Dr. Zed Sehyr
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zedsehyr.bsky.social
Dr. Zed Sehyr
@zedsehyr.bsky.social
640 followers 390 following 130 posts
Assistant Professor in Communication Sciences & Disorders @ChapmanUniversity. Director of of Cognition, Language & Plasticity Lab: http://www.claplab.org/ Co-founder of ASL-LEX database: https://asl-lex.org/ Pronouns: She/her.
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zedsehyr.bsky.social
The CLaP Lab had an amazing time connecting with the Deaf community at DeaFestival Riverside! 🧠✨ Thanks to everyone who stopped by to learn about language, the brain, and our research! www.claplab.org #deafawarenessmonth
Four women stand together and smile under a canopy at an outdoor outreach event, with a display table behind them labeled "Cognition, Language & Plasticity Lab" featuring educational materials and a model brain held by one of the group members. A young woman wearing a “Learn Language, It’s Very Handy” shirt communicates in sign language with an older man holding a walking stick at an outdoor booth for the Cognition, Language & Plasticity Lab, which is set up with flyers, brain models, candy, and outreach materials under a canopy. Two smiling women wearing Chapman University shirts sit side by side at a Cognition, Language & Plasticity Lab booth, which is covered with flyers, branded pens, candy, and brain-themed materials for outreach at an outdoor event.
September 22, 2025 at 10:49 PM
zedsehyr.bsky.social
😢
August 17, 2025 at 11:37 PM
zedsehyr.bsky.social
A white male presenting person with short blond hair, wearing black pants and dark check shirt signing ASL and standing in front of a projection screen showing a drawing of a brain with black text on a white screen. A group of people standing in a circle im a conference room with the window blinds drawn, one female is signing ASL to the rest of the group
August 8, 2025 at 6:09 AM
zedsehyr.bsky.social
Go see poster P1 S 173 on Thursday 1 pm @cogscisociety.bsky.social
Infographic summarizing findings from a study on listening fatigue and communication health in 152 deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) adults. The top row shows three histograms titled: "Listening Fatigue (VFS10-A)," "General Fatigue (PROMIS-D)," and "Comm. Health (PROMIS-D)," displaying the distribution of outcome scores. The bottom row includes three scatterplots: A scatterplot showing listening fatigue increases with greater reliance on lipreading (x-axis: lipreading frequency; y-axis: fatigue score). A plot showing general fatigue decreases with higher ASL proficiency and earlier ASL exposure (x-axis: language dominance; y-axis: fatigue score). A plot showing communication health increases with greater ASL dominance and earlier exposure (x-axis: language dominance; y-axis: comm. health). Text highlights include: “Increases with greater reliance on lipreading & later ASL exposure” “Decreases with higher ASL proficiency & earlier exposure” “Linked to greater ASL dominance, usage & earlier exposure” Also shown are logos for Chapman University and the Cognition, Language & Plasticity Lab, a QR code labeled "References & PDF," and the contact email: sehyr@chapman.edu. Infographic titled "Methodology" outlining the design of an online retrospective survey study with 152 deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) adults. Participant details include: Gender: 101 women, 6 non-binary Age of ASL exposure: Early (≤6 years) 38.8%, Late (>6 years) 49.3%, None 11.8% Hearing ability: Moderate 66%, Minimal 10%, None 24% Four data collection domains are highlighted in red boxes: Demographics: Age, Age of ASL exposure, Education, Hearing ability (self-reported), Lipreading frequency Vanderbilt Listening Fatigue (VFS10-A) (Hornsby et al., 2023): Measures listening fatigue using the prompt “I feel worn out from everyday listening.” PROMIS®-Deaf (Kushalnagar et al., 2020): General fatigue: “How often did you feel tired?” Communication health: “I can easily get the information I need to make decisions.” ASL-English Bilingual Language Profile (Lindeberg, 2022): Proficiency: “How well do you understand ASL/English?” Use: “What % of time do you use ASL, English?”
July 30, 2025 at 9:12 PM
zedsehyr.bsky.social
Absolutely devastating news: NSF stops awarding new grants and funding existing ones
US science funder also plans to screen grant applications for compliance with ‘agency priorities’.
