Meredith Schmehl, PhD
LightNews LightNews
banner
meredithschmehl.com
Meredith Schmehl, PhD
@meredithschmehl.com
540 followers 830 following 330 posts
Neuroscientist supporting #OpenScience @HHMI.org

Connecting science & society through #SciPol, #SciComm, & community building for a more equitable & informed future

Past:
📢 Comms @ National SciPol Network
🧠 Ph.D. @DukeBrain.bsky.social
🧬 B.S. x2 @CMU.edu
Posts Replies Media Videos
meredithschmehl.com
What we found:

The brain area that we were studying (the IC) is usually thought to be mostly a sound processing center.

But we found that lights could change the way this brain area responded to sound - both in large groups of brain cells, and when singling out just one brain cell at a time.

6/10
A 3-panel figure from a neuroscience research paper. Panel A is a histogram of audiovisual minus auditory responses, with red and green bars indicating differences that diverge from zero. 16.7% of auditory responses were reduced and 6.8% were increased by the addition of a visual stimulus. Panel B is a scatter plot comparing mean auditory and audiovisual responses from individual neurons and individual conditions, with the color of the points indicating the mean visual response relative to baseline. There is no clear relationship between the magnitude and sign of the visual response and the audiovisual vs. auditory response difference. Finally, panel C is a scatter plot comparing the difference between audiovisual and auditory responses and the visual response relative to baseline, with the color of the points indicating the mean auditory response. There is no clear relationship between the magnitude of the auditory response and the influence of visual responses on audiovisual responses. Together, the panels indicate that a variety of relationships are possible between visual, auditory, and audiovisual responses, indicating a flexible role of visual stimuli in shaping auditory responses in the inferior colliculus.
May 14, 2025 at 8:19 PM
meredithschmehl.com
What we studied:

We were studying how the brain processes both sound and light at the same time.

I trained monkeys to locate sounds and lights inside a small room. While they did this, I recorded from a part of the brain called the inferior colliculus (IC), which processes sound.

2/10
A figure from a neuroscience research paper. The figure depicts a behavioral task requiring a subject to fixate their eyes on a central light, wait for a target (auditory, visual, or both at a single location) to appear, and then move their eyes to the location of the target.
May 14, 2025 at 8:15 PM
meredithschmehl.com
I'm happy to share a new paper from my PhD research!

Exciting work about how visual info helps us process sound, and an example of federal funding that benefits all of us - from your health to community health.

doi.org/10.1152/jn.0...

With @jmgrohneuro.bsky.social & Jesse Herche

Thread: 🧵👇

1/10
Graphical abstract from the Journal of Neurophysiology with 3 panels. The first panel is titled "Task" with the text: "Record responses in the inferior colliculus (IC) while monkeys perform a multi-modal localization task." A diagram depicts a behavioral task requiring a subject to fixate their eyes on a central light, wait for a target (auditory, visual, or both at a single location) to appear, and then move their eyes to the location of the target. The second panel is titled "Local Field Potential (LFP)" with the text: "Visually-evoked responses to both fixation and target lights." Two figures show the average local field potential (LFP) from multiple recording sites over time during a trial, showing a response that deviates from the pre-stimulus baseline in response to the fixation light (left figure) and visual targets (right figure). Finally, the third panel is titled "Single-Unit Spiking Activity" with the text: "Visually-induced modulation of auditory responses even when the visual spiking response is weak." Two figures follow. The first figure is a peri-stimulus time histogram (PSTH) from one neuron, showing the response to a visual, auditory, and audiovisual target over time. The second figure is a bar plot quantifying the first figure, showing that the audiovisual response has a lower firing rate than the auditory response, despite the visual response for this neuron being near zero. Below the 3 main panels of the graphical abstract is a footer with the logo of the American Physiological Society and the Journal of Neurophysiology.
May 14, 2025 at 8:14 PM
meredithschmehl.com
Thanks to Women in Neuroscience for inviting me to speak with their students yesterday! I had a great time sharing how I've made connections in my career, from combining research areas to making a real-world impact with #neuroscience. What a great program for students in Texas!

