Episode 88: Nora Keegan, Grade 10 Student & Published Researcher

Best of the WWEST

In this episode, our host Dr. Lesley Shannon is joined by Nora Keegan, a grade 10 student whose research on the effects of hand dryer noise on children was published in the Journal of Paediatrics & Child Health. If this interview doesn't inspire you, then we don't know what will! Nora talks about her love for science, the experience of conducting research and being published in a major publication at such a young age, and much more.

Nora Keegan is a grade 10 student in Calgary, Alberta. She loves science, and in grade 5 she did a study on hand dryer noise. She found that hand dryer noise can actually damage children’s hearing. She published her results in the Journal of Paediatrics & Child Health. Since then, she has met with manufacturers to discuss the issue of testing as she found that the noise manufacturers claimed their hand dryers operated at did not match her results. As well, she was a keynote speaker at a noise conference where she shared her findings. She hopes that people will listen to her findings and create regulations on hand dryer testing and noise so that children’s hearing is protected.

Relevant Links:

• "Children who say hand dryers ‘hurt my ears’ are correct: A real-world study examining the loudness of automated hand dryers in public places," Paediatrics & Child Health, June 2020
• "Hand dryers are 'clearly dangerous' to children, teen scientist concludes," CTV News, 2019
• Marie Curie
• Sorbonne Université

Hosted by: Dr. Lesley Shannon Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott HolmesProduced by: Vanessa Hennessey

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