Who works in our lab?
Over the past 10 years, about 100 students have been supervised by the lab director, Pascale Tremblay, in the context of an internship, employment, master’s degree (research or professional), or PhD!
While some have pursued a path focused on clinical practice in a master’s in speech-language pathology, many have actively engaged in the research work of the lab. We were curious about the profile of these students, so we checked out their fields of study!
Here is some general information about the main programs that students in our lab come from:
- Bachelor’s in Language Sciences (Linguistics):
Students in this three-year program study various sub-disciplines of linguistics, including phonology, morphology, semantics, and syntax. They also learn a second language. Most of the research assistants that have worked in the lab are enrolled in this program! Thanks to their training, they can transcribe recordings using the phonetic alphabet, contribute to phonetic and semantic analyses of speech recordings obtained during data collection, and create language stimuli.
- Master’s or PhD in Clinical and Biomedical Sciences:
Students in this program dedicate most of their time to research activities and must write a thesis (master’s) or dissertation (PhD). In our lab, they perform a variety of tasks, such as developing research projects, recruiting participants, collecting and analyzing data, writing scientific articles, presenting results at scientific conferences, etc. These students are full-time at the research center. Master’s students usually stay in the lab for two years, while PhD students generally stay for four years. A concentration in adaptation/rehabilitation is available, which allows students to focus on issues related to speech therapy.
- Bachelor’s in Biomedical Sciences:
This three-year program provides knowledge in basic sciences (e.g., microbiology, biochemistry, etc.) and has a strong research component! It includes several research internships and lab immersion programs, and for this reason many students come to our lab every year. In our lab, these students have the opportunity to become familiar with different aspects of research in humans and the fields of cognitive neuroscience, speech, hearing, and aging. Some of these students develop a passion and decide to pursue other research activities in our lab!
- Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology (Speech Therapy):
This master’s program trains healthcare professionals to assess and treat various communication disorders, such as speech, voice, or oral and written language disorders. Speech-language pathologists can also work with individuals with swallowing disorders. At Université Laval, this training takes two full years. In addition to theoretical courses and clinical internships, the program includes the writing of a final report. Every year, Pascale supervises several students who are undertaking this research work. The final report can take the form of a scientific literature review or an experimental project involving data collection and analysis. Some speech therapy students work as research assistants or do research internships in the lab, and therefore they actively participate in our research activities!
- Bachelor’s or PhD in Psychology:
The three-year bachelor’s program in psychology allows students to become familiar with different fields of the discipline (e.g., child development, neuropsychology, etc.). Completion of the bachelor’s degree is a prerequisite for pursuing a graduate program in psychology. We have had several assistants from this bachelor’s program, which also includes a research concentration. Finally, a PhD in psychology can lead to a career as a psychologist or researcher, depending on the type of PhD completed. PhD students in psychology studying in our lab are co-supervised by Pascale Tremblay in addition to being supervised by a psychology professor.
The diversity of programs that students in our lab come from contributes to its richness. Everyone contributes their knowledge and skills, which gives our work a strong multidisciplinary character that is useful for better understanding complex phenomena such as aging and human communication!
For official information about these programs offered at Université Laval, you can visit the following links:
https://www.ulaval.ca/etudes/programmes/baccalaureat-en-sciences-du-langage
https://www.ulaval.ca/etudes/programmes/baccalaureat-en-sciences-biomedicales
https://www.ulaval.ca/etudes/programmes/maitrise-en-orthophonie
https://www.ulaval.ca/etudes/programmes/baccalaureat-en-psychologie
