GÜNTER
UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN COLORDO, COLORADO, USA

This is Gunter with their friends in the Audiology Science Department at the University of Northern Colorado 2007.

Birthdate: September 5, 2007
Location: University of Northern Colorado; AuD Program, Greeley, CO
Builders: UNC Students: Kirsten Adkisson, Linda McIntosh, Cassie Tuell, Brittany Vogel, Emily Wakefield, Nathan Wakefield, Elizabeth Walstrom

Faculty Advisors: Deanna Meinke and Katie Bright
Dangerous Decibels™ outreach programs and workshops, campus and community health fairs, Noise Awareness Day, Audiology program recruitment, classroom education for hearing loss prevention and instrumentation, audiometric technician training courses.

BUTCH
NEBO SCHOOL DISTRICT, UTAH

Butch's "birthdate" was March 6, 2008 in Springville Utah. Developer: Candi Bown, Audiologist

Candi is proud of him and uses him in classes she teaches at the University of Utah. He has made appearances at various events and venues including in May for Better Speech and Hearing month where he was in a lot of classrooms teaching kids about "dangerous decibels".

Here he is with Utah Speech Language and Hearing Ambassador Raquel Turner who is deaf and wears a cochlear implant. He was also used at the Utah Speech Language Hearing Association for a demonstration during Dr. Bown's presentations. He will be attending a workshop of all of the school nurses in the state of Utah in November. Dr. Bown especially enjoys the looks she gets when driving down the freeway with him buckled into her passenger seat.

ELLIE-QUEUE & DECI-BELL
US military base in Europe

Built by John A. Merkley, MAJ, MS, CCC-A, Army Hearing Program Manager - Europe

Elli-Queue has been used in a community health fair and had the opportunity to show overall loudness levels of the auditorium where the event was held, output levels of the iPod and Creative MP3 players, and they had a lot of fun discussing findings with participants. Current plans are to take their friends (Deci-Bell and Elli-Queue) to the two major gyms in the area and local schools to look at output levels of personal stereos. Maj. Merkley and his team plans to have their non-scientific findings published in the Stars and Stripes as well as broadcast over the Armed Forces Network in an effort to raise awareness of the damaging effects of noise. In the future their two friends will help them promote good hearing health among combat troops throughout Europe. We have plans to take them into aircraft, tanks, striker, Bradley, other fighting vehicles, and also sit around the firing ranges to measure noise encountered on the battle field.

"I did not use the sound level meter mentioned in the Cook book. I work for the Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine in Europe (CHPPM-E) and have access to a variety of dosimeters. My plans are to use a dosimeter in my "studies" so I can show TWA, LEQ, peak noise levels, etc. It's not scientific, but gives a very interesting look into potential exposures."

SHOQUE & FLAME
Widex Canada in Canada

Created by the staff at Widex, Canada, a company that makes hearing aids, SHOQUE is working to help spread the message of the importance of healthy hearing habits. She has toured schools and attended conferences to meet as many people as she can. Wherever she goes she gets noticed!

FLAME is a full mannequin, but the bottom is difficult to connect solo so Deborah Ranson, Audiologist with Widex, Canada, will have her travel as a half-mannequin. No mini skirt. The back of her head has a hatch that opens as they don't need to reach up her body to seat the mike.

Shoque and Flame are also featured on the Widex Connect™ website as the official representative of the HiP, or 'Hearing is Precious' hearing conservation campaign for kids and teens. Be sure to visit her at HiP and check out her adventures which she writes about in her diary.

NICK
CDC-NIOSH in Atlanta, USA

"Nick" was built by students at the University of Northern Colorado for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)^* in 2007.

NICK has been used at events targeting those who live or work on farms or work with those who do. The goal is to promote prevention of noise-induced hearing loss among young farmers. Exposures of these young farmers could include both farm noise and inappropriate use of personal music players strictly for pleasure or while working. Nick draws participants' attention and allows NIOSH staff to discuss exposures from both music players and work-related exposures.

Nick is being used in conjunction with distribution of two companion brochures targeting young farmers and their families. They're your ears, Protect them: Hearing Loss Caused by Farm Noise is Preventable is designed to increase the awareness of farmers about the relationship between farm noise and the early onset of tinnitus (e.g. ringing or buzzing in the ears) and hearing loss among farmers. Hearing Loss Caused by Farm Noise is Preventable: Young Farmers' Guide for Selecting and Using Hearing Protection is designed to overview the variety of hearing protection available and when and how to use it. These brochures were produced by NIOSH with assistance of many who live and work on farms or work with farmers.

In October 2007 student nurses from Southeastern Louisiana University used Nick at a health fair conducted at the local county fair for hearing screening and counseling on proper use of hearing protection devices. Also in October 2007, NIOSH staff used Nick in their booth at the 2007 National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, IN.

In December 2007 Nick was used again at two National Conventions held simultaneously in Las Vegas: the National Association of Agricultural Teachers and the Association of Career and Technical Educators.

