & Brungart, D. (2016). Subjective evaluations of active and passive hearing protectors by combat arms soldiers. Poster presentation at the annual conference of Joint Defense Veterans Audiology Conference, St. Louis, MO.

Tufts, J.B., Chen, S., & Marshall, L. (2014). Canal segment length of custom earplugs: Effects on attenuation (and comfort). Podium presentation at the annual conference of the National Hearing Conservation Association, Las Vegas, NV.

  • Winner, NHCA 2014 Outstanding Lecture Award

Tufts, J.B. (2014). Helping your clients get the most out of their hearing protection devices. Invited session of ASHA Special Interest Group 8: Public Health Issues Related to Hearing and Balance. One-hour seminar given at the annual meeting of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Orlando, FL.

Tufts, J.B., & Sheffield, B. (2013). Applied research in hearing. Guest lecture delivered to research methods course (instructor: MAJ Louis Nemec), Department of Engineering Psychology, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY.

Yu, G., Brammer, A.J., Swan, K., Tufts, J.B., Cherniack, M.G., & Peterson, D.R. (2010) Relationships between the modified rhyme test and objective metrics of speech intelligibility. Poster presentation at the semi-annual meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, Baltimore, MD.

Tufts, J.B., Hamilton, M., Ucci, A., & Rubas, J. (2010). Employee experiences with two level-dependent HPDs. Poster presentation at the annual conference of the National Hearing Conservation Association, Orlando, FL.

  • Winner, NHCA 2010 Outstanding Poster Award

Tufts, J.B. (2010). Auditory fitness for duty: Do you need to be able to hear a pin drop? Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT.

Leek, M.R., Molis, M.R., Kubli, L.R., Tufts, J.B., & Cord, M.T. (2005). Enjoyment of music by elderly hearing-impaired listeners. Poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American Auditory Society, Scottsdale, AZ.

Tufts, J.B., Molis, M.R., & Leek, M.R. (2004). Perception of dissonance by people with sensorineural hearing loss. Poster presentation at the 8th International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition, Evanston, IL.

Tufts, J.B. (2004). The ear: A prelude. Health Promotion in Schools of Music conference, Ft. Worth, TX.