Update: The US National Science Foundation (NSF) terminated roughly 380 grants on Friday, 2 May, an NSF staff member told Nature. That raises the total number of terminated grants to approximately 1,425. Staff members at the US National Science Foundation (NSF) were told on 30 April to "stop awarding all funding actions until further notice," according to an email seen by Nature. The policy prevents the NSF, one of the world's biggest supporters of basic research, from awarding new research grants and from supplying additional increments of money or subawards to existing grants. But researchers should be able to draw down money from grant funds that they have already received, NSF staff members say. The ancauy receivel, not slam membelosay. the email does not provide a reason for the freeze and says that it will last "until further notice. RELATED Earlier this week, NSF leadership also introduced a new policy directing staff members to Will US science survive screen grant Trump 2.0? proposals for "topics or activities that may not be in alignment with agency priorities". Proposals judged not "in alignment" must be returned to the applicants by NSF employees. The policy has not been made public but was described in documents seen by Nature. An NSF staff member says that although good science can still be funded, the policy has the potential to be "Orwellian nuarranch" Anstharcenfmamhar couc has the potential to be "Orwellian overreach". Another staff member says, "They are butchering the gold standard merit review process that was established at NSF over decades". One program officer says they are resigning because of the policy. Nature spoke with five NSF staffers for this story, all on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media. An NSF spokesperson declined Nature's request for comment. Continuing turmoil The changes are hitting an agency already in crisis. In the past two weeks, the NSF has terminated roughly 1,040 grants that would have awarded US$739 million to researchers and their institutions. The agency's director, Sethuraman Panchanathan, resigned last month. RELATED Uncertainty is also being felt by scientists outside the agency. Colin Carlson, an expert NSF slashes prestigious PhD fellowship awards by half in disease emergence at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, leads an initiative to predict viruses that pose pandemic threats. The project, which involves roughly 50 researchers across multiple universities, is funded by a $US12.5 million NSF grant. The project's latest round of funding was approved, but Carlson worries about subsequent rounds, and the fate of other researchers. Unless it is lifted, the freeze "is going to destroy people's labs," Carlson says. Funding for the NSF, as for all other federal agencies, is set by the US Congress. To date, the agency has received only about one-quarter of the funding that Congress appropriated to it for the current fiscal year,
May 5, 2025 at 8:19 PM
zedsehyr.bsky.social
American Psychological Association speaks up after NSF terminates 1,000+ grants!

“By halting research of this type we risk denying individuals high-quality care based solely on their heritage or background..our ability to understand & deliver effective services to ALL Americans..will be diminished”
a welcome development for the American Psychological Association (APA) starting to speak up, now after 1,000+ terminated NSF grants
April 28, 2025 at 1:45 AM
zedsehyr.bsky.social
Can machine learning help uncover basic building blocks of sign language? Our model decomposes ASL signs into discrete units, predicting sign identity with 72% accuracy 🔍👉🏻 @leekezar.bsky.social @thomason.bsky.social

#SignLanguage #AI #Linguistics #TISLR2025
🔗 www.claplab.org | www.glamor.rocks
An image of a poster presented at an international conference for the theoretical issues in sign language research. The Poster reports on using machine learning to build an inventory of sign components. The poster shows some text, the research question, methodology, key finding, and information about the data sets used for modelling. The authors on this paper are Lee Kezar, Zed Sehyr, Jesse Thomason
February 13, 2025 at 9:14 PM
zedsehyr.bsky.social
Deaf President Now tells the true story of Gallaudet University students who, in 1988, ignited a movement for self-representation & equality by fighting for a Deaf president at Gallaudet, highlighting the power of collective action & fight for Deaf leadership in spaces dominated by hearing voices
Holltwood REPORTER STUDIO AT PARK CITY Five white men and a white woman sitting next to each other facing the camera, their hands folded on their laps.
February 1, 2025 at 5:37 AM
zedsehyr.bsky.social
Yesterday, my Lab were put to a real test. It wasn’t an experiment. Rather, a prison break! The result? Using excellent team work, problem solving + communication skills, we escaped from the prison room, with 5 mins to spare! grateful for my team. What a fun way to wrap up a productive (first) year!
The image features five adults inside a room with black and white wallpaper, paraphernalia and a neon sign “escape room 66” hanging on the wall behind them. They are smiling and posing wearing blindfolds. The interior is dimly lit with purple Christmas lights glowing and hanging from the ceiling. The image features five adults inside a room designed to look like a jail cell. They are smiling and posing behind a vertical set of metallic bars. The setting has a rustic appearance, with exposed beams and a dimly lit interior. The bars are dark metal, giving an industrial feel. The individuals are positioned with two crouching at the bottom and three standing behind, with their faces visible between the bars. A small bag is hanging on the bars to the right of one individual. Above, there is a tangle of ropes and wooden beams adding to the aesthetic.
December 14, 2024 at 11:48 PM
zedsehyr.bsky.social
🎄✨Science lovers of #SanDiego! Join @nerdnitesd for a holiday special on 12/11/24, start 7PM at Ken Club 🌟 Cypress Hansen dives into SD’s natural holiday spirit, astronomer Lisa Will explains why we get seasons & Effie Fine unpacks warming Arctic sea ice! 🎤 🎟️ Mingle, jingle,explore rad #science! 🚀✨
A festive illustration for 'Nerd Nite San Diego' featuring a winter-themed scene with Santa in a sleigh, reindeer, polar bears, holly, and snowflakes. The foreground displays a bottle and mug of beer, and an event flyer for 'Nerd Nite San Diego' on December 11, decorated with science-inspired symbols. Text says: Nerd Nite SD presents holiday special with Cypress Hansen, Lisa Will, Effie Fine. Wednesday December 11th 7pm, Kensington Club, 4079 Adams Ave. $10. Barcode to tickets in bottom right corner.
