Sebastian Waz

Degrees

Ph.D., Psychology, UC Irvine, Expected 2022
M.S., Statistics, UC Irvine, 2019
B.S., Cognitive Science, UCLA, 2016

Research

I study how listeners detect sounds at some frequencies while ignoring sounds at other frequencies. This ability (known as “frequency selectivity”) helps listeners recognize speech and appreciate music.

Biography

I’ve worn many hats. I was once project manager for an aerial robotics team at UCLA. I worked for an archaeologist, combing the desert for petroglyphs. Now, I’m a PhD student in the Chubb-Wright Lab at UC Irvine where I study hearing. I like to make music, my favorite short story is “The Library of Babel” by Jorge Luis Borges, and I’ve lived in California for a quarter-century.

Why is science communication important to you personally?

I’ve learned that research isn’t done when the data is collected. It isn’t done when the data is analyzed. It isn’t done when the report is published. Research is completed only when someone else reads and understands the work you’ve accomplished.

To make this happen, an impactful scientist puts their work in front of a wide audience. Besides other scientists, they communicate with legislators, government agencies, and the public. Research has value for many people, and science communication is how that value is shared.
 

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