^*NIOSH is part of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Our mission involves prevention of work related illnesses and injuries. Copies of brochures (They're your ears. Protect them: Hearing Loss Caused by Farm Noise is Preventable and Hearing Loss Caused by Farm Noise is Preventable: Young Farmers' Guide for Selecting and Using Hearing Protection) can be viewed at www.cdc.gov/niosh. Click on Resources. Free hard copies can be requested at farm.noise@cdc.gov

HEIDI AND OTIS
American Audiology Association in Virginia, USA

Staff at AAA built HEIDIand OTIS and feature them as part of their DiscovEAR Zone at their annual conventions. Local school kids and their families are encouraged to visit the DiscovEAR Zone where there are lots of hands-on exhibits including Heidi and Otis, where everyone can learn about protecting their ears.

PIERRE #9 & VERONICA
Academy of Doctors of Audiology in Kentucky, USA

Pierre #9 and Veronica were built for the Dr. Charles Stone, President of the ADA, by Genna Martin, the original developer of Jolene.

PIERRE #9 was sold to the Minnesota State Audiology Association - we will find out what he is up to soon.

VERONICA was donated to and then auctioned off at the ADA's 2008 national convention.

ADA screens hearing and educate consumers of the dangers of noise exposure and hand out free EAR plugs. Last year they screened over 2,000 people and handed out more than 10,000 EAR plugs at their state academy booth in the health care building. They have based their campaign around a theme of "what is your baseline" and protect what you have. They hand out a brochure that gives information on why it is important to have your hearing evaluated and how many environmental noises can cause hearing loss. The Academy will use Pierre #9 and Veronica to test peoples Ipods etc while they wait to have their hearing screened and to work with the school audiologist to educate students to the dangers. This will also work well to help bridge the gap in communication between practicing audiologist and school audiologist.

California Baptist University - California

Dr. Anthony Donaldson, Dean of the School of Engineering, requires all first year electrical engineering students to make their own "Jolene" as their first engineering project. The engineering students must then identify a school (elementary, middle or high school) and arrange to present their Jolene to classes with information about preventing noise induced hearing loss. The students will leave the Jolenes at the schools for them to use for education and science projects.

National Acoustic Laboratories - Australia

Warwick Williams, PhD, Senior Research Engineer, National Acoustic Laboratories has built a Jolene to help them with testing Australian youth's listening habits with personal stereo systems.

USA Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine - Pacific Camp - Japan

Mark Isenstein, CIH is building 8-10 "Jolenes" (some are "Joes") as part of a summer education project for American and Japanese students located in and around Camp Zama (near Tokyo) Japan. The Jolenes are part of a program started here by COL Nancy Vause (PHD Audiologist) called GEMS (Great in Explorations in Math and Science) for high school and younger students. They planned to take one of their Jolenes with them for a hike up Mt. Fuji. We are waiting for photos.

LeAiA - Associates in Acoustics and on loan to American Industrial Hygiene Association's (AIHA)^*

LeAiA was built in February 2009 by Deanna Meinke, PhD audiologist at University of Northern Colorado and donated to the National Hearing Conservation Association Scholarship Foundation fundraiser auction. LeAiA was purchased by Associates in Acoustics, who graciously loaned her to the American Industrial Hygiene Association's (AIHA)* Georgia Local Section for use in the World of Safety and Health at the Construction Education Foundation of Georgia's (CEFGA)* Expo and SkillsUSA Championships held in Atlanta in April 2009. The annual Expo is aimed primarily at teens pursuing careers in construction, architecture, engineering, and energy. The AIHA Georgia Local Section, through its partnership with the Georgia Youth Alliance, focused its outreach efforts at this year's CEFGA Expo on raising awareness of the importance of preventing noise-induced hearing loss, a persistent concern throughout the construction industry. This year's Expo was attended by 4,500 students from almost 200 schools plus 1,600 education and industry representatives, volunteers, and guests from all over the state.

^*AIHA is a nonprofit organization and one of the largest international associations of occupational and environmental health professionals practicing industrial hygiene in industry, government, labor, academics, consulting, and others; the core value of its 10,000+ members (including 75 local sections) is protecting worker health. CEFGA, also a nonprofit organization, is dedicated to attracting, training, and motivating the next generation of construction professionals through education, industry, and trade association partnerships throughout the state of Georgia.

Dezi Bell - SAIF Corporation

After watching how engaging "Jolene" and the OHSU Dangerous Decibels Program was for high school students at a Young Worker Coalition presentation at The Oregon Governor's Occupational Safety and Health Conference (GOSH) was this year, we had to have one at SAIF Corporation in Salem, Oregon. We worked from the "Jolene Cookbook" and are delighted with our completed project "Dezi Bell." Dezi will help get the word out in a variety of safety settings including an upcoming Construction Career Day booth at the Salem Airport for over 500 high school students.

Alex - Oswego County BOCES, Mexico NY

Oswego County BOCES, Mexico NY Presents Alex

Birthdate: 4/30/09

Location: Oswego County BOCES, Mexico NY

Builders: Amy M. Glessing, Au.D.CCC-A/Jessie Bennett Bradley

Oswego County BOCES Trades Fair, Mexico Middle School Health Fair