#SciComm #SciPol
Women in Neuroscience logo, featuring the letters WIN next to an abstract brain constructed from four amorphous shapes. Talk description. Text: Seeing can help us hear. Whether we're reading a friend's lips in a loud crowd or finding our ringing phone in a messy room, visual cues help us every day as we process noisy environments and decide which sounds are important. In this talk, we'll discuss what neuroscience says about how the brain responds to sounds, and how visual and auditory signals are connected in the brain. We'll focus on the inferior colliculus (IC), an auditory brain area, where growing evidence suggests that visual information may influence responses to sounds. Along the way, we'll also discuss how to get involved in systems neuroscience research and how your neuroscience training could lead you to an impact-focused career in science communication, science policy, and beyond. Ultimately, we'll discover how everything from sensory systems to professional opportunities can be shaped by making connections.
November 15, 2024 at 4:25 PM
meredithschmehl.com
After six years, this weekend I graduated from Duke University with my PhD in Neurobiology! Thanks to everyone who helped me celebrate!

#Duke2024 #DukeAlumni #ForeverDuke #PhDone #PhinisheD
Photo of Meredith Schmehl wearing academic regalia in front of an archway lined with Duke University stone. Photo of Meredith Schmehl and Professor Jennifer Groh posing for a photo after Meredith’s PhD hooding.
May 12, 2024 at 10:10 PM
meredithschmehl.com
Thank you to Duke University and the Duke University Graduate School for recognizing me with a #ForeverDuke Student Leadership Award! What a great way to reflect on my time at Duke and to meet other graduates working to serve our local community and beyond.

gradschool.duke.edu/about/news/9...
Photo of Meredith Schmehl receiving a box containing an award certificate. In the background is a screen with a PowerPoint slide showcasing Meredith's headshot and biography. The slide reads: Meredith Schmehl. The Graduate School. PhD 2024. Meredith Schmehl is a neuroscientist, science communicator, and science policy advocate driven to connect science and society through storytelling and community engagement. Meredith recently earned her PhD in Neurobiology from Duke University, where she studied how the brain uses vision to process sound. Outside of Duke, she is the Public Relations Manager of the National Science Policy Network, where she creates accessible written and visual content to share NSPN's story with the media and the public and to engage early-career scientists in professional development opportunities related to science policy and science communication. She is also the Community Relations Database Lead at ComSciCon, where she tracks engagement to increase science communi Meredith Schmehl is a neuroscientist, science communicator, and science policy advocate driven to connect science and society through storytelling and community engagement. Meredith recently earned her PhD in Neurobiology from Duke University, where she studied how the brain uses vision to process sound. Outside of Duke, she is the Public Relations Manager of the National Science Policy Network, where she creates accessible written and visual content to share NSPN's story with the media and the public and to engage early-career scientists in professional development opportunities related to science policy and science communication. She is also the Community Relations Database Lead at ComSciCon, where she tracks engagement to increase science communication training and community building opportunities for a nation-wide network of STEM graduate students and communication professionals. Additionally, Meredith is an independent science communicator, public speaker, and advocate through sev Photo of a certificate that reads: Forever Duke Student Leadership Award. Honors. Meredith Schmehl. This certificate is awarded to Meredith based on her extensive advocacy for science communication and policy. This certificate is awarded on 25 April 2024. Duke Alumni Engagement and Development.
April 25, 2024 at 9:08 PM
meredithschmehl.com
Meredith Schmehl, PhD! Thank you to everyone who came to support me at my defense today, both in person and on Zoom! Looking forward to sharing my work more broadly in a few publications over the next several months.

#PhDone #PhinisheD
Photo of Meredith Schmehl and advisor Jennifer Groh posing in front of a screen showing a PowerPoint slide. Photo of a PowerPoint slide that reads: Visual Cues Modulate Auditory Responses in the Macaque Inferior Colliculus. Meredith Schmehl. Dissertation Defense. March 18, 2024.
March 19, 2024 at 12:45 AM
meredithschmehl.com
Finally, @paleopaws is telling us about using personal stories to inform our #SciComm!

#ComSciCon23
November 27, 2024 at 5:24 PM
meredithschmehl.com
Moving on to metaphors, imagery, and characters with @_emcosta! #ComSciCon23
November 27, 2024 at 5:24 PM
meredithschmehl.com
We are telling creative stories this morning at #ComSciCon23! Attendees are splitting into 3 groups to learn from experts about crafting their stories.