December 1, 2024 at 6:09 PM
zedsehyr.bsky.social
Wonder if ASL signs undergo phonetic reduction (a bit like vowel centralization in spoken language)? Amelia Becker’s poster 5100 @psychonomicsociety.bsky.social #psynom24 on Sat at noon presents findings from our #NSF project with @zedsehyr.bsky.social @naomicaselli.bsky.social @m2b2.bsky.social
The image is a section of a presentation slide titled "Pose Estimation: Measuring" with multiple graphical elements and text. In the upper part of the image, there are two photographs of a person with lines and points overlaid on their face and upper body, indicating a pose estimation analysis. The lines are in different colors, mapping the head, arms, and torso. Below the photographs is a scatterplot graph with several yellow lines radiating from central points, labeled "sun" and "farm". The x-axis and y-axis are marked with numerical intervals, and arrows are drawn from the images above to specific areas on the graph.
November 22, 2024 at 4:52 PM
zedsehyr.bsky.social
If you are in NYC for #psynom24 and are able to go see some art, i highly recommend the @guggenheim.bsky.social the current exhibition culminates in beautiful ASL poetry created by famous deaf artists as their reflections on selected paintings. it blew my mind! 🤟🏼@psychonomicsociety.bsky.social
A deaf signer wearing a black top and blond hair pointing to their eyes projected on a screen which hangs on a white wall. A deaf signer wearing black clothing dark curly short hair with his arm stretched forward. projected on a screen A deaf signer wearing a black top, a mustache, buzzed hair, projected on a screen which hangs on a white wall. A caption in the bottom left corner of the says: Douglas Ridloff “Cosmos”
November 22, 2024 at 3:44 AM
zedsehyr.bsky.social
Super proud of my UG and G students who successfully presented our preliminary ERP findings at their very first conference!
Five female presenting individuals standing together on a balcony with buildings and a clear sky in the background. They are all smiling and wearing name tags. Two women present research findings to an audience in a conference room, with a slide projected on a large screen. Transcribed Text: Results - N400 Semantic pre-activation Both groups showed larger N400 to semantically incongruent (wall) words than congruent (cast). Hearing Cz N400 Congruent (cast) Incongruent (wall) CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY.
November 17, 2024 at 12:37 AM
zedsehyr.bsky.social
As found in front of my classroom today: A second instalment of elfy joy, the tic-tac-bow! Love students’ creativity.
alt text: Elf doll sitting near a tic-tac-toe game made of gift bows, with a note saying, "Wanna play tic-tac-bow with me?" on a door.
November 15, 2024 at 4:39 AM
zedsehyr.bsky.social
So much harmful ableism, it’s 2024, Nature Scientific Reports do better than this!! Why is this a problem? First, there is not one “sign language”. Authors must specify the language of study. This is to appropriately acknowledge the status and diversity of world’s sign languages and cultures.
November 11, 2024 at 9:34 PM
zedsehyr.bsky.social
Fat finger typo of the day!! It’s a good one though :)
November 9, 2024 at 8:14 PM
zedsehyr.bsky.social
Found this in front of my classroom today. Whoever did this, thanks for the punny message. Love thy students!!
Two nutcracker dolls and an elf doll dressed up as doctors and nurses on the table next to Tide laundry detergent. A message on a sheet of paper says: I made a full recovery overnight and am back in class today with some new friends. We send TIDINGS of JOY!
November 9, 2024 at 5:51 PM
zedsehyr.bsky.social
B’bye San Francisco @Psychonomic_Soc #psynom23 so much great science! Thank you.
A wide angle picture of water with red Golden Gate Bridge and hills in the background. Sunny, blue sky.
November 19, 2023 at 9:31 PM
zedsehyr.bsky.social
I really enjoy learning about diversity, disability identity & scientific research from disabled scholars themselves at @Psychonomic_Soc #psynom23 their perspectives are needed to remove disability stigma & ensure full inclusivity and equity! Please open up to them.
A white female presenter on a stage using American Sign Language next to a panel of six people seated at a long table covered with a white tablecloth. The background is dark with a white TV screen.
November 18, 2023 at 6:51 AM
zedsehyr.bsky.social
What a beautifully delivered and balanced keynote by Jennifer Eberhardt! rigorous research intertwined with personal accounts to emphasise the pervasive patterns of racial bias that continues to plague us!Thanks #psynom23 @Psychonomic_Soc
And on that note G’night, San Francisco!
November 17, 2023 at 6:25 AM
zedsehyr.bsky.social
Not bad for an office view today. Hello #snl2023 #neurobiologyoflanguage #neurobiology #language
October 24, 2023 at 9:02 PM