Excited to start by hearing from @abiodun_et_al about neurocinematics!
November 27, 2024 at 5:24 PM
meredithschmehl.com
Now that the excitement is over, I can finally share some reflections on #SfN22 #SfN2022! Thanks to @APANHearing for my research talk award, the @SfNtweets TPDA program for sponsoring my attendance, and the ECPA Program for allowing me to share some of my #SciPol work!

1/2
November 27, 2024 at 5:24 PM
meredithschmehl.com
Come visit me at #SfN22! I'm presenting 6 (!) times on my research and a few #SciComm/#SciPol projects. I'd love to meet some of you there!

#NeuroTwitter #ScienceTwitter #SfN2022 @SfNtweets
November 27, 2024 at 5:24 PM
meredithschmehl.com
Excited to share that I’ve been selected to receive a Trainee Professional Development Award from @SfNtweets! See you all at #SfN22!
November 27, 2024 at 6:30 PM
meredithschmehl.com
Ready to start! Excited to meet everyone and talk about #SciComm!

#ComSciCon22 @ComSciCon
November 27, 2024 at 6:30 PM
meredithschmehl.com
Arrived at MIT and ready for @ComSciCon to start tomorrow! Can’t wait to meet everyone! #ComSciCon22
November 27, 2024 at 6:30 PM
meredithschmehl.com
Best way to spend a Saturday? #SciComm, of course! Having a great time prepping a #SciPol 101 talk for @SimplyNeurosci and finishing my Create-A-Thon draft for @ComSciCon 📝
November 27, 2024 at 6:30 PM
meredithschmehl.com
Excited for the Climate Justice Allyship workshop at the #SciPolSymposium/#NSPS2021!
November 27, 2024 at 7:22 PM
meredithschmehl.com
My bingo card is filling up! Don’t forget to share your bingo card with a short reflection about each square for a chance to win credit to the @SciPolNetwork Etsy store! #iSpySciPol #SciPolSymposium #NSPS2021
November 27, 2024 at 7:22 PM
meredithschmehl.com
Gearing up for the #SciPolSymposium/#NSPS2021! Can’t wait to meet new #SciPolPals and join the workshops and panels!
November 27, 2024 at 7:22 PM
meredithschmehl.com
Excited to be presenting at #SfN21! Come visit me at my research poster (P448.06, discussion 11/10 at 2:30pm ET) and outreach poster (J013.06, discussion 11/9 at 10:45am ET)! @SfNtweets
November 27, 2024 at 7:22 PM
meredithschmehl.com
New Gastronauts Podcast! Drs. Nick Betley and @DanielJDrucker discuss how science is always changing. Find us on all platforms!

http://thinkgastronauts.com/the-gastronauts-podcast-season-3/

@PennBiology @PennNGG @PennBGS @PennMedNews @Penn @UofTMedicine @UofT_DoM @LMP_UofT @UofT...
November 27, 2024 at 8:16 PM
meredithschmehl.com
Abstract submitted! Excited to see everyone (virtually) for #SfN21! @SfNtweets
November 27, 2024 at 9:06 PM
meredithschmehl.com
In our review, we focus on the two yellow areas - the auditory cortex and the inferior colliculus (IC). These areas both receive visual input and respond to visual information, despite being traditionally thought of as "auditory areas"...
November 28, 2024 at 2:02 AM
meredithschmehl.com
Neuroscientists like to compartmentalize things - "auditory regions" respond to sound, and "visual regions" respond to light. But the brain turns out to be a little more complicated.

Here's a diagram of the auditory system, showing 3 places where visual input comes in

2/6
November 27, 2024 at 10:59 PM
meredithschmehl.com
New Gastronauts Podcast! Drs. @SenguptaLab and Brian Gulbransen tell us how the circuits in our gut can direct our behaviors. Find audio on all platforms and transcripts on our website!
http://thinkgastronauts.com/the-gastronauts-podcast-season-3/

@BrandeisNeuro @BrandeisScience...
November 27, 2024 at 9:06 PM